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Chapter 12: One Step Closer

Young Link followed Traiden and Ivory up the set of stairs to the time machine. He was falling behind, trying desperately to keep up with the group. His leg was still in pain, from Phantom Ganon and he was grateful that he didn't have to go with a group where they had to fight. All he had to do was help protect the time machine, which was an easy job for him.

The seven set of stairs that they had to climbed seemed like they had gone on forever, in Young Link's mind. A couple of times he had to stop to rest, but with the help of Traiden and Captain Falcon managed to keep up. Eventually though, he found himself back at the end of the group, gripping tightly onto the railings as they continued up.

As they reached the sixth floor, Young Link felt something in his pocket. He remembered Marth had given him a remote that he found at the campus. The prince believed that it would come to use for them, since they, after all, were going to the time machine. Young Link knew he should tell Traiden about the remote, but he had other things to worry about, like making it one more floor.

Traiden stood in front of the door, leading to the seventh floor. He peeked through the glass on the door, making sure that Link or Ganondorf weren't around. Young Link sighed with relief, when Traiden opened the door, going first. Captain Falcon went next and Young Link followed after him with Ivory at the end.

The hallway was dark, much like the entire building. The only thing heard was their footsteps pounding on the floor. The group stayed close to each other, as Traiden continued to lead the way, since he was the only one who knew the time machine's location. As they had gotten closer to the corner, voices were heard, other than their own.

Young Link felt his heart pick up pace as Traiden peeked his head around the corner. His expression was calm, as he shook his head turning back to the group.

" What is it?" Captain Falcon questioned softly.

" There's two of them," Traiden answered. " Witches."

" Witches?" Ivory repeated.

Traiden nodded as Young Link made his way to the corner. He kept his back firmly against the wall and steadily looked down the hallway. Flying around in circles, arguing to each other was none other than TwinRova, the two that Link had to stop during his trip through the Spirit Temple. Before they noticed the young elf watching them, Young Link stepped away turning his attention back to the group.

" I know them." He explained. " The only way to defeat them is by reflecting their attacks at one another."

" That sounds difficult," Ivory commented. " We would need something like…"

" A mirror…" Traiden finished.

Ivory nodded. Captain Falcon scratched his head baffled. " Where are we going to find a mirror?"

Traiden raised his eyebrows. " The bathroom."

Captain Falcon nervously chuckled. " Right, of course."

Young Link sighed as he leaned his back up against the wall. He slid sitting down on the floor, now knowing that Link knows they're here. He set up a trap, and sent TwinRova to find them. It was obvious their mission wasn't going to be easy. The other groups are mostly likely going to have a difficult time as well.

" There was bathroom near the stairs." Ivory pointed out. " Captain Falcon, come with me and we'll go get a mirror."

Captain Falcon's eyes widened. " We're really going to fight these witches?"

" It's only way to the time machine. Obviously they're trying to prevent us from protecting it." Ivory explained, as her and Captain Falcon went back down the hallway.

Young Link watched as they left, leaving him alone with the silent PRC member. He took a deep breath, looking up at Traiden, who quietly returned the gaze.

" You okay?" Traiden crossed his arms.

Young Link nodded. " I will be…"

They both were silent, as TwinRova was heard coming closer to them. Traiden stepped closer to Young Link, keeping his back near the wall. Young Link held his breath, hoping that they weren't going to be discovered, but their luck had ran out once the blue witch spotted them.

Their cover was blown.

Roy followed the group as they searched City Hall for Ganondorf. They probably had the hardest task, because not only did they have to stop him, but also they had to search for him too. The group stopping Link knew of his location, but Ganondorf wasn't going to stand next to Link. They knew the PRC members and smashers had entered the building, so they separated.

They searched the first two floors and couldn't locate the Gerudo anywhere. It was time to head up to the third and fourth. As they continued up the stairs, Roy stood next to Regii, listening to Bishop complain to Mewtwo how he was going to stop Ganondorf and end the entire thing. Their job was the most important next to protecting the time machine. Ganondorf had controlled Link and from what they had heard Link can't be stopped. The only way to break the curse is to put an end to Ganondorf, which meant they couldn't mess up.

