CHAPTER 31

Link wakes up with Peach still in his arms. It was late evening, and there were two moons. Link yawns, stretching his four arms out. He gently picks up the sleeping Peach, lays her next to a tree, then heads out into the field. The crisp feeling of the grass clashing with the smell of sulfur coming from Ganon's tower. The beautiful sight of the stars glistening in the sky made the whole world seem peaceful when you weren't thinking about the moon with a giant face threatening to plunge itself into it.

Link walks over to a rock to sit on, facing the tower. He looks up at the tower, which is surrounded by a black aura. Link knows that aura all too well, he holds his hand up and his half of the Triforce of Courage lights up. Two small lights shine from the base camp, one from Peach's hand, another from Zelda's hand.

Ganon sleeps in a giant bed, his hand begins to light up with his half of the Triforce of Power. It doesn't wake him from his slumber though.

What does wake him, however, is Bowser screaming and charging through his chamber door.

"GANON! My hand is glowing again!"he yells.

"Stay calm and listen closely." Ganon says calmly, rising from his prone position and putting on his armor. "I am ready for this, the "glowing" means Link, Zelda, and the others are close. We are about to be confronted by the greatest threat our new kingdom will ever face. You must prepare yourself and gather your troops for battle tomorrow."

"That's not what I'm talking about, Ganon!" Bowser's voice suddenly changes, as if two voices spoke at the same time. Ganon turns to see Bowser breathing in a strange pattern "Something has awakened inside me, something I never felt before! I have become stronger than ever!" Bowser roars, his fist glowing blue.

"Bowser!...What are you doing?" Ganon says in a slightly nervous tone to his calm voice. "You know you need to keep that version of you locked away. You need to wait to use it on the invading heroes."

"I don't care, I'm going to destroy them all! Including you! You're going to give me the whole part of the Three-Force!" Bowser screams, raising his fists high into the air.

"It's "Triforce"!" Ganon yells, grabbing Bowser's forehead. A dark purple aura releases from his fingers and Bowser's pupil colors begin to match.

"It can't be! GANON! YOU CAN'T DO THIS!" Bowser yells, falling to his knees.

"Bowser, I've had enough of your idiotic bumbling!" Ganon yells. "You will do as I say, or so help me I will reduce you to that of an ooze and feed you to your own army!"

"You can't do this, Ganon! You can't do this to me!" Bowser shouts, as his eyes turn to a bright yellow. "I AM YOUR MASTER! MY POWER IS GREATER THAN ANYONE ELSE ON THE PLANET!"

Ganon eyebrows raise, worried to see the once simple Koopa resist his mind control. "No Bowser '' He says, reverting back to his calm demeanor. "I believe I was mistaken in choosing you to wield the Triforce. You've forced me to strip you of this responsibility, you clearly cannot handle its influence."

"Raise your arm," Ganon raises Bowser's arm up into the air.

"How dare you defy me, you pathetic excuse for a King! I shall crush you with my bare hands!" Bowser threatens.

Ganon ignores Bowser's threats as he puts his head into Bowser's hand. "Threaten me all you want, you will be the one without power soon."

Bowser grunts in pain as Ganon's skull begins to glow. Bowser feels an intense searing pain come from his hand.

"Stop! Stop doing this to me!" Bowser screams.

"I must do this, Bowser," Ganon says calmly, staring into Bowser's eyes. Bowser continues to scream in pain, until Ganon removes his head. Bowser falls onto the floor. He looks at his hand, his half of the Triforce missing.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Bowser screams, getting up. He opens his mouth and lets out a long screech that shakes the earth. He rushes towards Ganon to attack, but Ganon quickly brings his own arm up to block Bowser's attack. Bowser is thrown into a wall, and several bricks fall from the ceiling.

"Without your half of the triforce, you're useless "King Koopa"." Ganon says. "Surrender yourself now, before you make another decision you will quickly regret."

"You can't do this to me! I'm your master! You can't do this to-" Bowser yells.

Ganon walks up to Bowser and silences him by sticking his thumb on his snout. "If you do not surrender yourself immediately, I will use the power of the Triforce to obliterate you, take over your army, and ensure you will soon be forgotten by the new empire. "King Koopa" will be a thing of the past."

"You can't do this to me!" Bowser yells. "I'll kill you! I'll destroy this entire castle with my bare hands if I must!"

"Hmm." Ganon ponders. "I suppose I could just kill you right now, but I still need you as a puppet...Let's try this again".

Ganon latches his hand onto Bowser's head again, purple aura emanating from it. "Obey my will, serve me, gather your troops and prepare for battle."

"Okay..." Bowser whispers, unsure of what's really happening.

Ganon places his thumb on Bowser's forehead. Bowser feels a sharp pain in his forehead, then his pupils change color, becoming their normal red. Bowser collapses on the floor. After a minute or two he gets back up.

"What...what happened?" Bowser asks groggy, as if he just stepped out of a dream.

"You don't remember anything?" Ganon says.

"No..." Bowser says.

"Good. Now, prepare for battle!"

Bowser nods his head, looking around. He feels his hand. "Hey, where's my piece of the Three-force?"

"It's called the...nevermind," Ganon says, rubbing his temples. "You gave an amazing suggestion that I should hold onto both pieces in case our rivals took one of us hostage. I must say, it was rather ingenious." Ganon lies to Bowser.

"Yeah, I am pretty great!" Bowser agrees, then suddenly becomes worried. "How will I defeat them without it though?!" Bowser says.

"That's easy." Ganon says, walking up to Bowser. "You'll have your full strength back by tomorrow morning. I will decide when it is best to give you the power of the Triforce. Get some rest, I will assemble our armies." Ganon tells Bowser, as he heads out the room, shuddering at how the triforce has seemingly already corrupted Bowser's mind..