Captain Falcon: Welcome back to Swordplay!
Samus: We're close to setting up a new story arc here; you'll see what it is soon!
Captain Falcon: It has also come to our attention the author may start doing "time skips".
Samus: Meaning she won't do every single day of life at the Battle Royale Suites, because that would take too long.
Captain Falcon: Come to think of it, this chapter is also like that, because we skipped the weekend.
Samus: Oh, yeah. Anyway, here's our guest for the disclaimer today!
Roy: Cool! I'm on TV!
Captain Falcon: Not technically. Just read your lines.
Roy: Fine, fine. bijoukaiba doesn't own Nintendo, SSBM, or any related franchises and characters.
Samus: That'll do it for the opening! See you next time!
--
Chapter 13: Her Choice
The weekend break was finally over, and leftovers had been completely eaten after three days. Bowser, Donkey Kong, Yoshi, Kirby, and Roy had been major help by eating a lot of the food for meals other than dinner- Roy and Kirby had eaten turkey sandwiches for lunch, and Bowser, Donkey Kong, and Yoshi would take an extra scoop of stuffing or green bean casserole with their meals.
Over the five day break, the temperature began to drop outside. The fighters were given a new supply of clothes to add to their wardrobes- long pants, jackets, scarves, mittens, hats, and flannel pajamas.
One event of major importance was a fight nearly broke out again between- who else?- Roy and Fox. They were fighting over- who else?- Zelda. As she spotted them bickering, she just left the room calmly. A few seconds later she heard shouting, and glancing behind her she could see Captain Falcon and Falco restraining Fox, and Link and Marth restraining Roy. She was starting to regret ever befriending either of them. She wanted the fighting to end that badly.
At last the weekend came to a close, and before they realized it, Monday morning was upon everyone. The fighters groaned when they were awakened by their usual alarms; already they missed sleeping until noon.
Tap-tap! Someone was knocking at Captain Falcon's door.
"Come on, just five more minutes!"
"Samus is with us!"
About five seconds later, a fully dressed Captain Falcon opened the door. No Samus, but Link and Marth were standing outside. Both of them were grinning as if they were ten years younger.
"Very funny." the bounty hunter remarked. "What's up?"
"Look out the window!" Marth said with glee.
"What...?"
"You heard him, look out the window!" Link exclaimed. Captain Falcon stepped back into his room. Without being invited, Link and Marth followed him in.
Captain Falcon didn't technically have to look out of his window; he had just noticed frost on it for the first time that morning. Taking a proper glance outside, he could see that much of the grass and even parts of the tan sand was covered by a cold blanket of white fluff.
"So, you've-a noticed the snow too?" asked a voice. The newest member of the Battle Royale Suites, Luigi, was standing in the doorway. He was dressed in his typical long-sleeved green shirt and denim overalls, only he now had a green scarf wrapped around his neck as well. "You might-a want to wrap up a little-a more, if you know-a what I mean. I've-a heard some of the others saying it's-a supposed to be about seventeen degrees-a outside."
"What are degrees?" Link asked Captain Falcon.
"They refer to temperature. The smaller the number, the colder it is outside. Therefore, it's pretty cold out."
"You learn something new everyday," Marth commented. "I'm going to run back to my room and grab a scarf. Then let's go down to get breakfast!"
"Be sure to grab-a something hot... like-a hot chocolate!" Luigi suggested, walking off. Captain Falcon and Link followed him.
As Marth was in his room wrapping a blue scarf around his neck, he could hear Roy arguing with someone in the hallway- this time, it was Zelda.
"I mean, come on! If he could just see he doesn't have a chance-"
"Roy, I'm NOT going to hear it. It's not your fault. It's not Fox's fault. You're both responsible for the fight. I'm not going to pick either side."
The prince peeked out of his room briefly to tap Zelda on the shoulder and pull her into his room.
"Zelda? Where'd you go?" Roy asked, glancing around the hall.
Marth placed a finger to his lips, indicating for the princess to be quiet. She nodded.
"Everything all right, Zelda?" he whispered. She shook her head in reply.
"They're both still going at it. Fox and Roy, I mean." she whispered. "I don't know how much longer I can keep telling myself I can't pick one of them."
"Don't worry, Princess, if they truly care about you- did you say yourself?"Marth asked in a soft voice. Zelda nodded.
"I'm afraid the only way to make them stop arguing is to just pick one and get it over with. Then there's the matter of the other person, who'd be heartbroken. Plus, the person I choose would just rub it in their face..."
"Then you have to say it as fair as possible to both of them. Perhaps, to deal with the heartbreak, you could warn your choice that you'll date the other if they insult the person that didn't get picked."
Zelda perked up. "I was the one gifted with Wisdom... yet I never thought of it that way!" She gave Marth's hands a friendly squeeze. "Thanks! The only question that remains is how to choose..."
"That's the part I'm not sure about either," Marth sighed. "Maybe you ought to seek the advice of another woman... how about Samus?"
Zelda pondered this for a moment, then smiled at the prince.
"I'll speak with her at breakfast."
--
Ruby had taken the cold weather into account, and prepared a warm breakfast. Hot oatmeal was being served, with a sprinkle of cinnamon in the center to give the color some pizazz. It also created a sweet perk in the mouth upon consumption. Piping hot bacon and sausage were also available on the side, and hot chocolate, coffee, and tea were available to drink.
Samus stirred some creamer into her coffee and blew on it before taking a small sip. She glanced up from her mug to see Zelda with a tray of food standing over her.
"Good morning, Princess," Samus addressed her. "How are you?"
"I need your help with something."
"Like what?" the bounty huntress asked. Zelda began to unravel her story. She didn't go into much detail on the quarrels between Roy and Fox (because everyone knew why they were fighting), but she did tell Samus about Marth's suggestion to pick just one of them and get it over with.
"The only question is..." Zelda pondered. "... which one is right for me?"
"I admire your bravery to stand up and pick one... but as you stated before, choosing will be the hard part," Samus said, "On the one side, Roy is... how do I put this... he- 'resembles' you more, so it wouldn't look so odd. On the other hand, you've known Fox longer, so you know him a bit better."
"Two sides of a coin..." Zelda sighed. Then her face lit up. "So, I just have to take a chance and flip it! I just have to determine what I'm looking for in a lover-"
Samus blushed. "It would sound a bit better to call him your 'boyfriend', Zelda. 'Lover' has taken on a different connotation in the present."
"Oh goodness, I hadn't considered that. Thank you. I have to decide what I'm looking for in a boyfriend, and figure out some way to compare the traits of those two in those categories, and see which one I think fits better."
"Exactly. I think you should just go on a surprise date with them both. You know, go out to dinner and find something fun to do together. One on one night, one on the other. Figure out what you want, and then... decide." Samus commented.
"That sounds like a good idea," Zelda agreed. "Oh, but... what if something goes wrong? I'll need someone to keep an eye on things."
"I could keep watch for you," Samus suggested, taking a few sips of coffee.
"Would you really?" Zelda asked, beaming. "Then there's the question of just having one person watch. Roy or Fox would get suspicious. Maybe you should get a partner to look like you're on a date as well. What if-"
"No way." Samus interrupted. "I know that we're friends now, but there is NO way I'm going on a date with Captain Falcon!"
"But Samus, he's the only one that would look convincing! It would look so weird if you just showed up with Luigi, or Ness, or Crazy... besides, the Captain is understanding. He'll understand that it isn't a serious date, it's just to help a friend."
Samus mused this over for a moment. "I guess you have a point. I'll speak with him about it later. But you have to pick a different couple for your other date!"
Zelda didn't need to think much about the second one. "Mario and Peach?"
"Yes, that would be a great idea." Samus nodded in approval. She drank some more coffee and set it back down.
"And just on a hypothetical note..." Zelda added. "I know you've said you're a bounty huntress and you won't ever fall in love, but... if you weren't a bounty huntress... and you were in my place... who would you choose?"
