A/N: Okay, as of today, I'll be unable to do ANY updating on anything, due to the fact that this comp is going to be taken away and I will barely have the time to back up my entire profile in it. Don't ask why, just know that the idea of it is pissing me off. Just enjoy what little I do have on the Net, and have some patience, I plan on finishing what I can one of these days.

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Chapter Two

Someone sneaked back into Master Control and rearranged a few new codes. The morning found Nintendo in a disarray. The Allstars had all been questioned and interrogated, but no one could find anything wrong with their alibis.

"Things are getting worse." Final Sonic sighed as he sat with Allstar Mario at their coffee table. "Our Chaos Emeralds got switched with Coins."

"I don't think the Lil' Oink shop accepts large power jewels." Mario muttered and scratched his head. "I don't get it. Who keeps getting by the defenses?"

"Did you check the security tapes to see who it was?" Sonic asked between sips of coffee. Mario shook his head.

"I would, if we had any. They've all been melted to sludge." he replied. A commotion started up in the main area of the base. "Oh no. Here we go."

"My udders! Where are my udders?! I had a hundred gold udders and now all I got are Gold Mushrooms from that stupid Mario Kart 64 game!! What am I supposed to do with mushrooms?! Have a mushroom flambé?!" N64 Earthworm Jim screamed angrily at N64 Toad.

"Don't look at me, Wormboy! Your udders clogged up my kart's engines!" the princess' aide snapped back.

"My hammer's gone!" GC Amy Rose wailed.

"The Poké Balls are all solid white!" GB Ash and GB Pikachu yelled. "What kind of joke is that?"

"Our Golden Bananas are missing!" the Kongs all wailed loudly, "We want our Golden Bananas!"

"Banana pudding. Yucky." Advance Link muttered as he stared at the yellow goop on his breakfast tray. Allstar Link was covering his ears as he glared out at the crowd.

"Shut up! Everybody, shut up! They're working on it, okay?!" he yelled at them, "Some of us are trying to eat!" Mario looked at them and sighed again.

"Let me go fix this new mess, then we can get on with the rest of the investigation." he told Sonic. The hedgehog stood with him.

"I'll come along. I've always wanted to see what the Nintendo Master Control was like. Ours gets a little crowded whenever the big name characters go in for meetings and stuff." he remarked and the two of them headed for the room.

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"Yeah, it's that same code again." Mario muttered as he started repairing the damage. Sonic pulled a chair across from one computer and sat down to watch.

"This place is kinda messy, don'tcha think?" he remarked with a grin. Mario looked around. A few chairs were out of place again, including the one Sonic had pulled up.

"Usually it's in order, but lately...." he muttered and a flash caught his attention, "Hey, what's that?" Sonic blinked and followed Mario's gaze to one surveillance monitor. Something was flashing on the screen.

"I thought you said the cameras didn't work." Sonic remarked dryly.

"They do work; they just can't record. That doesn't mean the cameras still can't show us what's around the room." Mario answered and ran out of the room, "Come on! Maybe it's another clue!" Sonic followed him out and they came to a part of the defense system that had large metal blades swinging back and forth down a hallway.

"Yikes! Where did this come from?" Sonic yelped. Mario searched the ground and picked up a piece of metal. He examined it and then dropped it off into a bag he carried with him.

"It's the second defense. It was activated last night so the Prankster wouldn't try anything funny. Didn't work." he muttered. "I turned them off by saying the name of the man who made the first Easter Egg. That's how we got through. Remember this hall?"

"Yeah, now that you mention it. So, what's the thing you found?" Sonic asked.

"Some kind of metal. I'm not sure exactly so I'll need to do some tests on it." Mario replied.

"Let DC Tails do it. He's really smart and he could probably figure out what it is for you."

"Thanks. This mystery gets stranger and stranger. Who would want to wreck our games?" Mario asked himself.

"Playstation? They never did get over the fact that you beat them nearly senseless during the Treaty of 2002. I've never seen you two fight so long over a third party game company." Sonic reminded him. Mario shook his head.

"It was a matter of pride. Besides, they pranked us with hacking Advance Link's program and making him think he was Solid Snake for a week. You know how freaked everyone was to see a Link with a gun?" he grumbled, "Especially all the ones they gave him?!" He sighed and dropped the subject. "Anyway, after that fiasco, we doubled the security on our files. No, only a Nintendo character could get in this room with an Allstar's access code. But who? And why?" he thought aloud.

"Hey, if this is second defense, what was the first?" Sonic asked. Mario scratched his head in thought.

"First defense? That was where the ceiling falls down and crushes whoever's there in the hall." he replied.

"Ooh, prankster pancake!" Sonic laughed. Mario grinned.

"Well, that was the general idea, but apparently our trickster made it through. Which means he or she had to be fast on their feet." he replied. Sonic made a face.

