Okay, guys: I did it. The next chapter is here! Can you handle it? If you can handle it, read on. If not, back away right now! It's not going to be pretty. And you can back off the story anytime you feel that you can't go on. Let me tell you a reason w hy you probably can't handle it: It's HECKA long! But if you like reading, go ahead. But I warn you because of its long length, read at your own risk! Oh yeah, and thank-you all for your reviews from chapter 1 to this one. You guys are the best! Here we go.
Chapter 15
On Her Own
The bus ride: it was like any other bus ride. Everyone was busy talking about what he or she did today and what he or she plans to do. The bus was as loud as usual , minus a few people who used to contribute to the noise. They were sitting in the back, dead silent. Five people were in their own little world thinking about the same thing. They were wondering if things were going to change for the better or for the worse. They were never ever silent because the five were good friends but now their friendship was slipping. But who knew, maybe it was a positive thing? To them, it didn't seem that way,
Peach and Roy, the two who were confused on their friends' behavior, looked at them, trying to get them say something. No avail. Zelda was staring out the window while humming to herself. Marth was facing straight ahead on the bus, not looking at anyone in particular and Link had his ocarina out, but was not playing a single tune. All three of them looked like they were aliens to this world and did not know what to do or say.
"I just don't understand. How did this happen? Why did this happen?" Peach asked out loud.
"No one knows, Peach. It just happened. Some things happen for no reason at all," Zelda said quietly. She looked at the seat next to her. Her best friend used to always sit there. But the seat was now empty and probably would never be occupied by Samus now or ever again. It was over. The friendship was no more. Their thick line of trust had been chopped at till it snapped in two. She could never trust her again.
"That makes no sense at all, and you know it, Zelda. You guys were friends, and now you aren't because of a dumb argument?" Peach questioned.
Zelda sat up straight in her seat. "What are you chewing me out for? I'm not the one who stormed out and went only the goddesses know where! If you want to talk to me, you're going to have to drop this subject!" Zelda turned from Peach and looked out the window again. She kept her eyes off the hurt looks on Peach's and Roy's faces. She didn't want to care. It was none of their business anyway.
Link finally put his ocarina away. He always played it when he was happy or when he was sad. But he was neither. He was in the middle. He felt guilty for everything. The whole kiss and he felt guilty about Samus running off. Guilt surrounded him and choked him. He knew for sure that things would never be the same.
And what about Veronica and Zelda?
That's where the whole thing started. He only had Zelda, but then Veronica came along and they became close. And Link now knew they didn't like each other, and he had a pretty good guess on why. Link got up from his seat and moved forward. He had to find another seat. The silence was killing the young Hylian. He found a seat closer to the noise and sat down. Space was all he needed right now.
"So," Roy said after Link had departed. "What are you going to do?"
Marth looked up and realized Roy was talking to him. "About what?"
"About this whole argument. What you saw was true, and Samus admitted it. What are you going to say to her when she comes back?"
Marth raised an eyebrow. "Absolutely nothing. What's there to say to her? She obviously felt right about what she did and I guess she wants it to be that way or no way at all. So I guess I'll accept it."
"Accept it? You two need to talk ASAP. That's what you do when you have a fight. I realize this is your first fight with her and all, but you don't have to take it to the extreme and not speak to each other."
"Roy, I'm handling this relationship quite fine. I don't need you to interfere. If you want to fix a relationship why don't you get a girlfriend, argue with her, and then find a way to patch it up, okay?" Marth said in easeful tone. He felt no regret about what he had just said.
Roy frowned. "Fine. But you'll realize sooner or later that you should talk to her." He got up from his seat and went up to the front.
Marth rested his head on the bus window and closed his eyes. He was getting a headache from out of nowhere. He sighed. I do not care. I do not care at all!
Master Hand watched the bus of smashers appear from behind the mountain. Finally they were here and they could get this party started. Decorations were already set up for the event and the crowds of smasher fans, plus other Nintendo characters, had arrived. Master Hand had to admit that it felt pretty good to be head of the festival this time. What the other twelve smashers had said was right. They did get the short end of the stick when they came here the first time.
They were treated like servants: janitors. But it couldn't be helped, they weren't as famous as they were now. Back then, the SSB Company wasn't as famous as the Mario Parties, not even one Mario Party by itself. But now they were at the top of everyone's lists. Top ranking and top in everything else they could throw at them. Life was good for Super Smash Brothers Melee. He remembered the first day he brought them all together. None of them ever got along. They always fought and argued but they got better as time passed. Some needed more time but, it all paid off and they soon were like one big happy family. And he was hoping it would always stay that way.
"Those are the smashers right, Master Hand?"
Master Hand looked to his left to see a man standing by him, waiting just like him. He did a small hand gesture. "Yes, there they are."
The bus came to a screeching halt in the parking lot. Veronica rammed her head into the seat in front of her. She rubbed her head. "Ow." She muttered. She had been sleeping on the bus resting up for the day coming. Master Hand said he had a surprise for her. What would the hand have for her? She looked up and saw the smashers piling out of the bus.
She started to stretch as Zelda passed her, not making eye contact at all. Veronica thought of it as a relief but she could not decide what to do about her. With the whole Samus and Link drama, Veronica was wondering whether to leave the wounded princess alone. She shook her head.
There was no way Zelda was getting off that easy.
Veronica got up when everyone piled off the bus. She made her way down the steps carefully, heading to the crowd of smashers. They were crowding around the floating hand again and someone else? She couldn't tell since she couldn't see over some of the smashers. She instead got close and listened to the voice.
"It's nice to finally meet you all. There's 26 of you right?"
"Actually, 25. One did not come with us." Master Hand responded to the man's question.
Murmurs started to spread through the crowd of smashers. They were saying things, like "twenty-five?", "who's missing?" and "Do you know who's missing?" Veronica wondered who was missing. Her eyes fell on Zelda's group of friends. All five of them were standing there minus the bounty hunter. Oh, Samus isn't here? Well isn't that just a horrible shame?
"Well, 25 is better than none, right? So, where is my dear daughter, Veronica?"
"Daughter?" Veronica said quietly to herself. It couldn't be.
Veronica looked up and started to push herself through the crowd not saying 'excuse me' or anything. She had to use all her might to push Bowser out of the way and she succeeded. When she was up front she saw him. There he was. His black hair greased and slicked back. Wearing one of his executive suits, blue eyes beaming, and a grin wider than the grinning Chesire cat. Rob Walden stood in front of her. He was already looking at her, grinning his rich guy bright smile. "Ronnie!"