Samus took a deep sip of coffee as though it would help her think. "... Like I mentioned before, I think I would have chosen Roy because it wouldn't look as odd to be going out with him."
"That's what Peach told me last week. Thanks for your input, Samus."
--
The first match of the day was between Marth and the princess of Hyrule.
"May this be an excellent fight!" Zelda complimented, extending her hand to shake with Marth.
"No, I can already tell it will be an excellent fight." Marth replied with a chuckle. Zelda smiled.
They both appeared on the road in Mute City as rock music filled the air. Marth started the match by dashing forward and swiping his blade at Zelda to deliver the first attack in the game. Zelda quickly retaliated by dropping her foot below her to kick Marth in the neck.
"Good hit!" Roy shouted.
"Way to go, princess!" Fox cheered. He glared at Roy from across the room, and was met with the same icy stare. They kept their eyes locked on each other, ignoring what was happening in the match. It wasn't until about two minutes later that a shriek from Zelda indicated the match was over, and the sight of Marth returning his blade to his side after apparently swinging it down upon her as the platform was floating in the sky. The prince's damage was at 65; the princess's damage was at 98.
"GAME!" Master declared. "This game's winner is... MARTH!"
The prince tucked Falchion neatly into its sheath before turning to smile at his audience.
"Konkai wa boku no kecha da, ne?"
Marth and Zelda emerged from the elevator, both apparently pleased with their performances in the match, although Zelda could be seen clutching her hand tenderly.
"No, I'll be all right, really." she told the prince. Roy had overheard this and ran to Zelda's side.
"He hurt your hand?" he glared at Marth. "How dare you!"
"What?" Marth gasped in surprise. "No, she- ACK!"
Roy had gripped onto his tunic and tugged the prince towards him. "That's the only reason why you won, isn't it! You hurt her hand so she couldn't use her magic against you!"
"Roy!" Zelda gasped.
"Let go of him!" Captain Falcon shouted.
"Oh, yes. That's exactly what happened." Marth replied, rolling his eyes.
Roy narrowed his eyes and slapped Marth across the face, knocking him on the ground. Link stiffened, clenching his fists.
The prince's eyes were watering from the sting. "Hey! I was only being sarcastic!"
Roy jumped on him, causing everyone to gasp. Marth crossed his arms across his face to avoid taking a hit there, but Roy punched him in the stomach. Marth cried out, sending Link running over. Before the fiery swordsman could hit him again, Link had thrown Roy off of him.
"Don't touch him!" Link yelled, stepping between the redheaded swordsman and the prince, spreading his arms as if to give Marth extra protection.
"You care more about him than your own princess?!" Roy asked. "After he hurt her?"
"ROY!!" Zelda shouted, finally getting his attention. Everyone was staring at the normally quiet princess. "I got my hand caught in the elevator door! That's why I was holding it! Marth would never hurt anyone!"
Roy's face fell after realization. He had just been fighting someone outside of regulations. Plus, he had actually hurt an innocent person, which made it even worse. He was going to get in serious trouble for this.
He turned to the other two swordsmen.
"Marth... I'm really sorry... I overreacted and I just..."
Marth shook his head, refusing to look at the red-head swordsman. "Just wait to hear the whole story next time, okay?"
"... Okay." Roy replied. The Hylian, however, glared icily at him.
A thought suddenly struck Captain Falcon.
"Wait! Why didn't Master and Crazy try to stop the fight?" he asked.
Everyone glanced around the room, but they weren't there.
Captain Falcon crossed his arms. There's something really odd about those two...
Link sat near Marth, placing two comforting hands on his shoulders.
"Are you okay? Can you stand up?"
Marth bent over to stand up, then winced, leaning back.
"My stomach feels fine, except when I bend over."
"All right," Link commented, taking a seat next to him. "I'll wait with you until you feel better."
"But that would be so... weird!" Marth replied, hands clasped over his stomach. "You don't have to, Link..."
The Hylian shrugged it off, making Marth smile slightly.
"Then I'll get the doctor for you," Captain Falcon stated, walking out into the cold.
"Thank you!" Marth called after him.
Everyone else left the room after a while.
"You'd think at least some of them would be polite enough to show some concern," Marth shook his head in distaste, although he was clearly joking. He glanced over at Link with a small smile on his face, but it disappeared when he noticed the Hylian had his arms folded over his chest, a small frown across his face as he stared at the ground in thought.
"Link?" Marth asked, gently shaking his shoulder. "Link, what's-"
At that moment, Doctor Mario and Captain Falcon entered the room.
"So, someone took a nasty-a punch to the-a stomach, I heard?" asked the Mario duplicate, kneeling in front of Marth. "Here, lift-a your tunic for-a me so I can-a take a look..."
Captain Falcon faced the other way to give the doctor and his patient some privacy, although his thoughts were focused on the prince.
Why is it that whenever something goes wrong for Marth during or after a fight, it's somehow linked to Master and Crazy?
Link had also shifted himself to face away from Marth and the doctor. However, his thoughts were also on the prince, but on a completely different subject.
Had he really grown so attached to Marth that he cared more about him than even Zelda?
--
At the Fountain of Dreams, Mario defeated Roy after a heated battle- literally, as fireballs and flaming swords were the weapons of choice; in fact, Roy's fate had been sealed when Mario tossed a Poke'ball containing an Entei that engulfed Roy in a column of fire.
Roy stepped out of the elevator, avoiding eye contact with Marth, Zelda, Link, Fox, or Captain Falcon. Zelda had mixed feelings about this; sure, she still felt mad at him after attacking Marth... but she also felt sad to see the normally spunky swordsman to become so withdrawn.
As for the match at Big Blue, Fox came out victorious after knocking Yoshi onto the road in between the White Cat and Hyper Speeder. Although the camera followed the racers and fighters at a fast speed, Yoshi (on the road) had gone off screen so fast he was considered out of the arena, giving Fox the win.
Lunch finally rolled around, with corn dogs given out. It was nice to have a change from the leftovers. Zelda, however, stared at her meal awkwardly.
"It's-a all right, sweetheart-a," Mario reassured, a small chuckle escaping his mouth. "It's-a not made from a real-a dog."
"Then what's in it?" Zelda asked.
"Beef-a, maybe a little-a bit of pork or-a chicken... all-a wrapped in corn-a bread."
Peach walked over and sat down next to Mario.
I guess I could ask them now... Zelda thought to herself.
"Excuse me, I wanted to ask you two something..." Zelda started.
Mario and Peach glanced at each other.
"Sure, what's up?" Peach asked.
"Well, you know how Roy and Fox are always fighting over me... Samus has suggested I try going on a date with each of them, one on one night, the other the next. However, I'd feel better if somebody was there watching to make sure nothing's been sabotaged. Samus suggested that I get one person to watch, but I decided it wouldn't look as suspicious if there was a second couple 'dating'. Samus already convinced Captain Falcon to go as her 'date' (she made quotation marks with her fingers), but now I need a second couple for the other night. So, I was wondering... would you be interested?"
Mario and Peach exchanged a hesitated look. Mario rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, and Peach sighed.
"The truth is... we prefer dating when we can focus on each other, not spying on another couple."
"We also-a prefer our dates-a to be private."
"Yes." Peach sighed. "I'm sorry, Zelda, maybe there's someone else who could do it for you..."
"Do what?" Link asked, sitting by the Princess of Hyrule.
"She needs a couple to pretend they're on a date, so they can actually watch what happens while Zelda's on hers." Peach explained.
Zelda related the entire story again, while Mario and Peach started eating (I think everyone's tired of hearing this story).
"All right. I see." Link nodded. "I'll go."
"You will?" Zelda asked excitedly, clasping her hands together. Her eyes were sparkling. "You need to invite someone, of course..."
"I know who'd look perfectly convincing with me... but I don't want to ask now. Lunch is always sort of busy for them..."
Zelda nodded. "Don't worry, I understand. Meet with me tonight when you-know-who-" she paused to wink at Link. "accepts. And bring them with you!"
