Clash of the Smashers

by Lord Drash

An adventure like no other! Ten...nine heroes band together to stop Master Hand from combining forces with the villains from multiple worlds, and starting a third and final tournament...But can the heroes themselves be trusted? FINALLY COMPLETE!

52. Darkness and Flame

Clash of the Smashers

Chapter Fifty-Two: Darkness and Flame

Mario's horrifying words echoed around Final Destination as he calmly stepped out of the group and walked to Kidar, stopping when he stood next to him and adopted a relaxed and altogether cheerful pose.

The platform the Smashers were on seemed to become immeasurably colder, as if they were traveling throughout the depths of frozen space, rather than a swirling nexus of all the dimensions. Kidar's wintry gaze took in the Smashers as they stared blankly and in shock at Mario, who upon reaching Kidar's side adopted a relaxed and loose pose and turned to his companions.

It was hard to pick which one had a more terrifying expression. Kidar's was like that of an icy lake, harsh and unforgiving. His eyes seemed to glow faintly with a dark and violent violet light that promised agony…and above all else, domination. As Kidar himself said, it was odd for a being that was created only to serve would have such an overpowering desire to control but the desire was obvious to those who saw it. The worst part of it all though, was that this monster, this heartless fiend, had posed as their friend, a lovable bumbling swordsman who had only wanted to impress. Even Link, who had suspected more, had never suspected the depths Kidar could sink, the sheer and unbelievable prowess he had at lying and manipulating…every single word, action, even his expressions had all been falsehoods designed solely to get them to trust him…and unknowingly do his bidding.

Mario's expression on the other hand, was as far apart from Kidar's as it could get. Where Kidar's was emotionless and unforgiving, Mario's eyes blazed with a terrifying joy as they looked at the others over his large nose. Fires danced in his expression, fires that bespoke of terrible power and hidden rage that even now bubbled to the surface in a desperate and unquenchable desire. A faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as his fists clenched and unclenched. He was happier than they had ever seen him before…but that was decidedly not a good thing.

"I don't…I don't understand," Link said, looking at Mario in confusion, "What is this?"
Kidar smiled at that, a twisting of the face that did nothing to make it look more inviting.

"You still don't get it, do you? Oh my, it's really too bad you weren't blessed with the Triforce of Wisdom…maybe then you wouldn't be such an idiot…of course that could explain why you weren't given it…"
"Stop it!" Samus said, "You betrayed us…you don't need to insult us as well!"

"Fine, fine," Kidar said, still grinning and raising his hands in a mock "don't yell at me" pose, "I guess it all started…what?"

Mario raised a hand, palm towards Kidar in a clearly halting motion.

"I want to tell this," Mario said, his voice carrying only a hint of the expected Italian accent. It revealed nothing about how he felt, it was calm and controlled, although unlike Kidar's superior but cold tone, Mario's was conversational, with but a slight taste of deeper emotion.

"Fine…it's your story now."

Mario cleared his throat, his voice slightly raspy from little use, but before he could begin speaking Falco interjected.

"Sorry for interrupting," Falco said in a tone that implied he was not sorry, "But why are you even bothering to tell us all this? Why'd you tell us your life history if you're just going to force us to join you? Wasting a bit of time aren't you?"

Mario looked a little off-put about being cut off before he could begin, but Kidar was the one who answered the question.

"A valid point…and I'll be honest, the main reason is I hoped that after all that, you would realize that I was your best chance for a future…but clearly," Kidar said, as several snorts of disbelief met his ears, "I was wrong."
"Is that it?" Meta Knight asked, his deep voice coming as a bit of a surprise since he had remained strangely silent, "Is that why you feel so compelled to tell us everything about yourself?"

Kidar gave Meta an amused look before responding, "No…it isn't…oh Meta, there is much that is going to change…"

That odd statement brought several confused glances but before any more questions could be raised, Kidar spoke again.

"I respected you all enough that even if I am about to beat the stuffing out of you and enslave you, I feel you at least deserve to know why."

"Gee, thanks," Falco said, "But-"

"Enough questions for now," Mario said, silencing Falco instantly, "It is my turn to speak."

Falco looked decidedly upset that he was cut short, but Mario had an air about that bespoke extreme pain if he wasn't allowed to speak.

Mario began to talk then, casually moving around the stretch of land between Kidar and the others, as if talking to both. While he spoke the others remained silent…more out of shock than out of any respect for the plumber.

"I have been a hero, widely considered one of the greatest, for over a quarter of a century. I say this now, not out of any conceit or attempt at boasting, but to help you understand why I have made the choices that I have. You see, it is boring, to constantly be the good guy, the hero, the champion…especially when you have nothing to show for it."

As Mario talked his voice occasionally rose in timbre and pitch, excitement boiling just beneath the surface, and unlike Kidar's icy and heartless speech, Mario's was revealing that he cared a great deal…it just wasn't about anything good.

"You see, I've saved the princess dozens of times, stopped villains from things as simple as blocking off trade routes and causing general mischief, to conquering nations and ending more than one world…hell, I've even saved the universe!

"And what do I have to show for all that?" Mario demanded, spinning towards the others, his body exuding flames, "NOTHING! Millions upon millions owe me their lives and all I get is a shack with my coward of a brother!"

"That doesn't mean you have join Kidar!" Link interjected, "Geez man, you're iconic, everyone respects you…and you're going to throw that away for the lies he promises you? Come on…I thought you were better than that!"
Mario gave Link a long look…and then he smiled.

"I guess I didn't explain myself well enough. I'm not "joining" him now…I've been helping him since before this adventure started."

"You've been WHAT?!" Link, Samus, Falco, Diddy, Raichu and Meta said and even Kirby looked angry. The seven stepped forward but a burst of flame erupted from Mario's hand and impacted the ground in front of them, forcing them to step back.

"Now, now…it's rude to interrupt," Kidar said, wagging a finger disapprovingly at them, "Although if you want, we could just fight now…"

"No," Samus said, "I want to know how…Mario ended up working for a scumbag like you."

"I'm not working for-a him," Mario said irritably, his accent becoming slightly thicker as his temper rose, "I'm working with him…we're partners."

"Sure," Meta said, "And how'd that happen?"
"Hmph," Mario said, "As I was saying…After over twenty-five years of being the greatest hero that ever existed I still found myself living in a small shack on the outskirts of town, while the princess I kept rescuing lived in a castle surrounded by servants. I didn't use to care…but as I continued to put my life on the line for seemingly no reason, I began to grow bitter, angrier. I was on the verge of snapping and I honestly don't know what I would have done if Kidar didn't end up in my backyard."
At that there were several surprised looks at Kidar, who merely frowned slightly before answering.

"After my battle with M.C., I opened a portal, I didn't plan on it going anywhere specific, I just wanted out of there, and so I suppose it was my good fortune that I ended up near Mario."

"Yes, well…he was weak and near death when I found him. I could tell he had an unsavory look, and I thought he was some minion of Bowser's or something. I was actually looking forward to unleashing some of my frustration, but he managed to stop me from killing him.

"He told me of his history and, seeing a kindred soul in me, offered me a chance to join him in his plans of conquest. I did not however, jump at the chance. I was wary and distrustful…I nursed him back to health, in a secret basement in my house…heh, Luigi thinks I never found it…and while he healed and grew stronger we spoke and planned, and I realized that what he was offering me was exactly what I wanted…a chance to do something different, to get rewarded for all my hard work…and have quite a bit of fun.

"We both agreed the first thing we had to do was assemble an army, or at least a group, of strong capable fighters who would be willing to fight at our side…and I suggested the combatants from the Melee tournament. Kidar agreed, but in order to get them to come we couldn't tell them the actual reason for why we wanted them, so I sent a bogus letter to Peach, requiring her and my brother to leave on business. With them gone, I was free to let Kidar roam free, none of the Mushroomers would dare question me on anything…they would all die for me, so at least I have that," Mario said, grinning slightly.

