Mask Madness
Chapter 3: Plans and Discoveries
Link stood with his hands on his hips as he observed his room. "Well, that looks good enough."
Having finished unpacking in a little under five minutes, Link walked over to Zelda's room, then shook his head in amusement when he spotted Zelda hanging up some elegant light pink curtains.
"Is that really necessary, princess?"
Zelda climbed down from her position on top of the chair and admired her handiwork in satisfaction.
"Absolutely."
Zelda turned around and faced Link, suggesting, "You know, Link, I have another set, and pink is your color..." "No! If they were green, maybe, but not pink!" Zelda shrugged, "Have it your way, it's your room." "Got that right." said Link. This time, Zelda rolled her eyes. "Well, since you won't let me hang up pink curtains in your room, despite how nice it would look, what should we do, with it being before the battle and whatnot?"
Link shrugged, "We could go meet up with some of the other competitors. It's probably a good idea to try to make more friends than enemies with us sharing the same building." Zelda agreed, "True."
Link and Zelda walked down the stairs, and as they did, they spotted a short man in a white lab coat at the bottom. Link raised an eyebrow, "Maybe I missed him on that horrible "airplane", but I don't remember having seen him, do you?" Zelda shook her head, "No, but he kind of looks like that one guy in the weird red and blue clothes that was short and had a mustache." Link agreed, "Yeah, he does. Maybe he's that guy's brother?"
As Link and Zelda continued to wonder about the strange look-alike, the very man that Link and Zelda had been comparing him to walked to the bottom of the stairs. Zelda gasped, and Link gaped, thinking, "What in Hyrule?"
Having heard Zelda, both looked up and waved, and the one in the white lab coat asked, "Hello! Are you-a two here for the-a tournament too?" Link and Zelda nodded, and made it to the bottom of the stairs. "Yes, and, uh, and you?" stumbled Zelda.
The one in the white lab coat raised an eyebrow a bit, "Why do you look kind-a spooked?" Link started, "Well, we didn't see you on the airplane thingy, and then, well, you two look exactly alike. Unless, are you twins...?"
With that thought, Link relaxed a bit, but tensed up again when the one in the white lab coat said, "Nope!" The one in red replied, "But, who-a are you, then?" "Why, I am-a Dr. Mario!" The one in the red hat exclaimed, "What? But I'm-a Mario! And I used to be-a Dr. Mario, but that-a was a year ago!"
Dr. Mario smiled, "Exactly! I'm-a you when you were Dr. Mario!" As Link and Zelda continued to gape, Mario replied as coherently as anyone could, "Huh?"
"You see-a," started Dr. Mario, "Master Hand has this, uh, time-warping stone-a thing that let him go back in time and pick me up!" Link, finally coming out of his daze at the mention of time travel, asked, "So, that's how everyone else got here as well?" Dr. Mario answered, "Yup, except Master Hand-a left warp spots for you guys-a!"
"But then," started Link, "Why were you not on the plane with us?" "Oh, well-a see, I had-a code blue surgery to attend to, so Master Hand-a agreed to bring me back-a later." Mario blinked, "Okay then..."
Zelda turned to Link and whispered, "Well, this turned out to be far more interesting than I thought it would be." Link replied, "Yeah, and we've only ran into two so far."
In Hyrule
"So, let me get this straight..." said Ganondorf with a bit of a frown creasing up his face, "This "Master Hand" has a luphira stone that allows him to travel through time, and he has used this stone to bring extraordinary fighters together to compete in a tournament. Link is one of them, and now you want me to compete so that I can take him out?"
"Yes." said Majora.
"Hmmm," Ganondorf started, "But how can I compete if I have not been invited to do so?"
Majora grinned, "I'm sure we can talk the Master Hand into an agreement. Rather, we could steal his precious stone and only return if he agrees to let you compete."
Ganondorf grinned, "And use it while we have it."
