Running. Running as fast as he possibly could.

Rainwater drenched his body as the eternal storm of nightmare danced around him in heinous glee. Thunder erupted through the sky smashing the atmosphere as a monstrous hammer of war. Lightning from the nether like blinding daggers crashed through the air piercing the ground.

Link dashed through the forests like an absolute wild man, tearing apart any tree limbs and underbrush that stood in his way.

Heavy stomps in sadistic rhythm rang out not too far behind him. Get away. He had to get away. Lose him the trees and liv-

"I'M COMING LINK!" Ganon's diabolical voice sent chills crawling down his spine almost causing Link to scream out in horror. The King of Demon had returned and he could not be defeated. "I WANT MY TRIFORCE PIECE!"

Escape was the only thing on Link's mind, the sole thought running through his brain a million times faster than he could comprehend.

"DID YOU HEAR ME BOY?!" Ganon roared. "I SAID I WANT MY TRIFORCE! AND I WANT IT, RIGHT, NOOOOOOOOOOOW!"

A tree sailed through the air like a javelin, rocketing past Link's head before colliding with another tree and exploding, sending pieces of wood scattering about.

One of the pieces flew through the air, impaling into Link right in his chest, blasting him right off his feet.

Link screamed in agony trying desperately to pull it out. Blood spurted out of his chest as the bit of wood almost ran him through. That's when he noticed a colossal shadow looming over him like a hungry vulture eagerly anticipating a delicious meal.

"OH LINK!" A toothy smiled emerged from Ganon's lips. He was relishing every nanosecond of his victory with the utmost satisfaction. "I'VE WAITED FOR THIS DAY FOR SO LONG. LINK! THAT LOOK IN YOUR EYES, THAT LOOK OF ABSOLUTE TERROR! YOU CAN'T BEGIN TO IMAGINE THE PURE JOY THAY BESETS MY HEART FROM THAT STARE OF HOPELESS ANGUISH!"

Link stared back into the eyes of The Demon. There was absolutely no mercy to be found within them, just the sick and perverse thrill of knowing he had won.

"BUT DREAD NOT, HERO! I HAVE BROUGHT YOU A GIFT! CONSIDER IT A THANKS FOR MY RESURRECTION!"

Ganon open one of his massive hands. Emerging from it was...

"Zelda." Link whispered in horror.

Ganon dumped Zelda onto the ground. "SHE HAD A WONDERFUL SCREAM! YES, ABSOLUTELY LOVELY!"

Link's took in the sight of his lover. A bloody hole was in her chest, dead eyes staring off into the abyss. All because of him. All. Because. Of. Him.

"NOW! JOIN HER IN THE DEPTHS OF THE VOID!"

Link looked up to see several massive claws come rain down on him.

All he could do was scream.


Link woke up in a cold sweat, desperately gasping for air. He looked around. This wasn't his bed. This wasn't his home. Where was he? How did he get here? How can he leave?

Tearing off the covers, Link ran to the window to try to figure out where he was. His room overlooked a kingdom, but none he had ever seen before? In the streets there were these...mushrooms moving about and... wait.

Link's frenzied panic started to calm as his memory started to kick in. Captain N, The Eight Bits, Zek, The Mushroom Kingdom, Peach, Bowser. Ganon. Zelda.

He sat back down on the bed. If that happened, then that meant he hadn't been dreaming. Ganon was back, and Zelda was... dead.

All because of him. All because of him.

Link looked at the Bit, glistening in the morning light. Eight. Eights Bits was all he needed to get back. Two down, six to go.

"Get up Link!" Toad pounded on the door. "It's time for breakfast. We're leaving soon."

"I'm up!" He shouted. "I'm coming down give me a little time."

Putting on his clothes and equipment, Link put the Bit in his pocket. The other Bits were out there someone. Just have to find them.

Walking downstairs, Link came into the dining hall. Princess Peach was already there.

"Good morning Link." The princess greeted him as she covered her crumpet with a dollop of jelly. "Welcome to breakfast."

Link looked at the scene before him. Several Goombas were carefully moving around with trays of food on their heads. The Goombas would go up to the gourmet table and walk on little step stools so they could place the trays on the table, before running back to the kitchen. Toad chefs dutifully chopping and baking away in the kitchen, happily working to provide a proper meal.

"There is plenty to eat Link." Peach said. "Please, have whatever you like."

Link picked up a tray and started moving down the breakfast bar. To his relief, there were many familiar-looking foods that looked like they came straight out of a Hyrule kitchen. Eggs, bacon, croissants, milk, juice, vegetables, sausage, porridge, pancakes, fruit, and... something new.

"Hey, Your Highness, what's this?" Link pointed down. There were these brown little pieces about half the size of a pinkie finger.

"Oh, those are called Hagels!" Peach replied. "They're chocolate candy from my people! Put it on your bread, it's a delicious treat!"

