KT – DA: And here we are again!
Link: /skips in, humming 'Jingle Bell Rock'/
KT – DA: um… what's up with him?
Roy: Karanos decided to amuse herself by telling him all about the Christmas holiday. He'd never heard of it before, since they don't celebrate it in Hyrule.
Marth: So now he's overflowing with Christmas spirit. I had to yell at him to make him stop polishing my sword for me.
Link: /from the other room/ Why are there no Christmas lights outside?
KT – DA: Because we're all too lazy to climb on a ladder and string them.
Link: Ha! I'll do it, then!
Roy: Yeah, you do that. /mutters/ You Christmas freak.
Marth: Milady, where is Karanos?
KT – DA: I don't know. Probably perfecting her 'bo-ha-ha-ha' or something like that. Roy, do the stuff.
Roy: Oh, okay. Kuroi Tenshi – Dark Angel doesn't own SSBM or any of its characters. She still owns Sarah Holly.
KT – DA: Link! Come do your part!
Link: /walks in, tangled in a string of lights/ Yes, yes, we're all very happy to get your reviews. I'm going back to the lights now.
KT – DA: Fine. Marth, why don't you introduce the chapter this time? /grabs his arm/
Marth: Here's the chapter, and you still don't own me, Kuroi.
KT – DA: phooey.
Getting Over Our Troubles – A Turn of Events
Sarah Holly was vaguely aware of someone calling her name.
"My lady? My lady! Sarah!" Marth's voice broke through her thoughts.
"Peach…" Sarah murmured. She turned to Link almost fiercely. "Will she die?"
Link frowned. "How many did she eat?"
Sarah bit her lip. "I put two mushrooms in the omelette, and she ate about half of it."
"Then she probably won't die, so long as she receives proper treatment." Link said.
Roy glanced around the room, then leaned close conspiratorially. "Do you think Samus could have been given the mushrooms? Maybe she passed them on without knowing what they were!"
Marth looked confused. "What do you mean?"
Roy sighed. "Link said that they only grow in Gerudo Valley. Who comes from there that would be passing out poisonous mushrooms?"
"Ganondorf," Sarah whispered.
"Exactly," Roy said with a nod.
Marth rested his chin on his fist. "So, you think that Ganondorf gave these to Samus, hoping that she would eat them?"
Roy nodded again. "Right."
"But then Samus felt sorry for Peach, and gave the mushrooms to her, thinking that they would cheer her up…" Link trailed off, finishing the theory.
Roy hit his hand on the table lightly. "Yes, yes, yes! That is exactly what I think happened!"
"Alright, so it looks like Ganondorf is the culprit here. Do we have any proof?" Sarah asked skeptically.
Roy glared at her. "Haven't you been listening to a word I've said? Those mushrooms come from the villain's homeland!"
Sarah pulled back, frightened by Roy's forcefulness.
Marth scowled at the redhead. "Don't yell at her! She was bringing up a good point! You don't need to vent your anger on her."
Roy looked away and crossed his arms. "Okay, you're right. I'm sorry for shouting at you, Sarah."
"No, it's okay," Sarah said, regaining her composure. "We're all a little stressed out over things."
The group stayed and talked for a little while longer, then they left to start separate jobs. Link went back to the hospital wing to sit with Zelda, and Roy headed for the girls' dorms to visit Peach again. Sarah went to the Fountain of Dreams to start her clean-up, and Marth went with her.
Sarah turned to the prince with a smile. "Are you going to help me clean this place up?"
Marth nodded, then gave a little bow. "I am at your disposal, my lady."
"Alright," Sarah said. She looked around to see what needed doing. "Oh, no."
Marth followed her line of sight to a large, dark stain of dried blood. "I'll do that, Sarah. You get the broom and sweep up the broken sphere."
Sarah gave him a grateful smile and went to get the broom.
Once all the cleaning on the stage was done, Sarah took Marth up to the catwalk.
"This is very interesting. I'd like to be up here when a battle is going on," Marth said as he stopped to look down on every stage they passed over.
When they reached the Fountain of Dreams, Marth stood back and watched while Sarah pulled the metal ring up from under the catwalk and sat it on her lap. She was pulling a replacement sphere out of the box she'd brought along when Marth touched her shoulder. He pointed at the metal ring.
"What is that?"
Sarah looked. Next to the empty socket was a small round object that Sarah knew didn't belong on a sphere ring. The area directly around it looked scorched. Sarah gingerly pulled the object off and held it up.
"It looks like one of Samus' bombs, but it's so tiny…" Marth said, squatting down beside her.
Sarah squinted, rolling the little ball between her fingers. "Whether it's one of Samus' or not, it's a bomb, and it's already gone off. Obviously, this is what's left over."
"Sarah, look," Marth said, pointing to the attached spheres. Sarah saw fine lines running over the surface of each one.
"They're all broken," she said in disbelief.
Marth took her by the shoulders and looked her in the eye. "Sarah, this was no accident caused by a lightning storm. Someone put this thing here deliberately. Someone wanted Zelda to get hurt."
Sarah swallowed, fear starting to rush through her body. "I've got to call Master Hand," she said, fishing in her pocket for her phone. "Ah, I forgot."
Marth frowned. "Didn't you get it in the kitchen?"
"I thought I'd left it there, but I couldn't find it this morning," Sarah said.
Neither said anything for a moment. Marth stood up and pulled Sarah with him. "Let's get out of here. I want to tell the others about this."
They left the ring and box of spheres where they were, but Sarah slipped the tiny bomb into her pocket as they left the catwalk.
Sarah found Roy in Peach's room and asked him to come down to the hospital wing with her, telling him it was urgent. Once there, she and Marth related the finding of the bomb to Link and Roy. Sarah brought it out and placed it on Zelda's bedside table.
Roy leaned forward and rolled the ball around on the table. "I bet Ganondorf stole this from Samus and put it up there right before the battle. He was probably hoping to get you, Link," he said in a whisper.
Marth sighed. "Maybe, Roy, but why Ganondorf?"
"He's the one who poisoned Peach!"
"Maybe. If he did, why does that mean that he also planted this bomb?"
"Because… it just does!" Roy spluttered.
Suddenly, Link cried out in shock. The others turned and gasped.
Zelda was sitting up. The others couldn't do anything as she reached out her arm and took the bomb from Roy. She looked at it for a moment, then handed it back to Roy.
"Metal… cold metal… took me… carried me away from here," she said, then sank back into the pillows. She was asleep again.
Sarah fainted.
KT – DA: Ooh, wasn't that exciting?
Roy: Oh dear, I think she's found me.
Karanos: What did I miss? /pounces on Roy before he can escape/
KT – DA: Oh, nothing much. I posted another chapter, that's all.
Karanos: Ah, I see. /looks around/ where's Link?
Link: /from outside/ &# Christmas lights!
Karanos: Bo-ha-ha-ha! /arms crossed genie style/
Marth: Please review for Milady Kuroi!