NOTES: I am so...SO sorry that I haven't updated anything in such a long time. I'd bore you all with a long explanation, but I think I've left you waiting long enough. Many thanks, as always, to The Stupendous Jimbo for his beta work and overall story advice. Onward to the next chapter!

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Super Smash Bros, nor do I own the Legend of Zelda, Star Fox, Metroid, or any other franchise described in this story. They all belong to Nintendo, and SSB also belongs to HAL Laboratories. All I own is this story and its ideas, please don't plagiarize or copy it. (Else I will find you…or my secret legion of minions will.)

(Please support the official release. ^^) -Chief's Beta

Chapter 27: Ambush in Ikana Canyon, Part II

A light breeze smoothed away the few strands of blonde hair as Link stirred. The Hylian groaned as he gingerly lifted himself off the dusty canyon ground until he stood up, brushing the sand off of his tunic.

Memories of the ambush played through his head as he remembered a black figure with crimson eyes grabbing his shoulders before he lost consciousness. Wait a moment…crimson eyes?

"Finally, you're awake. I was beginning to get bored…"

On instinct Link drew the Master Sword and Hylian Shield and turned to the source of the voice.

What he saw chilled his soul to the core.

A figure leaned against a boulder near the canyon edge with its arms crossed. Silver hair, pitch-black tunic, even blacker skin and face…and those eyes...

"Remember me, dear brother?" Dark Link sneered. "It's been far too long. Did you like my shadow trick?"

"But, how?" Link asked. "That future never happened! It was erased when I was sent back in time."

"True," Dark Link smirked. "But if that's the case, then I shouldn't be here, should I? Am I simply a figment of your imagination?"

Link ignored the taunt. "I know Ganondorf sent you. What's he up to?"

The demonic shade shrugged. "Don't know, and don't care. As long as I get to bleed you out until there's nothing left but a sack of skin, I could care less."

Link barely rolled to his left in time as his twin's blade cut through the space where his head had been. The Hero of Time retaliated with a jump attack but Dark Link caught it easily. Sparks erupted from the two locked swords as their masters pushed against each other.

"I'm disappointed; you've had all this time to improve, and yet you use the same old tricks," the demon said.

"We'll see," Link grunted. Without warning he stopped pushing and sidestepped. His twin's eyes widened as he stumbled forward, his back vulnerable to attack. The satisfying feel of steel cutting through flesh ran through Link as the Master Sword left a wide gash in his doppelganger's backside.

Dark Link tripped, shock visible on his face as he fell to the ground and lie still. Blood seeped out of the wound and stained the earth with a putrid green. It seemed that Ganondorf chose to give his creation a mortal body this time around.

"That's one problem down," Link muttered as he sheathed the ancient sword with a small victory flourish. His instincts screamed that the fight was too easy, but Link didn't care. He had to find Zelda and the others. He looked around the landscape, trying to spot any sign of his friends.

Crunch.

Link unsheathed the Master Sword as fast as he could and spun on his heels, catching Dark Link's blade just in time.

"Thanks for the warm-up," the shade grinned, his eyes dancing with glee as the two warriors broke apart and began a brilliant dance of blades.

Marth ran though the army of Stalfos and unleashed a flurry of strikes, severing bony limbs and heads with a precision only obtained through years of training. He slid to a stop, holding his beloved Falchion above him as a gigantic mist of black smoke arose from where the enemy had once stood.

He lowered the sword and searched for his comrades. It wasn't long before he spotted Zelda casting walls of flame around her, turning the closest Gibdos to ash in seconds and igniting the ones farther away. The undead moaned even louder as they collapsed, disappearing into black mist like the rest of Ganondorf's minions.

"Any luck finding Link?" Marth asked as he sprinted over.

"Nothing," she said with a frown. She had tried again to detect his presence with telepathy, but only silence answered her. It was as if Link had completely vanished from existence.

"Zelda, we can't keep this up. I'm not sure where all these things are coming from, but if we stay here we're going to be overwhelmed eventually."

Zelda nodded, wiping away the faint traces of sweat on her forehead. Though she didn't want to admit it, the last twenty minutes of nonstop magic use had seriously strained her core, and she didn't have any green potion to revitalize herself with. Marth was just as tired and had a few cuts on his cape and armor. Fortunately, none of those rusted blades had penetrated the skin, but he didn't want to keep pushing his luck.

"This has Ganondorf written all over it," Zelda said. "If he does anything to Link, I swear..."

Her hands curled into fists as Marth placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "We'll deal with him later, Zel. Right now we need to find Link, get our horses back and get to Clock Town before nightfall-,"

He stopped, a chilling fear running through his body.

'Idiot!'

How could he have forgotten? But with all of those things surrounding them. She couldn't have gone far...

"Zelda, where's Samus?"

Three Gibdos fell to the ground. The raw plasma cuts on their chests ignited their mummified bodies while more stepped over them, their arms reaching out for their prey.

