Chapter 1 – villains united
Space. They say it is so beautiful and as long as you look up at it from the ground they might as well be right. Once you've been up there surrounded by nothing but space for a good portion of your time you realize that it really is nothing but a whole lot of black with some bright dots thrown in for good measure.
But it wasn't the vast emptiness of space that bothered Fox McCloud. It was the fact that he had been stuck in the Esthar's space station for over a week with nothing whatsoever to do. The president of Esthar, one of the technologically more advanced places, had hired him and his team without explaining for what exactly, but Fox was sure that sitting around and doing nothing was not part of the deal.
He was standing at a window, looking through the glass, staring at the blackness beyond it. For the first time ever he realized just how incredibly boring this sight was. He sighed. "I hate this."
"What?" someone suddenly asked. It was a female voice, albeit obscured in a way that made it seem inhuman, more robot-like. Fox looked over his shoulder to see just what he had expected. The bounty hunter with her high-tech power suit – Samus Aran.
"It. This. Everything." He flung his arms around him, pointing at nothing in particular but everything at once. "We've been here for days now and what have we achieved? No, let me rephrase that, what have done at all? Nothing! We're just wasting our time here."
"You could leave at any time. Nobody is forcing you to stay here." she replied in a calm, at that moment almost monotone, voice.
He shook his head. "Oh no. No way, no chance. Not after holding out this long, now I won't just disappear in the middle of the job. If you can even call it a job. We're just sitting in our rooms or walking around this space station."
"And quite frankly, I for one am enjoying this."
"You do?" he asked, showing little of his surprise. "How come?"
"I doubt that someone like you would understand. But even I, every now and then, don't mind some time off. Especially if it is part of a job. Besides-" She moved closer, now standing right behind him. "If waiting I must, then waiting I shall."
He turned around, trying to look her in the eyes, at least as much as her helmet allowed him to, but the look they exchanged wasn't for long, as suddenly she began to walk away.
Looking in her direction and continuing to do so even after she was gone, he was now standing there, all alone. "I just hope the wait will be worth it."
XXX
Where there is light, there also is shadow. For every great hero, there is his nemesis. For every great kingdom, there are its enemies. For every great world, there are its dark sides. And for what some refer to as heaven, there was this place.
The clouds would never vanish, covering the land in darkness, by day and night, probably forever. Still, it was bright. Bright, because of the fire. The flames covering the ground. The rivers and seas of magma, ripping apart the rocks and earth, the very same rocks and earth the vicious creatures who called this place home walked on. There was no green. The world was reduced to shades of red, black and brown, the only plants were a few brave trees, who were still standing but have long been dead, as well as Piranha Plants, devouring those beings they should think of as allies. Nobody was save here. Nobody, but the ruler of this realm that was so very reminiscent of the darkest fantasies and scariest nightmares of ordinary people. He was residing in the middle of it all. A monument of stone. A fortress of evil, that didn't even try to lock out the horror beyond its walls, but welcomed it, for even within there were rivers of molten rock, rings of fire and sentient flames. Few have ever embraced hell like the monster who ruled over it. Who called what others would consider a prison his castle. His home. The beast among all beasts.
Bowser.
"Hahaha!" a loud voice laughed, and though it wasn't Bowser himself, it was one who should be referred to as a beast as well. King K. Rool. "Just as I told you. They were outnumbered. They had no chance!"
He immediately fell silent, as he heard Bowser taking a deep breath. Even before he actually uttered a word, his deep mighty voice commanded those around him to show some respect. "But that is of no importance." Bowser said as he slowly moved his head away from Rool, to look at one of his other guests, namely Ganondorf. "Isn't it?"
"That is correct. The princess escaped, along with the hero of time. Still, that was to be expected and has been considered within all our plans. It would have been foolish and naive to expect that we would succeed in everything we try. But give it time, let the plans unfold. In the end we will be victorious. No matter what."
"Good. Then we shall continue as planned."
"What about the situation in space?" Ganondorf asked. "Can we handle that?"
"Don't worry. Unlike you, my people have managed to cross the stars. They are already preparing for an attack, although their role may end up being more supportive. Andross wished to take things into his own hands. Generous as I am, I granted that sole wish. In the end, the combination of his and my resources should be more than enough to wipe them out. Especially because the biggest threats are all sitting together, waiting to be taken care of. It'll be easy."