At that moment, Master stepped onto the karaoke stage. "Surprised? Yes, I realize I don't typically make lunch announcements... but I was thinking... when you get a 'day off' around here without fighting... does anyone really enjoy it?"
"No..." Link replied. "Why do you ask?"
"I've been thinking about ending these 'day off' things as long as we have an even number of fighters. If there's an odd man- or woman, or Poke'mon, or whatever- we will have to make someone sit out. But other than that, if we're even, we're fighting! I think it's boring to just sit around all day, so I thought I'd ask if Ness, Jiggly, Samus, and DK would like to fight today."
"Sure."
"Yeah!"
"Jigglypuff..." (I guess so...)
"... Okay." Ness's reply came at last.
Master nodded. "Very well, the matches will now be set 30 minutes apart; so the previous "final match" between Falcon and Pikachu will now be held at 3:30 instead; Samus will fight... Ne- no, she's fought him before... Jigglypuff at 4:00 at Jungle Japes; Ness, you'll be fighting Donkey Kong at 4:30, and your arena will be Icicle Mountain."
--
And so, the matches came and went, as Zelda anticipated the evening to speak with her partners as well as the rivals seeking her affection.
First came the match between Dr. Mario and Falco. Both the pilot and the doctor put up a good fight, but in the end, Falco came out on top, earning his first victory.
At Termina, Link had gradually built up Kirby's damage with his boomerang and barrages of rapid sword strikes flying in every direction, before finally knocking him skyward with three slashes above his head.
Peach, however, proved to be too much for Mario's younger brother, and he was defeated by the princess. Marth, Link, and Captain Falcon still congratulated him for putting up an excellent fight in his first match.
Everyone was rooting for the Ice Climbers as they fought against Bowser. Well, everyone except two certain swordsmen. Marth had gone to the medical ward to get his bruises examined by Doctor Mario. Link had secretly followed him there.
"Thank you, Doctor." Marth commented as he stepped out the door, literally walking right into Link.
"Oh, goodness!" the prince gasped. "I didn't see you!"
"It's okay, did you hurt your stomach?"
"I'm fine, Link, but thank you."
Silence passed between them.
"Did... you want to see me for something?" Marth asked in uncertainty, tilting his head slightly.
"Um, no... I mean, YES! Yes, I did want to see you!" Link blurted out. Marth inhaled sharply in surprise.
"Okay... what did you want to see me about?"
"Well... it's like this..." Once again, he explained the whole ordeal. "... so her idea is to get two dates to go with her when she goes out with Fox and Roy. One on one night, one on the other. She's already got Falcon and Samus going on one night..." Link's voice trailed off as his face became bright red. "But she doesn't have another pair on the other night. So... I was... wondering..."
Marth nodded, apprehensively.
"... if you'd like... to go with... me."
"Okay."
"I'm sorry, I should've just asked Malon or-"
"I said it's okay."
"... You'll go out with me?"
Marth smiled and nodded. Link affectionally patted him on the shoulders. "Great! All right, I'll need you to meet with us in the corner opposite the karaoke bar at seven, can you be there?"
"Yes, of course."
"Okay, I'll see you there. Thank you."
"You're welcome."
A brief pause of silence passed.
"Shall we head back to watch the matches?"
"Yes, let's."
--
Link and Marth returned to find Bowser gloating about his victory over the Ice Climbers.
Thirty minutes passed, then the match between Captain Falcon and Pikachu arrived. Pikachu came out successful after hitting Captain Falcon with several Thunder attacks and then a backflip-kick, despite taking a Falcon Punch, a Falcon Kick, and several punches.
As for the two bonus matches, Samus came out victorious. After all, a Charge Shot beats a lullaby anyday. Much to Ness's dismay, he was defeated by Donkey Kong after being thrown off the top of the mountain, high enough to go off-camera and therefore out-of-bounds.
Ness frowned throughout dinner that night, with Popo, Nana, and Peach sitting with him for comfort.
"Don't worry... I know you'll win soon!" Nana reassured, patting his shoulder. Master, meanwhile, brought up the matches for Tuesday.
Mushroom Kingdom: 10:00 a.m.
Donkey Kong vs. Link
Termina: 10:45 a.m.
Luigi vs. Bowser
Green Greens: 11:30 a.m.
Roy vs. Jigglypuff
Onett: 1:30 p.m.
Samus vs. Yoshi
Rainbow Cruise: 2:00 p.m.
Marth vs. Peach
Kongo Jungle: 2:30 p.m.
Captain Falcon vs. Ice Climbers
Poke'mon Stadium: 3:00 p.m.
Zelda vs. Falco
Hyrule Temple: 3:30 p.m.
Mario vs. Fox
Venom: 4:00 p.m.
Kirby vs. Dr. Mario
Yoshi's Story: 4:30 p.m.
Pikachu vs. Ness
"My goodness, you know what I just realized?" Crazy asked his brother.
"What?"
"You've been forgetting to show the records."
"Whoa, you're right! Here, let's do that now!"
Donkey Kong: 8-0
Falco: 1-0
Link: 4-1
Marth: 4-1 (the two swordsmen exchanged a high-five)
Roy: 2-1
Bowser: 5-3
Peach: 5-3
Pikachu: 3-2
Mario: 3-2
Captain Falcon: 4-3
Samus: 4-3
Zelda: 4-4
Dr. Mario: 1-1
Fox: 2-3
Jigglypuff: 2-3
Ice Climbers: 2-5
Yoshi: 2-5
Kirby: 1-4
Luigi: 0-1
Ness: 0-5
Ness groaned, burying his face in his hands.
"It's okay, Popo and I aren't doing so hot either," Nana told him.
"Well, you guys have WON matches at least. I haven't beaten anybody yet!"
The cafeteria cleared out, leaving Zelda, Marth, Link, Captain Falcon, and Samus in the room. Captain Falcon brought everyone a mug of hot chocolate as their meeting came to order.
"Okay, I plan to meet with Fox and Roy after this," Zelda explained. "I need one couple for my date with Fox, and the other for my date with Roy. I flipped a coin, so Roy will go first." She paused to take a sip of hot chocolate. "Wow, this stuff is amazing. Link, where's your date?"
The Hero of Time grinned and gestured at the prince sitting beside him. "I chose Marth." The prince waved his hand merrily.
Zelda coughed slightly, both from the heat of the beverage and in response to Link's surprising answer. Even Captain Falcon and Samus exchanged an awkward glance.
"I thought you were going to bring Malon!"
"Nah, I thought Marth would be a better pick because we've bonded so well over the past few weeks!"
"Link..." Captain Falcon sighed. "I really don't want to tell you this, but a date is usually intended for a man and a woman."
"It's true," Zelda admitted.
Marth and Link exchanged a sad glance.
"But Marth..." Link started, then shook his head. "Come on, Zelda..."
Much to his surprise, Samus spoke up in defense for him. "You know, Zelda, you said this date isn't technically a serious thing; it just has to look convincing. Link has a point, the only person that would look convincing alongside him would be Marth, much like... Falcon and myself. You even said so."
Zelda was silent for a moment, then nodded slowly in agreement.
"Thank you," Link said to the women, although his gaze indicated it was mainly for the bounty huntress. She smiled and winked at him across the table, lifting her drink to her lips.
"So now we decide who gets what night..."
"How about Link and I watch Roy for you?" Marth volunteered. "I don't know, I think it'd be more appropriate because we're also swordsmen...?"
Falcon turned to Samus. "We can handle watching Fox's night, right?"
"Mm-hmm. I'm fine with that."
Zelda smiled. "Great! Now, I must remind you that you're acting like you're also on a date. Dress nicely, and act like you're having a good time with each other."
"We don't need to act," Marth commented to Link. The Hylian grinned in reply.
"Of course, don't get so wrapped up in each other that you don't pay attention to the actual date. Be sure to keep a pretty good watch on my date and I." Zelda cautioned them.
Everyone nodded.
"Other than that, I've got nothing else to say," Zelda finished. She raised her mug. "Here's to ending the fight."