After checking the third floor and finding no signs of Ganondorf, or anyone else for that matter, they headed up the fourth floor. Upon entering the first thing that they had noticed was how soaked the carpets were. Every time someone had stepped down water squished beneath their feet.

Regii and Bishop both headed deeper within the hallway over toward the cafeteria. They stood in front of some broken glass, looking at the large mess inside. Roy and Mewtwo quickly followed the two PRC members. Inside the cafeteria, tables and chairs were knocked over, a small siren was going off in the distance, and a large scaly like body laid lifeless in the middle of it.

Bishop stepped through the broken glass and made his way closer to the body. The other three stood in their positions, looking around the hallway for any signs of Ganondorf. Bishop's mouth slightly hung open as he bent down touching the hard scaly skin, examining how long the dragon was. He looked up at the dragon's face, noticing the two knifes sticking out of it. He made a face, staring into its bright large yellowish red eyes. He waited for some kind of movement, wondering if the dragon is truly deceased. The dragon continued to lay motionless.

A hand touched Bishop's shoulder, causing him to jump startled and violently slap it away. He abruptly turned around, finding Regii standing behind him clutching tightly to his sword. Bishop sighed relieved, and stood waiting until his heart went back to its original pace.

" God! Don't creep on me like that."

" Were you scared?"

Bishop frowned glancing over at Regii. " NO!" He shouted. " Do I look scared?"

Regii ignored his question, walking over to Roy and Mewtwo who finally entered the cafeteria. Mewtwo glided over toward Bishop while Roy continued to look around the trashed cafeteria. He was amazed at the sight of the dragon, wondering how anyone could even battle it here and manage to live. There were no other bodies around, except for the dragon. It was obvious the dragon was dead, but who was responsible? That's what Roy wanted to know.

Roy was about to take a step forward, but Regii abruptly grabbed his cape, pulling him to the ground. Just as the two landed, a large yellow ball of energy collided into the ground near them sending tables and chairs flying in the air. Regii and Roy covered their heads as glass shattered in every direction from tables crashing into them. Mewtwo used his mind powers, and stopped the table that had headed straight for the unprepared Bishop.

Once everything had settled down, Roy stood brushing the glass off of himself. Regii grabbed his sword and stepped back, over toward Mewtwo and Bishop as a figured made his way into the cafeteria from the other side. The figure was Ganondorf, and he held a strong grin on his face, holding his hand out getting prepared for another attack. Once he saw the group getting ready to dodge it, he frowned lowering his hand.

Roy stood with his mouth slightly hanging open as he stared at Ganondorf. He was surely different from ten years ago, though his appearance never changed. This time he could see more anger and power within him. His red eyes burned with fury, and wore a long cape that fell over his shoulders.

" I guess this welcoming party is for me." Ganondorf commented.

" About time we found you!" Bishop spat. " We got a bone to pick with you." Bishop stepped forward about to confront Ganondorf, but Regii abruptly grabbed his partner, pulling him back.

Ganondorf chuckled. " I like your guts, kids. You don't know what I can truly do." Ganondorf looked down at the lifeless body on the ground and frowned. " It's a shame one of your members had finished off my precious dragon. He would have surely been useful in this battle."

" Who?" Bishop questioned.

" Traiden?" Regii guessed.

Ganondorf nodded. He looked down at Roy and Mewtwo, his two old smasher friends from ten years ago. " I guess that princess really did brings friends into the future."

" Why are you doing this?" Roy questioned.

" Because I'm Ganondorf," He answered truthfully. " I'm evil, and I love power."

" What happened to us?" Mewtwo crossed his arms. " Our future selves…"

" You don't need to worry." Ganondorf replied taking out his black sword. " If you guys came for a fight, then let's get this over with." He removed his cape, tossing it to the side. " But you must know…only one of us will make out of this fight. And I don't plan on losing."

Falco gripped tightly to his gun as they continued up to the flight of stairs to the tenth floor. Their mission was to free Princess Zelda, and they had to head the highest up in City Hall. With the power out and the elevators shut down, heading up ten floors wasn't what Falco had imagined.

By the time they made it to the fifth floor, he was already tired and wanting to stop, but Ashley kept the group going. At least they had the easiest job, from what it seems. All they had to do was free her, but what would they do after that? Falco had to admit; he wasn't up for fighting Link and had wished the group heading in that direction good luck. Ganondorf seemed tough as well, but Link had to be the worst one of them all. He was the top champion in the Super Smash Brothers Tournament two years in a row. If he was that tough as a hero, there was no telling how powerful he would be as a villain.