Getting a spoon, Link took a scoopful of the sprinkles and dumped it on a piece of bread. Getting some porridge and eggs, he sat back down and tried this new food.

"It's delicious! Thank you, Your Highness."

"I'm glad you enjoy it." She said with a smile. "And please, just call me Peach."

Link spent the rest of breakfast carefully eating his food. He found it hard to avoid tearing into the food, all of it was absolutely amazing. Zelda had thoroughly taught him table manners and constantly sat next to him during mealtimes so she could reprimand him with stiff kicks under the table to curb his rabid eating.

"That was a great morning meal Peach." Link remembered to wipe his mouth the napkins provided for him.

Peach stood up as servant Toads began clearing the tables. "Good. Now we must prepare to head out. Toad," she turned to her mushroom companion, who was dining on the last of his grapes. "please make sure the Royal Guard is in order. Elvin, come with me. We must discuss security measure for the castle while I am away. Link, you are welcome to come with me if you'd like." She flashed him another sweet smile.

"Peach, I'm flattered, but I'd like to go make preparations of my own. I'll be in my room." He quickly excused himself from the table. Going back into the room, Link closed the door and locked it. He leaned back on the bed.

As nice as having a place to stay was, Link couldn't stay here. What happens if Peach and this Bowser can't reach an agreement? If these kingdoms go to war, Peach would ask Link to fight on her people's behalf. He couldn't afford to be dragged into a war. He couldn't. There was no time for that. He hoped that Bowser would be a reasonable person. But from how Zek described him, that wasn't a strong hope. No, he couldn't afford to take any risks. He'd have to leave the Mushroom Kingdom today. He couldn't waste a single day. In fact, leave as soon as this conference was over. There was no other way. He has to keep moving. Keep searching. No matter what.

He got a knock on his door. "Come on Link! It's time to go!" Toad said

Taking a deep breath, Link followed Toad went outside. Peach and several armored Toads were standing around a large green pipe.

"Link, good to see you. We were just about to leave to go to the Koopa Kingdom."

"How we will get there? Don't tell me I have to go on another 'wagon.'" He felt green just thinking about the memory. Looking around, no wagons were in sight. So that was a good thing.

"Oh no, we'll go through the pipeline." Peach said. It's much faster."

"Pipeline?"

"Yes. The pipeline. It's the fastest way to travel in the Mushroom Kingdom. Brigadier General, if you will."

"Of course Your Highness!" The commander turned to his subordinates. "Toad Brigade! Move out!"

One by one, the Toads jumped into the pipe.

Link couldn't believe it. "They just went into that pipe! Where did they go?"

"To the Koopa Kingdom. I have an army stationed near the border."

"How is this safe?" All Link could think about was shooting out of the pipe, plummeting into the ground, and becoming as flat as a pancake.

"As long as you go in properly, of course. Come look."

Link looked inside the pipe. The slots inside the pipe emitted a shining white light. "The light means that the stabilizers are on. You will go through the pipe with ease. It's actually quite fun."

"Here, let me help you." Peach offered. "First, get on the edge of the pipe. Then go in feet first! Just like this!" Peach jumped into the pipe.

Link stared down the pipe. It was pitch black and ominous. What if he got stuck? He had never used one before. How could someone help him?

I have to get back. Back to Hyrule. And the only way back is forward.

Closing his eyes, he fell in.

As he plummeted straight down, he felt this strange vibration fluctuate around him. He felt his body take a sharp turn. Wait, no. The pipe had taken a turn. Should he have hit the pipe them, right? Looking around him, he realized he wasn't riding the pipe. He was floating through it. Taking more turns than he could count, eventually, Link spun, and found himself moving headfirst instead of. feetfirst

Link's head popped out.

Someone took his hand. "I see you have made it." Peach said with a smile. "How do you feel?"

"I...I feel good." Link looked around. The sky was dark gray with fiery orange. Thich cloud "Where...where are we?"

"This is the Koopa Kingdom."

"Is it night here?"

"No, it's the middle of the day."

"But it's so dark out here! Where is the sun?"

"The sun is somewhere behind the thick clouds of the sulfuric acid aerosol layers."

"What?" The air finally hit Link's nose. It was absolutely putrid. He found himself gagging, unable to get away from that. "What is that stench? It smells like...rotten eggs."

"It's the sulfur. While the Koopa Kingdom does a good job cleaning the air, there is only so much you can do."

"What is this 'sulfur' you keep talking about?"

"I will explain later. Try not to breathe it in."

"The air is foul, the sky is dark, what kind of a place is this?"

"This area is a hotbed of volcanic activity."

"Volcanic?" Link was trying to remember where he had heard that before. Something with the Gorons? He had never seen anything 'volcanic' in his life."

"This place is flowing with lava right underneath our feet. Lava provides more light than the sun around here. This is the biggest reason the Koopa Kingdom avoids war: the ground under them would spew out lava with enough cannon fire. In fact, the very ground we stand on is all igneous rock that cooled and is preventing the lava from emerging to the surface.

