Yep. Isolde is dead. All that stuff I was setting up about her suspicion? Red herring.

So who it the murderer? Well, lucky for you, the big reveal is very, very close. After three years of myself, BabyG, KTE, and RF having thrown you off with clue after clue after false clue, I am finally going to give you all the answers you've been desperately waiting for. So expect a name to be dropped off at the very end of this chapter, along with an explanation of how everything happened next chapter. But, if you pick up on a few clues that are left, then you might not need the explanation. We shall see.

Anyways, let's get to the chapter now.

Chapter 24

Mario, Roy, and Albrecht had reconvened in the match lounge, waiting for Marth and Popo to return from their hunt. The trio waited in relative silence, nothing needing to be said between the three of them. They only hoped that Fox and Isolde were both all right, and they would be at ease once they had gotten any form of news.

When Marth and Popo entered the room, all three looked up. Nobody had any time to move before Marth rushed foward and socked Roy square in the eye with a bloody fist.

"Hey!" cried Mario in shock. "Marth, why--?"

"It's all your fucking fault!" screamed the prince of Altea. "It's all your fault she's dead! It's all your fault!"

"She?" Albrecht stood up abruptly, concern etched in his face. "You mean Isolde?"

"She was strapped to this machine!" cried Popo before Marth could reply. "And it cut her head off! It's horrible!"

"N... No... Not... not Isolde..."

Albrecht fell onto the ground on his knees, gripping the edge of the table in shock. "It can't be true," he said. "It can't be."

Marth, with a few tears spilling from his eyes, nodded. "I wish I could tell you otherwise," said the Altean.

And then the prince pointed at the fellow lord. "And it's his fault she's fucking dead!"

"W-what?" asked Roy. "How is it my fault?"

"Because you won the fucking match!" cried Marth, rushing the prince so that Roy was up against the wall and punching the wall behind him. "Because... Because you won... And... and..."

The royal could say no more, for then he choked and lost his composure completely. He then slid onto the ground, his back on the floor. He sobbed freely and moaned in grief as he lay on the floor, Albrecht gripping the table. Roy and Popo both stood there motionless, eyeing the scene of grief with much pity for the prince. Eventually, Roy bent down on his knees and hoisted Marth up against his shoulder. The prince was only too glad to take this, and he sobbed profusely against the red-head's shoulder as the German stood there with his eyes agape in shock.

Mario, however, was absolutely frozen where he stood. Looking down at his own hands, he shook his head. He thought of something horrible, but decided not to talk about it then and there. Part of him wanted it to not be true for the sake of Albrecht and Marth

But he knew that whatever it was, it could not lead to anything good. For there was one last question left in Mario's mind that needed to be answered.

"Wait," pointed out the plumber. "If Isolde was strapped to the machine, then what about Fox? Where is he now?"

Marth turned to the plumber, glaring angrily. "What, you want to make him seem guilty too?"

"He hasn't appeared again since!" cried Mario. "Think about it! Isolde goes missing, and then when Fox is supposed to die she winds up dead, and he's nowhere to be found!"

Marth blinked. "Well, anything could've happened Mario," he said. "We don't know what happened in there..."

Mario crossed his arms in front of him. "Then where is he now?" he asked. "Huh?"

The prince of Altea frowned. "I haven't even begun looking for him yet," replied the prince bitterly. "What makes you think I know where he is right now?"

The plumber frowned at this. "Well, then go find him!" said Mario. "Just you watch! I'll bet he's--"

And without further warning, Mario felt himself get punched in the face. Reeling back, he felt the swelling on his eye as Marth looked at him wildly, fist raised with the other three looking at the plumber and back at the prince.

"Have you no shame?" cried out the royal. "Are you just going to blame everybody that goes missing now that the tournament is in its final stretches?"

"You don't know that they're murdering people!" cried the plumber angrily. "Fox is the only other one to survive his match, and he's gone missing! It has to be him!"

"You don't know it either!" replied the prince. "So you have even less ground to accuse people by!"

"Damn it, Marth, won't you listen to reason?" cried Mario.

"Reason? From a raving madman? I think not!"

"I am not raving! It's the only logical solution there is!"

"Then whatever happened to what Bowser said earlier in this tournament?" cried Marth. Mario did not have a rebuttal for this, so the prince continued to speak. "We were to trust each other with our lives, Mario! And here you are, taking their trust and dashing it into the ground! If nothing else, think about all those that have died and how you're dishonoring them by accusing the second person to survive of committing the murders? Did Popo do anything?"