Veronica couldn't do anything but smile. "Dad? Hey Daddy!" She grinned and floated into his arms (not literally) and gave him a big hug. Veronica concluded this was the big surprise Master Hand was talking about.
Her father looked her up and down. "Still looking as lovely as before. Just like your mother."
"Oh, Daddy, stop. You're embarrassing me." Veronica's cheeks turned rosy red.
Zelda was looking from the back with her arms crossed. Well, he doesn't look evil like Veronica. But she didn't look evil either. She looked so innocent. Could it run in the family?
Young Link, who stood on her left, laughed. "His grin reminds me of the guy I met in Clock Town who carried all those masks. Except his grin isn't as freaky as the mask man."
Pikachu sitting on his head cocked his head to the side. "I don't know. He has a creepy grin to me. It makes me nervous."
Popo and Ness glared at Veronica's dad. "He's probably some evil man who was abducted by aliens. Soon he will abduct us and makes us his slaves and then when he gets tired us, he'll eat us with his big chompers!" Ness said in a panic.
Popo nodded. "Yeah! Yeah! He'll swallow us and spit out our bones!"
Nana and Pichu, who were listening, started to whimper. They started to shrink behind Zelda since they were near her. Zelda could have sworn she heard a few sniffles. She rolled her eyes. Ness and Popo would always come up with some crazy story about a monster and scare people.
"Well, smashers. Let's head into the ceremony stadium. They're going to honor us and then Mr. Walden will say a speech about his life and the history of how the Smash Brothers came about," Master Hand led the way with Veronica and her dad behind them. The smashers followed after them.
"Oh great. Break out the pillows and blankets. This is going to be boring," Falco said to Luigi and Fox. They couldn't help but agree, along with everyone else. Who wanted to hear a dumb speech?
Somewhere in Town
Samus found herself walking past a bar. It was called "The Corner Pocket". It was definitely a regular bar with drinks, pool, and quite a few TVs on sports. Sounds like my kind of place. She said as she walked in the bar. When she walked in she felt many eyes on her. The loud conversations became softer. Some of the conversations changed to being about her. She heard some catcalls but she paid no heed to them as she proceeded to walk up to the bar counter. She sat down on a barstool and placed her hands on the counter. The bartender cleaning out a beer glass addressed her. "What will it be, Miss?"
"Just water, please," Samus muttered. She placed her head in the palm of her hand. She had a large headache that came out of nowhere. She heard footsteps behind her.
"Aren't you that one robotic smasher Samus Aran?" It was a man's voice, a very raspy voice.
Samus turned around and lowered her eyes. "Yes, but I'm not a robot. Its just a suit."
"I see." The man had short brown hair. He looked no more than in his late 20's. He had crazy brown eyes that were red rimmed. They were signs that he was drunk or he just finished being it. "So, there is a pretty face under that suit of armor." Every time the man spoke, Samus felt like gagging. His breath stunk to high heaven from the beer fumes still on his tongue. "I thought you were supposed to be at that… Nintendo Ceremony… or somethin'?"
Samus didn't respond to his question. She just turned back in her seat. She didn't have any other thing to say to the guy. His breath was making her dizzy.
"So…" the man started again. "Ya have a boyfriend?"
Samus didn't respond. But that was a good question. Did she anymore? Were the two finally over? "I'll take that as a no." the man chuckled. Samus turned around in her seat and glared at him. "You know, there's this thing called personal space! Why don't you move? You're invading mine!"
The man just laughed his drunkard laugh. "Feisty one ain't she, boys?"
Another man with black hair and green eyes approached the two. "Mm-hmm Jay. And mighty fine looking too. How old are you: sixteen? seventeen?" He got close in Samus' face to confirm his answer. "Yep. Definitely sixteen. No more, no less."
Samus stood her ground. "Good guess. Got something wrong with my age?"
"No, that's the age I'm looking for in my kind of woman. You're just perfect."
Jay cut him short. "Now hold on just a minute, Hyde." Samus gasped as she felt an unpleasant rub on her backside and then a firm grab. "I saw her first."
Samus felt her anger boiling over. She turned around quickly and kicked him right where cowbells ring. Jay doubled over and grabbed his sensitive spot. Samus stood up and looked down at him. "Do that again and I'll double the pain!"
Hyde got angry. "Jay! You little…"
Samus ducked as she heard the fierce swipe of his fist coming to her head. She turned while she was crouched and stuck her foot out and drop kicked him right at his shins, making him fall over. Hyde hit the floor hard and grabbed his head in pain. He tried to get up but Samus pressed her boot down hard on his chest. Samus was over the line of being angry. She was furious.
"Maybe you've forgotten, but I'm a smasher! If you wish to keep breathing, back...away..." She was ready to take on anyone that messed with her.
A huge man got up with a pool stick and hand. "You wench! You're going to pay!" He ran towards her with a pool stick. Samus stood in her fighting position. He tried to bring the stick down on her skull but Samus shot her two hands out and grabbed it, stopping it inches away from her face. The man did not stop though. He kept trying to push it down, hoping Samus would back off. But Samus continued to push the stick back with all her might. But the man started to grin. He removed one hand from the stick and went to his backside. He pulled out a 2x4 with barbed wire on it. "I'll fix you!" he yelled. Samus gasped as he started to ready his weapon. She wasn't wearing her suit, and she knew if that thing made contact with her face she would be knocked out cold. But it was too late to do anything about it. He brought down the weapon. Samus shut her eyes, waiting for the pain.
"MOE!"
Moe, the guy Samus guessed to be the person with the weapon and was about to clock her with it, stopped immediately. His eyes grew large and he started to tremble. He let go of both his weapons and they loudly hit the floor. He stumbled back and looked at the front door. Samus, recovering from her sudden attack, turned her gaze to the front door too. In front of the door was another guy who looked to be a bit older than Samus. He had black hair and purple eyes. He was wearing a black sleeveless muscle shirt under a blue jacket and black jeans. He had a sword strapped to his back like how Link's is, but minus the shield. His gaze at Moe was anything but nice.
"What do you think you're doing?" he said to Moe.
"I-I'm sorry, Garrett. S-She attacked Jay and Hyde for no reason," Moe said.
Garrett walked over to Samus and looked at her. His gaze went up and down her body to check for injuries and then he looked at her wrist. He then turned back to Moe. "What did I tell you about attacking visitors especially when they're women? One of the SSB guests even?"