Samus was exhausted. The scorching heat made it ten times worse, not to mention she was so used to the cool air that automatically filtered through her suit when she explored hot areas that she forgot what true heat felt like.

Her Zero Suit had multiple scratch marks on it, the reinforced Kevlar barely protecting her skin from outside infection. Her pistol's power cell was nearly depleted, the blade of the whip barely flickered as it tried to maintain its form. The weapon wasn't meant for such extraneous use; the last time it had been used this much was all the way back during her first mission on Zebes when she was shot down and had to sneak aboard a Space Pirate frigate. If she hadn't found the Chozo ruins that created a new suit for her, she didn't know how she would have made it off that planet alive.

'Too bad I can't summon the Fusion Suit at will like I did with my old Varia Suit. This fight would have been over a long time ago.'

Another Gibdos rushed at her as she stepped back, lashing out at it with her whip. The plasma sliced its arms off easily and lit the creature on fire. The flames consumed it until it fell smoldering to the rocky canyon surface. Her whip glimmered one more time before it faded completely.

"Shit," she muttered as the remaining Gibdos closed in on her. She backed up until she felt something hard against her backside. Panic started to set in; her remaining escape routes were cut off as the Gibdos surrounded her in a half circled arc, their groans longing for the taste of flesh.

There was nothing she could do. If she warded one off, several more would grab at her backside. If she ran through them, she'd be attacked or even worse, bitten. She didn't need her suit's scanner to imagine what a Gibdos bite could do to her...

Their arms were close now, the undead fingers almost reaching her chest and arms. She closed her eyes, a tear running down the otherwise fearless bounty hunter's cheek.

'Marth...I'm so sorry...'

"YAHHH!"

The nearest Gibdos' arm was dismembered after a figure dropped down from the ledge above her, cape billowing with sword in hand. Marth beat back the Gibdos with a ferocity Samus had never seen before. Before she could say anything to him, the back of the hoard exploded into a ball of flame. She looked in the opposite direction to see Zelda preparing another round of Din's Fire.

"Samus, come on!"

Marth grabbed her hand and ran through the path he and Zelda had made, beheading any Gibdos that blocked his path. Before she knew what was happening, Marth lifted her off the ground and tossed her on her backside ahead of him. She stood up and watched Marth finish off the stragglers, ethereal rage in his eyes. She had never seen him so angry in her life.

Only when the last Gibdos had been decapitated did he turn around to face her. His eyes immediately softened as he looked down at her, reaching for her hand as he hauled her up. She wrapped him in the tightest hug she could.

"You came..." she mumbled into his shoulder before he gently moved her head away and caught her lips with his. They broke apart as he held her in his arms, a smile on his face. He felt the dread he had felt moments ago leave him.

'Don't you ever scare me like that again," he whispered. She pulled him closer to her with a reassuring squeeze. It was the only answer he needed.

Zelda walked up to them with a smile of her own. "There's plenty of time for that later on."

Trying in vain to hide the blush on her cheeks, Samus let go of her boyfriend and switched back to bounty hunter mode.

"Right. I'm not positive, but I think I heard what sounded like metal clangs up on that ledge," she said, pointing to a boulder protruding from the top of the canyon. "It sounded like swords."

"Then that's where we'll go," Zelda said.

Samus nodded and took a few steps before she winced and grabbed her side. Marth was by her side in a flash. He ignored her protests and slung her left arm over his broad shoulders.

"Easy there, Sam."

"It's nothing, just a bruise," she said. "One of those damn Gibdos or whatever they're called slammed into me when I was distracted. You guys go on ahead, I'll be fine here."

"No, you're staying with me," Marth said. She went to argue but the stern look he gave her quelled any retort.

"Marth's right; we can't get separated again," Zelda said.

'But Samus does have a point. At this rate by the time we find Link he could be...'

She scolded herself. That kind of thinking wouldn't help them at all.

As if on cue, a faint neighing and the gallop of hooves came from the canyon entrance.

Link yelled from the pain in his right forearm as his shield took another thrust from his opposite's sword. Dark Link grinned even more as he continued to put Link on the defensive. He tried to counter but he just couldn't respond fast enough. Dark Link continuously kept changing styles and combos and seemed determined not to leave any openings.

"You've grown weak," Dark Link said as he relented his onslaught for a moment.

Link kept his shield raised but didn't respond. He took ragged breaths, ignoring the aches from his sore muscles.

He knew he was in trouble; Dark Link had barely a scratch on him while Link was covered in cuts, especially on his sword arm. He knew part of his opposite's newfound energy was Ganondorf's influence, but even still, shouldn't the reflection only be as strong as the original?

"It's a shame," Dark Link mocked, "especially after I heard what you did to that fool, Oikonny. I guess it was only a fluke. Oh well..."

Link was too slow to react when Dark Link barreled into him with his shield and shoved him to the ground like a ragdoll. The Hero of Time coughed as he struggled to rise.