"Don't say it was me, Shadow, or our Nintendo counterparts! We've never even known where this place was, let alone gotten past security to screw things up!" he declared. Mario shook his head.

"Sorry, but that speed does put you and them on the list. We'll ask you all and our Nintendo suspects some questions after lunch. Please don't take it personal." he apologized. Sonic pouted and fell into a silent, sour mood, quietly waiting to be led back to the main area.

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Allstar Link was sipping at a soda after all of the interviews were done. N64 Fox sat with him, sighing in boredom. They had been questioned a few times, but had no real leads.

"Didn't make sense to drag me in. Yeah, I move fast, but not that fast." Fox muttered and glanced at his companion, "So... why'd they talk to you? You're not that fast, Link. No offense." Link blew bubbles into his soda and glared at him.

"Bunny Hood." he grumbled, as if that explained everything. Fox lifted an eyebrow.

"Uh huh." he replied and sighed, "I'm talking to a man who wears bunny hoods. Suh-weet."

"They said there was a piece of metal at the scene. Now they're asking anyone who has anything metallic if they were near the Master Control last night." Link muttered and swallowed the last mouthful of soda. A bit dripped from the corner of his mouth and he wiped it off with the back of his hand. Fox lifted an eyebrow.

"Hey, Link. Where are those gauntlet things you wear all the time? You don't have them now." he asked, pointing at the elf's wrists. Link folded his arms to hide them, frowning.

"They're being polished." he replied with a pout, "Both sets. I have to keep them clean, ya know. I have a reputation to maintain." Fox rolled his eyes.

"Yeah. Right." he muttered under his breath and turned to one side, "Yo, waiter! Can I get a party sub here?! And this time, double the onions!" Link made a face and gagged.

"Ugh! You're a sick man, Fox! I'm outta here!" he declared and got up, flipping a few coins onto the table to pay for the soda, "Party sub with double onions.... Ack!"

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GB Pikachu lounged on his back in one rec room, watching a movie on the wide screen and munching popcorn. With the codes straightened out again, he could relax and have some fun. He was still close friends with N64 Link, but since the incidents with the Prankster, as the mysterious being was now being called, Link kept his distance so as not to get him involved. Pikachu didn't like the idea of it, but understood the feeling behind it. A sound came from behind him and Pikachu flipped over to face the intruder.

"Whoa! You move pretty fast, Pikachu!" Advance Link exclaimed, holding a package of candy in his hands, "I thought I moved really quiet, too."

"My ears are a little better than the other Links's. Allstar Link can hear a little better than me, though. What are you doing here? I thought you were in the computer room doing some extra credit work." Pikachu replied, sitting up. Advance Link smiled and cocked his head.

"Finished! I'm doing a report on the Allstars' history! I came to watch a movie. Didn't think you were here, too." he replied. He sat next to the mouse and opened the box. Pikachu sniffed and smiled.

"Hey.... Are those malt balls?" he asked eagerly. Link nodded. "I loove malt balls! Can I have some? Pretty please?" Pikachu pleaded. Link poured out some of the candy for Pikachu to have and they both went back to enjoying the video.

It was after a few minutes that other game characters came in to join them. GC Shadow was one of them, soon followed by his Sega counterpart to keep him in line.

"Sit down! Don't bounce around in your chair! Chew with your mouth closed! Don't munch popcorn so loudly!" he scolded, "Geez! You're my Nintendo counterpart?! How did you wind up so hyper and childish?! You've been hanging around Final Sonic again, haven't you? I'm supposed to be training you, not him!"

"Whee!" GC Shadow laughed and bounced up and down in his seat. Advance Link looked back at him and winked. "Movie! I want candy!"

"Hey! Down in front!" SNES Zero shouted and chucked a box of popcorn down the theater so it beaned one of the Shadows on the head. The hedgehog leaped up onto the seat and glared up at him angrily.

That's it! I've had it with food getting dumped on me! Now you're gonna get it!" DC Shadow shrieked. NES Peach giggled at Zero.

"Now you're in for it. You hit the wrong hedgehog." she snickered.

"Like it's my fault they both look exactly the same." he grumbled back.

"Taste the power of a ticked off hedgehog, Girly-Bot!" Shadow declared, preparing to fire a Chaos Spear.

"Shadow! You're blocking the view! Kill the chick after the movie!" DC Rouge shouted down at him.

"You're next, Batgirl!"

"Come here and say that to my face!"

"I'll whup the both of ya!"

"Stay out of this, Blondie! You've already got a date with my Chaos Control!"

"Yeah! I wasn't talking to you, Less Than Zero!"

"It's getting noisy. I'm going to go and see if Diddy wants to play." Advance Link told Pikachu, his fingers plugged into his ears. Pikachu nodded, ears pulled down as Link got up to leave.

"Bring me some earplugs if you come back." he told him.