NOTES: I HAVE FINALLY RETURNED FROM THE REALM OF THE DEAD! Okay, I owe everyone an apology for not updating when I said I would, and postponing this chapter for about 4 months (more or less, but I'm too lazy to check). I've had many personal things going on in my life, and I won't bother disclosing them. Well, some of them are just distractions, like borrowing my friend's X-Box and starting to learn how to play the electric guitar. So really no excuses there! (laughter). Honestly though, I've been too lazy to update this story, but I actually feel like writing now. A tad of writer's block also set in, but again that's just another excuse. Anyways again I apologize, and I thank all my readers and reviewers for their continued support. Hopefully this won't happen again in the future, but you can never tell. But just remember what I've said on many occasions: I will NEVER give up on this story until either it's finished, or the world suddenly ends or something. Just a warning, this chapter is REALLY long, so if you don't have enough time, I suggest not reading it until you have the time. Okay, here's the long awaited Chapter 18!

DISCLAIMER: You know what, I don't feel like writing it, so if you're one of those people who're real picky about this disclaimer business, then you can find my disclaimer in all of my previous chapters (well, at least I think it's in all of them).

Chapter 18: The Corruption of Darkness

The stadium appeared to be at maximum capacity to Link as he walked up the stairs leading to the stage and the teleporters, where he and Mario would be teleported to the artificial Fourside stage that, in reality, was in the country of Eagleland. After what had just happened between him and Zelda, he had never felt more confident than he did at that moment.

Millions of fans were cheering, shouting various things as he arrived at the top of the stage, where his red-clad opponent waited in silence, his arms crossed and face unreadable.

"Well, it seems the second competitor, Link of the land of Hyrule, has finally arrived. So now we can finally get this match underway!" boomed the announcer's voice from the VIP box above.

The audience went wild with enthusiasm, all waving banners and sporting appeal that supported their favorite Smasher. Link scanned the VIP area of the grandstands for any of his friends, and only saw Roy, Peach, and Luigi. He wondered where Zelda was, but was relieved when he saw her approach the others.

"Look Peach, again I'm really sorry! Please, you gotta believe me!" pleaded Roy to his girlfriend, who was facing away from him with no response. Luigi had told Roy when he had caught up with them that she hadn't said a word since she stormed off towards the stands.

"What's going on?" asked Zelda as she took a seat beside Roy.

"Nothing, just that Peach won't speak to me. I keep trying to get her to listen, but she continues to look in the other direction and ignore everything I say." explained Roy.

"Well, what happened before today to make you both so distant?" asked Zelda. Luigi was also wondering the same thing, as he still didn't understand what exactly was going on between the two.

"Look, I just said the other day to her that I don't like the way Mario's been acting lately. I mean, he's been prone to angry outbursts and his behavior has been somewhat questionable these last three days. I know he's saved her more times than you or I can count from Bowser; but you have to admit, there's just been something not right about him recently..."

To everyone else's surprise, Peach turned around and stared Roy straight in the face, tears streaming down her face.

"How can you say those horrible things about him? He's always fought selflessly for me and the rest of the Mushroom Kingdom, and never once has he even complained. He never acts like what you describe in front of me. He's honest, caring, and smart. How would you even know about caring about other people? If you really cared about me, you'd trust me and not criticize my feelings and my choice of friends! I don't care what you have to say anymore, Roy! Why can't you just for once leave me alone!"

Roy looked as though he had been hit by a train. But he gathered his composure, stood up, and managed to only mutter one word as he turned away.

"Fine."

With that, he left the top part of the VIP section, and moved down to where the bottom was. Luigi just stared at Peach in awe, tears still streaming down her face, while Zelda rushed down the stairs to catch up with Roy. She still had some questions to be answered.

Link watched the whole scene unfold in front of him, but couldn't quite make out what everyone was saying. He saw Roy move down to an empty row, with Zelda following him in a hurry. Roy gave a quick nod in Link's direction as he sat down, while Zelda waved at him while sitting down beside Roy.