"I remember, Garrett, but she-"
"Garrett she attacked us, if anyone should be blamed it should be her!" Hyde said as he got up. Jay recovered from his injury and was now standing up. He was staring at Garrett in fear.
Garrett got in front of Samus. "No girl as honorable as her would do anything unless she was provoked by you two, which I don't doubt."
"But, Garrett!" Jay pleaded.
"I don't want to hear it. Jay, Hyde, step outside now. You too, Moe."
The three immediately got up, and went out the bar. Garrett walked after them. "Excuse me for a second."
As soon as they were outside conversations started up again. The bartender tapped Samus's shoulder. "Your water, miss."
"Uh…" Samus had forgotten all about the water. She slowly took the glass. "Thanks. So, who was that exactly?" She sat down on the barstool.
"Oh, that's Garrett. He's the most feared person here."
"Is that so?" She took a sip of her water.
"Yes. Some time ago, those same bullies were harassing him but he gave them all a scare and now no one messes with him. He didn't even have to pull out his sword. He used his fists and kicks to do the talking for him."
"Hmm…" Samus replied.
The door opened again and Garrett walked in. Behind him were Jay, Moe, and Hyde. They walked up to Samus. She rolled her eyes as they stopped in front of her. But they didn't do what she expected they might do. They stood with their heads lowered.
"We're sorry, Samus… err, Miss Aran." Hyde and Moe said.
"Yes, Miss Aran. We meant no harm by it. Just playing. Forgive us."
"Whatever, just don't try to do it again," Samus replied.
Garrett sat down next to Samus. "Okay. That's enough, boys. Get back to whatever you were doing." They obeyed him and went back to their seats. Garrett turned to the bartender. "The usual, Ace." The bartender nodded and went to go get his drink. Garrett turned to look at Samus. "I'm sorry about that, Samus. Just regular mooching Captain Falcons aren't they?"
"Uh, yeah. How do you know my name?" Samus asked.
"Well, I can tell you're Samus. You have that raw attitude like the bounty hunter and you also talk like her. Besides I knew there was a tough and beautiful girl under that armor."
"Excuse me?" Samus said, about to get angry again.
"Hey, you don't have to worry about that. I'm not going to try to hit on you. That's not my style and besides, I know you have a guy in your life that I don't want to cross swords with."
"And you know I have a boyfriend? Let me tell you, I don't get along with stalkers." Samus warned him.
The bartender returned. "Here's your drink, Garrett."
"Thanks, Ace." Garrett took a large swig of the drink. It looked like a soda. "Kind of flat. I say once again, I'm not that kind of person. I get this information from a source."
"And that source would be?" Samus asked suspiciously.
Garrett didn't answer. He looked at his watch. "Can't tell you here. If you follow me, I'll tell you everything."
Samus narrowed her eyes. "I don't know. You might be leading me somewhere just to get me by myself to do whatever you want to me."
"Haha, you're really making this difficult, aren't ya? But I don't blame you. Though I'm sure even if I were trying to, that'd be foolish with such a tough fighter as yourself." Garrett joked before he picked up his drink and started to walk to a staircase. "It's just upstairs. Follow me if you want to know."
Samus sat there for a moment. She sighed and got up.
Nintendo Festival
"Zelda, have you seen my lipstick?"
Zelda was fixing her hair in the mirror. "No, I haven't. Why don't you use one of the other thousand lipsticks you own?"
"Zellie, I can't use any other lipstick till I know the other one is safe. Otherwise I can't wear any make-up at all."
Roy walked by as Peach said that. "Ooh we wouldn't want that." He proceeded walking away.
"Ohh, one of these days, Roy..." Peach growled.
Zelda giggled and continued to straighten her hair. Pichu was in front of her playing around with Zelda's make-up. Zelda took the make-up away that Pichu was proceeding to put on her face. "You don't need make-up, Pichu. You're already so cute." She hugged the little Pokemon.
Link came by at that moment. "Hey girls. You look beautiful."
Zelda blushed. "Thank-you, Link. I…"
Peach got in Link's face. "How can you say that? I obviously am missing lipstick on my face."
"Eh heh heh. I hardly noticed Peach." Link remarked.
"Really?"
"Yeah, I didn't notice. Ready to go, guys? He wants us on the stage now." Link began to walk away.
Zelda jumped up from her seat, forgetting Pichu was sitting in her lap. Pichu gave a small yell as she slipped to the floor. But Zelda didn't seem to notice. "Wait, I'll go with you!"
Pichu frowned as Zelda walked away. Peach patted Pichu on the head. "Don't mind her. She's just lovesick."
Peach helped Pichu up and Pichu scampered away. Peach's eyes fell on the mirror. "Hmm, I can 't go without that lipstick!"
Roy sighed. "Still with that lipstick? You look fine. You don't need any more make-up than you have on right now. Aren't you already pretty?"
Peach just stared at him. "Roy… did you just…did you just give me a compliment?"
Roy blushed, realizing what he did. "Well, I wouldn't exactly consider it a compliment. It's just a statement. The makeup keeps you from looking like a zombie bride." Roy walked away in a hurry.
Peach wiped away the large sweat drop on her face. "Never mind, he'll never change."
Corner Pocket Bar
"So, you followed after all." Garrett replied as he saw Samus walking up to him.
"Well, I guess I can trust you. So, what is it?"
Garrett pointed to a room down the hallway. "It's back there." Garrett continued to walk to the hallway and didn't look back to see if she was following him or not. The temptation was too good for her to not follow Garrett to the back room. As he reached the door he heard her footsteps behind him. He smiled at this. He pulled out a key and unlocked the door. He opened it and stood by the side of the door to let Samus through.
But Samus crossed her arms. "It's nice of you being a gentlemen and all, but I'm going to have to ask you to go in first."
"Hmm, as you wish." Garrett walked in and disappeared in the darkness of a room. "Come on in."
The light flickered on and the room was visible. It was just a regular bedroom but it had a small kitchen it. There were two sofa chairs in front of a plasma screen TV. Garrett had placed his drink down on the small table in the room. "You thirsty?"
"No, I'm fine." Samus fully walked in. Garrett pulled out a remote from a drawer and headed over to one of the sofa chairs. He took the one on the right. "Could you shut the door, please? This is a private room."
"Sure." Samus shut the door slowly. Garrett gestured her to sit down in the other sofa chair. Samus reluctantly sat down in the sofa chair to the left. She sat straight up and alert. "So what is it?"