"That's different!" cried the plumber. "He came back to us!"

"And yet you don't know if he's been sneaking off, killing people!" cried the prince. "This is something similar!"

Growling, Mario turned to Popo, Roy, and Albrecht angrily. "Then what do you guys think?" asked Mario.

There was a tense silence in the room, nobody daring to speak before anybody else. Roy, Popo, and Albrecht glanced at each other nervously before looking to the enraged plumber. Finally, Roy cleared his throat.

"If I may, maybe you are a little out of hand," said the lord.

"Again, accusing people cost us Ganondorf and Pikachu," said Albrecht. "I would not want such an incident to occur to Fox."

"What?" cried Mario, more enraged than ever. "How can you guys--?"

And Popo suddenly screamed out, "You're just mad because Peach is dead!"

Mario was stock still for a second or two, not believing what had just come out of the Ice Climber's mouth. All eyes went to the child as he frowned at Mario, glaring at the plumber as the shock of what he had just said settled in. Marth blinked solitarily, his jaw hanging slack at what he had just heard come out of the Ice Climber's mouth.

After the tense seconds passed, Mario growled, seemingly fuming at what he had just heard.

"You... You little wiseass!"

And then, a few minutes passed of Marth and Roy keeping Mario off of the young Ice Climber as the boy retreated to Albrecht, very frightened by the plumber's sudden outburst. A loud clamor ensued as Mario kicked and screamed, at a couple of points knocking some chairs down in his rampage. He put up a good fight as he resisted against Marth and Roy.

Finally, the three of them exited the room, with only Popo and Albrecht still inside the match lounge as the aftermath of Mario's outburt passed.

Some time later, Marth sat in his room, his back against the headboard on the bed as he cried his last tears for Isolde. The prince of Altea had taken enough of Mario's insults of Isolde and Fox, and so he had retreated to his room instead of looking for the vulpine combatant. He still needed time to get over the shock of Isolde's death, and so he sat by himself in his room.

He was silently contemplating his time with Isolde when suddenly he heard a knock on his door. Knowing that it was likely someone who wanted to talk to him, the prince nodded.

"Come in," he said.

The door opened, and in strode Popo, looking up to the dejected prince. The Ice Climber walked to the prince of Altea, jumping onto the bed beside him.

"How are you?" asked the boy as soon as he had settled onto the bed next to Marth.

"Not too well," replied the prince. "I can't really feel all that well when someone I cared about immensely winds up dead."

Popo nodded, scooting closer to the prince. The two of them were silent for some time, Popo seeing if the prince had anything to add. After the silence, Popo shifted his feet.

"You know, I felt almost exaclty the same way you do now when Nana died," said the Ice Climber. "I didn't want to leave my room either. Well, I mean, all my injuries didn't help, but even if I could I hadn't wanted to. I just wanted to crawl into a corner and die..." Here, the child shifted slightly. "All I'm saying is this; if you ever need someone to talk to before the next match, don't hesitate to say anything."

Marth nodded silently, looking at the wall on the opposite side of the room. The two of them were silent for a few more seconds before Marth brought his knees to his chest. He hugged them in close, his hands taking a hold of each other.

"I reallyhad come to care for her," he said. "She was... She was a really sweet woman. And she did her best to help us get out of this mess. I don't know. I became really close to her in the end... And to think that she got killed by the murderer when he had no business with her..."

Popo nodded. "I can see why you feel awkward..." said the climber.

The prince nodded, setting his chin on his knees. "In a way, I can't shake off the feeling that maybe Isolde's death was a sacrifice to let Fox live..." he said. "The murderer had no reason to kill her... I know Mario is probably right about what he said, but for some reason my fantasy is so good I want to believe it. It's kind of... beautiful..."

The boy seemed to understand this, remaining silent as he did. A new thought occurred to him, though, and he voiced it almost instantly.

"You think Mario's the killer?" he asked. "That outburst was a little violent..."

Marth shook his head. "As you said, he's probably just angry because Peach is dead," he said at length. "He's in mourning too, even if he doesn't want to admit it. He may have a point, but he's also letting anger filte into his feelings..."

Popo nodded. "Okay," he said. "I'm just gonna stay here..."

"By all means," replied the prince. "I think I could use someone to talk to."

And so the two of them sat on the bed, talking for the rest of the day in the prince's grief.

