From the Publisher: So, so, SO sorry for the incredibly late update, folks! I knew that BabyG was having a hard time adjusting to college, so after all that shebang you get this. From all of us from the La Belle team, we apologize greatly!

So, this is BabyG's chapter, so I'll hand it over to her now, and I hope you enjoy our first update in forever!

La Belle

Chapter 17

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Peach couldn't take the pressure anymore. She stormed out of the room without another word leaving the frustration, and pain behind. The conversations between her fellow smashers had faded as the door closed behind her. Ness's inert body was still lying on the ground. How could Bowser accuse her like that? She warned him. She warned them all, but their focuses were stuck on the fact that Ness survived…only to have his little moment of fame end up being the celebration of his death.

Perhaps that was the point. Peach shook her head. It was getting even more complicated as the tournament continued on. The murderer was tricky. Everything was planned from the beginning. It is what Peach presumed. He or she has a list of diverse methods of killing people. With each death continuing one after another, the murder draws a line and proceeds to the next.

The hallway back to her dorm seemed to stretch on forever. She listened to her footsteps feeling her heart pound forcefully against her chest. Her mind raced to all of those who had died. Link. Luigi. Pikachu. Ganondorf. Ness. She couldn't help, but think that she was next. Only a few smashers remained alive, most trying desperately to unravel the mysterious monster.

Suddenly Peach felt herself catch her breath. Her legs gave in on her as she fell against the wall sliding to the cold dark floor beneath her. Numerous tears rolled down her reddened cheeks as uncontrollable sobs escaped her lips. She found herself shaken by the discovery. The weight of what is to come placed itself upon Peach's shoulders.

It was her time to battle in the tournament.

Her life was now placed upon the line along with her opponent. It would be a difficult match as the two competitors are none other best friends and two females.

Peach was scheduled to battle against Zelda.

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"Come on, Samus!" Isolde stood impatiently in Samus' dorm. She faced the bounty hunter who remained silent on the edge of her bed. "You have to believe me."

Samus shook her head. "It doesn't make sense."

"Ness survived!" Isolde held a strong confident grin across her face. "Fox had found him after the match."

"I don't think whoever is killing everyone would let something like this slide." The blonde smasher felt her shoulders drop.

Ness was alive? Samus shook her head again. It was too hard to believe. The bounty hunter wanted to be as content as Isolde but found no reason to jump to conclusions and agree. She had her share of pain throughout the tournament. She didn't want another in her life. The trial turned into a disaster when Ganondorf was found innocent after his death. Now Isolde is saying the loser of the latest battle is alive?

"Why not come with me to visit him?" Isolde suggested, also helping the smasher to get back onto her feet.

"Fine." Samus agreed. She stood to her feet just as a blue hair prince walked into the room through the opened door.

Samus caught on to the aghast expression across Marth's face. She clearly understand which caused her believe her theory of Ness is false. Marth had battled the young child. Apparently the prince had won the match. Samus placed her hands on her hips as Isolde stepped next to Marth wrapping her arm around his.

"Are you okay, Marth?" She questioned looking up at him.

Marth steadily nodded. "I'm still spooked.

"Tell her Ness is alive." Isolde explained, "Samus doesn't believe me."

Marth turned to Samus solving the situation. "He is alive, Samus. I'm still shocked about the discovery but Ness is saved."

Samus threw her hands up in the air. "Okay. I'm going to follow you both and you guys can show me. I want to see him."

Isolde and Marth both nodded as they stepped to the side. Samus headed toward the door only to be halted by the young Pilot who blocked the door. Fox appeared devastated as he returned the gaze at the three in the room. His ears hung low as his eyes were dull with defeat.

"Don't bother." Fox muttered.

Samus raised an eyebrow perplexed. "What do you mean?"

"Ness is gone."

Isolde gasped grabbing Marth's arm tighter as the prince's eyes widened. "How is that possible?" Marth inquired.

"Ness was poisoned. The murderer had put cyanide in his food." Fox stepped deeper into the room and fell on the nearest bed.

Samus spun around. "Cyanide?"

Fox nodded. Samus crossed her arms. So the triumphant Ness was given only a few more minutes before perishing for good. The murderer was messing with them now. Whoever it was, was taking the advantage creating some type of game with it. It created hell for them, but to the murder it was fun.