"Nothing I just thought you would like to see this." He flicked the TV on. As it came on he changed to channel 8. On the channel was a man standing in front of a podium and behind him were Samus' fellow smashers all lined up in a row. Samus just stared at the TV.
"Is this what you wanted me to see?"
"Well, I thought maybe you would like to see it since you didn't go. Why didn't you go anyway?'
"Just… for certain reasons." Samus wanted to leave but her eyes could not leave the TV. She could see her former friends on the screen standing together. Most of the smashers looked bored with this man's speech and some look interested. She saw Veronica standing by the man's side. A thought popped in Samus's head. "Oh! That must be her dad. I've never seen him before."
Garrett lounged in his chair. "Yes, that is her father and... hmm."
Samus gave him her full attention. "What?"
Garrett shook his head. "It's nothing. Let's just watch."
Nintendo Festival Ceremony Room
Link's eyes were slowly drooping. He couldn't believe he got stuck listening to this old man's speech. As much as Link wanted to just drop to the ground and go to sleep, he kept his balance. He looked to his left and saw Zelda leaning against the wall. Link guessed she was trying her best to not fall asleep from his dull speech and decided to lean against the wall for comfort since they were all standing. Link began to grow envious of her chance to lean against that wall. He sighed and started to pay attention again.
Mr. Walden had changed the speech from his childhood to his family. "Yes… I live the fine life. I have a beautiful wife and two beautiful children, a son and a daughter that you all well know. My son is into mystery and detective work. I'm guessing he plans to be some kind of agent for any secret force. I never asked him before he went away to college."
"Now my youngest, Veronica ,is quite the trooper and genius in training. She's into practically anything. She likes sports, fashion, she loves to cook, and she's a head cheerleader. She's practically head of everything back at home. But her main passion is science and gentics: studying the human body, conducting experiments and..."
Don't forget manipulating guys and attempting murder. Zelda sighed. I wonder if he realizes she has violent mood swings frequently. Of course, he doesn't know. He thinks his daughter is perfect! Just like my dad, he never would expect her to do anything wrong.
"In conclusion, my fellow Nintendo Characters. I am truly proud of these fellow smashers for bringing this smasher project to full glory. I hope they will keep it up and make me proud! I thank you all!" Mr. Walden ended.
Zelda clapped for Mr. Walden as he finally walked off the stage. The audience was cheering loudly and whistling. Zelda chuckled. She could tell that they didn't like his speech, but they were excited when he got off the stage.
Once off the stage, Master Hand told them all they were free to spend the day at the festival. They all left the ceremony room in a quick pace. While everyone was clearing out, Master Hand was materializing something on everyone's wrists. After M.H materialized the item on Mr. Game & Watch's wrist, he came over to Zelda. Zelda held out her hand and Master Hand shot a yellow ray at Zelda's hand. She couldn't feel the ray's power but she could see another bracelet forming on her wrist. When he was done, Zelda held up the bracelet to her face.
"That's a wristband. It will identify that you're one of the smashers so no one else can impersonate you." Master Hand said, answering Zelda's confusion in her head. "Now, everyone. The rest of the day is yours. Feel free to do whatever you want. There are rides, games, food, and everything! Enjoy!"
The smashers cleared out fast. Peach skipped over to Zelda. "Come on. We're going to have some real fun now. You, me, and the guys."
"Other guys? Who are they?"
"Well, the boys of course: Link, Marth, Roy, Mario, Luigi, Fox and Falco. I can already tell we'll have some serious fun! I can picture it! Let's go!"
"Okay, I'm up for it! Let's go." Zelda walked behind Peach. She smiled to herself. She didn't even mention Veronica. So, it'll just be Link and me without Veronica interrupting us. Maybe I can have fun after all!
Outside the Corner Pocket Bar
"I can't believe how long that guys talks. It was so boring," Samus said as she and Garrett walked outside the bar. For some odd reason, Samus agreed to go take a walk with Garrett. She didn't know what made her say yes, but here she was walking with some older guy.
"Yeah, but get this. That was just a speech. When he has to put on a program all about him, try to avoid it. It will take two days." Garrett ran hand through his smooth black hair.
Samus watched him do this. He finished some time ago but she couldn't stop staring at him. It was something about him that got her thinking. Garrett noticed her staring at him and raised his eyebrow. "Something wrong, Samus?" Samus blushed fiercely. She didn't like to be caught when she was staring at someone. "Uh…no. You just, never mind, you wouldn't want to know." Samus continued to walk off.
But Garrett stepped in front of her. "No, tell me."
"No, I couldn't… fine. Just don't get mad. You look like this girl I know."
"I look like a girl?"
"No. You don't look like one; you just have some facial features, like, well… Mr. Walden and Veronica."
"Mr. Walden and Veronica, huh?" Garrett closed his eyes and smirked. "You're pretty good, Samus. I thought I would have to tell you."
"Tell me what?" Samus asked.
"Didn't you wonder why I asked you to come up to my room and watch TV with me? Did my attitude remind you of anybody?"
Samus tapped her index finger against her head. "Yeah, you did. You reminded me of Veronica so much."
"And you were right just now. We do look alike. You see… I'm that son Mr. Walden was talking about on the TV. He's my dad."
Samus's mouth hung open. She took a second look at Garrett. He had the same purple eyes and black hair. Yes, they were related. "I thought so," she said quietly. "You definitely look like her, except you don't seem like you would be a jerk like your sister is." Samus just realized what she said to Veronica's brother. "Oh my gosh, I'm so…
"No, it's okay. Trust me, I lived with her for years. But I was hoping I would get to either talk to you, Peach, or Zelda while you were here on vacation."
"I see. What do you need to talk to me about?"
"It's about Veronica, I found a list that belonged to her in her room. There were things on that list she planned to do to a certain female smasher. And it was either between you, Peach, or Zelda. But that's what I need to talk to you about. Was it you she attacked?"
"Only once. The rest of the time it was Zelda."
"So, Zelda's her target. Is this over a guy?"
"Sure is." Samus replied.
"I feared this. Well, what has she done so far?" Garrett asked.
Samus heaved a big sigh. "Walk with me, Garrett. Because that list goes on and on."
The Fairgrounds Of the Nintendo Festival
"Oh, I love roller coasters! Let's go ride it, kay, Mario?" Peach squealed. The hours had rolled by during their time at the fair. They went on a few rides, and they liked them all so far. They played games and saw exhibits for Luigi and Fox's sakes, but they were not as bad as they seemed.