"This is insane," Diddy mumbled, "I just…can't believe that Mario…"

"Once the castle was solely in my control I sent out more requests to every member of the Melee tournament, with the exception of Mewtwo, Bowser and Ganondorf, stating that Peach needed them to help guard the castle from Bowser. Strangely, most didn't show, although now we know that M.C. and his goons had already captured several and now we know why Diddy and Raichu came, in place of Donkey Kong, Pikachu and his friends…you wanted assistance, combat assistance, much in the same way we did."

"Don't you dare compare us, we are nothing like you!" Raichu spat, "You sicken me!"

"As if I care," Mario said gleefully, "You can be sick all you want…it won't change a thing!"

"I don't know how much more of this I can stomach," Link said, starting to tense, but Samus put a hand on his shoulder.
"Just wait…we'll let them finish their spiel so we know if there's anything else we missed or need to know…and then we'll kick their asses."

Samus's whisper, although meant to be for Link's ears only, was heard by Kidar, but he showed no sign of it, a small tugging upwards of the mouth was the only hint that he had heard.

"Yes, well, as I was saying," Mario said, struggling to keep his calm, although it was clear from his tense body language that he was itching for a fight, "Yoshi was easy to convince, of course, and after you arrived Falco, Fox informed me he was planning on coming in a few days…which didn't happen for obvious reasons. Link, Samus and Kirby were all expected, although Meta Knight tagging along was a surprise. All in all it was less turn-out than expected, and Kidar and I agreed we would wait for more.

"Unfortunately M.C. forced our hand and ordered Bowser to attack, ironic really, because the danger of Bowser attacking was the very lie we used to get you all to come. We had no choice but to lead an attack, and in the end it worked out rather well."

Mario paused then and while the others didn't hear it, there was a slight questioning tone in his words. Kidar may have respected the others enough to be amiable and answer their questions, but despite Mario's supposed glee it almost seemed as if he was using the speech as an excuse to analyze his decisions, to verify that he did indeed, make the right choice in joining Kidar.

"If all you wanted was to kill M.C., using our help," Link said as Mario paused, "Why didn't you just teleport us there right away, instead of wasting all our time with fighting off those minor villains?"
"Because I was still recuperating, and we would have been annihilated. The majority of you were unwilling or incapable of using your skills to their max at the beginning of the adventure, and we were not as finely honed a team as we became," Kidar answered, "Additionally I wanted to remove enough of M.C.'s forces so we could force a single confrontation and prevent his generals from forming their own army."

"But if all you needed was the nine of us…well, ten, counting Yoshi, why did you make an effort to get everyone?" Diddy asked, "Were you just greedy?"

Kidar sighed…his respect for the others had only increased as they had become more adept in combat, and even in suspecting his true identity, but his patience was wearing thin…he had been waiting for this moment for weeks…the moment where he established himself as the dominant power in the dimensions.

"The original plan was to get about twenty or more total guarding the castle and then we would stage some kind of event that would involve us traveling to the Smashing Realm and killing M.C. When Bowser actually attacked we realized we didn't have enough time to wait, so we made an adjustment…I decided to devote more time to building our strength, both individually and as a group. That pink dust at the end of every battle was a bit of my spellwork…I used the dying energies of our foes to heal us, and as I stated before it gradually increased your power. We are all considerably stronger than we were at the beginning of this…adventure."

At that, supposedly the last of the revelations it seemed like the conversation was over and there was a disturbing air of finality over everyone, as they realized that this was the most important battle they had and may ever fight.

"We don't have to do this!" Raichu said, his fury having greatly abated with the death of Mewtwo at his own hands…despite the rejuvenating energies at the end of the battles, he and the rest were all tired. Perhaps not physically, but mentally and emotionally they were drained and while this betrayal may have angered him and the others, another fight was not something they desired…even if Mario and Kidar probably didn't stand a chance against the seven of them, "We can come to some kind of agreement!"

"And what would that be?" Kidar questioned, "The only agreement I'm willing to make is your compliance to our wishes…and depending on how you join, it may affect where you will stand in the new world we're making."

"We've already made it clear that none of us are joining either of you in any fashion," Link said, quite heroically, "And regardless of what some may want," Link continued, giving Raichu a pointed look, "We can't allow you two to carry out whatever you have planned…we have to stop you."

"You can't," Mario said, "We're fighting for our dreams…you're only fighting to squash them, which I suppose makes you our villains."

"We're fighting to prevent you from ruining the lives of countless people!" Samus said, "We're not villains…and we could care less what your 'dreams' are!"

"That's enough!" Kidar said, "This conversation has gone on long enough! Now is your final chance…will any of you willingly join, or do we have to force you?"

There was a pinched silence following his declaration…but it was one that did not last long. Surprisingly the first to act was not Link or Samus…it was Kirby. With frightening anger in his expression he drew out both his Cutter and sword and charged at Kidar. Kidar merely smiled and pointed a finger at the six other Smashers. Kirby leapt and Kidar made no move to defend himself…because someone else did it for him. Meta Knight.

With stunning speed the masked knight flew into Kirby's path, smacking Kirby down to the ground with a series of quick and sudden slashes aimed at Kirby's blades. Kirby hit the ground hard, more surprised than hurt, while Meta flapped down again, his bat-like wings forming into his distinctive cape, his eyes a dull violet.

"What is this?!" Samus demanded as Meta raised his sword in a defensive position, "A third traitor? How have you convinced Meta Knight to join you Kidar? Did you threaten him?"

At that Kidar laughed again, harsh and cold.

"Oh Samus, you don't see it…you don't see what's right in front you!"

"What are you…?" Samus started, but stopped when she noticed the others, especially Kirby, peering intensely into Meta's rather blank stare.

"Something's off but…" Falco said.

"Oh my g-his eyes! His eyes!" Diddy almost shouted.

"I don't understand...what are we looking at?" Raichu asked.

"Your future," Kidar said chillingly, "Meta Knight is the first and most likely not the last to join our forces unwillingly."

"What have you done to him?!" Link yelled.

"Done? You act like it's something new…no Link, Meta Knight has been under my control for several days now."

"You can't…that's…impossible!" Falco said, "You can't just control someone like that!"
"Clearly I can. I was, after all, designed for it. Perhaps a description of what fate will befall you if you continue to resist will deter your rebellious ways?"

Kidar gave the others a questioning glance, but all they returned was sickened and horrified looks as even Kirby looked queasy.

"I'll take that as a yes. I suppose I should be thanking Mario for this, since it was he that made my control over Meta possible. I wished a chance to test out my abilities, but I was wary of attempting to invade someone's mind while they were conscious…but when Mario assisted in knocking Meta unconscious it allowed me to attempt a takeover.

At that Diddy flashed Mario a look, at which the plumber merely glared back.

"I admit I screwed up on that point. I attempted total control and Meta fought back. I was able to control the majority of his physical functions and even his speech…to an extent. His constant attempts to fight me resulted in the random gibberish he spouted in the early parts of our adventure, and it culminated in him breaking free soon after we arrived on Kong Island.

"After he was incapacitated I tried a different approach, instead of merely taking complete control instantly I slowly, insidiously worked my way into his mind, acting as an inner voice rather than a hostile entity…his resistance went down to nil, and I could guide him to take action how I pleased, while slowly working my way up to this moment where I could just squash his resistance to nothing and make him my slave. This is the same method I plan to use on you, so tell me…do you still want to fight?"

The others answered by charging. With a roar of anger and frustration they ran towards Mario and Kidar, who responded by pulling out their weapons, Mario's black hammer glistening threateningly and Kidar's swords appearing in a burst of violet in his hands. The two separated, forcing the Smashers to divide themselves up or risk leaving their backs exposed to the other.