'According to Roy, Mario's been acting suspicious lately. He's also had a short temper, so be on your guard.' said Zelda telepathically to Link.

'Thanks for the warning. What was that whole scene all about?' Link asked.

'Roy and Peach aren't talking to each other because of this whole Mario issue. Don't worry about it though; I'll try to help them sort things out. Oh, and good luck by the way!'

'Thanks, you too.'

Their connection was broken by the booming voice of Master Hand.

"Ladies and gentleman, humans, humanoids, and nonhumans of all kinds, I welcome you to another round in our Third Annual Super Smash Brothers Tournament, or also referred to as Tournament III! The match that is about to take place will be the second to last match of the day, as another match between Smashers Luigi and Roy will begin after the conclusion of this fight. This match will be quick, as it's a one-stock match with no time limit. May I remind you all that flash photography and video recording is prohibited, and that any device found being used will be confiscated. Great, now that that's out of the way, would both Smashers please step into their respective teleporters!"

Link and Mario made their way to the two transparent, cylinder-like teleporters in the middle of the stage, and each stepped into one. The doors sealed shut behind them, leaving them encased in a glass tube.

"Now, would the computer please teleport these two fighters to the holographic stage of Fourside, located in the country of Eagleland!"

Link felt a familiar sensation run though his body as though he was being split into segments, and then before he knew it, he had left the brightly lit stadium behind, and was standing under the darkness of the night, on the illuminated rooftops of Fourside.

Back in the stadium, the teleporters in the center disappeared beneath the flooring, and a double-sided viewscreen silently dropped down from the top ceiling. As soon as they locked in place, the two viewscreens switched on, showing the whole stage of Fourside and the two fighters on each end of the stage. A scoreboard was attached to the bottom of each viewscreen, which displayed time, stock lives, percent damage to each fighter, etc.

"Zel, I know what you're trying to do, but trust me, she's not gonna change her mind anytime soon. You know how sensitive she is about Mario, since he was her former boyfriend and all." Roy said as he watched the viewscreen facing their half of the stadium drop down, avoiding Zelda's questioning gaze.

He sighed as he watched the viewscreen stop and switch on, "I shouldn't have brought it up. Hell, I don't even know if we're still gonna be together after today."

"Don't say that, Roy. You know how naïve Peach is with people she trusts, especially close friends. Personally, I think you're right about Mario. Link and I have also noticed that he's been acting strange." Zelda said.

"That's not the only reason why I suspect Mario of being up to something, Zel. Mewtwo reported to me yesterday that Ganondorf had kidnapped someone in the last couple of days, did something to them, and then released them. He didn't hear a name, unfortunately."

"Do you know what that something was?" Zelda asked.

"No, Mewtwo said he didn't find that out either. He said that he has to tread lightly, to keep his cover as one of Ganondorf's most trusted servants."

"That's important I guess…listen, I'm going back up there to talk with Peach. Maybe I can convince her to see the light of this whole mess." Zelda said as she got up.

Roy stood up to allow her to pass.

"Zel thanks…for trying to help me."

Zelda smiled, put a reassuring hand on his shoulder, and proceeded up the walkway towards Peach and Luigi, while Roy sat down and waited for the match to begin.

Link waited patiently with his arms crossed on a wooden platform held up by a nearby crane, waiting for the match to begin.

He watched curiously at the artificial traffic below, observing the lights of vehicles below and how they illuminated the sky. He knew Mario was on the other side of the large skyscraper behind him, and that the match couldn't begin until Master Hand gave the word. He wondered what was actually wrong between Roy and Peach, but his thoughts dwelled on Zelda, and the awkward scene that had happened in the locker room.

'I'm happy that it finally happened, and that now maybe she knows how much I actually care about her. But does she feel the same way I do? Wait, of course she does, she wouldn't have returned it if she didn't, would she? Only one way to find out for sure, and that's by asking her out. Well, I don't have anything going on after this match, so maybe I should ask her after we finish. Wish I would've asked Roy, or even Marth how they did it…'

He didn't have time to dwell on it however, as the whole stage was filled by the echoing voice of Master Hand.