Mario laughed. "You know I'm up for it!"
"Excuse me, but what's a roller coaster?" Marth asked.
"Oh, that's right." Luigi remembered that Link, Marth, Zelda, and Roy were not from the same time as them. So, of course they wouldn't know what they are talking about. "It's like this, guys. It's like carts on wheels and you sit in them. The carts move real fast on a track with twists and turns and such. Uh… you'll understand better when we get on the ride."
"Well, looks like it will be a thrill. Onward to this Roller coaster!" Roy said while walking off.
"Actually, Roy, we're already here." Falco said as he pointed to the roller coaster.
"Oh." Roy said quietly.
"Come on, let's go!" Fox said. "And I'm getting a seat by myself."
"No, you aren't! I am! I'm not sitting with screaming wimps. No offense to you newbies." Falco spoke.
Link frowned. "I think you meant offense. Zel, you want to sit together?"
"Mm-hmm. I feel safer with you. Everyone else might consider me babyish." Zelda followed her friends to the long line.
"I would never think that, Zel. Besides I bet Falco is just covering up his fear. "
In the end, Marth was with Roy , Zelda and Link were in front of them paired up, Peach and Mario were in front of them, the Starfox team in front of them, and Luigi was at the head in the front seat: The best spot.
The helper at the roller coaster made sure they were all strapped in. Zelda held on tightly to the harness she had over her body. Her knuckles were turning white. Link, on the other hand, was looking at the ride. He was anxious to get this ride started. If he weren't strapped in, he would be bouncing in his seat about now. Zelda on the other hand, was as stiff as a statue. She had nerves building up in her stomach and choking her. She was scared out of her mind. But she didn't want Falco to know so she wouldn't be embarrassed.
"This ride is going to be fun! I can feel it!" Roy shouted to get a response from Link.
Link turned around in his seat. "Of course it is. Sam and Fox told me all about these and they say they're nothing but fun."
Samus. That name pricked a nerve in Zelda's body. She didn't even come to this. I wonder what she is doing? She looked behind her and saw Marth talking to Roy while they waited for the ride to start. He seemed as happy as can be. He's probably not even thinking about her. I shouldn't either. This is my day to have fun! But it still pricks at my brain.
This is great. Spending time together like the old times. But it's minus Samus now. It's bothering me to the fullest that she isn't here right now. Even so, I cannot ruin my day with that silly argument. It will blow over. Right? Link nodded, answering his own question. He felt a jerk in his seat.
The train like vehicle started to move slowly. It moved forward leaving the line of excited people wanting to get on next. The cars took a sharp turn and slowly reached a hill. In Zelda's opinion, a large hill. The cars went up the large hill of track very carefully and slowly. Zelda looked down and saw how high they were up. She could see everything but that didn't change the fact that she was still scared of heights. She grabbed onto Link's free hand. Link cupped his hand with hers immediately. He expected her to do that when he saw how high up they were. The cars came to a complete stop at the top.
"Don't get scared now, Falco!" Mario called to the ace-pilot.
"Fat chance, Mario!" Falco called back.
"Yeah, he's a flight expert. This will only faze him a little bit," Fox said to Mario.
Peach turned back. "How you holding up back there, Zellie?"
Zelda only nodded. "She's fine!" Link answered.
"This is the world's greatest ride! I'm on top of world!" Roy shouted to the world, making Marth lean from him to protect his ear but a smile still on his face.
Then, Zelda watched the cars go down. Luigi was already hooting in joy. The rest of the cars plunged with his. Peach screamed in laughter as they went down. When Zelda's car plunged down she screamed along with Peach. She didn't care what Falco thought… this ride was dropping too fast. Link was laughing already having fun. Zelda grabbed onto him tighter and Link held on to her. "It's okay, Z!"
Zelda couldn't watch the scenery at all. Everything was zooming past her. There were flips, sharp turns, and twists that went on for seconds, and even more drops. The whole time she could hear everyone screaming and having a good time. Zelda was screaming along with them but she couldn't help but form a smile on her face as they continued the ride. Soon the ride was back into its regular position and was coming back slowly to its station. But they stopped behind two other cars waiting for the riders to get out of their seats and exit. She sighed and grabbed her head. The ride gave her a headache.
Link burst out laughing. "Peach, look at your hair!"
Roy was laughing too. "You look like a fuzz ball!"
"What?" Peach touched her hair. "Oh no! It's frizzy again? This always happens to me." She started to giggle herself. "Zellie, it happened to you too."
Zelda touched her own hair. She could feel hairs out of place, Link was staring at her. He tried to contain his laughter but could not. "She's right. You both look like fuzz balls."
Zelda stared at him for a moment. She frowned. "At least I'm not without my hat."
"My hat? Aah! It's gone! Wha… where…" Link panicked.
"Link."
Link turned around and saw Marth holding his matching blue hat. "I believe this is yours."
"You found it!"
"Yeah. When went down a drop it smacked me in the face."
When it was their turn to get out of the car, they jumped up quickly and went out the exit. All of them started to talk about the ride. Roy was continuing to make wise cracks about Peach's hair. Mario tried to defend Peach, but Roy was right about what she looked like, so he silently snickered. Luigi and Fox ganged up on Falco and told him he got scared, teasing him. Falco tried his best to defend himself. As they were walking away from the ride, Luigi turned around and walked backwards as he watched at his friends. "So, how did you guys like it?"
Roy took a break from harassing Peach. " Best. Ride. Ever! We have got to do it again. And this time, I'm in front with. Luigi."
"I have to say. That was a pretty fun ride and I wouldn't mind riding it again either." Marth added.
"Me too!" Link retrieved his hat from Marth.
"Not me! That ride gave me a headache," Zelda said. Her head was pounding.
"Well, the first ride is always jumpy. But I'm with you," Peach said, but she seemed more focus with combing fingers through her hair. "Besides I need to get the frizz out of my hair. Let's go to the bathroom for a sec."
"Okay. Wait for us here, you guys." Zelda called as she eyed a bathroom.
"Wait for you guys to get ready? Heck no! We'll be on another ride, and then we'll come back!" Falco answered.
"Fair enough. But don't forget us. Come on, Zel!" Zelda and Peach rushed to the bathroom.
"See you guys later." Link said as he and the other boys departed.
"That was so much fun, wasn't it?" Zelda perked up quickly. Even though she had a slight headache, she was very energetic. "After what happened earlier with the drama, I thought today it was going to be horrible. But I'm feeling great!"