The group continued their way up with Peach falling behind because of her heels. She gripped tightly onto the railing just so that she didn't fall. Falco found it hard to believe that she could fight in heels, but not make it up a set of stairs. Ashley had led the way, just as they passed the purple seven on the wall, indicating the seventh floor. Falco could see she was getting tired of heading up the stairs, but something kept her going. She was determined to get the job done, but who wouldn't after being kidnapped and tortured. He noticed the many bandages covering her wounds, but showed no sign of weakness.

Nishi, who followed behind him to keep Peach company, had to be tough making it all the way here. Falco knew though she was protected by the PRC members, but heard her reason why she snuck into Regga City from Roy and Mario. She was determined to find her sister, and Falco admired that.

" We're almost there." Ashley explained.

Falco heard Peach chuckle in a sign of relief. " Thank goodness. I was wondering how many more steps we had to take."

" Keep your dress on Peach." Falco commented, getting tired of her complaining.

Once they had reached the tenth floor, Ashley had let the group relax for a brief moment after running up the ten floors. Peach sat down on the ground taking off her heels examining the small red rings around her ankles. Nishi stood by Peach, watching as Falco walked over to the nearest window. He looked out, whistling at how high they were. He could just barely catch a glimpse of the truck that they rode to get here. From up here you can truly see the damages throughout most of the city. It seemed like a huge wasteland, everything was ruined.

" Do you think rescuing Zelda is going to be easy?" Nishi questioned, Ashley who leaned up against the opposite wall.

Ashley shrugged. " I don't really know. If something is preventing us from reaching her, we'll stop it."

Peach placed her shoes back on, but remained sitting on the floor. " Do you really think your mission would turn out like this?"

Ashley shook her head. " To be honest, no."

Nishi looked at the ground. " My sister didn't either. Before she left, she had thought it was going to be an in and out situation."

" I'm sure she's alive. She has the strength and smarts to get out of anything." Ashley encouraged her.

Nishi nodded, and forced a smile speaking softly. " I'm sure of it."

Peach looked at Ashley. " What about your father? Why did he send you on something like this?"

" He didn't." Ashley corrected. " I went on my own."

Falco's eyes widened joining the conversation. " Why the hell would you do that?"

" Because I wanted to prove to him that I could do anything. He never believed me, and wanted me to stay at headquarters being a staff."

Falco smirked. " So you'd rather go on dangerous missions?"

" It wouldn't hurt to experience it, at least once." Ashley replied.

Peach stood to her feet. " Ok, I'm ready."

The group continued to down the dark hallway over toward the room where Princess Zelda was being held. Instead of a room, it was a small closet, but Ashley couldn't remember which one. She began opening doors, but kept on ending up in offices and conference rooms.

As Falco turned the corner, he immediately gasped and jumped back over toward the group. Ashley carefully stepped forward and poked her head around the corner, spotting Phantom Ganon hovering in front of a particular door, the room where Zelda was held. She took a deep breath and turned back to the smashers and Nishi.

" I'm afraid this isn't going to be easy."

" What is it?" Peach questioned.

Nishi bit her lip. " Is it Link?"

Ashley shook her head. " Some sort of phantom looking creature. It's protecting Zelda."

" What are we going to do?" Falco questioned.

Ashley shrugged, unsure. " I don't really know, but we have to defeat it."

Fox couldn't explain how nervous he was right now, as the group continued toward the main room. With each step they took, they were getting closer to confronting Link, their old friend and yet their enemy as well. He didn't know why him, Marth and Mario had agreed to stop Link. Maybe if they see him, they can figure out why he had changed, or maybe because the three of them were in the top four next to Link, they have a better chance at stopping him.

Fox felt his hand shake as he continued to grip his laser gun. His heart had picked up pace just as they entered the stairways, heading up higher in City Hall. He couldn't tell if Mario or Marth had shared similar emotions as him right now. Mario was always up for danger, so he was used to this. Marth was busy talking to Cecilia so fear, right now, wasn't shown. The two PRC members they were traveling with didn't seem too frightened either, but they were trained for this kind of stuff.