The next day, Mario was not at the teleportation pads to wish either combatant good luck. Popo took this as a bad sign almost immediately, but he dared not say anything about it.

"You know..." said Roy. "I worry about Mario..."

"So do I," replied the prince of Altea. "But in the end, I don't think he would've seen you off too well..."

"That's true," replied Roy.

Popo glanced around nervously. "Are you sure this doesn't mean he's the murderer?"

Marth chuckled at the Ice Climber's question. "I'm sure," replied the prince. "Just because he's mad at me over thinking that Fox isn't the murderer doesn't mean he is the murderer. Now be a good boy, all right?"

"All right," said the Ice Climber. Albrecht had volunteered to run into the wall as soon as the match had ended, and so Popo had been left alone since Mario was being highly uncooperative with everybody that was left. Everybody had reached that agreement relatively quickly, and so Popo would stay in the match lounge waiting for Roy to return.

"Okay," said Marth. "May the best fighter win."

"Likewise," replied Roy with a nod.

And with this, the two fighters were teleported into the arena on which they would fight. With this, Popo turned to Albrecht.

"Good luck trying to save on of them," said the boy cheerfully.

"I'll try," replied Albrecht.

With this, the German sped out of the room as quickly as he could. Popo thought he had detected something rather odd about the tone of voice the head of the tournament had used, but brushed it off quickly, moving to the match lounge slowly as he hoped that the loser would make it out of whatever trap the murderer had left for him.

Swords clashed, the loud sound of metal colliding with metal ringing loudly in the air. Marth and Roy held nothing back, the two of them fighting each other knowing that it would be the last fight either one of them would experience.

They knew nobody was really watching anymore given that the arena's audience was now empty and the whole bit with the communication made it impossible to get the fight out to anybody, especially themselves. However, the thrill of the duel was still strong within Marth, and he fought with everything he had.

It was an opportunity he had been unable to have with Bowser's match. And Roy was proving himself to be a worthy contestant in the tournament, so much so that Marth actually found himself being challenged satisfyingly.

He hoped the lord of Pherae would not be the last opponent he ever faced, however.

The two of them simply kept exchanging blows, sending each other flying out of the arena. Marth had lost track of his stocks somewhere along the line; he was so fixated on winning and making sure that he survived that he lost track of it after a while and stopped caring. It was partly the fear of dying that made Marth duel more impulsively, as he and Roy were both making errors that neither one would normally make. They would be so close, and yet...

The fact that the tournament was almost over was lost to the prince. For some reason, he had trouble registering that it would finally end for Popo and either himself, Roy, or Mario soon enough. It was quite a daunting prospect, and it filled Marth with energy.

Nevertheless, he began to find himself loosing focus, even as Roy rained more blows on him. The prince felt himself get cornered into the edge of the stage ever so slowly, and as the prince of Altea fought back he couldn't help but feel he had already lost the match.

This was confirmed when he was sent flying unceremoniously into the great beyond.

Ah, well, he thought. At least I go to fight for my life...

And then, Marth disappeared in a dazzling display of blue light.

Popo had been sitting in the match lounge doing nothing in particular when Roy came over.

"Oh, Roy!" said the Ice Climber as the lord of Pherae walked in. "You made it out!"

"I hope Albrecht got a good hold of Marth," said the prince. "I know I should probably check it out... but..."

"But what?" asked Popo.

The lord of Pherae shrugged. "I've been thinking, Popo," he said. "About the start of the tournament, and when Sergio approached me..."

The Ice Climber nodded. "Uh-huh," he said. "What about it?"

Roy shook his head. "When I first met him, I would always feel this great pain in my body..." he admitted. "Like all my bones were on fire. And the wierd thing is, it happened every time I saw him!"

At this, Popo frowned. "You mean, seeing him triggered these things?" he asked.

"Not only that," replied the prince. "But he was always talking about my mind and something and how he only needed that and the pain would stop... I think it might have something to do with my tendency to sleepwalk... I don't know what he would've wanted, but I couldn't help but be freaked out by that..."

At this, Popo blinked. "Roy?" he asked.

"Yes, Popo?" asked the prince.

"Why didn't you say anything about this earlier?" he asked.

Roy glanced to the side briefly before remembering that Popo had been a part of the investigation that Bowser had started. "I don't quite catch your meaning," said the prince. "Why do you ask?"

"I dunno," said Popo. "But when I first came here, Nana, Link and I watched this really creepy movie where someone manipulated a somnambulist to kill people as an experiment. I think it was called... something... The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. Maybe... maybe it might tie into this..."