"We are ready to begin, so Smashers please get into your fighting stances."

Link unsheathed the Master Sword and undid his Hylian Shield, getting into a standard fighting stance. He pushed all thoughts out of his mind, and focused on the match at hand.

"Smashers ready? Remember, this is a one-stock match, so be careful. READY…"

Link tightened his grip on the Master Sword, while Mario prepared to jump.

"GO!"

Both Mario and Link leapt into the air, soaring towards the middle skyscraper, while Master Hand, in the stadium, disappeared in a puff of white smoke for parts unknown.

Mario landed first, while Link flung his boomerang at him. Mario dodged the projectile and sent off some fireballs towards Link. He blocked the barrage with his shield, and landed on the skyscraper with Mario, quickly catching his returning boomerang with his shield hand.

Link swung horizontally with the Master Sword, which Mario evaded with ease. Link came around again with a vertical slash upwards, but again Mario evaded him. Before he could bring his sword around again, Mario unleashed a double punch and kick combo, doing some damage to Link. He stepped back, but held his ground.

Link readied a spin attack, but Mario used his magical cape (A/N: The one from Super Mario World, or the B left or right attack on SSBM) to turn him around, exposing his backside. Link went to do a spin attack, but Mario had already charged a Smash attack, which he unleashed as soon as Link started.

Link gained some altitude, and nimbly landed on the crane platform he started on, panting for breath. A quick glance at his damage indicator showed that he was already up to 77 percent damage.

'My goddesses, he's gotten stronger. He's never been that strong before. And his fighting style is full of anger. Just what is going on?'

Link jumped to avoid a Koopa shell thrown at him, but was hit by something else while in midair, most likely a capsule filled with explosives. Link fell of the ledge, but grabbed the side and leaped back up. Mario was waiting for him, and hit him with another fully-charged Smash attack, purple flame filling his eyes.

"Peach, I'm just asking you to give him a chance to explain himself, that's all," Zelda said to her friend, who was silently watching the fight go on. Luigi had left to go find some snacks, so they were alone.

"I don't know, Zel. It's just that…I know Mario, and I don't want to believe that what he's been doing lately is suspicious. He's my ex, and is still my friend and savior. He's always been kind to others, and what Roy says just doesn't sound like the Mario I know."

"But you have to admit, he's been acting odd lately."

"Yes, but…I don't want to believe it."

"Well then can you at least give Roy a chance? For me?"

"…fine, but at the end of the match."

Peach suddenly gasped as Mario hit Link with such ferocity that he went flying off the screen. Zelda yelled in fear, as did the rest of the audience as he fell towards the bottom of the stage.

High above the stadium, near the back where no one was present, Mewtwo levitated and watched the match, his arms crossed and his illuminated eyes following Link's falling figure.

'So Link, what will you do now? How are you going to get out of this one?'

'My spin attack will be useless here. But there's gotta be something I can do…' thought Link as he went falling towards the bottom.

'Wait, I know!'

After quickly sheathing the Master Sword and his Hylian Shield, he took out his Hookshot, while trying to lean in his fall towards the nearest building. As soon as he was in range, he fired.

The hook-and-chain shot out and latched onto the side of the building, pulling Link towards it. When it had reached its maximum length, Link hit the side of the building and had to grip the handle tightly so as not to fall.

Soon, he mustered his remaining strength and hit the retract button on the side.

He soared upwards towards where the hook was embedded, and was flung up to the ledge as the hook-and-chain retracted, doing a small somersault and landing on the ledge. Link looked at his Hookshot, grinned, and put it back inside his equipment pouch. He then unsheathed the Master Sword and his Hylian Shield again, and scanned for Mario.

He didn't have to look long, as the plumber landed right in front of him, a scowl on his face.

Zelda was relieved as she saw Link use his Hookshot to grasp on the side of the ledge and get back on. The audience went wild as he cleanly landed on top of the ledge.