"I'm glad. I thought you were going to be unhappy all day," said Peach.
"I guess not. This festival really lifted my spirits and I feel nothing will ruin it either." The girls spent a bit of time fixing their wild hair before being satisfied. Zelda took a moment to look outside the bathroom. "Everyone's back already."
"Okay." Peach put away her pink lipstick. "I'm ready."
The girls grabbed their purses and headed out side. The boys were sitting with annoyance evident on their faces. Roy was the first to notice their appearance on the scene. "What, no more frizz heads?"
Peach lightly smacked him on the head. "Hush, Roy!" She went to Mario. "So, what's next?"
Before he could respond, Zelda interrupted her question with another. "Where's Link?"
"He wanted me to tell you that he and Veronica were going to hang out for a while, and he would come back later on in the day," Fox said. "He promised to hang out with her when she got away from her dad."
"Oh, that's it," Zelda said quietly. He'll be back later. He promised. She shrugged it off. "Well, let's not waste the day away."
"Now, that's what I love to hear!" Falco turned to green plumber. "What's up next Luigi?"
Luigi looked at the map. "How about a water ride?"
"Sure, sounds fun. Let's go." Zelda linked an arm with Peach and they skipped together on the walkway behind the boys.
"It's been a while now. Where is he?" Fox asked the group of friends. Everyone knew he was talking about Link. Link had not arrived yet. They were all sitting down drinking the drinks they ordered.
Zelda was tapping her fingers on the table. She hadn't said anything yet about Link's tardiness and tried not to worry about it. He was free to do whatever he wanted. But why did she still feel he needed to be here right now? Zelda got up from the table and looked straight ahead. Link was walking with Veronica. Veronica had changed clothes. She was wearing some shorts and a green designer top. They were heading in the direction of their table. She thought they were going to come over to them but something caught her eye. Veronica jerked Link's arm in the direction to the right and they walked right past them. Zelda gasped. She did that on purpose so Link wouldn't see us. She's not getting away with it. She's not going to ruin our day!
Zelda started to run over to them as they turned a corner. She heard her friends calling her name, but she didn't respond to them. All she wanted to do was get Link to come back over to them and leave Veronica in the dust. She reached the corner and found a dead end, there were a few food stands up but a gate surrounded the rest of the area. There were people there and most of them were smashers. They were all looking in a store that was called Smash Store. Link and Veronica were standing by a jewelry stand. Veronica was looking at the jewelry. Her long hands reached out for a necklace hanging on a rack. No one would be able to hear Veronica and Link's conversation normally, but when you have Hylian ears like Zelda's, you can pick up on a conversation easily.
"I like this one, Link. It has purple beads, and that's my favorite color. What do you think?"
Link eyed the necklace and nodded. "Yes, I think that one will look good on you."
Veronica blushed. "Thank you, Link. I'm glad you like this one." She looked at the clerk. "I'll take this one."
Link put an arm around Veronica's shoulder. "I'll buy it for you."
"You will? Oh Link, I just… oh!"
What happened next was very unexpected. Veronica leaped into Link's arms and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I gotta do it!" Veronica placed her lips on Link's. Link jumped back a little ,but he did not back away from the kiss. Zelda just stared at the two. This can't be happening. He'll back away. Any moment. He will… I just know it. He didn't budge from her lips as they deepened the kiss. H-he'll stop, he doesn't like her. He doesn't like her like that. But he has his arms around her and… WHY IS THIS HAPPENING? Link, how could you? I thought you changed. I think I'm gonna be sick. I need to get out of here.
Zelda backed up into a tall rack of hats. The hat rack crashed loudly to the ground. This broke Link and Veronica up instantly. Link looked up and saw Zelda. He was caught again, and this time she saw the kiss. Nothing could cover him up this time. Veronica had noticed Zelda before the kiss, and found this amusing. Now she knew for sure Zelda would be over Link.
"I'm so sorry about your hats," Zelda said as she picked one hat up.
"It's quite alright, young miss. I'll pick them up." The hat seller picked up the racks of hats.
Zelda made sure the seller was fine as she picked up the hats though it was more to give her time to breathe. Once realizing she was okay, she looked back over at Link and Veronica. No turning back now: all she could do was walk over to them. She stared hard at Link. "Well… what's your excuse this time, Link? I would love to hear it."
Link felt a lump in his throat. What could he even say with her looking so hurt? "...Zel-"
"-don't call me Zel!" Zelda snapped. Link was the first one to give her that nickname. She couldn't stand it right now. Only a friend deserved to call her that name. And Link, at that moment, felt far from it.
Normally, Link would say she's overreacting, but even he can feel her pain. Link felt like dropping dead. "Zelda, please..."
"No! There isn't a thing you can say!" Zelda shouted. "There's not a thing in this world you can say or do that can convince me you changed. After all that drama this morning with Samus, you promised me everything would be okay! Now, this with her. You lied to me without caring about how I feel!"
"Oh cut the dramatics!" Veronica got in front of Zelda. "Listen, Princess. Link loves me. You're nothing to him but a friend. Be grateful he even likes you enough to call you a friend."
"Hold on a second, Veronica! I never said that!" Link declared. He saw people surrounding them to see the heated argument. He could see every smasher in the crowd. This was getting bad. But the girls showed no signs of stopping.
"You didn't have to say it," Veronica said to Link. "Zelda knows you've spent way more time with me on dates, and now we kissed. I don't think she's that oblivious. All that time you spent on Serine Isle and even today, it meant nothing all this time."
Zelda bit her lip to hold back her tears. Everything Veronica said was true. It had to be. Her memories of Link sitting with her on the plane ride, their whole day together at Serine Isle where they almost kissed. It all meant nothing. Anger was slowly boiling through her body. She hated Veronica more than ever. And she didn't have a word to describe what she thought of Link at the moment.
"He only likes me, Zellie." Veronica said, using her nickname with vile. "Me and me alone."
"Shut-up," Zelda muttered under her breath.
Veronica cupped her hand around her ear and leaned into Zelda's face. "Huh? What was that? I couldn't quite hear you!"
"I said SHUT-UP. JUST SHUT-UP!" Zelda roared in her face.
Veronica stepped back, offended. "Don't take this out on me. Just ask Link right now. Link, tell her who you like."