The others raised their cups of cocoa and clinked them together with Zelda.
"Amen to that!"
"Oh yeah!"
"I hear ya!"
"Cheers!"
Everyone downed their cocoa, then flinched as their throats stung from the after-burn.
"Okay then," Zelda rasped, clutching a hand to her neck. "I'm going to find Fox and Roy. I'll need to find two random fighters that can hold them back, though. Anyone willing to help me look?"
"Of course, Princess," Captain Falcon confirmed with a nod. "Any reason why?"
Her face fell slightly and her tone grew a bit more serious. "First, because having two of you show up there and then on the date might be suspicious. Second, because I have to have a meeting with both Roy and Fox, and it'd probably make more sense if I speak with them at the same time."
--
Luigi and Donkey Kong ended up as the 'lucky' candidates, and they sat in the middle two chairs in a row of four; Fox sat on the far left chair and Roy in the far right seat.
Zelda stepped in front of them calmly, trying to remember restraint in front of the two boys who annoyed her outright yet still had affection for.
"Gentlemen," the princess addressed them. Although I use that term lightly...
Roy grinned, directing his attention to the princess. Fox also smiled to see her.
"As you know, I've mentioned several times I'm sick of you two fighting... and that I'm not going to choose either of you..."
"Yeah, cause he's a freaking dog!"
"I'm a FOX! And at least I'm not rude and overbearing!"
"Stop it, please." Zelda stated. "Anyway, I've decided to change my mind."
Fox and Roy suddenly gave her their full attention.
"This was really the last way I wanted to do this... but I've decided to go on a date with both of you."
"Not at the same time, right?" Fox asked, glancing at Roy.
"Right," Zelda replied. "I'll go on separate dates with both of you, and then I'll decide. Like I said before, I didn't want it to come to this... but if it'll make you stop fighting, I guess I have to choose fairly. I just want to set some rules, first."
She pulled over an easel leaning against the corner. She then lifted a piece of posterboard that had also been sitting in the corner onto the easel. Seven rules were written out in English. Although she had been raised to write in Hylian scripts since she was a little girl, the similar forms of the characters in English made it easier for her to write and read; there were no flipped letters or numbers, nor were there mistakes in spelling or grammar.
Zelda read off the rules, pointing to each one as she went.
"Number one: I will go on a date with each of you on one night only; one on one night, the other on the next. Number two: I'd like the date to include dinner and some form of activity."
Roy raised his hand. "What do you want for dinner?"
"That's for you to decide, just like the activities." She smiled briefly. "Surprise me. That leads me to number three: just be yourself. I don't want anyone going Cassanova on me."
Zelda took on a more serious attitude, focusing her attention at Fox, then at Roy. "Rule four, and take good note of it: any attempt to sabotage the other's date will result in immediate disqualification."
The two males gulped.
"Number five: I will announce the results the day after the second date. Number six: If the one I choose gloats about getting chosen at any time, especially to the... 'not-chosen'... (she had hesitated to find a good word for it) then I will date them instead. And number seven: don't be a sore loser." the princess took a deep breath after laying down the law. Luigi and Donkey Kong softly applauded her.
"Questions?" she asked.
Roy and Fox shook their heads.
"Very well; the only fair way I could think of to choose who goes first was with a coin flip. So, I'll see Roy tomorrow, and Fox after that."
--
The next day, omelets were given out for breakfast, as well as the standard hot beverages. Several people had spicy toppings, such as jalapenos, added to their omelets. Bundled up once more, everyone trekked outside for the perilous one-minute hike to the battle building.
For the first match, Donkey Kong's undefeated streak continued after getting Link with a Bomb-Omb and tossing him out of bounds.
After that, Bowser defeated Mario's younger brother, although he hadn't technically defeated him on his own; Luigi had fallen onto the turtle as it was sinking in Termina and the water pressure kept him from successfully returning to land.
Roy promised Zelda a win as an "early date present". She smiled (although a bit awkwardly) and wished him luck. He defeated Jigglypuff with a fully-charged, one-hit KO strike from his Flare Blade.
Warm, hearty chowders were distributed for lunch, many opting for the famous clam chowder. Others with unique tastes or just wanting to try something new sampled the corn chowder and also found it appetizing.
Yoshi came out victorious over Samus by using an egg-cellent strategy. He waited for the whistle that alerted when cars were coming, then trapped Samus in an egg on the road. She was slammed three times, by a taxi, a black van, and then by a common pink car. He finished her off by using a powerful headbutt to knock her over the roof of the house on the right side of the arena.
Peach defeated the prince after he was a little too late to keep up with the oddly travelling camera, therefore making him out of bounds. If it had been a question of damage percentage, Marth would have won by a landslide, having only taken 55 damage when he was ruled out, whereas Peach was at 115.
The Ice Climbers defeated Captain Falcon after knocking him against a Klap Trap coming over the falls. He had gone slightly easy on them at first, then progressed his offense to keep them interested in the fight; he also wanted to help them boost their record.
Falco defeated Hyrule's princess thanks to some help from a Lugia he had summoned. The mighty hurricane strikes it unleashed whipped Zelda's body around, raising her damage by a mountainous level of 178 before she was sent flying off in the background, screaming.
Fox defeated Mario with the use of a fully charged Super Scope, a Freezie, and an Electrode. He also threw a Mr. Saturn at the unfrozen plumber to stun him for a second to make sure he was in the explosion range and for humorous effect.
The doctor didn't need to do much to defeat Kirby; the Arwings did a lot of the work for him. He just delivered the final blow.
Ness fought as hard as he could, but a powerful shock from Pikachu knocked him off the arena. He made a good effort to return, but he misfired PK Thunder at an odd angle, sending him in a more vertical direction when he needed horizontal distance.
Ness groaned as he exitted the elevator. The prince walked over to him and knelt to the boy's level.
"Don't give up," Marth calmly reminded him. "You'll win someday."
"Someday?!" Ness snapped. "I want to win A-S-A-P!"
"I don't know what that means, but I'm sure you might win soon too."
Soon... HIS DATE WAS SOON!! HIS DATE WAS IN THREE HOURS!!
"Oh my gosh!" Marth gasped, standing up. "I have to get ready!"
"Ready for what?" Ness asked. Too late. The prince had run off, out of hearing range.
--
Dinner came at six for the other fighters and matches were announced; however, only four people were absent from the tables.
Seven o'clock finally ticked on over, with the cafeteria cleared out. Meanwhile, a certain Hylian found himself knocking at the door of a certain prince. At last, the door opened... and both swordsmen took in each other's appearance, breathless.
Marth had dressed in a pale blue tunic, with a goldenrod lining that ran down the front of it, trimmed the sleeves, and created the neck line for the tunic. His hair was the same beautiful shade of blue, only it had an extra shine to it now. Link could faintly detect the aroma of blueberries, likely a new shampoo Marth had used prior to the date. The prince had on dark blue pants and blue boots with a golden buckle; they were clearly for dressy occasions rather than fighting. The sheath he normally kept on his navy blue belt was gone; he also had removed the dark blue gloves he normally used for fighting. Link was surprised at how slender and feminine Marth's hands appeared without a warrior's gloves on. Marth wore no cape; however, his cherished tiara of gold remained in his soft hair, the red gemstone appearing quite polished.
Link had sought out some advice to dress nicely for this occasion; he wore a dressier shirt of green with a black tie draped around his neck and neatly knotted slightly below his collar line. He had worn black pants and a black belt, with black shoes borrowed from Captain Falcon. There was no hat tonight! He had combed his blonde hair back neatly, except for the parted blonde bangs that rested above his eyebrows, and pulled it into a short ponytail that slightly tickled the back of his neck. Like Marth, he had also abandoned his gloves and weapons. His aroma mixed nicely with Marth's; the prince smelled like blueberries, the Hylian smelled like cinnamon.
"Hi, Link,"
"Hi, Marth..."
They remained silent for a moment.
"You look nice," Marth said, smiling. He spread his arms out a little bit. "How do I look?"