But everyone was amazed to see Mario land right in front of him with an angry look on his face.

"Why would Mario attack him that way? He always fights cleanly, so why is he doing this?" Peach asked with tears welling up in her eyes.

"I told you, he's not himself. Something's happened to him, but we still don't know what," said a voice behind Peach, causing her to jump.

She turned around to see Roy, who was staring at the screen intently in the row behind her.

"What do you me 'we'?" she asked.

Their conversation was interrupted by the sudden sound of Mario's voice filling the stadium.

"I underestimated how hard you are to defeat Link, but your luck won't save you forever," said Mario, whose voice had a strange, dark voice mixed in with his normal one. His eyes were illuminated with a deep purple rather than the usual blue, and his clothes and skin had a slightly purplish tint to them. Link wasn't taking any chances as he maintained a steady fighting stance.

'It's almost as if he's possessed…no, it couldn't be could it? He couldn't have possibly…'

"Fortunately for you though, you're not the one who I'm after. I'm just trying to finish you as quickly as I can so I can go after my real target."

"And who might that be?" asked Link.

Mario's eyes erupted with purple flame, his fists making a sickening crunching sound as he tightened up.

"None other than the b&!$!rd who stole the only thing I ever cared about. And if she won't take me back, then she'll get hers too. I'll show her how much I care, how much she made me suffer after we broke up!" yelled Mario, whose body began to ignite with a purple flame.

"And a certain friend of mine has granted me all the power I've ever wanted. So much power, that both my strength, and my powers have increased twice their normal amount!"

"You mean…"

"That's right, you know of whom I speak of. And since the entire stadium is listening in on our conversation, I'll just announce it into the open: PEACH, I KNOW YOU'RE HERE! I STILL LOVE YOU! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH THAT I'LL KILL ROY, WHO TOOK YOU FROM ME! I'LL MAKE SURE HE FEELS THE SAME AMOUNT OF PAIN I FELT BEFORE HE DIES!"

His words echoed throughout the stadium, stunning the audience. However, no one was more stunned than the princess of the Mushroom Kingdom. She just couldn't believe what she had heard.

She felt so powerless to do anything. All she could do was cry, and that's what she did. Roy took her in his arms as she cried into his chest, while he continued watching Mario, an angry look on his face.

"So that's who went missing…" muttered Zelda as she continued watching the screen.

"What's going on?" asked Luigi as he came towards them, snacks in his hands.

"This might be too much to understand at once…" said Roy as he quickly explained what had been happening since he had left.

"How could a hero like you allow Ganondorf to control your mind?" asked Link, who became angrier by the minute.

"Because, he promised me I would be able to get back the one I loved. He infused me with this power, telling me it was a favor from him. He said the only thing he wanted in return was your death, and I willingly agreed." said the possessed Mario.

"But we can't actually hurt each other, remember? The damage-indicator system protects us from everything during a match."

"Oh, but that's what you think. That's only if the system is actually on. But if it's off…"

A strange humming noise erupted from Link's wristwatch, as it suddenly turned off. He looked down at it in wonder.

"Wait, what did you…"

He couldn't get another word out as a gloved fist connected with his stomach, knocking the wind out of Link.

He slowly stood up, coughing up some blood.

"…then you're not protected, are you?" smirked the darkened Mario, who now was engulfed in a full purplish flame, dark magic giving him strength.

"But you forget, you aren't either!" yelled Link as he let an arrow off, shooting for Mario's chest.

Mario didn't have enough time to dodge, but only flinched as the arrow bounced off of him harmlessly, doing only 5 percent damage to him as his damage indicator read.

"But…how?"

"Ah, now you see, I still have the system protecting me. Yours however, is still off. So if you hope to beat me, Hero of Time, you'll have to do it the old-fashioned way. I'd be careful if I were you though, as you're completely defenseless without your safety net" said Mario with a grin.