"What's going on now?" Isolde questioned.

Fox shrugged. "Everyone is still trying to move on from Ness's death."

Samus sighed. "We need to get ahead of this murder. We need to come up with new plans."

"We've tried everything." Fox explained.

"We have to keep trying." Marth stepped up.

Samus agreed. She wasn't going let another innocent smasher get killed. It was time for them to truly step up in the game and put the murder to rest for a change.

"If we keep putting our minds together I'm sure we will uncover something. I bet the answer is right in front of us."

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"Why are we going to argue on something like this?"

Bowser stood by the girl's dorm as he continued to watch both princesses bickering on the battle that's to come. It was truly a difficult decision. Everyone who had previously fought came to an agreement on who would sacrifice themselves. Of course, this was the first battle against any of the girls. There was a lot more to it now. Just like the children in the tournament, no one wants to see a girl get killed.

Zelda and Peach both weren't agreeing anytime soon. Bowser didn't have any say in their conversation. Neither did Mario who accompanied them still distraught that it was Peach's turn. No one wanted to point names or suggest who take the fall. They decided to just let the girls come to an agreement, no matter how long it takes.

"This is horrible." Nana placed her hands on her cheeks shaking her head. She sat on the edge of Zelda's bed silently listening to the conversation.

"Peach…" Zelda sighed. "I have made sacrifices before. I want to do this, please. I have already lost everyone. Why not let me take the fall?"

"Because I'll never forgive myself!" Peach snapped replying back. "I've made sacrifices too in my life. I just can let this happen."

"But you have Mario." Zelda held her hand out to Mario silently standing next to Bowser. "You still have a life ahead of you."

"And you don't?" Peach whispered staggered by the fellow princess's comment. "Zelda, please…"

Bowser sighed deeply. He hated this. He hated everything. There was going to be no way around it. Everything they have thought of has failed or back fired in their face. He still hasn't gotten over Ness's death and knew that it would take a while before he does. The murderer was getting smarter each time around with extra plans up their sleeve. Knowing that either Peach or Zelda weren't going to be alive tomorrow brought more discomfort.

"I'd never thought I'd seen two competitors argue like this." Bowser commented. Mario lowered his head. "It proves that they are strong."

Nana fiddled with her fingers. "True princess..."

Peach frowned and sat down on the bed behind her. She held her arms as Zelda continued to stare at her waiting for something to be said. An idea finally came into the Hylian Princess as she stepped next to Peach placing her hand on her shoulder.

"I thought of something."

Peach lifted her head. "What's that?"

"How about we make this a true battle?" Zelda suggested. "We fight like we're giving it all we got."

Peach thought about Zelda's offer, thinking it through while Bowser nodded to himself. He understood what Zelda explained. It would help their decision since the two couldn't come to an agreement. Just have a normal battle. Both of them fight each other as if their lives weren't on the line. In the end, it basically came down to who was better fighter.

Mario suddenly stood and turned leaving the room. Peach frowned as she watched him depart, before standing and facing Zelda. She smiled and held her hand out toward Zelda.

"Okay, I agree."

Zelda grabbed Peach's hand and shook it. "May the best woman win."

"Deal."

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Zelda and Peach both stood facing each other. Each princess was set at the end of the stage waiting for the announcer to initiate the battle. Their location was Yoshi's Island. It would be the last battle stage one of them would fight on. The thought was terrifying to know in just minutes one of them was going to die. One would be able to regroup with the other smashers and thankfully live another day, as oppose to the other who will wait in agony for their final hour to arrive.

They remembered the deal they agreed upon. They would fight each other giving the best they can. Two princesses would battle each other as if they were experiencing a normal match with high hopes of continuing in the tournament. Of course the stakes were raised and the prize was life. Peach tried hard to push away the fact that the loser won't make it out alive. Zelda could only think about her outcomes. She would either be able to see those who had already faced death or continue to live fighting in reality that has turned to hell.