Link felt all eyes on him. Zelda was looking at him in a heat of rage. He had never seen the princess this angry. Veronica had a smirk on her face, confident that she knew the answer. In that moment, Link remember Luigi's words: if he didn't make it clear who he liked, he would be heading down a path of destruction. He had arrived. But now, how to answer. Unfortunately, he didn't know and said what he could: "Zelda, I do like you a lot. You're my friend. But lately, you've been blaming Veronica for everything that's been happening to you. She would never do these things. And I do like her too. But at the same time, Zelda, you and I are-"
"Thank you, Link. I'll take it from here. Princess, don't you see? Link likes me better than you. Face it!" Zelda held her head down. She could hear Veronica's harsh words. "You can't win. Face the facts. It's over, Zellie. I win, you love. Get it? Link hates you and he loves-"
Before Veronica's words could get out, Zelda's anger boiled over and she cracked. "AAH! YOU EVIL, SICK WITCH!" she screamed.
Zelda had no control over what happened next. She lunged at Veronica, knocking her down with her balled up fists. Veronica fell hard on her back and screamed in fright. She tried to fight Zelda off, and in Zelda's head she knew she needed to control herself, but she was far too angry. All she wanted to do was beat the heck out of Veronica. She punched her in the face, and Veronica was clawing at Zelda's face. She scratched Zelda hard with her long fingernails. Zelda punched her on the nose, making Veronica instantly grab her nose. But Veronica let go of it quickly and grabbed Zelda's long hair and tugged her off of her by her locks. Zelda, in return, grabbed her hair and tugged back. Both girls were screaming and grunting.
Link was just staring in disbelief at the two girls. They were fighting each other. And they were going to kill each other if he didn't stop them. The crowd didn't try to stop them. Some were encouraging them and some were still staring in shock, particularly his smasher company. Link ran to both of the girls as they got up from the ground and both of them had a tight grip on each other's arms and spun around, refusing to let go. Veronica was trying to fight back like Zelda. But Zelda was stronger than Veronica. Veronica managed to get Zelda off her and push her back. Zelda stumbled but kept her stance. Zelda looked liked she was going to charge at her again. Link ran to them. "Zelda, Veronica stop!"
Zelda didn't hear a word he said. Zelda ran at Veronica when she tried to catch her breath. She had no time to defend herself as Zelda ran to her, hands out ready to attack. But Link jumped in between the two of them, more in front of Veronica to defend her. "Zelda!"
Him calling her name didn't reach her. Zelda pushed both of them as hard as she could. They both stumbled back and crashed right into the jewelry stand knocking the whole thing over and they rammed into the stand breaking it in two. They fell on their backs in between the split wood.
"MISS HARKINIAN!"
Zelda snapped out of her rage. She looked beside her to see Master Hand and a very angry Mr. Walden. It had all come back to Zelda. She had snapped and went on a rampage. She looked at her prey. Link was up in a sitting position with Veronica right next to him. She was leaning on him holding her nose. Zelda could see blood on her face and realized her nose was bleeding. Zelda looked at her white gloves now had red splotches of blood on them: Veronica's blood from her nosebleed. Zelda felt something trickling down her ear. She held her finger against her ear and then brought it down again to look at it. Her face had cuts all over it and one of the cuts were bleeding down her cheek. She looked at Link, checking on Veronica.
"My nose. It's bleeding!" she cried.
Link looked up at Zelda. He had an angry look that Zelda had never seen and it was directed at her. He said something that was only audible to her ears. "Zelda, how could you do this?" Zelda felt herself tremble. She was scared of his look. She looked at her hands in horror at all the blood on her hands. She had completely lost control.
Master Hand looked at Link. "Take her to the doctor now, Link." Link nodded and tried to help Veronica up. Master Hand turned his attention back to Zelda. If he had a face, Zelda knew he would have an angry look.
"Master Hand, I want you all to return home now! Back to the resort! And make sure that girl is brought to your office, so we can talk!" Mr. Walden walked off with Link and Veronica.
Zelda watched Link walk away with Veronica. He was holding her in his strong arms. How she longed to be held like that right now. But everyone was just staring at her. She could hear their harsh whispers about her.
"Get back! There's nothing else to see here! Leave!" A voice said. Zelda felt hands on her shoulders and looked up to see Peach was now at her side. "Zelda, are you okay?"
She felt her tears finally flow down her cheeks. She collapsed to the ground on her knees. She kept her head down and let her tears hit the ground as she felt Peach's sympathetic rubs on her back. She started to cry openly, not caring who was listening. What have I done?
In Town
Garrett was looking appalled. "She really set fire to the elevator?"
"Yes. Evil, isn't she?" Samus said.
Samus and Garrett had been talking about Veronica for a couple hours now. Samus and Garrett found out they had a lot in common. Samus loved to train a lot and so did Garrett. Garrett didn't let anyone step all over him and neither did the bounty hunter. Samus never had this much fun with a complete stranger. He was like a lifelong friend. He was easy to talk to unlike her other friends. As they reached the Corner Pocket once more, he saw a crowd of people talking outside.
Samus cocked her head to the side. "What's going on?"
Garrett got in front of her. "Stay here."
Garrett ran ahead to the crowd. Samus smiled. Garrett's pretty nice. Not to mention tough, intelligent, and kind like... Marth. Samus caught herself thinking about the guy she hadn't thought about since being around Garrett. Forget him, Samus, he doesn't matter to you anymore. He hurt you after all and then lied about it. But…"
"Samus! You've got to hear this!"
Samus looked up to Garrett walking back to her. "What's up?"
"Your friend, Zelda. It's not looking good."
"Zelda?" Samus' heart skipped a beat at that name. "What happened?'
"She went ballistic. She attacked Veronica, and really did a number on her. She's all over the news!"
"Wait, she fought her?" Samus asked. Garrett nodded. Shock didn't seem like a big enough reaction to that news. Zelda wasn't one to settle things with fists. That was more Samus' style. Happy as she was to see someone finally put a brat like Veronica in her place, she knew Zelda had made a bad move. She couldn't help but wonder what could have happened. But she knew one thing. She needed to return to the resort.
"I have to go back to the hotel. No doubt we'll all need to be there."
"Let me give you a lift," Garrett said.
"Thanks. I need it! Let's hurry." Samus followed Garrett into the bar. Zelda, what were you thinking?
Master Hand's office was an eerie quiet. Only Zelda, Master Hand, and Mr. Walden were in the room. Zelda was sitting in her chair with her head down. She was so ashamed of herself that she couldn't even look up. She had gone from princess to barbarian in seconds. Master Hand and Mr. Walden were standing in front of her, but Walden was doing the talking.