The Toad Brigadier General greeted them. "Glad to see you made it. Your Highness, let's escort you to the meeting."

"Let's take a walk."

Looking at his surroundings, Link saw mountains a bit ways off. But unlike the ones he was normal too, these mountains were red, yellow, and orange, "What are those mountains in the distance? They look ready to explode."

"Those are the volcanoes. Koopas take the lava and use it for ironworking."

If Koopa's could not only survive, but thrive in an environment like this, Link could only imagine what terrifying beasts they would have to be.

After a short walk, the party came across the army of Toads. Each Toad had a spear in hand, at salute for their royalty.

"Your Highness!" An elderly Toad came forward. "I am glad to see you are in good health."

"Toadsworth, I see you have kept the army in tip top shape!"

"I have my Your Highness." Toadsworth nodded humbly. "I see you have brought someone...new." He looked at Link from head to toe. Link sensed the entire Toad Army was doing the same. He felt uncomfortable with so many eyes on him. Let's just get this over with.

A trumpet rang out in the air.

Everyone paused. Link looked for the source.

A giant wall. Black metal gleamed as the wall extends for seemingly ever. There was a giant 'K' in the center part of the wall.

"Menacing, isn't it?" Peach said to the stunned hero, neither taking their eyes off of the monstrous structure. "The only ways in are the heavily regulated entrances of the wall. The Koopas sealed themselves away from the rest of the world."

The trumpet sounded off again. The entrance opened.

Link heard the sound of footsteps. Many, many, footsteps. Instinctively, he reached for his sword, hand hovering over the hilt.

As the Koopas began pouring out, Link caught his first few glimpses of these new potential enemies.

They looked like turtle people. Yellow turtles that stood upright on two legs. The left side of their army had green shells, the right side of the army had red shells. For whatever reason, the side with the green shells had a red shell in front of it holding a stop sign. Strange.

What? Link thought.

They weren't that big. Bigger than a Toad maybe, but not as tall as Link himself. They certainly didn't look like fierce warriors that have mastered this harsh terrain. In fact, they looked rather cute. Maybe those large beaks of theirs had a lot of biting power. He needed a closer look.

After several minutes of marching, the Koopa Army came to a stop. The two sides parted.

A Koopa wearing blue robes and riding on a broomstick came to a forefront,

"So that's Bowser?" Link raised an eyebrow. The being looked rather diminutive to be a king.

"No, that's his assistant, Kamek." Peach explained. "He is quite the powerful magician."

"Magic, you say?" So magic existed in this world too. Link wondered just how strong Kamek's magic was.

Kamek pulled out a scroll. "Hear ye, hear ye! It is with great honor and pleasure that I introduce to you, the King of the Koopa Kingdom, his most High Excellence, Bowser!"

Music, which Link assumed to be the Koopa national anthem. The royal cart came out, pulled by a few dozen Koopas.

Link got his first glimpse of Bowser.

Bowser was nothing like the other Koopa's. While his troops were small and scrawny, Bowser was a barrel-chested, towering beast. His massive green shell was uniquely fitted with spikes. His thick eyebrows and mane were a bright, fiery red-orange and to match bright red eyes. He sported two small horns coming out of the side of his head. Several spiked collars decorated his neck and arms.

"So, that's the big guy?" Link asked. Now that's the kind of monster I'd imagine would live in this place.

"He's horrifying, right?" Toad was shaking in his boots."

"Don't be afraid Peach." Link whispered in her ear. "I can take him."

"There's no need for a fight." She whispered back. "This is diplomacy.

Toad couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Are you serious? He's huge!"

"I've killed huger."

"Yep. That's him all right. In all his glory." Elvin spat on the ground. "Did he shine his horns? They look shined. He really went all out with this one."

"So, once this showboating is over, what happens next."

"We meet in the embassy, and negotiations begin."

"Embassy?"

"Look to the right."

Link's head turned. A small building was there. He hadn't even noticed. Had there been anything else he'd miss?

Link looked around, searching for anything else out of the ordinary, and looked right into a cannon.

"Gah!" Link was about to pull out his sword, but Peach grabbed his hand.

"It's just a TV camera."

"What's a 'TV camera'?"

"Let's just say it allows people that aren't here to watch what's going on."

"How many people are watching us?"

"Not a lot of people, politics bore the masses. Just don't make any sudden movements and keep quiet." Peach said quickly. In reality, almost every inhabitant of the Mushroom Kingdom was watching this, but Link seemed like the shy, quiet type. No use riling him up.

"Greetings Princess," Bowser said in a surprisingly calm voice. His attention turned directly to Link. "Who's this? I thought all of your people bit the dust a while ago."

"This is my new...associate. Link. He's not from around here."

"Associate?" Bowser raised an eyebrow as he examined Link. "What's wrong with his ears? He can probably hear what I thought of yesterday. Those things are huge."