Kirby initially ran for Kidar again, but a series of sharp slashes from Meta sent the puffball rolling away from the attack, his twin blades frantically deflecting the ferocious attack. Meta forced Kirby well away from the others, not giving him a second to counter attack until he was well away from Kidar…and alone.

Link went straight for Kidar, with Samus right behind him. Kidar blocked Link's initial thrust and then spun on his heel to avoid Samus's energy whip. Kidar stabbed at Link with one blade and when the swordsman barely deflected it with his shield Kidar stepped forward, too close for Link to attack and swung his other sword at Samus who back-flipped away.

Diddy and Falco lead the attack on Mario, although Raichu's bolt of lightning beat them to the plumber. He leaped over it and then avoided a wild swing from Diddy's guitar before catching Falco's snap-kicking foot in one powerful fist and throwing him to the ground. Raichu started to prepare a second jolt, but Diddy got in the way. Cursing at how everything spiraled out of control Raichu started to circle around the combatants.

Once Kirby was on the far side of Final Destination, Meta Knight stepped back. Kirby paused for a second, confused by the sudden stop. Testing Meta's reaction, Kirby started to move towards the others, and the Knight immediately got in the way, attacking ferociously. Frustrated, Kirby retaliated, hoping his two swords would give him an advantage against the swordsman.

It was soon clear that they did not. Meta was simply more skilled at swordplay and faster. Several times Kirby tried attacking, circling and blocking the whole time, but each strike Kirby unleashed was met and countered by Meta Knight, and it was obvious that he could not win in a battle of blades. He considered briefly, while frantically backpedaling to avoid Meta's abrupt cuts and stabs, about going for an aerial attack, with leaps and lunges, but he quickly tossed that idea aside. Meta's wings would give him a significant advantage in the air, and it was Kirby's good fortune that he had so far refused to take to it. Still, Kirby couldn't keep this up…

Samus was terrified, more so than she had ever been before. Kidar was a friend…or had been, and to find out that he had been using her all along…it was awful. Samus hadn't experienced many betrayals in her solitary line of work and this one cut deep. As Kidar and Link dueled it was obvious Link was outmatched…Kidar's dual blades gave him more options and it was clear he knew how to use them. The only reason Link wasn't leaking organs was because Samus was keeping Kidar on the defensive…he could press one of them, and defend against both, but he couldn't keep an attack up.

Samus shot off a burst of energy from her sole weapon. Kidar ducked under it and came up, slashing at Link's head. Link raised his shield high to block it, and groaned as Kidar kneed him in the stomach, the taller man having no problem hitting him there. Surprisingly Link kept his shield up; preventing Kidar from cutting down, so Kidar aimed his sword at Samus who was edging closer and a bolt of energy passed from his hand through the blade and at Samus.

She leapt over it and hit the ground rolling, ending up behind Link. Kidar grinned and then swung his second sword in a wide arc at Link's midsection, which Link managed to block with the Master Sword. Kidar pushed hard with both swords, but Link stood firm…until Kidar drove his knee between Link's legs.

Samus was reluctant to jump back into the fray…unlike Kidar and Link she had no means of blocking their attacks, and with the loss of her Powersuit, again, she was feeling very exposed. She used Link as cover as she snuck closer, hoping to leap out and zap Kidar before he could gut her, but when she saw Kidar's second sword swing she thought Link was done for and froze. When she heard the reassuring clang of metal she started to move forward again, until she saw a blur of movement, followed by an agonized yelp from Link. He fell to his knees, and Kidar pressed down on the shield, keeping it on Link's head, while propping him up with the second sword against Link's.

In a stunning burst of agility Kidar rolled over the shield, lifting his swords as he did so. As Kidar moved off the shield Link fell to his side and Kidar shot out of the roll with a wide sword swipe aimed at Samus, the momentum from the roll making the attack come painfully fast. She saw the shimmering gray metal arc towards her head and realized it was going to be over very quickly.

Falco was furious. He went out of his way to help Mario defend his castle, even left his own world undefended…because he was certain if he had been there, Fox wouldn't have been captured and Andross wouldn't have been able to devastate Corneria. He did all that…only to find out the plumber was usinghim…although technically he would have been using him anyway, using him to help defend the…no! That's different! Mario was in the wrong, Falco was in the right…just keep that in mind and he'll get through this.

As Diddy traded blows with Mario, Falco leapt to his feet and yanked out his pistol. When Mario easily used the hilt of his hammer to stop a guitar swing Falco jumped at him, firing furiously. Mario was hit several times, but he merely grunted as the bolts burned little holes into his skin before pushing Diddy's guitar back. With a single fluid motion he kicked Diddy away and slammed Falco in the side with the hammer. Both were sent flying.

Mario had no opportunity to enjoy the temporary reprieve as Raichu took opportunity to blast Mario with a bolt of charged lightning. The plumber was sent backwards, but he turned his fall into a roll, and then a flip and he was back on his feet. Raichu shot off another blast but Mario leapt away, shooting off a firebomb at Raichu. The mouse broke off his attack and rolled away, sparks landing and charring his fur from the small explosion as the ball hit the ground a foot or so away.

Falco was back on his feet before Raichu could counterattack and he jumped at Mario again, firing his pistol as the plumber raised the hammer to smack Falco down. The bolt burned into his white-gloved hand and with a hiss of pain Mario dropped the hammer. It clanked to the ground, making a far louder noise than one would expect from a hammer that size.

Falco hit the ground in front of Mario and quickly spun around, pocketing his gun and launching a roundhouse kick. Mario caught the foot again, hands moving almost faster than the eye and squeezed. Falco cried out in pain, but instead of snapping the thin leg Mario merely lifted Falco up, flipped him over and slammed him back to the ground…hard.

Falco let out a sharp gasp…and then lay motionless. Mario let go of Falco and turned towards Raichu, while watching Diddy out of the corner of his eye, as the chimp thought he was sneaking up on the plumber…

Kirby was…frustrated. This whole adventure had turned out to be a massive trap and while he was used to fighting baddies and indeed he had fought Meta Knight multiple times in the past, he wasn't used to being set up like that. It was…not a pleasant feeling. If he wasn't so constantly cheerful, he might be feeling something akin to rage, but alas the strongest emotion he could summon at the moment was indignant frustration as Meta refused to let Kirby land a solid blow.

As Kirby frantically parried a trio of blazing fast slashes he realized that he didn't stand a chance in a battle of blades…so he decided to try something different. Jumping back he threw his Cutter at Meta Knight. The masked warrior easily batted it aside with a quick swipe and then shot forward, sword raised. As Kirby arced through the air he hurled his sword at the ground in front of Meta Knight. It stuck, forming a small obstacle in front of him.

Kirby hit the ground as Meta slowed to go around it…which put him right in the path of Kirby's hammer. It slammed into him in the side, forcing the metal mask off and sending Meta Knight skidding across Final Destination, sword held limply at his side, his face down.

Link was, well…grumpy doesn't really cover it. His emotions were more like fury and extreme pain. He did however feel a strong sense of vindication, since Kidar had more than confirmed his suspicions. However whatever comfort he could hope to draw from that was easily overshadowed by the shame he felt at not unmasking Kidar. He wished he could blame the Triforce piece…it gave him enough of an indication to be suspicious, but all that suspicion did was ruin his credibility with the others. Yes…it would be easy to blame his failure to see and reveal Kidar for what he truly was on an object bestowed upon him by the Goddess's…but he knew the failing was his and his alone.

When Kidar went over him, through the blinding pain Link could only think of one thing: Samus was going to die. As he collapsed to the ground he managed to turn his head far enough to see Kidar's blade arc towards her head and as he squinted through his tears of pain he saw something rather unexpected.

At the last second Kidar turned the sword, smacking Samus with the flat of his blade. It didn't kill her, but the blow was powerful enough that it knocked her to the ground, and from the way she fell it was obvious she was unconscious.