There was only one word in Link's mind, and that was beautiful. It was really the only way to describe Marth's feminine good looks... but saying that to a fellow male? It just wouldn't sound right. "Uh... you look... really good!"
"Thanks," Marth replied, though he had noted Link's stumble in words. "Are you hungry?"
"Yeah,"
"Me too. I could really go for some dinner,"
"Shall we?" Link asked, offering his arm to escort the prince. Marth smiled and linked arms with the Hero.
"Yes," he replied.
They walked down the flights of stairs to the cafeteria. They had perfect timing; Roy and Zelda had come walking over at the same time, and the swordsmen quickly unlinked arms just in case the other pair got the 'wrong idea'.
"Hey, you guys are going out too?" Roy asked. He was clad in a yellow tunic with intricate goldenrod patterns along the front. He wore sand colored pants and had white boots on. No cape, no gloves, no sheath, but he still wore a yellow headband on his forehead and his cherry-colored hair was still as wild as a fire.
"Link, Marth! What a pleasant surprise!" Zelda exclaimed. She was dressed in a silky white sleeveless dress with small pearls decorating an intricate white pattern along her torso. She wore white high-heels and had white silk gloves that reached up to her elbows. Her neckline did dip a little low, but it wasn't anything TOO revealing.
"We both missed dinner, and we ran into each other in the hall... so we decided to order something special tonight." Link explained. Marth nodded in agreement.
Both couples stepped into the cafeteria and sat at two different tables. Malon had noticed that Link and Zelda were absent from dinner, and when she spotted the Hylians walking in, each with a swordsmen, she couldn't help but play along.
"Good evening!" Malon greeted them. "Anything I can get for you tonight?"
Zelda glanced over at Roy, her eyes reminding him that he had to order for both of them.
"Could you fix us a Greek salad, perhaps? Big enough for two, please. And don't forget the potato salad!" he ordered with a grin.
Malon nodded and walked off to Marth and Link's table.
"I know that you prefer fruits and vegetables, so... you're welcome." Roy said to the princess with a grin.
Malon smiled pleasantly, stopping at the table of the two swordsmen. "So, what do you guys want tonight?"
"I'll take spaghetti, please," Marth said to Malon.
"And I'm going to have pepperoni pizza," Link added with a grin. "And we'd also like to split a smaller Greek salad."
Malon walked off to give the orders to Ruby, who began to warm up the oven and pull out bowls and plates for cooking.
"So, Princess..." Roy said to Zelda, "We might have to wait a little bit for dinner... would you care for a dance while we wait?"
"All right..." Zelda replied shyly. He gently took her hand in his and led her into the middle of the floor. Roy nodded over at Spike, who turned on some music.
Zelda recognized the tune; it was a familiar Hyrulian lullaby. However, its rhythm had been changed to match the pattern of a waltz and was being played in piano. He led her smoothly across the cleared floor, Marth and Link content to sit and watch. The Hylian male hummed along softly with the melody. Occasionally, Marth or Link's eyes would fall upon the other, then quickly glance away before the other could look back.
"There's still a little time left in the song," Link commented softly. "Marth, would you like to-"
"Food's done!" Malon commented cheerfully. She placed the plates in front of the swordsmen, as well as a basket of breadsticks and their salad. "Diddy actually baked these, with some help from Ruby, so tell us what you think later, okay? Just please don't fence with them; I don't want to be the one sweeping up crumbs."
"No problem!" Marth replied. He then turned to Link. "Sorry about that... you were saying?"
"I was wondering if you'd like to try some pizza before I actually eat it."
"Okay..." Marth replied.
Link lifted the pizza and gently handed it across the table to Marth. He felt Marth's fingers gently brush against his as the prince took the food from him. Marth took a delicate bite from the tip of the pizza, then returned it to Link.
"Mmm... you made a good choice!" Marth commented to Link after swallowing. "Would you like some spaghetti?"
Link nodded. Marth gently twirled some noodles around the prongs of his fork, then held it up across the table. Link leaned forward to take a bite.
"Hmm! It's good!" Link commented.
"Here, I'll get you some salad too," Marth commented, taking Link's plate and placing the Greek salad onto it using the tongs, and even scooping some extra potato salad on as well.
Meanwhile, Roy and Zelda were content to eat their meal in silence.
Why won't he say anything? Zelda wondered. That changed suddenly.
"Hey, do you want me to teach you how to sword-fight?"
Zelda blinked in surprise. "All right."
Roy grabbed a bread stick and handed it to her, then took one into his hand.
"Okay, swing your arm forward, like this." He gestured appropriately, then nodded to Zelda, who repeated his moves.
"Good! Now, use that move to swing my sword- uh, breadstick- away as a counterattack!" Roy swung his breadstick down and Zelda swung hers in an upward arch, snapping them both in half and causing Zelda to fall into a fit of giggles.
"Heeey!" Malon whined. "I said no fencing!"
"Sorry!" Roy called to her. "Um, what else can we do... hey! Let's turn on a movie!!"
He pointed to Alice with great zest. "Girl-whose-name-I-can't-recall!"
Alice gave him a small frown. "My name is Alice,"
"Elice! Let me see the movie selection!"
"Alice!" she repeated, glaring at Roy. Spike grinned.
She's cute when she's mad...
Roy stepped over to the movie collection and browsed through them, finally finding what he judged to be a 'good movie'.
Perfect! Roy thought to himself with glee, holding a copy of a horror movie. She'll be frightened, and I'll be there to hold her hand when she gets scared. She'll see that I can comfort her when she's upset!
"Pop it in, m'lady!" Roy said to Alice, shoving the movie into her hands. She frowned with a sigh, but opened the case and placed the disc into the player.
A projector screen rolled down the back wall of the karaoke bar, where Master made his announcements. Link, remembering his 'future lessons', scanned the ceiling until he spotted the projector itself, a small box with colorful glowing lights coming from the lens.
And so, the movie started. A few minutes in, the music began to turn ominous.
I don't like this... Zelda thought to herself. Suddenly, a horrific image flashed on screen and she squeaked in surprise, clasping a hand to her heart, the other over Roy's.
Haha, jackpot! Roy grinned, although his heart was still racing from the first horror scene.
Link gasped and jumped, but was hauled down by Marth, who shrieked and clutched onto Link's arm.
For another hour and a half, there was more squeaking and gasping throughout the movie, including one particularly gruesome scene that had everyone in the room screaming, with Zelda's arms latched around Roy's neck and Marth's hand clamped over Link's. Malon and Ruby ran from the kitchen's back room into the main cafeteria to see what was making all the commotion, but when they realized it was only a movie, they returned to work.
Of course, once the movie was over, everyone was laughing about it... but there was still a slight sense of uneasiness in the air that comes from all frightening horror movies (In other words, the ones that are actually good).
"Did you see how she fell off the building? I mean, she just went KER-SPLAT!!" Roy laughed. "Like a bag full of soup dropped off a castle!"
Zelda cringed at the gross analogy, but she was forced to laugh. When they finally were content, the sound of a soft yawn escaping Marth caught Zelda's ear, and she glanced up at the clock. It had gotten fairly late.
"I don't know about you," Link commented, "but I'm pretty tired. We've got matches tomorrow, and I'm just-" he paused to yawn, stretching an arm over his head, using his other hand to cover his mouth. "-pardon me, but I'm just flat-out tired."
Marth nodded sleepily in agreement.
"Shall I escort you to your room?" Roy offered to the princess. She nodded in reply. Marth and Link followed them as well.
Link and Marth followed them up to the third floor, before parting ways with the princess and the general.
"Good night, Link. Good night, Marth. Sweet dreams," Zelda said.
"Sleep tight," Roy added.
"Good night," Link and Marth replied, watching them walk up the stairs to the fourth floor.
"Well, I had fun tonight." Link commented, turning to the prince.
"Me too," Marth replied, smiling cheerfully. "although I can't say I agree with Roy's choice in movies."