"Like I said, he's not from around here."

"He's almost as funny-lookin' as Lenny!" A voice said.

Link turned. There were eight little Koopas sitting in each of their own little...chariots? They were unlike any chariots Link had seen before. The chariots were floating and had faces on them.

"Hahaha! Good one, Iggy!" One of them chuckled. He wore these big pink glasses that covered his entire face.

"You brought your children, Bowser?" Peach said.

"I thought it would be good for them to attend a meeting like this. Gain some experience and knowledge. However," He turned back to them. "If they don't be like good little Koopalings and stay silent, this will be a VERY bad day for them."

The Koopalings shrank back in fear.

"Anyway Peach, it's so good to see you again. Shall we proceed to the embassy?"

The party walked between the two armies to the embassy. Link was fuming. Why was everyone always talking about his ears? They weren't that big.

Elvin nudged his shoulder. "Anyway, since your new, you might want to learn about the Koopalings." He started pointing them out. "That's Larry, that's Morton, that's Wendy, that's Iggy, that's Roy, that's Lemmy, and that's Ludwig. Now, they're all adopted. The one that looks like Bowser is Bowser Jr. He's the only one that's Bowser's actual kid. I'm pretty sure he leads the group. Just a head's up."

Walking inside the embassy, Link looked around at all the portraits hanging on the wall. Former rulers of the Mushroom Kingdom and the Koopa Kindom. Several portraits had the rules congregating together. He wondered how long their shared history went back in time.

They reached a large conference room and began sitting down.

"Before we begin negotiations, let's have something to eat. I brought you a gift."

Bowser turned around to his troops. "GET THE PRESENTS!"

A line of Koopas came forward, carrying objects wrapped in some metal Link had never seen before. It was shiny and crinkled rather easily. it seemed more like paper than metal.

Keeping one eye on Bowser, Peach slowly unwrapped one of the 'presents'. "You have brought... snacks?" Peach asked quickly. This was...unexpected.

"Ah yes, princess!" Bowser clapped his hands together. "We recently came into plenty of bananas! And we decided to make everything we could with bananas! We have banana cake, banana pudding, banana Bread. banana cream pie, even banana chocolate chip pancakes!"

"How did you get so many bananas?" While Peach knew volcanic soil could be rich in nutrients, the Koopa Kingdom lacked the sunlight to grow ample harvests. Bowser preferred to import food than grow it.

"We recently decided to expand our economy and sent out boats so we could establish trades. Along the way, we came upon an island. There were free banana's abound! So we gathered as many as we could and brought 'em back! Here, try this banana cake!" Bowser presented.

Peach looked the cake suspiciously. Bowser just randomly started caring about expanding his economy? This was a setup. There was something in that food.

"Hold it right there! Elvin Gadd said. "I'll just get my trusty scanner to examine this food for anything funny."

"You don't trust me?" Bowser raised an eyebrow. Out of the corner of his eye, he made sure the cameras were rolling.

"Professor. Gadd." Peach turned to the mad scientist in a look of stoic lividness. Of course, Elvin shouldn't trust Bowser. Neither of them did. But he couldn't just say that. If Elvin had said outright that he didn't trust Bowser, the precedence and excuse claims Bowser could make up later were-

"Oh, King Bowser, don't you know that the bacteria inside different species can be radically different? We wouldn't want the princess getting sick now, would we?"

"If you implying that my chefs are unclean in any way, I'll have you know that they wear rubber gloves at all times inside the kitchen. They also wear hair nets, and they don't even have hair!"

"But like I said Your Highness, bacteria inside organisms. What I'm specifically referring to is when you exhale. You would be surprised at the millions of bacteria that come out of each breath. And when that bacteria hits a solid object, it clings to the objects and begins to spread, multiplying at an exponential rate. The chefs were breathing as they cooked the food, right? There is probably bacteria from inside a Koopa on the food right now. So I'm just checking it to see if its safe for the princess' consumption. We wouldn't want her getting sick now, would we? She and I are the last of our kind here, after all. And she is royalty, to boot."

Peach had to stifle a laugh. To think she had underestimated Elvin like that. Bowser, while clever and manipulative, was not that educated. Elvin could spew out absolute nonsense and with enough big words make it seem legitimate. Even if Bowser was suspicious, he did not know enough to call Elvin out on it. But that wasn't even the point. Not only had Bowser been outsmarted, more importantly, he had been out-postured. They both knew that Elvin wasn't looking for bacteria, but Bowser couldn't prove that on a social level. Well done Elvin, very well done.

Bowser looked at Kamek. The old wizard shrugged nervously. "I-I-I-I guess we have to let 'em inspect then, huh?"

Elvin smirked at the bead of sweat going down Bowser's head. Checkmate. Clear as day.

"...Very well." King Koopa said.