And with that realization, the monster couldn't help but laugh.
XXX
Mushroom Kingdom. A sight to behold. In more than one way. It was a gigantic realm, even exceeding the scale of Hyrule. But it wasn't just its size that impressed visitors and citizens alike. It was also its beauty. Its deserts were drier, its oceans were bluer, the snow in its mountains was colder and most important of all – there was no place in the world, where the grass was greener than in Mushroom Kingdom.
Unfortunately, there was no time for Link and Zelda to enjoy the landscapes. The way from the borders of the kingdom to its capital city, Toad Town, was a long one, so Link had Epona run as fast as she could. When they finally arrived, days had passed since the initial attack of Castle Town.
"YOUR MAJESTY!" shouted a Toad – in fact, not a, but the Toad – as he rushed into the throne room. Getting slower with every step and finally reaching a complete halt while gasping for air he looked at the princess in front of him. Princess Peach looked at her good friend and loyal servant with obvious confusion and even concern. "It's Princess Zelda! She's here and needs to see you."
Peach nodded. "Please, bring her here. Do not have her wait."
As Toad left the princess began to ponder. What could have brought her dear friend to the Mushroom Kingdom and seem such urgent a matter? Zelda was not one to just drop by, unannounced and unexpected. That was more in line with Daisy's behavior. Her thoughts were interrupted by the noise the doors of the throne room opening once more, allowing four figures to enter. Again there was Toad, leading the guests to the throne room. There was Toadsworth, talking to the guests and so obviously tempted to begin telling stories about Peach. There was Link, once more remaining silent, allowing the princess to do the talking. And of course, there was Zelda, smiling at Toadsworth. But as she turned her head to face Peach, the smile vanished and as he realized that she no longer paid attention, Toadsworth fell silent. She made a step forward, but upon realizing that Link did so along with her, she raised her hand, indicating that she wanted him to stay put. Peach did the same addressing her own servants who acted not unlike Link. Now it was only Zelda that slowly walked towards Peach, the others remaining at the door. Despite the situation she was in, Zelda moved with a grace worthy of a princess. As she got closer, Peach rose from her throne, smiling at her guest. "I am glad to see you, Zelda. It has been a while since last we met."
"The more reason for me to apologize, for circumstances like the one I am finding myself in at the moment had to occur for us to meet again."
"Circumstances?" Peach asked.
"My dear friend, I come to you in a time of need." Her gaze left Peach alone, wandering over the floor. Part of her wasn't willing to believe what she was about to say. It was not the fact in itself that scared her. It was the feeling of acceptance, for acceptance is nothing but a more noble term for surrender. And right now she had to accept the truth and surrender in a battle that had been lost days ago. "I come for your aid, for Hyrule has been attacked. Only barely was I able to escape. By now, Castle Town must already be under the control of the enemy. And I fear that they will not be satisfied with just my castle, for I believe that is my life they are after."
Shocked by this news, all Peach could do in this moment was gasp and hide her slightly opened mouth behind her delicate hand. It was urgent indeed.
XXX
Sometimes, when there is nothing to do and you are stuck in the middle of space, a nap in the middle of what should be the day – it was hard to tell in space – seemed like quite a good idea, even to Fox.
It was the alarm that woke him up. He almost jumped out of his bed, breathing heavily because of the loud noise that suddenly woke him up. It took a few moments for him to calm down. Once though he realized what was going on he immediately grabbed his jacket – the only piece of clothing he wasn't already wearing, put it on and ran out of the room.
In the hallway there was chaos. People were running around, most of which he never saw around here before. The few he did know, mostly those that worked here, remained fairly calm and he used the chance to ask one of them what was going on.
"We're under attack."
"I kinda figured that out already. By whom?"
"We're not really sure, but they appear to be under the command of a giant head. It probably is HIM. We're evacuating the station, anyone who has got a ship and is able to fight is already on the way outside."
The situation didn't leave Fox with too many options. And if it was Andross they were up against he simply belonged out there, fighting, along with all the rest. In fact, no matter who it was, he had to be out there. After all, it was his job.