"I cannot how incredibly appalled and disgusted I am with your behavior, Princess Zelda. You assaulted my daughter in front of thousands of people." Mr. Walden had a smug look on his face. He was glad she wasn't looking up at him because he couldn't stand to look at her face. He was furious. "You embarrassed me and this company! Do you realize what you did to this company? DO YOU!"
"I'm sorry Mr. Walden…"
"SORRY ISN'T GOOD ENOUGH! Nothing can change what you cruelly did to my daughter, and even Link! My daughter, my pride and joy, has been nothing but kind to you, and you have THE NERVE to attack her like that!"
Zelda's head shot up. "Do you even know what your daughter is like?"
Mr. Walden frowned. "Apparently you think of her as an 'evil witch'!"
"And I wouldn't change that statement for the world!" Zelda snapped.
Master Hand spoke. "Zelda, you're speaking out of turn!"
"No, Master Hand. I don't care! He needs to know! Mr. Walden, your daughter has been attacking me ever since you sent her to the mansion."
Mr. Walden's eyes grew bug sized. "What did you just say about my daughter!"
"Your daughter has done so much to me to make my life miserable. She's threatened me, she ruined my dress, she embarrassed me in front of the other smashers, she tried to kill my best friend, and she tried to kill me by setting that elevator on fire!" Everything just flowed out of Zelda's mouth. There was no going back now.
"That's ludicrous!" Walden responded.
"You would say that. And I expected you to. But I have proof of this. She has this diary. It has everything in it. Her plans she used to hurt me and another thing she did years ago."
"A diary, huh? Please." Mr. Walden retorted.
"It's true. I'll show you." Zelda shot out of her seat and ran out the door. She ran to Peach's room in a rush. Her mind was racing. She couldn't let Veronica win like this. She had to expose her. When she reached Peach's room, she banged on it hard. It didn't take long for Peach to poke her head out the room, looking surprised to see her. "Zellie?"
"Peach, give me Veronica's diary!"
Peach bit her lip. "Um, Zelda..." She shot her eyes towards the back of the room where Veronica was sitting. She was glaring at Zelda. She had heard everything she had just said. But Zelda would not back down.
"I don't care. It's over, Veronica! I know all about your diary, and everything you wrote in it. " Zelda announced. Master Hand and Mr. Walden were standing at the door.
"Well?" Mr. Walden said. "Where is it?"
"Just wait and see. Peach, show them." Zelda demanded.
Peach, obeying, went to the bed leg on Veronica's bed (avoiding Veronica's eyes during this awkward moment) and pulled out the diary. It was right where they had found it. She took the diary, gave it to Zelda, who gave it to Mr. Walden.
Mr. Walden took the diary. He scanned it very slowly, flipping page after page. Zelda thought he was finally going to believe her, but he looked up from the diary with the same angry look. "These are Veronica's entries from her trip and what happened at camp."
"What?" Zelda took the diary from him. The words were familiar to her. It was about the camping trip. She stammered. "But I know it's there. It, it has to be a different diary. It must be." Zelda ran to the bed leg, fumbling for the diary. There was nothing else in the bed leg. "But it was right here."
Master Hand sighed. "I am so sorry for all this. Apparently this was all a misunderstanding on Zelda's part."
"I'm not making a mistake. I'm not lying!" Zelda said angrily. She pointed an accusing finger at Veronica. "She's a crazy maniac! And she's pulling the wool over everyone's eyes!"
Veronica looked at her dad, and burst into tears. "Daddy, please stop her. I'm not crazy. Not anymore, not anymore. I'm a good girl! I'm a good girl!" Veronica grabbed her head and shook violently. "I am, Daddy. Please, I don't want to go back. Please don't leave me with them again! Please… I've changed!"
Mr. Walden went to his daughter's side. "It's okay hon. We won't send you back to that placce. Not ever again. Zelda is going to apologize right now for even making you think back to that day"
"No, I'm not!"
Peach looked at her friend. "Zelda, please just let it go."
"No! I won't. She's a little demon spawn!"
Veronica cried even louder. Master Hand escorted Zelda out of the room quickly. They walked back to the office. After a while, Mr. Walden showed up. "Well, she's calm now. Now as for you, Miss Harkinian. I'm going to need you to apologize to my daughter. You accused her of a crime you can't prove!"
"But she-"
"I don't want to hear it!" Mr. Walden snapped.
Zelda turned to the floating hand."Master Hand, you have to believe-"
"-just wait outside," Master Hand said. "We need to discuss this matter."
Master Hand and Mr. Walden went into the office and shut the door, leaving Zelda alone.
"They've been in there for a while. What could they possibly be talking about?" Peach said. She had joined Zelda outsided, and now the two princesses were sitting on the carpet outside of Master Hand's office with their hands crossed in their laps.
"I don't know. But it can't be good. Peach, I just can't win." Zelda said in a quiet voice.
"Win what?"
"This battle. They all can't imagine Veronica being bad. Why not? Doesn't he remember what she did to her best friend and crush? Isn't that enough?"
"You should just apologize, Zelda. He will probably give you a lighter sentence."
"No way. I'm not going to!" Zelda said stubbornly. Samus would never tell her to do something like that. She was starting to wish she was here. "Are you telling me you believe Veronica too?'
"Of course not, Zelda! I'm the one who showed you the diary, remember?" Peach said, a little offended that Zelda would even think it. She sighed as she looked her friend in the eye. "This is serious. Mr. Walden is over the whole company, and that's his daughter. Like it or not, the ball's in his court. Do you want to get off of this easy or not?"
Zelda sighed. She didn't want anything bad to happen. "Okay, fine."
"We'll find another way to expose her. Promise," Peach added.
The door opened. Zelda watched Master Hand come floating out of the office. Master Hand stood in front of her quietly. "Well, I can't say that I wasn't embarrassed by your actions, Zelda. I would have never expected that from you."
Zelda decided to take Peach's advice. "I understand, Master Hand. I promise I won't do it again. The next time it looks like their might be a fight, I'll just walk away."
"I am glad to see you have reached a good answer." He pauses, before speaking again, making Zelda confused. "Unfortunately, there won't be a second chance for you, Zelda."
"What do you mean?" Zelda said slowly.
Master Hand sighed again. "I'm sorry, but Mr. Walden and I have decided. Zelda, you will be expelled from Super Smash Brothers Melee."
A/N: There you go, readers. Congrats to those who finished reading this long chapter. Did you like it? Hehe, don't be too mad at me. Thanks for reading, and please review!