"Well then, I guess we better have a look-see, huh?" Gadd took out his scanner. "First we scan the body of the host..." He scanned Peach. "Then we scan the object." Elvin's scanner hovered over the cake. "And now we wait."

Bowser and Kamek looked at the scanner. They hadn't been expecting this. Elvin couldn't help but smirk. They actually thought they could get away with this. "And now we have the results! Chances of an illness..." Elvin's face went from satisfaction to shock. "5% chance. With a 5% margin of error."

Bowser and Kamek breathed a sigh of relief.

"Wait a second! That's still a 10% chance maximum." Elvin pointed out,

"But my intention was 0%! Which is possible via the margin of error!" Bowser countered. "Well, if your machine says it safe, I suppose it is harmless then?"

"...Yes." Elvin said through gritted teeth. Elvin just took a grasp at straws and had gotten completely shut down.

"Well, in that case, there's nothing to worry about then!" Kamek said.

"Then what am I waiting for?" Peach said, barely batting an eye.

"Princess..."

Bowser had done this for a reason. If it hadn't messed with the pudding at all, it must have been to paint himself as a peaceful, kind ruler. And with Elvin verifying the pudding's safety, Peach just couldn't refuse anymore. Not on live television.

"This is actually delicious!"

"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" A horrendous roar pulsed through the air and drowned out all within its range.

Everyone fell quiet, wide-eyed with terror.

Peach looked at Bowser. "What. Was. That?"

Bowser was in a state of panic. "I-I-I don't know." He turned around. That roar originated from his side. "WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT?!" He shouted.

Everyone in the embassy heard fighting going on outside. Several cannons went off. One more gargantuan roar. Then the screaming. Then silence.

Link unsheathed his sword.

A Koopa rocketed through the door like a bullet. It crashed into one of the TV camera crew, smashing the equipment.

"Goodness gracious!" Kamek shouted.

The door exploded, mowed right down.

A giant gorilla sauntered in. He snorted furiously.

"That is one big monkey," Bowser said, stunned.

Monkey? The monkeys' Link had known were small little creatures. They could be annoying, but never an outright threat. This... thing, was an entirely different beast. Kill it fast. It had already wasted more than enough of Link's time.

"Bowser. Did these bananas belong to him?" Peach asked slowly.

"We didn't see anyone when we took them," Bowser explained. "I guess he was just asleep?"

The gorilla saw the TV cameras being pointed at him. With a roar, he grabbed chairs and hurled them forward like rockets, each projectile smashing into a cameraman.

The gorilla saw Peach with the banana cake. It let out another huge roar.

It took a step towards her and raised its huge hand to smash Peach.

Bowser stood up. Showtime. He opened his mouth, a giant flame within him strengthened, and=

A bolt of lightning shot out of nowhere, blasting the gorilla back and right into Bowser. The both of them collapsed in a heap, with banana pudding getting mashed into Bowser's face.

"Stay back princess." Link stepped forward in front of her. "I'll handle this. Everyone, get out of here, now!" He shouted.

Elvin and Toad grabbed Peach's arm. "We must flee, your Highness! Leave this to the warrior!"

The two quickly lead Peach away. Reaching the door, Toad let go of Peach to open it, and that's when Peach struck. Prying herself free from their grasps, Peach kicked the two past the door and slammed it shut, locking it.

"PRINCESS PEACH!" They banged on the door. "GET OUT OF THERE! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

Peach turned her attention to the fight. The gorilla was getting back up with an angry snort. There was something glowing in the gorilla's paw. It was red and gray...

Wait a second. Link peered closer. Is that a-

"He has a Bit." Peach said astonished.

Link didn't know whether to be overjoyed or terrified. Here was another Bit, but he was going to have to wrestle it away from this lumbering beast. Well, he had come here to fight, so this was to be expected.

Link shot out another bolt, right at the gorilla.

The aura of the Bit encircled the gorilla's hand. "OOOOOOOOAAAAHHHH!" The gorilla smashed his fist into the bolt and sent it crashing into the ceiling.

What? No way! Link couldn't believe it. Using the Bit, the gorilla just knocked the bolt away!

Letting out a massive roar, the gorilla charged.

Link kept firing bolts, trying to avoid the rampaging primate, but the gorilla swatted them all away. Lemmy Koopa ducked as a wayward bolt went zooming over his head. "Watch what you're doing, you stupid ape!" He shouted.

The gorilla brought his hand down like a sledgehammer. Link rolled out of the away as the gorilla's giant fist smashed through the floor.

Master Beam. He can't deflect that. Link aimed his sword and fired out a Master Beam. The gorilla went to punch the Beam and it exploded on impact, creating a cloud of smoke.

Yes! It worked! Link moved in for the kill. The Master Beam was his most powerful magic attack. It had even hurt Ganon in the final battle.

The smoked cleared, and -

That's impossible.

The gorilla was still there! The Master Beam had it only made it angrier!