Majora frowned, "For what?"
"Well, another problem I was thinking about is on how I would be able to defeat Link in a match. While I believe it is very possible, it is not guaranteed."
"Ah, but you will be sharing a building with him, and you could sneak up on him in the middle of the night."
"Yes, except that Link is extremely hard to sneak up on. I was thinking, actually, that we use the luphira stone to retrieve a younger and more vulnerable Link instead."
Majora looked thoughtful of this, "That is a good idea. The only thing is that we would have to force Master Hand to retrieve Young Link right there and then. Though, I suppose we could still kill him on the spot. But then again, I want to torture the brat a bit first."
"How about this," started Ganondorf, "What if we enter Young Link into the tournament as well?"
Majora smiled, "I like it. Then we could hurt both of them, and then Link, even more." Ganondorf stood up from his position on the rock, "Let's get going then."
With the SSBM
As Link and Zelda left the two Marios to do some more exploring, they met up with a man in green that had a mustache like Mario, who was very red in the face.
"Um, hello. Are you in this tournament as well? I don't remember seeing you on the airplane, but I suppose I may have missed you-" started Zelda politely, before the green man went off, "Well, you didn't-a see me on the airplane because-a some of the men-a at the airport shoved-a me into a different airplane because one of the competitors took up more than one seat-a and left no room for me!"
Recalling having seen Bowser sprawled out over a row of seats, and thinking the airport workers to be too cowardly to tell him to move over, Link sympathized with the man in green, "Sorry to hear to about that. At least you made it."
The green man sighed, "Yes, I guess-a so, uh, sorry, I don't know-a your name!" The man in green put out his hand and said, "I'm Luigi." Link and Zelda then shook hands with Luigi and introduced themselves. "Well-a, I have to go find Mario now. Nice-a meeting you!" Luigi ran off down the hallway, and Link and Zelda continued along their way in the opposite direction.
"Hmmm, tomorrow should be interesting." said Link. "Tomorrow? I'm thinking about the rest of today!" exclaimed Zelda. "Who else could we run into next?"
Just then, some kind of black shadow ran down the hallway making strange computer noises with a very angry looking orange-armored person in hot pursuit. "You're going to pay for that, sausage boy!"
Shortly after, Fox and Falco appeared from around a corner of the hallway. "Hey guys! Did you see those two? Who do you thinks going to win?" questioned Fox.
Falco rolled his eyes, "Obviously Samus. I bet that girl can kick that 2D guy's butt to another planet!"
Link asked, "Who's Samus? And the 2D guy?" "Well, began Fox, "Samus is the girl in that awesome orange-colored armor, and the 2D black guy is Mr. Game and Watch."
Link still looked confused, "Um, what is 2D anyways?" "Well, it's two dimensional. Um, well, you probably don't know what a video game is, do you? Um, it pretty much means that it's more flat." explained Fox.
Link raised an eyebrow, "Flat? But how can anyone be flat?"
"He does look pretty strange. Should be easy to defeat though." said Falco.
"So," piped in Zelda, "Why is Samus chasing Mr. Game and Watch?"
Falco chuckled, "Well, we were in the dining hall having lunch, and Mr. Game and Watch came in. Samus asked him why he was, well, flat, and he didn't appreciate it. So, Mr. Game and Watch pulled out a frying pan from, well, from who knows where, and tossed sausages onto Samus. Man, was she mad!"
Zelda smiled, "Well, I hope Samus kicks Mr. Game and Watch's butt then!"
Link looked amusedly over at Zelda, then just shook his head. Zelda noticed this, "What?"
"Well, that wasn't exactly very princess like, now was it?" Zelda shrugged, "Does it really matter here?" Link smiled, "I guess not."
Falco started, "Well, I want to receive my five bucks, so let's go see who won." said Falco. Fox grinned back competitively, "Samus looks tough, but I bet Mr. Game and Watch is a good hider." "Ha, we'll see." Link and Zelda said goodbye to Fox and Falco, then headed toward the dining hall.