Link's temporary relief shifted back towards anger as Kidar turned back towards him, smirking and swords raised. He didn't move towards Link, and growling with anger and embarrassment Link realized Kidar was letting Link get up. His face burned as he realized he was essentially at the mercy of Kidar.

He pushed past his pain and clambered to his feet, letting his Triforce piece rejuvenate him slightly. He held his sword and shield in front of him, prepared to show Kidar what was what…but first:
"Why didn't you kill her?" Link asked, "Or do you have a soft spot for her?"

Kidar grinned at that, "Not nearly as big as one as you. Does Zelda know? Or is that a secret?"

Link stiffened but responded calmly enough.

"That's none of your business scum. So why didn't you? Don't have the guts?"

"I've got plenty of those Hero of Time," Kidar said, biting out the title like it meant nothing, "I would have thought you'd have guessed by now but since you're lacking in wisdom I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised: I don't want you dead. I want you alive, to serve me like Meta Knight."

Link's face hardened, "That's never going to happen! I'd rather die!"

"Well, now's your chance. Die now…or lose to me and face life as my slave. Which one do you think takes more courage?"

Link merely answered with a growl of rage and charged at Kidar, shield first. Kidar put his swords together in an X pattern and prevented Link's shield from actually hitting him but Link's momentum pushed him back anyways. Kidar tried to dig his feet in, but the smooth surface of Final Destination allowed Link to keep pushing him back. Link managed to push Kidar about twenty feet before Kidar dropped to the ground.

Link kept going, his booted feet narrowly missing Kidar's chest. Furiously Kidar swiped at Link but Link's continued forward trajectory caused him to miss. Link turned around once he realized Kidar was no longer in front of him and Kidar got back to his feet with an eerie grace.

Link readied his sword, but before he could attack he saw Kidar shifting his grip on his left-hand sword. He spun it around and curved his wrist, so the flat of the blade was resting against his forearm and the sides stuck out. The right-hand sword was held normally, but this shift was odd so Link was reluctant to start an attack, wary of a trick. His hesitation caused Kidar to smirk at him.

"Haven't seen this before have you? Well now's your chance to battle a swordsman who knows what he's doing. It should be a good learning experience…slave."
Link snarled and charged at Kidar. Kidar sidestepped the initial thrust and stabbed at Link, his attack was blocked by the shield. Link chopped down at Kidar and the violet-haired man raised his arm, catching the attack on the blade resting on his forearm. Link smiled at that, figuring that Kidar was holding the sword like that to better defend himself. The Bearer of the Triforce of Courage charged again, deflecting another stab from Kidar and having his own strike blocked by Kidar's makeshift shield.

The duel continued that way for several more passes, with the aggressor shifting between the two, but no significant progress was made. Eventually Link stepped back from Kidar, feeling that his opponent was playing with him. Link may not have been wise enough to earn the Triforce of Wisdom, but he was no fool…he saw in the past that Kidar was good, most likely better than him with the sword and was probably hiding a good deal of his ability. But Link had something Kidar did not…the Triforce of Courage and now he was getting the hang of it.

Closing his eyes Link concentrated on his sword. His piece of the Triforce lit up and bright golden waves of energy traveled up from his hand to his sword, and the Master Sword glowed brighter. Kidar gave him a questioning glance, but before he could figure out what Link was doing the Hylian jabbed his sword forward, a beam of blade-shaped energy shooting out of it at Kidar.

Kidar stepped to the side as soon as Link's sword shot forward, but the beam came out fast enough for it skim across his belly. His black armor held, but a thin score traced from one gold-trimmed end to the other across his midsection. Kidar glared at Link…and the Hero of Time jumped at him, sword held high.

Kidar blocked the jumping attack with his normally held blade…and Link found the true reason behind Kidar's strange grip on the second sword. With considerable strength Kidar whipped the sword from its position on his forearm to a brutal slash that Link barely managed to catch on his shield.

As Link stepped back he saw Kidar still held the sword oddly, it was almost backward, the blade pointing back at the violet-eyed mage but as Kidar stepped forward, blocking Link's hesitant strike with his right-handed sword he repeatedly slashed with the left-handed one, its odd trajectory and surprising speed causing Link to rapidly move, too unsure he was in his ability to use his shield to block it…and Link realized that even with his Triforce giving him strength, he was going to lose…everything.

Diddy couldn't explain his feelings. Mario and Kidar had fought by his side for about a week and in that week they and everyone else had grown to mean a great deal to him. To find out this was all some kind of trick to force him to join an army bent on conquering every world known…was disheartening. Yet while Kidar was clearly an evil being who must be stopped, Diddy was having a hard time fighting Mario and he could sense the plumber was holding back as well…there could still be time to prevent this from turning into a bloodbath.

Raichu loosed another bolt at Mario and Mario retaliated by yanking out his golden cape and deflecting the attack to Raichu's left, the burst of energy causing Raichu to jump. He glared at Mario, sparks crackling around him.

"Why didn't you just hit me with it? I know you're capable of aiming it that well."
"Do you think I ignored you the past week? I know you can absorb electricity…no need to make this battle any harder," Mario said.

Before either of those two could strike Diddy flung an orange grenade at Mario. The plumber smacked it away with an open palm before crouching down and grabbing his hammer. A sudden leap later and Raichu's hastily shot bolt missed as Mario brought his hammer crashing down in a mighty blow towards Diddy.

The chimp cartwheeled away, springing out of it while swinging his guitar at Mario. Mario ducked under the star-shaped instrument but Diddy's foot slammed into his chin, knocking his head back. Mario managed to recover quickly though, as Diddy was not very strong and punched the monkey in the chest.

The blow was powerful enough to slam Diddy to the ground and Mario brought the hammer crashing down a moment later, forcing Diddy to roll to avoid it. Diddy leapt back to his feet a second later and brought his guitar around again. Mario smacked it away with his hammer but then leaned back as Diddy fired a peanut at close range, the nut skimming past his ear. Mario growled and loosed a quick burst of fire from his hand, the beam slamming into Diddy and knocking him to the ground, shirt smoldering.

Mario hopped over to Diddy before Raichu could attack, Mario's determination to finish them off one at a time rather frightening since Falco was out and it looked like Diddy was about to go down as well. Mario raised his hammer up high…just as a laser bolt skimmed past his nose, causing him to hiss in pain and spin towards Falco, who had his sniper rifle out, a small grin tugging at the corner of his beak as he kneeled.

Mario glared at him before breaking off his attack on the prone Diddy and leaping the twenty feet towards Falco in a single bound. As Mario's feet left the ground though, Diddy's tail curled around his ankle and the chimp was carried along with the plumber. When Mario hit the ground of front of Falco he brought his hammer down in a blow meant to split Falco's skull and it would have, if not for two things.

First, as Mario came to a sudden stop Diddy whipped up. He used that momentum to slam his guitar into the back of Mario's head with amazing force, enough that Mario's next strike was both off-kilter and did not have as much power behind it.

Second, Falco raised his rifle in an attempt to block the blow, which for the most part it did. However the strength behind the blow was enough to knock the rifle out of Falco's hand and send the bird rolling.

Angrily and in pain, Mario kicked his leg out, sending Diddy shooting in front of him, but he refused to let go…which Mario was counting on, because as Mario brought his leg back Diddy came flying back with it…and right into Mario's gloved fist.

Diddy's tail let go as several teeth were knocked out of his mouth and Diddy went skidding to the ground. Raichu shot off a bolt of lightning at Mario's back, but Mario spun around and shot off a burst of fire that negated it. Mario then spun back in time to catch both of Falco's wings as he brought them down in a brutal overhead chop, the hammer falling from his grasp again.