It lashed out. Link raised his shield. The massive paw bashed into the shield like a club.

Link flew back, crashing into a wall and breaking through a pillar. It collapsed, burying him in rubble.

"LINK!" Peach shrieked. "LINK! GET UP! PLEASE!"

The rubble remained still.

"Link..." All Peach could do was stare silently at the debris in front of her.

The gorilla gave another roar, snapping Peach out of it. The beast had turned its attention to her.

Morton Koopa walked up to his father, clutching an extra-large bucket of butter glazed popcorn and a soda. "Wow Dad!" He paused to stuff his face with another glob of popcorn. "I wasn't expecting this kind of a show! Were you?"

"Shut up Morton!" Wendy Koopa bashed him on the head with her purple wand. "You're not supposed to say that out loud, you idiot!"

"Wait, 'show'?" Peach turned to Bowser. "You...You planned this?"

"Well, I guess since the Koopa's out of the bag, there's no use hiding it now. Indeed I did." He responded proudly. "While Kamek and I were looking at my, what did you call it, a 'Bit', Kamek used his magic and we tracked another Bit down to the gorilla's island. We figured he might be a problem, so last night we made off with all of his food and waited for him to come disrupt this little talk."

"But why? Bowser, this is insane. Even for you!"

"I wanted to impress you by turning this monkey into a new fur coat, but it seems like you've already got yourself a boyfriend." Bowser looked at the rubble. "Or had, in this case. I'll tell you what Peach: give me your hand in marriage and the Mushroom Kingdom, and I'll get you out of this little predicament. What do you say?"

"Never." Peach hissed. "I won't let you blackmail me."

"Is that your final answer? Because I don't think there's going to be much left of you to run your kingdom once this gorilla is done with you."

"I. Said. No." Peach unsheathed her sword.

"Well, have it your way," Bowser replied. "Though I'd rather not see you pounded into a pulp. But if that's the way you're going to be, it's your funeral."

"Can't you see your being used?!" She yelled at the gorilla. "He doesn't care about you or your bananas at all! He was the one that stole from you!"

"I'm gonna take a guess and say that he doesn't understand the language. And since you were the one with your hand in the banana jar, I don't think he's too happy with you."

The gorilla beat his chest and snorted again in disapproval.

"That's why you gave me the pie." Peach realized. "You were setting me up this entire time."

"Exactly," Bowser smirked. "Hook, line, and sucker. Now here you are, all alone. No army, no knight to defend you, nothing. And besides, even if by some miracle you were able to defeat that gorilla, lookie here what I got." Bowser pulled out a Bit. "Now it might not seem like much, but I can do things with it that are out of this world."

"And don't forget we're here too!" Bowser Jr. and his squad of Kooplings primed their clown cars. "Just try something!"

Wait a second. Link didn't understand the language at first either. If I show the gorilla the Bit, he'll be able to understand and learn what's going on!

Peach was about to reach into her pocket.

A chair came flying at her out of nowhere. She barely ducked as it collided with the wall.

"And that was just a taste of what he can do. Do you really think you can defeat us all, Peach?" Bowser said. "Come on now. You're a smart girl. You know you can't win. Don't let your ego be the reason your kingdom turns to rubble."

"I am going to make you pay for this Bowser." Peach unsheathed her sword.

"Give me one good reason why you think you can defeat us. All of us." Bowser said.

Peach looked around. She was severely outnumbered. No army. No Link. No cameras.

No witnesses.

She reached into her pocket. "I can give you-"

A crackling sound emitted from the rubble.

Peach pausing, turning around.

A beam of red light emerged from the cracks. The cracks multiplied, growing intense, intenser.

"Wha-What's going on?" Bowser said.

"It's my boyfriend." Peach smiled. "It seems he's not that easy to kill after all."

The rubble exploded. Link emerged in an aura of energy. A red aura blazed around him.

"He has a Bit too?" Bowser's mouth was agape. "What's that energy coming from his hand?"

Link looked at his hand. Golden energy emitted from his hand to the tip of his sword. The power of the Triforce must be amplified by the Bit. He realized. Let's see how much.

He pointed the Master Sword at the ape.

Thunder.

A shower of lightning flashed out. The gorilla tried to punch it all again, but the lighting was now too strong to deflect. The gorilla found itself being pushed back before jumping into the air out of harm's way.

"OOOOOOOOOOOOOAH!" He started flinging more chairs at Link.

"Look out Link!" Peach cried.

Link easily sidestepped each and every one, walking closer and closer.

He's like a blur. Peach thought. Is he faster than me now?

Frustrated, the gorilla let out a screeching before lifting the conference table at one hand and chucking it at Link.

He won't be able to dodge that! Peach realized. He's come in too close! "Link!"

Link slashed with his sword. The table parted in two, crashing into the wall.

The gorilla roared and charged forward.

Link choose to meet the attack head on, making a charge of his own.