At this, however, the group was interrupted by a loud boom coming from the wall. Turning quickly, Popo and Roy both looked in the direction the sound had come from.

"What the hell?" cried Roy. "There's a white screen here too?"

Before either one could comment, a loud noise was heard and suddenly the form of Mario came flying through the wall. The plumber crashed into the wall by the door, looking winded as he slumped down. Blinking in surprise, Popo and Roy both stood there.

"Mama mia!" cried the plumber, wiping the sweat off of his forehead as Popo suddenly noticed that the plumber was holding something in his hand. "That was close!"

"Wait, what's that in your hand?" asked Roy.

The plumber opened his hand as Popo came closer. The climber took a look at it before picking it up, gazing at it strangely.

"A voodoo doll?" he asked.

"Of Marth?" asked Roy, raising an eyebrow.

And suddenly, more loud booms were heard from the wall. Popo, Roy, and Mario all cringed at each sound that was heard coming from the wall. There seemed to be a climactic confrontation occurring in the next room, and Roy and Popo were unsure of what to make of it. Mario simply stood back up, brushing some dust that had accumulated on his overalls as he looked to the wall that he had flown into the room from.

And then, Marth came running out of the room. He had a few cuts on his arm and a cut on his cheek, but nevertheless he was still alive. This came as a major relief to Roy and Popo, both of whom smiled broadly.

"Marth!" they cried in unison.

They had no time to expound further, though, for then the figure of Fox came running into the room. This was shocking enough, but then another person followed behind him that shocked Roy and Popo out of their minds.

"Peach?" asked Roy.

And indeed, for the princess of the Mushroom Kingdom ran into the room, not dead, but rather still quite alive. She looked at the two dumbfounded people nervously as she entered the room, coming next to Fox by the door as the group of six Smashers stood at the other end of the room.

All was tense for a period of about ten seconds. Peach, Fox, Mario, and Marth all breathed heavily in and out as they looked at the wall where they had come from. Popo and Roy stared at Peach, still in disbelief that she had been alive the entire time. The two of them were silent as well, wondering why everybody was so tense.

And then, a curse was flung at the group from the other side of the wall, and then, silence.

Fox looked to everybody in the room, placing his hands on his hips as he looked around him.

"Is everybody all right?" he asked.

"Yeah, we're fine," said Peach, brushing some dust off of her pink dress.

Marth nodded. "A few cuts and bruises, but so long as Mario has the doll, I should be fine."

The plumber nodded, facing Fox. "I'm sorry for doubting you there," he said.

"Hey, in your situation, I would've done the same thing," replied the vulpine with a soft smirk on his face. "Let's put it that way."

"Wait, wait, wait, wait,, wait," said Popo. "How did Peach survive?"

"Long story," said Fox, opening the door and checking the corridors. "We need to go to my room. Now. It'll only be a matter of time before he finds us."

"Who?" asked Roy. "The murderer?"

Mario nodded. "Now that his cover is broken, he'll want us all."

"Wait, his cover?" asked Roy, indicating Fox. "You mean you figured it out?"

Fox nodded quickly, looking into the room briefly. "I'll explain more when we get to my room," he said. "For now, it's the only safe place I can think of."

"So we need to get there fast!" said Peach, the remaining five peeking over the doorway and looking down at the vulpine. Upon nodding, the six of them set off quickly.

However, as they moved, something quite startling occurred to the Ice Climber, and suddenly he ran in front of the group, halting their progress as they all stopped walking.

"Wait!" said Popo. "What about Albrecht? He's still in there! We have to--"

"Fuck Albrecht!" spat the vulpine quickly. "If we want to save ourselves, we have to go now!"

"But Fox, he could be in terrible danger!" cried the lord of Pherae.

Marth shook his head. "That's the trouble," replied the prince. "He isn't in danger."

"Why not?" asked Popo. "Does he know some secret kung-fu style that we don't know about?"

Peach frowned. "No," she said.

"But... Is he good at dodging?"

"Not even that," replied Fox, shaking his head. "Now come on, you're--!"

"Then how?" asked Popo, getting increasingly agitated by the second. "How is he safe?"

Fox and Peach both gave each other a quick look, the vulpine seeming to ask Peach's permission to speak. When she nodded, the fox turned to Popo, inhaling and exhaling at length.

"Albrecht will be fine," he said. "He'll be fine, because Albrecht is the murderer."