"Ready.…"

Both girls hunched over as they continued to stare at each other. They were both ready, and fully charged for the battle. Their minds were set on winning, but it didn't stop either one of them for thinking about taking the fall. They waited impatiently for the final word to be called. It seemed forever before the word finally echoed into their ears causing both princesses to sprang into action.

The battle was fierce and competitive as each princess fought for their life. Zelda swiftly fired Din's Fire as Peach leaped into the air dodging her attack. She landed right in front of the Hylian Princess, and swung her arms around knocking Zelda back with the golf club.

Seconds steadily turned to minutes as the determined princesses began to show signs of weakening. Peach and Zelda's moves were both slow and enervated. They have moved the battle to the end of the stage were Peach almost slipped off but abruptly recovered.

Zelda lifted her arms into the air as she lunged forward colliding right into the other princess. Peach felt herself trip as they both fell back plummeting off the stage falling into the utter darkness beneath them.

Suddenly…

"Game!"

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Fox walked up to the monitor watching it carefully. The entire room sat in silence as they waited for the winner of the battle to return. It was a close match, and from what Popo had calculated both princesses were tied until the last moment. One princess had fallen first and lost the match, but whom?

The anticipation was building as Fox briefly looked back to the remaining survivors. Bowser and Mario had their eyes planted to screen while the Ice Climbers siblings talked softly to each other. Samus and Isolde both with similar distraught expressions across their face, waited impatiently. Marth had departed from the early searching for Pichu and Roy.

Suddenly someone had teleported back to the room causing everyone to hush. Fox stepped back as Peach almost collapsed in the room, but managed to regain her composure.

"Hurry!" She gasped.

Mario jumped over toward Mushroom Princess ecstatic that she was alive. "What's wrong?"

"We need to find Zelda." Peach exclaimed.

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The Hylian Princess found herself surrounded by darkness. She held her hands out in front of her as she paced around the area desperately searching for a light switch or anything for that matter. Her body briefly ached from the battle against Peach as her heart pounded against her chest. Her eyes failed to adjust to her surroundings causing her to panic.

"It is an honor, Princess Zelda."

Zelda immediately stopped. She took a deep breath searching for the person responsible for calling her. Nobody came into the picture, but someone came to mind.

"You…" She whispered.

The person chuckled. "Me? You know me?"

Zelda continued to search walking forward. "You're the murderer…" She was astonished at how her voice trembled.

"So you do know me…but let me ask you Zelda. Do you really know who I am?" The murderer questioned.

Zelda felt her hands collide into a cement cold wall. She turned around and leaned against her back feeling her heart begin to beat faster. Despite the fact that she was against something cold, her palms and forehead continued to sweat.

"I am the one who killed your friends. I am the one who put them through the torture, and agony they faced. I had made it so they wanted to kill themselves to just get away from the pain…"

Zelda shook her head as she felt her chest begin to burn. Her heart continued to pound as her upper body ached with every movement. She felt heat rising from her chest traveling up her throat causing her to fall to her knees.

"No…" She called. "Leave…me alone…"

"I am the one who decided their fate." The murderer continued with their previous rambling. The voice had gotten louder as if he was standing right near her. "I became their greatest fear. I became death."

Zelda felt her body begin to tremble as she wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. She began to have trouble breathing, taking quick short breaths. She never realized how terrifying it was to be alone with the murderer. The courage she developed when willing to throw her life away faded. The moment she heard his voice, her world turned upside down.

"How would like your death to be?" The question lingered in the air. "Would you like to suffer the same fate as previous friends? Would you like to have a knife at your throat slowly slicing the very skin cells that protect your body? Or would you like to be tortured having your body impaled or spine torn in two? You decide…"

It was just the thought of choosing death that caused Zelda to panic. It was an attack that occurred inside of her causing more pain than what the murderer was planning to do. She felt nausea; sick to her stomach. Her mind began to spin as her heart continued to burn. It was the fastest she believed her heart could ever pump and in one swift moment felt as if it had shattered into pieces.

Her mind had gone blank as the darkness fully consumed her. Her breath was drawn out in a heavy hoarse sound before she took her final breath.

" Who am I to call this one my death…" The murderer called out. "It was your own bodily functions that chose it for you."

Deep laughter echoed into the blackness surrounding her as it steadily faded leaving the princess in eternal slumber.

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