Dark Link casually walked over to him, pausing at the hand that still clenched the Master Sword. He slammed his boot into Link's hand with a sickening crunch. Link let out a gut-wrenching scream as he felt the bones of his fingers break under the pain. Dark Link grinned as he twisted and turned his foot, increasing the pressure.

"That's it, scream for me little Link! Let me hear your torment as I squeeze every inch of life out of you!"

Link continued screaming, the pain becoming almost unbearable. He couldn't lose, not when Zelda and the others were still in danger. He had to save the others and defeat Ganondorf, not to mention resurrect Hyrule and all of those who had been lost in the flood. There was so much at stake, but he was still too weak.

'...Use me...'

Link's ears perked up at the new voice. "What?"

'You can't win by yourself...use me...like you did with Majora...'

Link's eyes widened. 'It can't be!'

'You know what I can offer you...use me again, and we'll be victorious...'

'I can't! I almost lost control of myself last time. It's too much power for one person to handle.'

The eyes of the mask in his magically-charmed pouch lit up with an ethereal white glow. 'Then why do you carry me around? Afraid to lose me, Hero?'

'I can't let you fall into the wrong hands. Until I can finally destroy you...'

'But you haven't, and you won't if you die here. Put me on...use me again, and you can still save them. Even her...'

'NO!'

Link gritted his teeth as Dark Link grinded his boot even harder into his hand, blood seeping out from beneath the blue hilt of his sacred blade.

"Hmm, maybe I'll go have some fun with that harlot of a princess of yours once I'm done with you. That is, if the Gibdos haven't ravaged her body yet."

'It's your choice, Hero. Die here, or live and save her...'

Zelda's smiling face flashed in his mind, the thought of her filling him with warmth and dread at the same time.

He couldn't lose her, she was all he had left.

It didn't take him long to make his decision, though it would come to haunt him for years to come.

Link summoned the last of his strength and kicked Dark Link in the ribs It was only enough to make him stumble, but that was all he needed. Link moved his bloody mess of a hand away, ignoring the burning pain as he leaped to his feet and backed away from his opposite, reaching into his tunic.

Dark Link went to rush at him again before he saw what Link pulled out. White hair, an expressionless face with tribal markings on it...

He intentionally faltered, feigning fatigue as he watched the Hero of Time don the Fierce Deity's Mask.

A white light blinded his vision as Dark Link heard the screams. He couldn't help the Cheshire grin that adorned his face. This was what he had been waiting for.

From the light stepped a being that was a few heads taller than the Hero of Time and wore the same boots, gauntlets, and a similar light violet hat, but the similarities ended there. He was dressed in a matching tunic, with an indigo undershirt and pants. The crescent moon and a triangle were etched in gold unto chest plate armor. In his hands he wielded a faded blue greatsword, the blades intertwined together in a helix.

What caught Dark Link's attention the most, however, was the face of the figure. A blue, V-shaped symbol and maroon tribal markings around the cheeks, with hair and eyes whiter than the moon. The eyes...they were pupil-less.

'So, this is the power Majora desires so much...'

The figure lifted the mighty greatsword in front of his torso and stared directly at Dark Link.

He gave a wicked smile before he rushed at the shadow at inhuman speed.

Whew, this one took way longer than I thought it would. Again, I'm so sorry it's taken me so long to update, my friends. It's been one thing after another this past year. I finished my senior year in college and graduate in May with a B.A. (woot!) and right now I'm on the job hunt and praying to find a way out of my crappy supermarket job. It's nice to be home though, I must say.

Anyway, you'll be happy to know that the next chapter is already done and in the beta stages! It will be released one week from now. The Ikana arc will be complete, and then we'll be getting into the final rounds of this tournament and to the end of this tale. It's a bit sad to think about, but at the same time, I'm glad. In a way, this fic represents some unfinished business on my part, and I really feel that it's holding me back a bit from venturing into newer and better things. If you look at my writing style starting out until now, you'll see how much I've improved over the course of this story. I really want to get into writing original fiction and having that be my sole focus soon. First though, I need to finish this story.

Don't worry though, I'll be sticking around as a fan fiction author. I just think it's time for me to evolve, so to speak. Keeping with that theme, I've recently come to a decision that I've been mulling over for some time.

-cue drum roll-

One week from now when the next chapter is released, I will be changing my author name from halomasterchief to another alias. I will still be using this account, but you will need to either find my new name, this story, or simply subscribe to author alerts in order to find me. I will be announcing the same thing on my other SSB story, Heart of Steel, when the next chapter is released (should be shortly after this update, but might take a bit longer as my beta is helping me to iron out some rough bits). I have another announcement to make to you all, but I'll save it for next time. Stay tuned to my author profile for updates. I'm always writing new ones!

Thanks for the support all, again it's really appreciated. If you would be so kind, leave a review and subscribe please; they make me write faster!

All the best,

-Chief