"Maybe so…" said Link as he slowly stood into a fighting stance, "but you're forgetting how I used to fight. I never had any system protecting me when I fought Ganondorf and saved Hyrule. Is that really the best you, or should I say Ganondorf, can do?" questioned Link with a small grin on his face.

"Enough!" shouted Mario, rushing towards Link at full speed.

Link was ready, and somersaulted over him, striking a vertical blow to the enraged Mario's back, only raising his damage indicator to 50 percent total.

"You'll have to do better than that to defeat me!" yelled Mario as he hurled purple fireballs at his enemy.

"So that's what's happened to him? That monster has him under his control?" asked Peach, who had calmed down slightly as she listened to Zelda and Roy explain what they knew. They were yelling over the announcer's loud voice, who was trying to keep everyone calm.

"Yes, Ganondorf's dark magic is feeding off of Mario's emotions. His emotions fuel it and in return, it gains full control of his body. I've seen Ganondorf do it before to captured soldiers during the Dark Years, before Hyrule became an ocean…" Zelda sadly explained, remembering her fallen country.

"So, you're saying that's not really Mario?" asked Peach.

"No, it's him, but he has no control over his body. His spirit and mind are still there, but the dark magic has complete control over him now. It's like watching something else control your body, while you're just along for the ride, unable to do anything" commented Roy. Even though it was completelydifferent magic, Roy had also seen something like Mario's situation in the many wars he had fought as a general.

"So, how can he come back to us?" asked Luigi.

"Only one way: Link will have to defeat him. If Link K.O.es him, then maybe the evil power will leave him."

Peach again felt so helpless as she watched the plumber fight Link, who dodged another fireball heading towards him with his shield, while Mario kept sending them his way. Unlike the usual red, his fireballs were now purple and full of dark magic.

"Hey, where'd Luigi go?" Peach asked, as the three looked around for Mario's brother.

Luigi ran as fast as he could down the hallway, knocking over people as he headed for the match control room. He knew that all equipment during matches was watched over and controlled there.

'I gotta get there, I gotta get Link's damage-counter system working again. He's the only one who can save my brother…'

Before he knew it, he had arrived at the control room, but strangely it was sealed shut.

He tried using fireballs to melt a hole, but the door wouldn't budge.

'There must be some way to break down this door…c'mon Luigi, think! Use your head…'

Luigi smiled at himself as he thought of an idea.

He stood back a few feet from the door, and turned sideways to face it. He then crouched and charged up his body. It began to ignite with flame, and just as he reached his limit, he leaped into the air and went flying headfirst into the door, knocking it off its hinges. He landed, and was glad that his "Luigi Rocket" move still worked.

He peered inside and was surprised to see some strange, wooden creatures operating the controls. They were short, about the size of midgets, and were covered in orange leaves and had glowing orange eyes. They had no mouths, and instead had circular snouts. Upon seeing him, they let loose a barrage of Deku Nuts.

Luigi leapt into the air and summoned a wave of fireballs, engulfing the creatures in green flame. They let out high-pitched screams as they burned, and disappeared in a cloud of black smoke.

Luigi remembered Link telling him of how on one of his adventures in the Lost Woods, he had come across strange creatures called "Deku Scrubs". He said that most were friendly and were covered in green leaves, but others were covered in orange leaves and would attack anything on site. Link had called them "Mad Scrubs" because of their behavior, and that these Deku Scrubs had pledged their allegiance to Ganondorf.

Returning to the present, Luigi ran to the control console and flipped a switch labeled "Fighter 1 Damage-Counter System Control" so it faced the "On" position.

'I hope that was it…' said Luigi as he watched the match from the enormous windows.

Link was fatigued, and was suffering terribly in his match with Mario. He was covered in scratches and had blood seeping from his left arm where he had been punched, staining his Goron Tunic. Parts of it were torn and it also had some holes in it that marked burns on his skin where fireballs had scorched through his tunic and burned his flesh. The Goron Tunic protected most of his skin however, as it allowed his body to survive extreme temperatures.