Mario spun the two of them around so Raichu wouldn't be so eager to attack but Falco managed to land a duo of kicks into Mario's stomach as he held him. Mario retaliated by headbutting Falco in the beak, knocking his head back and then backing off.

Diddy dashed towards Mario's rear-right as Raichu ran towards his rear-left while Falco scooped up his sniper rifle and faced him, the trio forming a vague triangle around him. Mario quickly looked at all three as they aimed weapons, or in Raichu's case, electricity at him.

"Come on Mario, don't do this," Diddy said pleadingly, his eyes beseeching, but his guitar and popgun unflinching, "You can't seriously want to help Kidar?"

"I DO!" Mario yelled, "Why is that so hard to understand?"
"Because he's evil!" Falco said, "And you're not!"

"Why do you think I'm not? Why is he evil and I misguided?"
"Because you're good!" Diddy said
"I'm tired of being good! I've been the hero longer than most of you have been alive and have nothing to show for it! I want to be the villain!"
"You don't get tired of being a good person!" Raichu yelled back, "It's who you are! You can't just switch sides because the other one is shinier!"

"Apparently…I can," Mario said, hands starting to glow, "I made my decision and you've made yours. I want power and I want respect…and I'm not getting enough of that as it is, so if I have to help Kidar, so be it!"
With that Mario hurled a massive ball of fire at Raichu. The roiling orange and red sphere flew towards Raichu incredibly fast but the mouse leapt out of the way of the initial blast. The backwash from the explosion as it hit the ground was enough to send him skidding across the ground.

At that instant both Diddy and Falco shot off their weapons. Mario sidestepped both shots and lunged towards Falco, punching him hard in the stomach. Falco coughed up blood, but managed to spin his rifle around enough to clock Mario in the jaw with the butt of his rifle. Mario spat out some blood and then grabbed the rifle as Falco brought it around again and slammed the leaping Diddy in the face.

Diddy, who had been behind Mario and was hoping to land a surprise blow on the plumber was caught completely off guard as Mario ripped the rifle out of Falco's grip and spun around, hitting Diddy hard enough to cause him to lose consciousness temporarily.

Mario tossed the rifle aside and then grunted as Falco kicked him in the chest. Mario retaliated again by punching Falco, once in the chest and then two quick jabs to the head that knocked him senseless, Mario's greater strength and speed making close-range combat a guaranteed win against nearly any foe. Mario was already tasting victory…but Mario had forgotten that he was fighting three.

As Mario turned towards Raichu, the mouse unleashed a massive bolt of lightning, the blue and gold arcing towards him like starving serpents. His blue eyes, the pupils tinged with red fire widened as the serpents burrowed into his body. There was a second of extreme pain, and then the full force of the blast hit and Mario was sent flying.

He shot through the air, propelled for at least fifteen feet and when he hit the ground he skidded a good deal more…so much in fact that he was soon at the edge of the stage. He struggled to regain control but another spark of electricity jittered through his body and he twitched…right off the edge. He fell, gloved hands scrabbling frantically for the edge, but as he vanished from sight not a sound escaped his lips. He fell into the abyss, silently…

Kirby frowned slightly as he hurried to pick up his weapons. The closest was his sword and he plucked it out of the ground quickly, noticing that the small dent it had made as it plunged into the ground did not repair itself…clearly with the destruction of Giga Bowser and his crystal, whatever powered the reparations of Final Destination had vanished.

The sounds of battle reached Kirby and he shook himself out of his contemplative stupor. A small moan was heard as he ran towards his Cutter, which was lying farther away than he had thought. He turned to see Meta twitch slightly before falling still. Not for the first time Kirby was struck by how similar Meta Knight looked to Kirby when his mask was off and with his eyes closed there was no hint of the brutal control Kidar had over the poor honorable warrior. Kirby hoped that when this was all over, Meta could be freed.

A pained scream was heard and Kirby shook himself again and moved to his Cutter, picking it up. He didn't know whether the scream came from one of his friends or one of his new enemies…considering they were all his friends less than an hour ago made the new thought rather depressing. He held both the Cutter and his sword, having put away his hammer and looked at the fighters, trying to decide where he could do the most good. As he watched, Mario was hit by Raichu's attack and sent off the stage. Kirby shuddered, regretting that that action had to be taken but acknowledging its necessity.
He turned then towards Kidar and Link and saw Samus lying on the ground. Kidar clearly outmatched Link, so he began to move towards that fight when he heard a faint whooshing noise behind him.

Turning he was knocked to the ground by a maskless, swordless Meta Knight. Meta quickly landed several open-palm strikes that knocked the blades from Kirby's small arm/hand things. Kirby gasped in shock as Meta's violet eyes flared and he held Kirby down with his gloved hands.

Kirby managed to get one his hands in position and punched Meta in the mouth. When that failed to get him off Kirby unleashed a blistering series of jabs that quickly weakened Meta's hold and with a pointy kick Kirby managed to get out of Meta's grip.

The two faced each other, Kirby panting slightly and with a hard look of determination on his pink face. Meta merely looked blank, the only sign that he was even paying attention was the pulsating glow in his eyes that moved in time with breathing…but not Meta's breaths.

Meta was lost. All he could see were walls and fog, both of which were tinged with violet. He walked through the maze that led nowhere, determined to find something…but what it was he did not know. He could not remember how he got here, nor could he discover a way out. The violet walls extended to all sides of the horizon, curving and twisting and throbbing in ways walls shouldn't be able to. The fog pervaded his thoughts and made him sluggish. He was determined to do…something, but even his resolve was fading in this terrible hell. He remembered Kidar and Mario revealing their betrayal, and some kind of conversation, but even the words were blurred…he could not remember. Occasionally he could hear screams and his body would twitch in odd directions and movements. At first he resisted the twitches, but he soon forgot why and simply allowed it to happen. Soon he forgot why he was even moving and he slowly came to a stop…as the fog surrounded him.

Meta suddenly dashed forward, his pointy feet kicking out at Kirby. Kirby blocked the first two kicks with his hands but Meta built on the momentum of the attack and managed to throw out a powerful third kick that knocked Kirby to the ground.
Meta leapt up to deal a punch to Kirby but the puffball rolled and Meta's hand slammed into the ground hard enough for blood to stain his gloves. Despite the clearly agonizing pain he should be feeling Meta was silent and slowly turned to Kirby…just as Kirby socked him in the side of the head with his hammer again.

Meta rolled and lay limply. Kirby quickly scooped up his blades and put them away and cautiously walked towards Meta, hammer held at the ready. He stood over Meta and gave him a probing poke with his foot. When there was no movement Kirby nodded and turned to join the others.

While Kirby was dealing with Meta Knight, Kidar was outmatching Link in speed, style and strength. Link was bleeding from a dozen minor cuts, while Kidar's armor had even repaired its earlier damage. Link's Triforce piece was glowing fiercely, granting him increased physical abilities, even healing him at a greatly increased rate…but it didn't matter, Kidar had Link beaten…this clash of the swords was over, and they both knew it.

As Kidar easily parried a half-hearted strike from Link he flashed a predatory grin at the panting warrior.

"You don't seem like you're really trying," Kidar said, adopting a tone of sympathy, "Perhaps you want to serve me more than you think?"
Link responded with a roar of rage and unleashed a brutal series of powerful overhead strikes…that Kidar easily dodged or avoided, halting the attack with a painful smack to the ear with the flat of his blade. Link was dazed and Kidar took advantage of that to jab at Link, opening up a few small punctures on the Hero of Time.

"I was expecting more from you but it seems all you're good for is beating Ganondorf. When faced with a legitimate threat, you're worthless."

Link growled and managed to bat away a subsequent strike from Kidar, but rather than pressing the attack Link backed up, his Triforce of Courage slowly but steadily dimming. Kidar raised a hand, the grin widening on his face but before he could do anything a brutal blow caught him in the back of the head and he was knocked to his knees, the purple sphere that was forming in his hand dissipating.