In Hyrule
As Ganondorf and Majora walked out of the cave, a thought came up, "Hold on. Is this Master Hand in our time period then?" asked Ganondorf.
"Majora nodded, "Indeed."
Ganondorf stopped walking, then frowned at Majora, "Then how are we going to reach him?"
Majora smiled, "Master Hand used warp pads that traveled to the same spot in order to be able to gather all of the competitors in one day. It seems to take up quite a bit of magic to use that luphira stone."
"Okay, but aren't these warp pads temporary then? Unless..." Ganondorf looked thoughtfully at Majora, who replied, "Unless I happened to place a spell on the warp pad that Link and Zelda used to keep it from disappearing so quickly."
Ganondorf grinned, "Excellent. So, where is this warp pad?"
"Down this stretch a little ways, over by the river."
After walking for over half a mile, Ganondorf spotted a strange glowing circle that lied behind a tree near the river. "That's it, then?" he asked. Majora nodded, "You first."
Ganondorf stepped onto the warp pad, then disappeared in a flash. After traveling through a swirl of colors, he was pleased to end up on his feet this time, rather than flying headfirst into a rock wall. As Ganondorf surveyed his surroundings, three simple words came out of his mouth, "What the hell...?"
Majora appeared behind Ganondorf, and looked around himself. "Welcome to the future."
Ganondorf turned around toward Majora, "Exactly what year are we in?"
Majora shrugged, then looked around. Nearby, there was a group of very tan teenagers in tie-dye staring at them. Majora smiled at them, "Hello."
One of the guys that had long blonde hair spoke up, "Dude, what's with the clothes? You guys need to, like, get with the 21st century."
Some of the girls snickered. "21st century? Ah, thank you, dude." replied Majora politely.
The group looked at each other with raised eyebrows, then the blonde one said, "Whatever, dude." The group walked away, and, after shaking his head at this bizarre encounter, Ganondorf asked, "So, where is Master Hand then?"
"According to the letter I intercepted, we have to go to the Melee Mansion through an airplane-" "What? What is an airplane?" Majora shrugged, "I have no idea. It simply states that we have to take Master Hand's private airplane at Terminal #5 at 9:00a.m." "9:00? But it is past noon." said Ganondorf.
"Yes, so let's find a map of where the Melee Mansion is then get there through our own type of transportation." "And that would be…?" Majora smiled, "Magic. You can fly, can't you?" Ganondorf frowned, "Of course I can." "Then let us go over to the shop with strange little figurines." Ganondorf rolled his eyes, "Fine, then. I want to get moving with this thing!"
With the SSBM
"Hmmm... They have some really nice things, and, well, quite strange things as well." said Zelda as she held up a bag of chips. "Interesting."
Both Link and Zelda ended up picking some pieces of chicken and a variety of vegetables. After taking a bite, Link said, "At least the stuff we can recognize is pretty good."
Zelda nodded, then stopped abruptly as she stared at a certain part of the room. Link noticed after a bit, "What is it?" When he looked over at the same spot as Zelda, he saw a blonde woman in a very princess-like dress. In fact, she even had a crown.
"Is she a princess?" asked Link.
Zelda frowned, "She looks like one, but I've never met her before."
Link shrugged, "Maybe she's from another time period?"
At this, Zelda's frown evaporated, "Oh, yes, that must be it."
Link raised an eyebrow, "Are you supposed to know every princess near Hyrule?"
Zelda looked up from her food and nodded, "Yes, it keeps relations better. It's rude to not acknowledge another ruler." "Oh."
After awhile, when Link and Zelda had nearly finished with their meals, the "princess" spotted Zelda, stared at her for a bit, then came over.
"Um, excuse me. I don't believe we've met?"