Link grinned briefly. "Other than that, I think he treated Zelda pretty well. He sure knows what she likes, and did everything to appeal to her interests."
"Maybe," Marth replied, "but I would have expected him to maybe try to get her into something new."
"Well, he did try to teach her how to fence with bread sticks," Link laughed. Marth chuckled softly as well.
They quieted down quickly, remembering that Luigi and Captain Falcon were trying to sleep.
"Do you think you might like to... do this again?" Marth asked softly.
"Hmm?"
"Have a 'date', I mean..." Marth clarified, his cheeks starting to flush with color. "have a special dinner, see a movie- hopefully a more enjoyable one, maybe take a walk by the beach again... but just the two of us. Alone. Together."
Link stared down at the floor awkwardly, still remembering how he had questioned his feelings toward his friend- his friend, Marth was nothing more than a friend to him- earlier that day.
"... We'll see..." he mumbled, glancing back up at the prince's soft cerulean eyes. Marth smiled softly.
"Good night, Marth."
"Sweet dreams, Link."
They stood there, gazing into each other's eyes for a moment, their breathing fading softly until they were standing there in pure silence. They were both expecting the other to make a move or show some sort of sign. Link finally made the first move.
He gently patted the prince on the shoulder, then turned around to walk to his room. Marth watched his back in the dark until his Hylian friend was no longer visible, then slowly turned to open his door and step inside.
Meanwhile, Zelda and Roy bid each other good night. Roy even paused to gently kiss Zelda's hand, his lips gently pressed on the tip of Power on the Triforce insignia on the back of her hand. He pulled away and bowed to her, turning to enter his room. She blushed, although perhaps a bit awkwardly, but she smiled and thanked him and entered her room.
Although she felt a bit guilty... she had a slight feeling her mind was made up on who to choose...
No, she reminded herself. We'll wait and see what tomorrow brings.
--
The next morning, temperatures continued to drop, and the snow level continued to grow. A five-minute snowball fight ensued on the walk to the tower for fighting when Popo and Nana flung snowballs at the back of Luigi's head. He turned around annoyed and threw a snowball back at them...
... smacking Bowser right in the face. Mario grabbed some snow to defend his brother, and Link and Marth gathered some arctic ammo as Bowser catapulted a snowball the size of a bowling ball back at the younger of the Mario brothers. Fox and Roy were there to defend Zelda from incoming snowballs, but when she pegged them from behind with two snowballs of her own, they started to fling some snow playfully at her. Ness, Samus, and Jigglypuff teamed up against Captain Falcon, Kirby, and Peach in a battle of their own. Master and Crazy sniped their snowballs at Marth- Captain Falcon caught notice of this, and got hit in the cheek by an icy shot from Samus. She laughed as her fellow bounty hunter returned fire with a humorous shout of, "Falcon Snowball!"
Master and Crazy eventually got everyone under control again, and they marched off to the battles ahead, cheeks stinging from the cold particles of frost that still clung to their faces, and noses bright red from the chilly breeze.
They entered the battle room, rubbing their hands together to warm up as Master turned on the heat.
"Now, to start things out, I'd like to see Donkey Kong and the Ice Climbers; your first match will be at Princess Peach's Castle!"
The gigantic monkey and the two parka-clad fighters stepped into the elevator. Unlike their previous match, the Ice Climbers came out victorious against Donkey Kong. However, he still came out carrying one of them on each arm like before.
Dr. Mario defeated Samus in her homefield of Brinstar after she had accumulated too much damage from being slammed into the yellow lava-like acid.
Zelda defeated Jigglypuff in Mute City by managing to break her shield with a lightning-kick. The second her shield had shattered, the force of it sent her flying off as a star.
Warm sandwiches- from paninis to grilled cheese- and soups- from chicken noodle to tomato- were passed out for lunch. The familiar four- Marth, Link, Captain Falcon, and Samus- had chosen to sit together. Marth dipped the corner of his grilled cheese sandwich neatly into his tomato soup, then took a bite.
"... you should have heard Marth and Zelda scream!" Link laughed. Samus grinned in reply.
"Sounds like you had a lot of fun," Captain Falcon commented, setting his spoon back into his tomato soup. He turned to Samus. "I hope our date can be that much fun."
"Remember, it's not our date; it's Fox and Zelda's date." Samus reminded him, her voice suddenly void of happiness.
"Yeah, but I still want to do something!" Captain Falcon scoffed.
"You're acting like a teenager," she scolded. "You can sit still for an hour!"
"No I can't," Captain Falcon replied. "I'm a racer!"
"They sound like they're married to me," Link murmured to Marth, who giggled.
--
Fox anxiously awaited the end of the matches that day. He watched each one- and fought in his own- with a sense of anticipation.
Marth went against Kirby, coming out victorious thanks to a Shield Breaker technique after the Arwings in Venom delivered a massive load of extra damage.
Pikachu got a rematch against the famous Hero of Time... only this time, it lost at the hands of the Master Sword at the Poke'mon Stadium.
Due to his anticipation, Fox got careless in his match against Luigi and wound up stepping on a land mine at Yoshi's Island. Luigi finally had his first victory, and Ness was now the only one who hadn't won yet again.
On that note, Roy and Ness battled next at the Mushroom Kingdom. Roy had also taken note of Ness's record and went easy on him- so easy that he didn't hit him at all with his sword, subjecting himself to all kinds of PK pummeling. It seemed that Ness would easily win- until two Bob-Ombs walked into him and the explosion caused him to fall backwards into a pit.
"Why did you go easy on me?" Ness asked Roy in the elevator.
"Because I wanted you to win," Roy replied simply.
"That's the problem!" Ness groaned. "Everyone is going easy on me because 'poor little Ness' hasn't won a single fight yet! If I win because someone lets me, it'll change the numbers, but it won't change my record."
Roy looked at him confused.
"Tell everyone to stop going easy on me. I want to earn victory, not have it handed to me for free!" Ness demanded.
Captain Falcon's match came next, with him taking on Bowser. The reptilian king proved no match for the Captain's mighty knee on the Rainbow Cruise. Marth and the Ice Climbers had gotten the crowd to start cheering for the racer.
The three swordsmen were about to go over to congratulate the bounty hunter, but he ran past them with his typical speed.
"Sorry! Gotta hit the showers! I've got a date in a few hours!"
For the final match, Mario defeated his long-time pal Yoshi at Green Greens, thanks to the legendary Poke'mon Lugia coming out of the first Poke'ball the plumber threw at him.
--
Dinner passed normally, Marth and Link sitting together with Roy and Pikachu.
"Do you think our date went pretty well last night?" Roy asked the two swordsmen.
The Hylian and prince glanced at each awkwardly, remembering that they had actually been sent by Zelda to spy on their date.
"Oh, sure!"
"She probably enjoyed it a lot!"
"Awesome!" Roy laughed merrily.
"Pi, Ka, pikachu ka pi Chu pika chi pi chu?" (Hey, Link, does that mean you and Marth were on a date too?)
Marth blushed in reply, whereas Link glared at the electric Poke'mon.
"Don't push it."
--
An hour later, a knocking could be heard at Captain Falcon's door.
"Come on! It's usually the girls who take forever to get ready for a date, but I'm ready!" said the feminine voice on the other side.
"Hold your horses! I'm coming!" the racer shouted back, tying a neat knot into the bowtie around his neck. He slicked his hair down with his hand one last time, then ran to get the door.
"Took you long enough," Samus teased. She looked over his attire- black shoes, black pants, white top, red bowtie... he looked a lot like a waiter.
Captain Falcon was also admiring her dating attire- black high heels, a knee-length black skirt, and a simple pale blue blouse with blue flowers and tiny blue 'gems' decorating it. She had pulled her hair into a ponytail, as always.
"Hold on a second," Samus ordered, taking a step back and placing a hand to her chin in thought.
"What's wrong?" Captain Falcon asked. He had to shake his head briefly; his hair had fallen into his eyes.
"Exactly," Samus replied. "Brush your hair back, it doesn't look nice right now."