"Do you guys ever stop talking?" Samus said, lowering her foot, "Sheesh, as soon you start winning you stop trying. You bad guys really need to work on that."

"You're conscious?" Kidar snarled, rolling away from a hastily thrown stab from Link and leaping back to his feet, sheathing the left-handed sword, "That blow should have kept you out a lot longer!"
"Apparently you didn't hit me hard enough," Samus said, wincing slightly as a throb of pain shot through her head, "And now you're going to pay for it!"

She hurled a beam of energy from her Paralyzer at Kidar. Not even deigning to dodge he raised his violet aura covered left hand and deflected the beam. Link furiously lunged at Kidar and the mage casually parried the sword with his own before waving his hand at Link. A ball of violet energy slowly separated itself from his hand and floated toward Link.

"What is this?" Link demanded, stepping back and slashing at the ball as it moved towards him.

His sword cut through the ball easily and the two halves dropped to the ground with a sickening splat. He started to move towards Kidar as the swordsman ducked under a violent kick from Samus, but something grabbed his leg. Startled he looked down at what had been the halves of the ball…they had melted to form a dark violet ooze that was sticking to his boots and holding him in place. He struggled to take a step forward and his leg came out of the ooze, while it made a disturbing schluping sound but a skeletal and completely black hand shot out of the puddle and grabbed his leg again. More hands erupted from it, holding him in place and pulling down.

"What the Mother Brain?" Samus said, seeing the ooze as she frantically leapt away from Kidar's precisely thrown sword swipes.

Kidar just laughed as she retaliated with a yellow stun bolt from her gun, the attack fizzling out when it met with a pulse of power from Kidar.

"Just a little spell I've been working on to keep you all immobilized. It works using some of my energy and by creating a portal to where the souls of your beaten foes rest. Given some measure of form they'll do their best to hold you all but they shouldn't be strong enough to kill you…hopefully," Kidar said the last with a grin, "I think I might have a bit of a talent for necromancy? What do you think Samus? Should I take a page out M.C.'s book and revive Ridley for you?"

"Don't you DARE!" Samus said firing off another stun bolt.

Kidar stopped it the same way but then had to quickly dodge the yellow whip stretching out towards him. The whip skimmed past his shoulder, sending painful jolts of electricity shooting down his arm and almost causing him to lose his grip on the sword. Frowning he jerked his hand up, already glowing with the energy to blast Samus to the ground…when he realized she had vanished.

Link attempted to hack at the hands, but while the Master Sword easily cut through them, they simply returned and pulled down again. After a few seconds of resisting he fell to his knees, his sword proving useless against the constant presence of the hands. He thought about using a bomb but before he could reach for one another hand shot out and grabbed his arm, a second soon clutched at his hand. The process was repeated on his other arm.

Their touch was surprisingly cold, but weak. They seemed to want to squeeze, to end Link's life but the most they could manage was a firm grip. The magic holding them in this dimension gave them the strength to hold Link…but not to harm him.

Surprised by Samus's maneuver Kidar didn't move for an instant…which was plenty of time for Samus to land a solid kick on his back after she had flipped behind him. He stumbled forward, the whip reaching out to lick at the back of his legs before he managed to turn around.

"You're quick without that Suit, but do you really think you stand a chance against me?" Kidar snarled.

"Oh please," Samus said mockingly, waving her whip casually as she tensed, "I've faced down far worse than you. I've killed things that devoured worlds…a swordsman and some fancy tricks aren't going to stop me."

"Yes but you did that with your Suit and far more abilities than you have now," Kidar reminded her, holding his sword in front of himself, "And I am not some simple beast waiting for you find my weak spot…I've spent the last several days traveling with you and I know all your moves, both with and without that Suit."

"I highly doubt that," Samus said, although her voice wavered and her Paralyzer trembled.

"A brave showing?" Kidar questioned, "Admirable, but worthless in the end. Samus, without your suit you're pathetic…the weakest of all the fighters here. Fragile…delicate…soft…useless."

As Kidar spoke he moved his left hand in a slow, hypnotizing pattern, wiggling the fingers ever so often. A violet line stretched from his hand to Samus who began to stop moving, eyes half-closing. Her mouth moved and she murmured, but as Kidar continued to speak she moved less and less.

"Not true…can't be…I'm not…delicate," Samus said in a whisper.

"But you are!" Kidar said, grin widening, "But don't worry…in my hands I will make you better, stronger, faster…hardened. You'll be a true warrior again, as you were meant to be…in my control."

"SAMUS! Don't-" Link started to yell before an icy hand covered his mouth, the acrid smell was less like death than he would have guessed, more sterile…as if all life had been scrubbed away, rather than allowed to rot. Link struggled but even as he realized physical effort would be useless, a strange burning sensation began to build inside of him.

Samus blinked when Link yelled her name, but the line connecting her to Kidar's hand thickened and she became dazed again. She saw a flash of pink behind Kidar and she felt a strange urge to warn him. Her mouth started to open…

But as Kirby leapt up, blades aimed at Kidar, the mage spun around and blasted Kirby away with a pulse of energy. He smirked, before his eyes widened and he spun back, frantically trying to reestablish the link between himself and Samus but she dodged the bolt of violet energy. She angrily waved her whip at Kidar and her voice was more furious than he had ever heard from her before.

"You dare try and hypnotize me…you're scum! You're going to die!"

"You can't stop me alone," Kidar told her, "You don't stand a chance…your moves are all useless against me!"

Before either could respond a golden light flared up. Spinning, both Kidar and Samus observed Link's Triforce piece blasting the hands with a harsh and unyielding light. Their silent agony was more unnerving than any amount of screaming would have done, but the sight of Link climbing to his feet, Master Sword aglow was more terrifying indeed.

A sudden noise behind Kidar revealed that Kirby was on his feet again and he seemed just as determined to kill him as the other two. They had him surrounded…but despite his desperate situation, the only expression he revealed was a small smile.

"You have just begun to see the depths of our abilities, demon," Link said, his wounds, while not gone, seemed more…insignificant as the Triforce of Courage gave him strength to overcome his pain, "And now you shall die!"

"Fine then," Kidar said, "Show me your moves."

The three charged.

Raichu was…relieved. The whole journey there had been a vague unease that permeated the group. They all felt it, although Link felt it more acutely than most. Something seemed off, but at the time they had all wrote it off as having this many villains conspiring against them. But now…now he knew it was because of Kidar and Mario. This moment, this battle was the most important one he, or anyone else here would participate in. Regardless of the outcome more conflicts would ensue, but for some reason he knew that this would decide the fate of things to come. Whoever won this battle would shape all the worlds…and it looked like Mario and Kidar were going to lose.

Raichu ran over to Diddy, shaking him out of his stupor.

"What?" Diddy said, dazedly as Raichu smiled, "Where's Mario?"

Diddy looked around the stage, first noticing Mario's glistening hammer lying threateningly on the ground, and then Kidar in combat with the others.

"I got him. I zapped him off the platform…,"
"You killed him?" Diddy asked in shock.

Raichu looked pained and his eyes grew moist, "NO! Well…kind of. I didn't do it on purpose, but if he is still alive then he's tumbling through the void."

"Geez Raichu, death might have been better…" Diddy said, looking at the shifting dimension around them.

"Let's check on Falco," Raichu snapped, turning away from Diddy and dashing to Falco who was starting to stir.

"Raichu I didn't…" Diddy started to say before shaking his head and getting up…and suddenly wincing as the beating he took from Mario hit him full force. Fortunately nothing was broken, although as the stabbing pains in his mouth indicated, several teeth had been violently knocked out. He pocketed his gun and guitar and staggered over towards Falco and Raichu, feeling slightly better as he moved.

"Guh…wuh..huh?" Falco said, as Raichu helped to his feet.