He barely could stand up he was so fatigued, and was slow to react as Mario grabbed him by the collar. Even though he had done enough damage to Mario to send him off the stage, he couldn't summon the strength to do so.

"You know, based on the way Lord Ganondorf had described you, I would have thought that you would have put up more of a fight. Guess I was wrong…now to finish you off!"

He went to unleash his Mario Tornado attack, but some mysterious force stopped his fists from connecting with his tunic.

Link flinched, and was amazed as he saw Mario stumble backwards, dazed from holding Link too long. He then remembered that with the damage-counter system in place during matches, it briefly allows grabs to throw your opponent, but if you grab longer than about five seconds, then you became dazed for a brief amount of time.

Seeing his chance, he used his Hookshot to hook onto Mario and bring him towards him. Link grabbed him by his neck, and brought his face up to his own.

"Mario…I know this isn't really you. Maybe this fall will allow you to retake control!" said Link as he quickly hurled Mario off the skyscraper they were on, and watched him disappear in a brilliant flash of light.

"GAME!" echoed the announcer's words as Link was teleported back to the stadium.

Link sheathed the Master Sword and put his shield back on his back before he stumbled out of the teleporter, and was greeted by millions of cheers from the audience. He waved despite his condition, and would have collapsed from exhaustion if not from the support of someone else's body.

"Link, are you alright?" asked Zelda as she lifted him up, pulling his right arm across her shoulders.

"I've been better…but just you being here makes me feel like a million rupees," he muttered with a small grin.

She smiled and kissed him lightly on the lips, and then looked him over.

"Hang on, let me heal some of these."

She placed her hand on several wounds, each time muttering ancient Hylian words as the wound magically healed itself. Before he knew it, Link was standing upright again, feeling like he did before the match began.

"Wow, that was quick! Maybe you could teach me that sometime…" he said as he kissed her on the lips lightly, smiling down at her.

"Link…"

Both Link and Zelda turned around to see a figure slowly moving towards them. The fatigue-stricken face of Mario moved into view, however he looked like he normally did, his skin and clothes back to their original color. He then collapsed on the ground, gasping for breath.

Link ran towards him and kneeled beside his tired figure.

"Link, I'm sorry. Th…the darkness…it took me. I tried to fight it, but Ganondorf's torture…it broke me mentally. It fed on all my deepest pains and secrets."

"Save your strength Mario, you're back to normal and that's all that counts" said Link as he put a hand on his shoulder. By now the others had gathered around the two. However, Mario's eyes focused on Peach.

"Peach…please forgive me. Even after we broke up…I just couldn't take it. My broken heart healed in time, but the torture I endured brought forth again the pain I felt when we broke up. I never had and never will have anything against you being with Roy…so I hope he forgives me too."

Roy nodded at him, a forgiving look on his face.

"Dark power can do terrible things to people…I for one should know. So don't worry, we all forgive you," he said.

Mario smiled despite how hard it was.

"Thank you, Link. That fall gave me enough energy to fight back. You saved my soul…" he said as he passed out. From there, Luigi picked up his brother and carried him to the medical team, who was standing by to take Mario to Dr. Mario for treatment.

"He'll be alright…now that the darkness has left him" said Roy as he watched the team carry him off, with Luigi in tow. After they turned a corner and was out of sight, Peach turned to her boyfriend and looked him in the eyes, while he looked in hers.

"Roy, by the way, I wanted to say…"

Roy shook his head and smiled, "Peach, you don't have to apologize. I should have been more wary of your feelings…so I'm the one who should be asking for the apology. Can you forgive me?"

"No, I was being stupid. I should have realized you'd never hurt me like that…"

But her words were cut short as Roy kissed her, both of them embracing. They broke apart, and hand in hand, walked out towards the nearest exit. The announcer said right after they left that the next match has been postponed by Master Hand until tomorrow. People grudgidly started emptying from the stands, disappointment written on their faces.

Link and Zelda watched Roy and Peach go, and then looked at each other.