"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOAH!" With the Bit in hand, the gorilla swung his fist like a sledgehammer and it collided right with the Master Sword. The aura's clashed, Bit energy crackling around them both, freely sprawling in the air.

Link tried to push forward. It was like trying to run through a wall, but he had to keep going. This gorilla had gotten in his way and he was going to cut it down without a moment's hesitation. I. Am. Going. To. Slit. Your. tipped his sword to try to get some leverage...

But it wasn't enough. The gorilla's massive strength pushed Link back and it flung him into the wall. Link crashed back first before spilling onto the floor.

"LINK!" Peach shrieked as the gorilla moved in for the finishing blow. "LINK! GET UP! GET UP!"

The gorilla jumped into the air and came back down like a meteor.

"LINK!"

Link rolled out of the way right before the ape landed. He got back to one knee. The Master Sword lit up with power.

Master Beam.

The Master Beam blasted the gorilla dead center in the chest.

The explosion was deafening, rocking what as left of the embassy. Peach dropped to the ground, covering her head. Her ears were ringing she heard something zip right by, followed by a loud impact. Looking up again, she saw that the gorilla had been blasted outside, smoke wafting off his chest.

Link walked right past her, sword in hand. It was time to end this.

He doesn't have a weapon or a ranged attack, and it even hurts for the gorilla to block it. He can't keep it up. Link's going to win this fight. It's only a matter of time. Peach thought.

The ape held his chest, straining to get back to a vertical base. A bead of sweat ran down the gorilla's head. Link was getting closer, murder in his eyes.

The massive beast howled before taking the Bit in his hand and smashing it into the ground. It sent out a shockwave.

Link dug his sword into the ground and held on He wobbled but remained upright.

He heard screaming from behind him. Turning, he saw that the embassy's roof was collapsing! Peach! Link thought.

Thunder!

Link sent out a lightning shower. The bolts blasted the debris and mere dust and pebbles hit the floor..

Link turned around to see a fist coming at him like a cannonball.

He flew back into the embassy. His vision went blurry.

He shook his head and used his sword to get back to his feet. Have to, get back into the fight. I've got to, get that Bit...

Link shook his head again and looked at the gorilla. He couldn't believe what he was seeing.

No.

The gorilla was making a portal, just like the one Link had come through to get to the Mushroom Kingdom.

"NO!" Link scrambled to his feet and charged. This monster wasn't getting away. He couldn't afford to let the Bit slip through his fingers. He was too close. Zelda needed him to win.

Thunder streaked right at the gorilla.

The gorilla went into the portal and it closed behind him.

The portal closed, the lightning only hitting air.

"NOOOOOOOOO!" Link sunk to his knees. He got away. The monster and the Bit had gotten away. This had all been for nothing. WHERE HE GO?! WHERE DID HE GO?!"

"LINK!" Peach ran beside him. "Are you hurt?"

"He got away, Peach. And he took this Bit away." Hot tears fell off Link's eyes. "I let him escape."

"Can't you follow him? You said you the Bits can track each other, right?"

"There are 8 Bits. I don't know how to track specific Bits. Besides, when I came here, it took hours to find your Bit. It didn't take me to your exact location."

"Your right." Peach said. She turned around to Bowser, who was peeking his head out to see if it was safe. "Bowser! Didn't you say you got the banana's from that gorilla's island? The thing probably went home. Do you know how to get back to the island? It's the only lead we have on his location."

Bowser paused for a second. Peach could see the gears turning in his head. He was trying to figure out how he could use this to his advantage. Bowser wasn't going to start a fight, now would he? Peach considered telling Link about Bowser's Bit. With 2 Bits in hand, Link would easily be able to defeat the gorilla. But with how unstable Link would react, and Bowser's fierce pride, one of them would probably end up dead if it came to blows.

Peach held her tongue as Bowser came up with a response. "Well of course!" Was Bowser's reply. "Let us make haste! Time is of the essence!" Bowser snapped his fingers. "Kamek! Go get this brave knight here one of our finest boats."

"At once, my king. It shall be ready in a few hours." Kamek quickly hurried off, with Bowser right behind him.

"I'll give him one of the slow boats, just so we would have all the time we need to settle matters with Peach." Kamek whispered. "Shall I poison his food, my king? We could bring the boat right back to us, Bit secured. Peach wouldn't stand a chance."

"Why do something so crude, Kamek?" Bowser said coyly. "Think of this as an investment. Now, we set Link off to get that gorilla for us. Link takes care of the gorilla and comes back with two Bits for the taking. So why take one, when you can get two. I mean, that gorilla seemed like kind of a headache, so why not let the little minx have a go at him? He was chomping at the bit to get him, so I say let him! Besides, when one of them offs the other, that's just one less problem we have to deal with."

"Oh, good thinking your majesty! Your brilliance knows no bounds."

"That's why I'm the King. Now, get the boat ready."