"But, my scar..." Captain Falcon protested.
"Everyone's seen it!" Samus countered. She leaned up on her toes and reached her hand up to brush his brown bangs back, away from his forehead.
"There," she confirmed, with a satisfied look on her face. "Much better."
Captain Falcon ran his hand back through his hair again.
"Oh, come on! You're playing with your hair more than Marth does!" she teased again. "Come on, I'm ready for dinner."
--
Captain Falcon and Samus sat down at their table just as Zelda arrived. She was dressed in a dark blue sleeveless dress and had dark blue shoes to match.
She could see Captain Falcon and Samus looking at her, confused, when she explained, "Fox told me after lunch to come to the cafeteria, and he would meet me there."
"Princess!" came a call behind the kitchen counter.
"Fox?" Zelda asked, confused. He was dressed in a dark green jacket and black pants, but he was wearing an apron over his clothes.
"Just give me a second!" He requested. He shuffled around behind the counter a little bit longer, then took off his apron. He came out carrying a tray with two plates on it. Both of them had pitas stuffed with strips of cooked meat, simmered onions, fresh tomatoes, and small chunks of feta cheese. He placed their plates on the table and set the tray aside, then sat down with her.
"I realize that you prefer not to eat meat," Fox commented. "But I wanted you to try this. It's called a gyro."
Zelda lifted the sandwich-like meal to her mouth and took a small bite. She finished chewing and swallowed, a huge smile forming on her face.
"Oh, Fox... it's delicious!"
"Really?" he asked, a grin spreading across his face. "I cooked it myself!"
"Did you really?" the princess asked, amazed.
"Well, I borrowed the recipe, supplies, and ingredients from Ruby... but I did everything else!"
She had finished taking another bite of gyro when suddenly music started playing, clearly for a dance. However, unlike the music Roy had chosen, this music was fast-paced, loud, jazzy, and sexy.
"You know, this sounds a lot like the music they play at the Big Blue stage in the fights..." Captain Falcon commented with a smile.
"Before you get too full," Fox stated, "I want to dance!"
He gently grabbed her hands and pulled her to her feet.
"But... I've never really danced this fast before!" Zelda gasped.
"Just dance like you always have, but do it faster!" Fox explained with a laugh.
Unfortunately, he wasn't quite as gifted with dance as she was, and a few steps in, he stepped on her foot.
"What's he doing?" Captain Falcon muttered. "He can't dance with her like that!"
He stood up suddenly, much to Samus's surprise.
"But-" she stuttered. "-you can't interfere with their date! Besides, you can't dance!"
"Oh, can't I?" the bounty hunter asked in a challenging tone.
He quickly made his way over to the couple.
"So," Malon commented, standing over Samus. "What would you like to eat tonight?"
"Beef lo mein for him, orange chicken for me." she replied.
The server grinned at the bounty huntress.
"What?" Samus asked skeptically.
"You should dance with him!" Malon squealed.
Samus frowned. "I don't dance," she replied. "And he can't either."
Malon smirked, glancing up. "Oh, he can't?"
Samus turned around, watching the vulpine pilot, racer, and princess.
"Okay, Fox, you get the idea... now watch what I do." Falcon told him, then gently took one of Zelda's hands and placed his other just above her hip.
Much to Samus's amazement, Captain Falcon gracefully began leading Zelda around the room in a quick dance step.
"Oh, Captain..." Zelda marveled, before he twirled her around briefly and caught her back into step, "I had no idea you were such a dancer!"
"Yeah, I was once featured on a dancing TV show for celebrities back in my home world. My partner was Kate Allen, and we got second place! There was a married couple, the Arrows, that got first. But man, we came so close!"
Zelda laughed as he twirled her around once, twice, thrice, and caught her again. "Is that why you always say 'Show me your moves'?"
"Partly," Captain Falcon replied, "I just think it sounds challenging and cool."
He pulled her close and twirled with her one last time, before leaving her with Fox.
"Just remember, you have to lead with your left foot and remember your rhythm at all times. When you stop in a place, just tap your heel or toes against the ground- quick, quick, slow- to keep your rhythm going."
"Ouch," Malon teased. "You practically got your date stolen!"
Samus stood up, unwilling to listen to Malon's chattering anymore. She walked over to her fellow bounty hunter.
"Yes?" Captain Falcon asked.
"..." Samus stood there, looking for the words to say.
"... Do you want to dance?" he asked, offering a hand to her. "I mean, I know you can't, but..."
"Excuse me!" Samus exclaimed, pretending to take offense. "I said I don't dance. I never said I couldn't."
She placed her hand into his and he twirled her into his arms, then began leading her around the room. Fox and Zelda even stopped just to watch their choreography. Little did the four know, Marth, Link, and several other fighters had gathered by the windows in the cafeteria doors to watch them. The bounty hunters seemed to move in a mix of Latin American styles- salsa, mambo, and merengue- as well as sped-up ballroom styles- such as the waltz or foxtrot. They moved gracefully and fluidly around the room, no faults in their moves, synchronized with one another. Their flow around the room was so matched, it was hard to tell if Captain Falcon or Samus was leading in the particular interval.
As the music died out, Samus spun around on her toes, her arms held high the air for the aerodynamic purpose of spinning faster. She slowed down, and- rather than catch her footing- she let herself fall backwards. Captain Falcon caught her with one arm under her shoulders, letting her dip low enough to the ground that the tip of her ponytail rested against the tile floor. His other arm flew up in the air for visual effect.
Fox, Zelda, and the cafeteria staff were clapping loudly; outside the cafeteria, the other spectators were applauding as well.
"Wow! I'll have to ask Captain Falcon for a dance sometime!" Peach marveled.
"Samus would be a good partner as well!" Marth complimented, though he was secretly wondering if he could ever get to dance with Captain Falcon, or if Link could dance that well.
Samus opened her eyes, gazing up admirably at her partner.
"Nice moves," Captain Falcon complimented, lifting her into a standing position. "Where did you learn to dance like that?"
A startled expression flashed across her face.
"I just... went to the occasional dance at my academy..." she replied hesitantly.
"Who was your partner?" Captain Falcon asked.
She gently pushed herself away from him.
"I...I'm feeling a little dizzy after spinning like that. I want to sit down. Oh, look, here comes Malon with our dinner. I ordered for you, if you don't mind."
"... No..." Captain Falcon replied slowly, feeling confused and a little upset that his dancing partner- whom he had once held so close- had now started acting so distant to him.
He sat down with her, smiled at the delicious meal placed before him- Samus really had chosen well- and started eating. If Samus didn't want to talk, so be it.
Fox ran over to the DVD player, popped in a movie, then ran back to his seat with Zelda, where she had resumed eating.
"A movie?" she asked, pausing from eating.
"Yeah," Fox replied. "After several centuries, these movies finally made their way to the Lylat System, and this one happens to be among my favorites."
"What movies? Which one?" Zelda asked. She appeared a bit uncomfortable, remembering Roy's choice last night.
"Disney movies," Fox replied with a wink. "And this one's Aladdin." (A/N: Since I don't own Nintendo, you can tell that I don't own Disney either, right?)
So the movie played through, the cafeteria staff watching from the counter as well as the 'dating' couples at their tables. Laughs could be heard, as well as wistful sighs of romance during one particular carpet ride.
Meals done, they watched the credits start rolling. As they listened to the lovely music that accompanied them, Fox turned to Zelda.
"I don't suppose... you'd like another dance?"
Zelda smiled and took his hand as he led her in a slow dance this time.
"Much better," Captain Falcon whispered. "He's remembered what foot to lead with."
Samus shook her head, a smile on her face.
"Over, sideways, and under... on an awesome Arwing flight..." Fox murmured to the song's tune.
"Did you say something?" Zelda asked.
"Uh, no..." Fox replied quickly.
They continued dancing to the lovely melody until it ended. Fox bowed to the princess, then led her back to the table.
Dessert was being handed out now by Ruby- vanilla ice cream with warm chocolate brownies.