Fox felt like the only one out.

As Lee opened the door leading to their correct floor, Fox loosened up when he noticed how everyone had gotten quiet. Mario didn't look so confident anymore, and Marth's anxiousness had clearly shown, though he tried to cover it up to impress Cecilia.

Fox began slowly down, letting the others get in front of him. Lee had led the way, with Mario following. Fox stood behind Mario and Marth and Cecilia covering the end. Lee had carefully looked into each door they came across with Mario helping. The group's movements became silent, and stealthy. It was obvious they didn't want to be noticed.

At the end of the hallway, before the corner there was a door that was slightly open. Lee motioned the others, pointing to the door and quietly headed over in that direction. He lightly pushed the door open with his fingers tips nodding to the group that this was the room.

Fox gulped and took a deep breath as Mario entered first. Lee followed the short Plumber, and shortly after Fox drew enough courage to finally enter the room. He stood in between Mario and Lee, glancing over at Link who stood in front of the picture window, his long sword in hand. Within the debris of monitors laid Bowser, causing Marth to look away. Fox could tell he hated seeing one of smashers dead, since they were all friends ten years ago.

" About time…" Link explained. " I was waiting for you."

" Link…" Marth called. " I never thought we would have to meet in these circumstances."

Link turned and devilishly grinned, showing off his new, older and darker look. " Neither would I." He steadily made his way over toward, keeping his distance. " It's strange though, seeing you all in your younger forms. When I had finished your older forms off a long time ago."

" What are you talking about?" Fox questioned.

Link chuckled. " Don't you see? I had killed your older forms off over three years ago. If you couldn't stop me then, then there's no way you can stop me now. You're younger, in our weaker forms. Zelda made a mistake sending you here."

" She believed that we could stop you." Mario replied bravely. " And we will Link. We won't give up."

Link laughed shaking his head. " That's what you said three years ago."

Cecilia stepped into the conversation. " Why did you change? Why did you do all of this?"

" Because, I learned the truth."

Lee crossed his arms. " What truth?"

Link sighed deeply. " The truth about how these three feel." He looked at Mario, Marth and Fox. " Ganondorf told me the truth that you guys couldn't stand me. You all hated the fact that I won the tournament two times in a row. You only acted like you appreciated it, but you hated every moment of it."

" What are you talking about?" Mario questioned his voice rising.

Fox shook his head. " Link, we never thought that. We were happy that you won again you're obviously stronger than us. There was nothing we could do about it. Ganondorf lied."

" How could you trust him anyway?" Marth added. " He's your enemy."

Link frowned. " You guys are liars, I could tell how you felt just by your expressions at the dance. You guys even admitted three years ago that you hated the way I took everything, saying the fame had gotten to my head."

Fox was lost for words. He frowned looking at the ground. Lee looked at Link, stepping forward. " Our mission is to stop you, Link. You killed too many lives and completely destroyed what was once a great city."

" You can't stop me. PRC will never succeed." Link emphasized the last couple of words.

" We're here to judge that." Lee commented, calmly.

" I've been just going easy on you this entire time." Link gripped tightly to his sword. " I could have easily killed your two members, who were they…oh, Ashley and Traiden. With the snap of a finger they would have been dead."

Fox looked over at Lee, seeing the sudden anger that built up inside of him. He could tell Lee was trying hard to not to snap and go off, but knew, in Lee's case, it was tempting.

Cecilia looked over at her leader. " Roberts…"

Lee made a face. " You little…"

"—I personally decided to spare their lives, but of course I won't go easy on you guys." Link interrupted.

" Thanks," Mario spat sarcastically.

Link smirked, lunging, ready to strike. " I'm ready when you are."

Marth lifted his sword. " Link, we may not have been able to stop you separately, but together we'll stand a chance."

" I'd like to see that." Link commented, smiling. " But I'd also like to point out…I never lost a battle."

Before anyone could react, Link abruptly leaped forward making the first move.

A/N:

I think this has to be the best chapter I wrote so far in the story. I'm loving it! Yah, I told you the length was long, the longer the better I guess. I don't really have anything else to say except that there are about four chapters left…ya, about four left. They will be good ones though I promise you! But look on the bright side; at least the story will be finished.

Until Next Time!