"Um, Zel..."

"Yes, Link?" she asked with a smile.

"Um, I was wondering if you wanted to go to town and get some dinner. I mean, you don't if you don't want to…" Link muttered as he started to turn around, but Zelda grabbed his arm.

"But I do! Let'shurry so we can avoid the crowds and get seats!" Zelda exclaimed, and with her hand in his, both of them ran out of the stadium towards the stables, where Epona waited. Link didn't know what restaurant they would go to, or what they would do after that…all he knew was that he felt like the luckiest guy in the world. He smiled to himself as they approached the entrance to the stables.

The Moblin approaching the door to Ganondorf's private quarters was scared.Frightened that he was the one who had to bring his lord the bad news. He and his buddies had drawn straws, and he had the longest one so he had to give Ganondorf the news this time.

He slowly approached the door, and used the golden Triforce-shaped doorknocker to knock.

"Enter."

Gathering his composure, the Moblin slowly opened the door, revealing a beautifully decorated room with golden embroidery and comfortable furniture. In a darkened corner, he sat, cross legged and meditating in midair. His hellish eyes lit the darkness as he watched the Moblin approach.

"What is it?"

"Um, m-my L-Lord G-Ganondorf…w-we have j-just learned that M-Mario failed in his m-mission. The H-Hero of T-Time came out v-victorious…" he said, trying to get his voice steady.

"WHAT?" yelled the King of Evil, quickly standing up.

The Moblin ran out of the room, screaming in fear as he ran for the safety of his post, slamming the door behind him.

Ganondorf walked out of the shadows, laughing evilly at the fleeing Moblin. Using dark magic, he had successfully transformed himself back into exactly how he had looked before he was sealed away in the War of Time. His former fat and enormous black and brownrobes were replaced by a finely toned body with thick, skin tight black and brown armor covering it. A Triforce symbol glimmered on his left fist, the Triforce of Power glowing the brightest.

'Fool...does he honestly think I'm angered? I figured it'd take more than a victim of mind control to stop Link. Still, the boy possesses great skill. I'm actually pleased he's stilla challenge...'

His door opened once again as the Koopa King Bowser entered the room, slowly bowing.

"My lord, our 'associates' have arrived."

"Good, make sure they're waiting in ourbriefing room, and have our chefs prepare them some refreshments. I shall be there shortly."

"Very good, my lord. Oh, and I have a message from Master Hand. He says that many fans are questioning what happened to Mario, and are becoming suspicious. He says that he wishes you to let the fights go on as planned, and to not interfere with them. He did say though, that your 'outside' activities can continue."

"Thank you for informing me, Bowser. Go join the others, you're dismissed."

Bowser bowed once again, and shut the door behind him. Ganondorf looked himself over once again in the mirror, marveling at what black magic could do if channeled correctly.

'Soon, my preparations will be complete. And then, after I gain control of the Triforce once again, I can proceed with my main plan!'

He laughed manically. Then, making sure his cape was on correctly, he walked out of his room.

I know, that was pretty long. But I had to make sure I included everything I wanted to. Usually I won't do long chapters like these, but I can't make any promises if it will happen again in the future. I don't know when the next chapter will be up, but expect it in the next three weeks or so. I swear, it won't be as long a wait as last time! While I have the chance, I'd like to thank Royal Kenya, BKP, and the other girls inRK's forum for encouraging me to get this up, and for their warm welcome into their forum. I'd also like to thank all my reviewers, whose reviews inspire me to keep going. Oh, and tomorrow is very special, as it marks the first anniversary of this story's publication! Yes my friends, it's almost been one year since this fic's first chapter was released, so congrats on a year of success for this story! Remember to check out my profile for updates on story progress, and please hit the little button below and review!

AUTHOR'S NOTE 8/3/06: I've resubmitted this chapter with some grammar errors fixed. The next chapter should be out soon, but I've had to rewrite it so it didn't sound like I was copying someone else's idea, which I don't want to do! Thanks for all the reviews so far, guys!