"Ohhh, brownies..." Captain Falcon sighed, biting into one. "My favorite dessert..."
Samus laughed as she dipped her spoon into her ice cream.
Much to everyone's surprise, dessert passed by quickly and quietly. Malon collected the plates and bid everyone goodnight.
"Fox was really nice," Malon commented softly to herself as she watched everyone leave. "But he did so much stuff that Roy did! And he's just... well... 'different-looking'..."
She placed the plates into the sink.
I don't think he'll be able to compete...
--
Fox had already wished Zelda a good night's rest and went to his room on the second floor. Zelda went up to the fourth floor to rest, cautiously making sure Roy wasn't around to pounce on her with questions. He didn't, which filled Zelda with joy; he had kept his word, just as Fox did the night before.
Samus and Captain Falcon had stopped on the third floor to bid each other goodnight.
"So, I'll see you in the morning." Captain Falcon commented with a smile.
Samus nodded. "I have to say, I'm glad I chose you to be my partner tonight. I don't think I could've had such an enjoyable evening with anyone else, Captain."
"Captain Falcon!" Marth dashed out of his room to greet the bounty hunters. "Hi, Samus."
Link stepped out of his room yawning as well. "Hey guys."
"So..." Marth asked. "How was your evening?"
"You already know the answer to that, you spied on them when they were dancing." Link replied.
"Liiiink!!" Marth groaned, glaring at him.
"The real question is, what did Roy do on his evening with Zelda?" Samus asked. "This wasn't about us; it was about Zelda, Roy, and Fox, remember?"
"I know," Link replied. "Let's see... he ordered Greek salad for her, because he knows she likes vegetables. He asked her to dance, with the music of a Hyrulian lullaby- changed to a waltz, that is. We watched a horror movie that scared us all... and he taught her how to sword-fight using breadsticks."
Marth laughed a little at the last part.
"What did Fox do?" Link asked.
"He cooked a gyro for her... and he had a fast-paced dance with her." Samus recalled, glancing over at Captain Falcon briefly. Link and Marth exchanged a smile. "Then we watched Aladdin, which isn't even remotely horrifying, and then he had a slow-dance with her... and then we ate dessert."
"Even if they didn't know what the other was doing, it does sound like Fox copied a lot from Roy." Captain Falcon pondered.
"And Roy knew everything that Zelda liked!" Link added. "She doesn't really like meat, and he used Hyrulian music for their dance."
"Poor Fox," Marth commented. "It sounds like Roy's going to win her heart."
He glanced up suddenly, a surge of energy in him. "But wait! What if-"
"DO YOU-A MIND?! I'M-A TRYING TO SLEEP!" Luigi shouted from his room.
Samus shook her head.
"Never mind. We'll just have to wait and see what happens tomorrow." she whispered, then ran up the stairs.
The swordsmen and bounty hunter quickly entered their rooms as well.
--
The next day, the matches progressed as they normally did. Some people won, and some people lost, such as Ness.
It didn't really matter to a certain Hylian princess. After courting the swordsman and pilot, she had finally decided. It was hard for her to decide, because she had a great time with both of them, and because she didn't want to hurt either of them. She almost wished she could forget everything that happened in the past few days and not have to choose. But it would merely start the fights again, and since the last one had almost gotten violent... it had to be done.
Fox and Roy stood opposite to Zelda's door after dinner that evening. They stood about a door width apart from each other, and neither of them would look at the other.
Zelda stepped out from behind her door, and both pairs of eyes fell upon her immediately. They were both looking for some sort of hint from her expression to tell them, 'It's you.' But she held no emotion on her face to avoid judging.
"Fox, I want to see you first."
"Wait a minute." he requested, then turned to face Roy.
"We've gone through some rough times in the past week or so. And I just thought I'd let you know that... I'm sorry. We're civilized beings, not anim... not uncivilized. You're a great fighter, Roy, and you've got many great traits about you."
"The same thing could be said about you," Roy added quietly.
"So no matter who she picks... let's put everything behind us. Maybe we could even be friends." Fox extended his hand.
Roy didn't say anything, but he took the pilot's hand in agreement.
Fox released his hold, then went into the room to speak with Zelda. About five minutes later, he came out again, his face void of emotions. He walked down the hallway, not looking at Roy once.
"Fox?" Roy asked. "What did she-"
"Come on, Roy." Zelda reached out her hand to him, and led him into her room.
He glanced around at the lavender curtains, her finely crafted wooden furniture, and her bed, covered by lavender bed sheets. She took a seat on the edge of the bed, and patted the spot beside her, indicating where he should sit.
"Roy, I wanted to thank you for the evening we had together." she stated first, with a smile. "I don't know about the movie, but you certainly know what I like and dislike. You know that I prefer fruits and vegetables, and what my favorite styles of music are."
She glanced up at the ceiling.
"You did everything that would impress me." she summarized.
Roy grinned briefly.
"Not to mention, you look a lot more like me than Fox does, to put it simply. Everyone has been telling me that you would be a better choice because it wouldn't look as odd."
Roy smiled at her. Zelda met his eyes briefly, then lowered her gaze to her hands.
"... But that's just the thing. It's my choice, not theirs. They've told me to choose by using my eyes... but I have to choose using my heart..."
Roy's expression fell a little bit, but Zelda gently held his hands comfortingly.
"... and my heart is telling me that Fox is the one."
Roy exhaled a short breath of air, disappointment on his face.
"... I thought it would be better to tell you, rather than have you find out the hard way. I've warned Fox that if he does anything to hurt you, I will come back for you. Please, Roy, you have to understand... it was hard for me to choose..."
"But how? He's not even human!" Roy shot out suddenly.
Zelda was startled by his sudden outburst, then her face grew serious.
"I want to ask you something about Fox, Roy. Does he have two eyes, two ears, a nose, and a mouth?"
"... Yeah..."
"Does he walk on two legs instead of four?"
"Yes..."
"Does he understand proper manners?"
"Well, I heard him burp the other day without excusing himself, but I guess he does..."
"Does he speak in a human language rather than in an animal tongue?"
"... Yes..."
"Can he fight using advanced weaponry or fighting techniques, rather than biting or scratching?"
"Yes..."
"Is he capable of understanding and showing emotions like anger, sorrow, happiness, and love?"
"... Yes."
"Then he's human enough for me." Zelda replied.
Roy glanced up at her, realizing it was true.
"And technically, Roy..." she commented, her eyes narrowing briefly. "...I'm not human either."
"... You provide a good point." Roy admitted.
She smiled and gently rested a hand on his shoulder.
"It's not like I'm going to run off and marry him. We can still spend time together... as friends."
"I guess." Roy decided, standing up. "It's just..."
"What now?" Zelda asked.
"Can I ask you a favor?" Roy asked.
"I suppose," Zelda replied.
Roy grinned at her sheepishly, blushing.
"... Can I have just one kiss?"
Zelda laughed softly, shaking her head at his remark. Then she stood up, walked over to him, and gently placed her lips against his cheek.
--
Captain Falcon: (reads through early drafts of Swordplay) Hmm, that's odd...
Samus: What?
Captain Falcon: Based on what I've seen here, it was originally intended for ROY to get the girl.
Samus: Really? I wonder what caused the change?
Captain Falcon: (laughs) It actually was reading through Swordplay and listening to Disney music, the author said a few months ago.
Samus: ...?
Captain Falcon: The author says in this commentary that she was listening to the song "A Whole New World" from Aladdin when she had been reading through the "hug" scene for Fox and Zelda back in Chapter 6.
Samus: Oh, is that why she made an allusion to the movie?
Captain Falcon: Correct! And it's also Zelda's reasoning for choosing him.
Samus: ... Because there's that one lyric, "Tell me, princess, now when did you last let your heart decide?" ... Am I right?
Captain Falcon: You're a smart lady, Samus Aran. The whole song itself seems to be a good FoxZel song. I wonder what our love song would be...
Samus: Don't push it.