"PRINCESS!" Toad and Elvin ran up to Peach. "Are you alright?!" "Did that brute harm you?"

"I'm fine you two. Because of Link and his." She noticed a stream of blood running down Link's nose.

"Here, let me get that for you." She took out a handkerchief and wiped the blood away. Link took a direct blow to the head, probably when the gorilla punched him. If it hadn't been for the Bit, Link's head would have been blown open like a watermelon.

"Thank you, princess."

"Elvin, Toad, a minute alone, please. Alert Toadsworth that I am unharmed."

"Link, with everything that's happened, maybe you shouldn't trust sailing on Bowser's ship. You don't know what other...mistakes could happen. And on the open water, errors could prove fatal."

"Do you have any other ideas for getting to the island?"

"You could take one of my ships. Full, experienced crew."

"Alright, when can you get it for me."

"It would take about a day's travel, but-"

"A day?" Link repeated. "Bowser and Kamek said they could get me a boat in hours. Listen Peach, I know there might be some tension between you and Bowser, but Bowser is trying to help me. He's giving me one of his boats. He wants the gorilla dead too. He was attacked today as well, not just the two of us."

He wants to get rid of you to isolate me. And damn it, you're falling right into it. Peach thought. "Just be careful. Make sure you don't fall into any trouble you can't get out of."

"With this Bit and my Triforce, that won't be a problem." Link said.

"Link! Come with me so that you may prepare for your voyage." Kamek called.

"Don't worry Peach, I'll right back. Goodbye for now." Link said.

"Come back safe." Peach said.

Link gave her a smile. "Don't worry, I will. And I'll have two Bits with me to back me up."


Link stared at the mechanical contraption before him. "Kamek, what am I looking at?"

"It's a fishing boat. It's a one man boat, so you won't be bogged down. The coordinates are automated and already logged into the system, so all you will have to do is press a button and you're off. I've packed enough food, fresh water, gasoline, oil, and blankets to last you the trip."

Link heard the heavy footsteps behind him and saw Bowser approaching. "Good evening, King Bowser."

"Good evening, Link. I just came to see you off." Bowser said with a grin. "I trust Kamek has furbished it quite well?"

"Yes, your majesty."

Link stepped onboard. "Thank you, the both of you. You have no idea how much this means to me."

"Oh, don't mention it, buddy! After how you took care of that overgrown ape, this was the least we could do to repay you. Though I must say, as a knight of the Mushroom Kingdom, your eagerness to fly one of my vessels is rather surprising."

"I don't serve the Mushroom Kingdom. Peach and I are partners. Nothing more, nothing less."

Really now... Bowser thought. as the engine roared to life.

"Well, I'm off! See you later!" Link waved goodbye as his boat sailed into the open water.

"See you when you get back!" Bowser and Kamek waved back. "Good luck! Happy sailing!"

"And there he goes." Kamek clapped his hands together. "Out of sight. Out of mind. At least for a while."

Bowser grinned. This unexpected little problem had worked out rather nicely. "Good. Now that the runt is the of the way, let's talk about Peach. Kamek, I think she's hiding something. And I'm going to find out what."


It had been a while since Link was on a boat.

As a child, every now and then Link would scrounge up enough money and he would sneak off on one of the horses and go on small boat rides up the rivers. He remembered splashing his hands in the water. As the war worsened, however, boat rides became fewer, and fewer, eventually running out altogether. It had been years since he had been on a boat ride, and never out in open water. Not like it mattered anyway. Those boat rides were for pure enjoyment. This was anything but. Nothing but the hum of the motor and the sound of the boat cutting through the water were heard in the night.

One month.

One month was the estimated round trip. That wasn't even counting the time it would take for Link to search the island.

Ganon could literally level Hyrule any day at any time, and Link would never know it, much less do anything about it. Sure, Captain N and The Admin would bring everything and everyone back, but he didn't want it to come to that.

15 minutes of failure would cost him a month. The chances of him returning to his world just to find it in ashes had skyrocketed exponentially. All because of him. All because of him.

And that gorilla.

Everything was going according to plan. The gorilla flipped the script. Changed everything. He had lost a month of time, a month of time he might not have even had in the first place. All because that gorilla was sore over some bananas.

"I'll kill you." He whispered. "I'll kill you, I'll kill Ganon. I'll kill anyone who gets in my way."

"DO YOU HEAR ME?" He shouted into the wind. I SAID I'LL KILL YOU! NOTHING IS GOING TO STOP ME! NOT HERE! NOT NOW! NOT EVER!"


Screaming For Vengeance

Ending of Screaming For Vengeance

(A/N)

So, this chapter was twice as long as I expected. By the time I had realized how long it was going to be, I decided to clump it all into one large chapter. So I hope you enjoy. I'm going to leave a poll on my profile. I'm just gauging what everyone things of my story so far. Now that Link's first arc is over, we are going back to Brooklyn. Hope to see you soon.