CHAPTER 27

The front doors of Daisy's Mansion explode as Princess Daisy, now decked in full military gear, emerges from them carrying a Bob-Omb and Bullet Bill launcher in each hand!

"Kill my Luigi, will you?!" she yells in a rage. "Those two boneheads just messed with the wrong Princess!"

As Daisy approaches the Rainbow Alliance, the majority of them are terrified of her. "Alright!" She yells. "Lead me to those monsters! I got an explosion with their names on it!"

"Easy there, Daisy!" Zelda says. "We don't want any casualties."

"My Luigi is dead!" Daisy screams, her blood curdling voice echoing throughout Sarasaland. "I'm taking them all down with him!"

"You can't beat them!" Peach says in frustration. "They're too strong for you!"

Daisy feigns a bite at her cousin and growls. "I can handle myself!" She says. "Just stay out of my way!"

Peach jumps back and nods. "You know, maybe you can handle it." She says. "You're still going to need our help though. " She waves her hand at the group. "Follow me and be careful! You're not invincible!"

Daisy nods. "I won't let you down!"

Zelda feels a tap on her shoulder, Link points up to the morning sky. Zelda turns and gasps!

Peach and Daisy turn to look up and see the Moon, except it has a terrifying face and looks poised to hit the planet! "Oh, no!" Peach yells.

Daisy turns to the rest of the Rainbow Alliance. "What's with the moon?" she asks.

"It's Ganon's magic," Zelda says bleakly. "We have only three days to stop them, before they will crush us all into smithereens."

"Well, if we're going to stop them, we have to work together!" Daisy says, picking up a backpack. "Let's go, people! Can't go on a killing spree just standing around!"

"Sheesh. She's insane, right Naranjo?" Burnscar says to Naranjo. "...Naranjo?"

"... Huh?" Naranjo shouts in confusion. "...Sorry, I was just mesmerized by that new princess we recruited. You say something?"

"I said she's insane!" Burnscar says.

"I know." Naranjo says. "That's why I'm gonna stick with her!"

Naranjo runs up to Daisy as Peach leads the Rainbow Alliance out of the city.

The remains of King Bob-omb are brought before Bowser and Ganon.

"That Yoshi and that fish woman escaped, huh" Bowser asks Ganon.

Ganon nods. "Yes, I believe so."

Bowser sighs. "Fine, but they're not getting far."

"I'd rather kill them myself," Ganon says. "However, we still need to prepare for the final assault. So I better delegate their assassination to yet another of my loyal monsters."

Ganon rings a bell and Gleeok flies up to Bowser and Ganon. "Go find the large Yoshi and the Zora Princess. Bring them back...dead or alive."

Gleeok flies off, and Bowser and Ganon return to their thrones.

"Oh, that reminds me..." Bowser says. "We owe you one, King Bob-omb."

"What?"

"You're giving us a prime example of M-A-R-1-0's capabilities!"

"I don't understa-"

King Bob-omb is soon cut off by the sound of his own screams as M-A-R-1-0 devours the King's body into his mechanical maw.

Yashil and Azura are wandering lost in a dark forest. They've been walking for hours but haven't seen any sign of civilization. Finally, they spot a small stone house in the distance. Yashil walks towards it and knocks on the door. Some time passes, and soon Yashil and Azura are shot at with darts.

Azura deflects the darts back at their assailants with her spear. "Show yourselves! Cowards!" she demands.

They hear some murmuring from behind the trees. Finally, a child wearing a skull mask is seemingly shoved into the clearing. He turns to the trees and shakes his fist at them, then nervously turns to Yashil and Azura. "I-I'm sorry" he manages to stutter out.

"A child?" Yashil asks aloud.

The boy nods. "W-we don't like grown-ups." The boy says worried. "T-they take us from our home."

"Who are you?" Yashil asks.

The boy points to the mouth of his skull mask. "I-I am Maxil...T-this is our home."

Yashil and Azura look at one another. "Maxil" Yashil asks. "Where are your parents?"

"Dead," Maxil says, looking away. "They died when the rest of the village was destroyed...all of our parents are dead."

More children wearing masks emerge from the trees, they seem to have dropped any sense of intimidating demeanor. "Mama! Papa! Come back!" they yell and begin crying.

"Do you have any food?" Azura asks.

"We take what we can find from the Woods." Maxil says. "It's not really tasty though. None of us know how to cook."

"Are you hungry?" Yashil asks.

Maxil nods. "Yeah, we haven't eaten since yesterday."

Azura nods. "Then we'll go grab something."

Sometime later, Yashil and Azura return with a sack full of berries. When they enter the house, all the children stare at the food in awe. As the children begin gorging on the berries, Maxil is more fascinated by Azura'. "Wow!" he exclaims. "You're really pretty for a grown up!"

"Thank you Maxil," she says with a smile. "So... can we ask who exactly destroyed your village?"

The children quickly cease their ravenous eating after hearing the question. They become silent. "...The four headed one" Maxil eventually says.

"Who?" Azura asks.

"G-G-Gleeok." The boy begins. "He came from the sky and just started destroying everything!"

"Why would he do that?"

"I don't know!" he begins to cry. The children begin crying again. Maxil takes his mask off. "Please don't hurt us!" he pleads. "We didn't do anything to you!"

Yashil sighs. "Look..." he says. "We're not going to hurt you. We just need to know where we can reach a city or somewhere with other grown ups."

Maxil nods. "I-I guess we could tell you."

"Good." Yashil says. "Now, can you show us the way?"

Maxil nods. "Okay."

Yashil and Azura are guided through the Lost Woods by Maxil.

"Thanks again" Yashil says to the boy.

Maxil nods. "No problem."

They continue through the woods until they spot a small castle in the distance, around it seems to be the Rainbow Alliance. "There!" Yashil exclaims as he runs out towards the group he was separated from. Before Azura follows, she kneels down to Maxil. "We'll be back." she says quietly. "Don't worry. You won't need to be scared of Gleeok anymore."

Maxil smiles and nods. "I know, you're really cool for a grown up." He says. Azura smiles and stands, following Yashil and the others.

As Yashil and Azura run toward their group who embrace them. They're almost unaware of the large, winged shadow that looms over them...