"Mario's gone. The others need help with Kidar. Come on," Raichu said, while glaring at Diddy, as if to dare him to say otherwise.

"Oh…kay," Falco said, as he stumbled forward, "Couldn't I just take a nap or something?"

While his head began to clear he picked up his rifle off the ground and slung it over his back.

"No," Diddy said, as the last remnants of confusion left his head, "We should go he-?!"

A sudden noise stopped Diddy from finishing his sentence. The three looked around in confusion as a terrible grating noise echoed from beneath their feet, and the area of the stage they were on started to crack. Confused, they looked down…as a white gloved fist punched out a large chunk of Final Destination, a scant three feet from Raichu, sending shards of shattered metal all over the place.

The three dived to the ground to avoid the shrapnel, although Falco picked up a long slash along his thigh. Panicked they looked at each other as the fist retracted from its hole and a faint sliding noise could be heard through it.

"No way!" Diddy said in shock, "He's beneath the stage?"
"Idiot!" Raichu said, "I'm an idiot! With that cape of his he can fly!"

"What'll we do?" Falco asked?"

As if to answer his question the fist shot out again, blowing apart another chunk of the stage just a few feet from their faces. They shut their eyes as the shrapnel shot over head.

"We can't stay here…we gotta move!" Raichu ordered, following his own advice by running away from Mario's fist.

The others scrambled to their feet and began running away from Mario…and away from Kidar. As their feet pounded along Final Destination, the fist opened into a palm…and fire began pouring out of it.

Dozens of small fireballs of the size of pebbles shot out of the hand and in the general direction of the three fleeing Smashers. Most missed because the owner of said hand couldn't see what he was shooting at, but several came very close and multiple times in their mad dash away they were set on fire, smoldering until one of the others put the flames out.

Raichu came to a stop at the edge of the platform, with only the void greeting him. The fire stopped as well, and the hand retracted.

"What do we do now?" Falco said, looking over the edge hesitantly.

Diddy answered by lowering his head down to peer to beneath the platform. He had to stretch out pretty far to get a good look and Raichu and Falco moved closer to him, in case he fell and needed to be grabbed.

"Geez!" Diddy's voice said, slightly muffled from the angle in which he was speaking, "Beneath it is…well, you gotta see!"

He pulled himself back up and looked at the others, looking slightly excited.

"What did you see?" Raichu asked.

"There's like a huge maze of scaffolding and wires and stuff beneath the stage! It's crazy!"

"Did you see Mario?"

"No…he was probably hiding."

"He wants us to come after him," Raichu said, "That's why he stopped punching through the stage."
"But that's his element…with his jumping ability and cape, we won't stand a chance against him in that kind of environment!" Falco stated.

"You're wrong," Diddy responded while shaking his head, "It's MY environment…Mario is going to regret ever retreating there. Let's go!"

Diddy didn't allow for anymore conversation as he lowered himself down the side before grabbing onto a nearby metal beam and climbing towards the center. Raichu and Falco looked at each other, shrugged and then carefully lowered themselves over the edge, quickly grabbing the same beam so as not to fall off…and their mouths dropped in shock as they saw the veritable jungle stretched before them.

Beneath the massive stage a forest of scaffolding and girders laced the area, with wires of varying thickness connecting them. They were all a rusty red color and in the center of the maze was a thick cylinder, the one that had initially held the crystal that powered the platform's regenerative properties.

Despite their initial fear, Raichu and Falco soon found that travel along the metal beams and girders was relatively simple. They were plenty of things to hold onto and so many of the wires and scaffoldings were strewn about that there was almost no danger of falling.

Diddy moved easily through the framework, his super chimp powers of being able to climb very well allowed him easy access across the entire area and he soon arrived at one of the holes Mario made. After giving a quick look around the frames he beckoned to the other two, who managed to reach him with a minimum of difficulty.

"Where is he?" Falco said, clutching the nearby girders very tightly.

"Over here," Diddy said, moving towards the center to peer around the cylinder in the middle, "But I don't know which side he'll be on. Raichu, you go to the other side and Falco you watch to make sure he doesn't sneak up on us."
The others nodded and moved into position. Diddy paused, clutching tightly to the beams around the side of the cylinder while Raichu mirrored him on the other side. Falco pulled out his rifle and aimed it beneath the cylinder, figuring if Mario was going to be sneaky he'd pop up there.

Diddy looked at Raichu, pulling out his popgun while Raichu began to crackle. Both silently counted off before leaping around the cylinder on opposite sides and aiming at…absolutely nothing. Mario was nowhere to found in the maze of girders.

"He's gone!" Diddy said, turning around to rejoin Falco and Raichu, "He must have fallen or-"

Before he could finish that sentence there was a sudden whooshing noise and a bright red gold and blue blur shot up from beneath the wires and beams, shattering them like brittle twigs as it crashed into Falco and crushed him against the bottom side of Final Destination.

Diddy and Raichu snarled as they ran/climbed towards Falco who was squirming desperately to avoid Mario's fist, with Raichu getting a gash along his side from one of the shredded girders Mario had slammed through. With a sudden jerk, Falco managed to move his head enough to avoid Mario's punch as it hit the stage, leaving a deep indent. He grunted in annoyance before pulling his fist back again, while holding Falco down…er…up with his other hand on the bird's chest.

Raichu hung back once he got close to Mario, afraid that shocking the plumber would hurt Falco. Diddy cursed, realizing that his gun would be useless before shoving it back on his side and jumping onto Mario's back. Diddy immediately began scratching and biting, his long thin fingers reaching for Mario's eyes. Before he could cause any serious damage Mario slammed his head back, clocking Diddy in the face and sending the chimp falling.

He hit a girder and slid off a wire before landing on a piece of scaffolding near the bottom of the bizarre mess of metal. Mario turned his attention back towards Mario, but the moment of distraction was enough for Falco to move his leg into a position to slam his knee into Mario's stomach. Mario grunted and as his grip loosened Falco kneed him again. Angrily Mario shifted his grip up to Falco's neck and flung him down, where Falco spent several panicked seconds flailing before crashing into Diddy and causing the chunk of scaffolding they were both on to tilt dangerously.

Unfortunately for Mario, while sending Diddy and Falco down prevented them from attacking him, it left him open for the extremely powerful electric blast that Raichu shot at him from behind.

The attack was intended to fry Mario's body, maybe cook his internal organs and kill him, or at the very least incapacitate him with the shock. Two things however prevented that from happening. First and foremost the massive quantity of metal around them was a good conductor of electricity…but since Mario wasn't actually touching any of that because of the flight his cape granted him all the metal did was cause the blast to diverge and weaken. Additionally what did hit mostly hit his cape, which deflected the majority of the blast harmlessly. All that managed to get through was a bit of stinging pain…just enough to make Mario angry as he spun around.

Raichu leapt off the girder he was on as a ball of fire erupted from Mario's hand, melting the metal he had been standing on. He shot off a quick bolt at Mario, which connected but was too weak to do any serious damage. Brow furrowing Mario dived at Raichu, tearing through the girders and obstacles in his way, while the mouse frantically leapt from beam to beam, hanging on by a hair.

Just before Mario reached Raichu there was a sickening crack and a terrified yelp. Looking down he saw Falco and Diddy sliding off the edge off the scaffolding they had landed on. The destruction Mario had wreaked on the girders had weakened the scaffolding's hold underneath the stage and now the wires holding it in place were beginning to snap. Diddy and Falco were frantically running up the almost ninety degree scaffolding, digging their fingers/feather things into the grating, but they were being battered by falling beams and girders.

Cursing Mario broke off his pursuit of Raichu and dived towards Falco and Diddy. As soon as they saw him coming they panicked and tried to scrabble up the scaffolding towards a ground from which they could fight on, while Raichu jumped/fell towards them in the hopes to beat Mario there.