Zelda held her hand, and shaking them with the other woman, introduced herself, "I am Princess Zelda of Hyrule." The other woman replied, "And I am Princess Peach of Mushroom Kingdom."
Before Link could introduce himself, Peach continued, "So, I've never heard of Hyrule before. Where is it?" Biting back a laugh and continuing to be polite, all the while imagining a kingdom of mushrooms, Zelda replied, "In another time period, I suppose."
Peach shrugged, "Possibly."
Link looked back and forth at the exchange, a bit perturbed. After an intense moment of silence, Peach said, "Well, it was nice meeting you princess Zelda, but I really should be finding my handsome Mario."
Peach then left, and right afterwards, Zelda's attitude altered completely. "Who does she think she is?" Link frowned, "What was that about?"
Zelda scowled, "I do not like that woman. She thinks that she is better than I am! At least I rule over Hylians and not mushrooms!"
"Okay, okay. Calm down. Relax and save your energy for the battles tomorrow." suggested Link. Zelda closed her eyes and took a deep breath, "Yes, fine. Let's go back upstairs."
When Link and Zelda reached the bottom of the stairs, Fox and Falco came walking down the hallway, Fox looking disappointed and Falco smiling victoriously. Link smiled, "It looks like Samus won." Zelda smiled back, "I knew she'd kick that guy's butt."
With Ganondorf and Majora
It was a crystal clear, beautifully velvet blue sky, with stars shimmering and a full moon resting in the center.
Ganondorf growled, "I cannot believe it took us so long to arrive here."
Majora nodded, 'Yes, but at least we no longer have to wait for nightfall."
Ganondorf scowled at Majora, but did not reply. Both continued walking up toward a large mansion, then, with a grunt, once again lifted up into the air, and gradually made their way to a particularly large glass window toward the top. After quietly opening the window, both crept in without making any noise, closed the window, and made their way toward an enormous bed.
Majora raised his hands, then swerved them in between each other and he silently chanted. A blue mist fell upon the Master Hand, and Majora, after finishing, said, "He is now under a sleeping spell. Let's search."
Ganondorf nodded, then headed toward the nearest drawers. After searching for ten minutes, Ganondorf managed to find an impressive stone that had been locked away in a small, wooden box with flowers and ivy carved into it.
"All right, I have it. Now wake him up."
Majora repeated what he had done before with the sleeping spell, except his hand motions were backwards and a red mist fell upon the Master Hand.
"Hmmm...?" The Master Hand groggily sat up, then instantly became alert at the sign of Ganondorf and Majora. "What-?"
"Now, listen to me!" interrupted Ganondorf as he showed Master Hand the stone. Master Hand frowned, but then looked up at Ganondorf silently.
"Now, if you give us what we want, then we will give the stone back."
Ganondorf straightened up to his full height, then continued, "First of all, you will enter me into this tournament and allow me to compete along with everyone else."
Master Hand nodded, flicking his eyes from Ganondorf to the stone. "And, you will use this stone to allow my friend and I to travel back in time and pick up another competitor." Master Hand raised an eyebrow at this, and was about to speak when Ganondorf cut him off, "And so that you do not run away with the stone, my companion shall place you under a permanent sleeping spell if you do not cooperate."
Master Hand stared stonily back, and Ganondorf grinned, then, after Majora moved behind Master Hand, Ganondorf tossed the stone over to him.
"How far do you wish to go back in time?"
"As far back as possible within 17 years of my own time period." answered Ganondorf.
Master Hand closed his eyes, and a slight blue glow grew from within the luphira stone, "I can take you back 7 years, for that is all the power I currently have to do."
Ganondorf frowned a bit, but agreed, "That will have to do." A light blue portal appeared out of nowhere, and Ganondorf went through it as he heard Master Hand exclaim, "You have two hours!"
A/N: Again, thank you for the reviews. As for the characters, I believe I have mentioned all of them now in one way or another. Well, that's all for now. Please keep reviewing!