He didn't.

Mario flew right on down, plucked Falco and Diddy right off the scaffolding as it fell into the void and before the two could start struggling he clocked their heads together, sending them for a loop. Raichu started charging up a blast but Mario blew right past him and headed for the "roof", with Falco and Diddy dangling in his absurdly strong arms. With a pained grunt Mario slammed head-first into the stage, crashing through and emerging on other side amidst a pile of shredded stage, thirty-feet away from where Kidar was.

Mario tossed Diddy and Falco to the ground where they moaned slightly before ceasing all movement. Mario winced then as the pain hit him. His head may have been hard, but Final Destination was built to last. He regained his control quickly though and Mario then turned his attention to the hole he had created. And waited.

He didn't have to wait long.

Raichu leapt out of the hole, crackling with barely contained energy. Mario lowered his hands, fire surrounding them but before either could attack Raichu spoke up.

"Why'd you save them?"

Mario sighed with frustration, but his eyes remained hard.

"We told you…we want you all alive. You're worthless dead."

"Is that really the reason Mario, or are you not as evil as you claim to be?"

Mario's eyes widened slightly, but he showed no other signs to the question.

"You're really determined to prove me wrong, aren't you?"

"I have faith you'll make the right decision," Raichu said, quite determinedly.

"We'll see…" Mario said, raising his hands.

"Yes…we will," Raichu said, unleashing his electricity.

Kidar was overjoyed. It was all working out how they had planned. So they were putting up more resistance than he would have initially guessed…in the end that was a good thing, it meant they would be more valuable to the team once he finished…persuading them. The Triforce bearer was especially interesting…the skills and abilities he gained from it seemed random, but useful. The battle would soon end, and finally the first phase of Kidar's plan would conclude and he could begin training his small army…

Kidar blocked the sword strikes from Kirby and Link, but Samus's foot managed to slip through his guard and crash into his gut. He grunted but didn't stumble. Instead as Kirby and Link pulled back for a second attack he whipped his swords around, slapping Link's sword away from its stabbing position and knocking Kirby's Cutter out of his grip. Samus tried to land a second kick but Kidar twisted out of the way of her foot and slammed her in the face with his elbow.

She let out a mild yelp and stumbled back, one hand clutching at her cheek, while Link charged forward, yelling and sword aglow. Right before he attacked he noticed how close Samus was and the glow faded as he aborted his planned Spin Attack. Instead he smashed his shield at Kidar who simply dropped to the ground and swept Link's legs out from under him. Right as Kidar started to get up Kirby slashed at him from behind, catching him a powerful strike in his chest armor and sending Kidar back to the ground.

Kidar spun around to face Kirby, his long cloak flapping out and obscuring Link's vision as the Hylian tried to get back up. A quick series of sword strikes later and Kirby's other blade was knocked out of his hand. Kidar raised his sword but before he could strike again he heard a crackle of electricity and he dived to the side as Samus's whip slashed through the air, an inch above his head.

Link ran towards Kidar but leapt back as Kidar kicked out with his feet where Link's stomach would have been, before flipping back to a standing position. He threw his right-hand sword at Kirby as the puffball ran for one his blades, the point stabbing into the ground right next to his pointy feet. He then shot off a burst of purple energy at Samus and knocked her back.

Kirby ran around the sword and picked up his blades. Kidar stepped back as Link slashed at him, laughing all the while.

"What are you laughing about?" Link demanded, blocking Kidar's counter-strike with his shield.

"You really think you can win?" Kidar said, raising his hand as Kirby ran at him again, causing his right-hand sword to vanish and reappear into his hand just in time to deflect his attack.

"I think we have a good chance," Samus said, staying back as Kidar engaged in a graceful duel against Link and Kirby. A few quick slashes and parries were all that were exchanged before Kidar spoke again.

"You might…but your friends aren't faring as well against Mario," Kidar said, back-flipping away from Link and Kirby.

The three turned towards where they could hear the sounds of combat and saw Diddy and Falco unmoving, and Raichu battling Mario alone.

"Ganon's black bones!" Link cursed, "Samus, we got this…go help them!"

"What? You don't think I can-" Samus started to say before Link cut her off.

"Please…they need you more than I do."

Kidar grinned as Samus's face fell…but a second later she had her normal hard look in her eyes, made all the more intimidating thanks to the darkening bruise along her cheek.

"Alright…but don't you lose."
"No problem," Link said cockily, turning his attention back to Kidar, who seemed perfectly fine with allowing them time to plan.

Samus quickly ran off to join Raichu against Mario, while Link and Kirby readied their weapons for Kidar, who let out a protracted yawn and stretch before eyeing them lazily.

"Are you done now? Shall we finish this?"
"Thought you'd never ask."

Kirby and Link ran…for one last charge.

Mario was…happy. He was happy despite the fact he was performing actions he would have condemned just a short while ago, or perhaps because he was doing those things. For the first time in his life, he had taken control over his life. No more was he merely reacting to the whims of those around him…now he was fighting for something he wanted, something that benefited him. Maybe in the future he'd lament turning his back on everything he'd stood for…but looking at it now he regretted nothing. In his mind everything he stood for was for other people that only cared because of how he helped them…they offered nothing of meaning or value to his life and were a drain on his potential. What he was doing now was for the best…and nothing anyone else said would change his mind.

Raichu unleashed a truly massive bolt of electricity, the white mixing with the yellow to form a writhing mass of power that snaked towards Mario hungrily, slicing through the air almost faster than you could blink.

Mario retaliated by unleashing a much narrower beam of orange and red. It was almost completely a cylinder of pure magma that broiled with violent intensity and incredible strength. The air around it steamed as the vapor in it was annihilated on its course towards Raichu attack.

Both met well before reaching their target and immediately created a massive explosion of energy that knocked both Raichu and Mario down, the two attacks viciously beating on each other until both were rendered useless. The energy created was soon reduced to merely light that served to temporarily blind both of them.

Raichu reacted quickly though, using his Quick Attack to move away from his initial position, hoping to circle around Mario before he could see again…but as his vision cleared he saw…nothing. Mario was gone.

He looked around frantically, worried that he had misjudged Mario's position and had missed him, but he was nowhere to be seen. Seriously confused, Raichu was starting to think Mario had vanished…until a fireball crashed into the ground next to him, covering his face with sparks.

Looking up he spotted Mario floating ten feet above him. Cursing Raichu dived to avoid a second fireball and shot off a bolt of lightning at Mario. The plumber flipped his cape in the direction of the bolt and it bounced off the golden material, zapping Raichu with his own attack. It didn't hurt very much as he absorbed the electricity, but it held him still long enough for Mario to hit him with a fireball.

Raichu screamed as the fire burned into his side, scorching a circle of fur off. Before Mario could capitalize on the pain, the mouse had leapt to his feet, hurriedly dodging the third and fourth shot. Mario evaded another bolt and struck back, but Raichu managed to use his Quick Attack to run beneath Mario.

Startled Mario spun around expecting Raichu to be behind him, but he saw nothing. Confused he hesitated for a second…which gave Raichu the time to use a very rarely used ability of his. A thick and dark thundercloud formed over him, and by extension Mario.

As Raichu prepared to call forth the massive bolt of power he had summoned, a sharp crack of thunder sounded. Mario looked up…just as a giant bolt of electricity stabbed downwards.

Mario blurred. The bolt barely missed hitting his arm as he flew away from it…but the bolt didn't avoid Raichu who was right in its path. He was wreathed in pure electrical energy and for a moment it seemed like it would be too much for Raichu to handle. Mario covered his eyes temporarily with his arm…which allowed Raichu to shoot off the excess energy in another bolt of lightning that crashed into Mario and knocked him out of the sky.

He hit the ground hard and bounced. Raichu started to move forward, but the sudden drain of using so many powerful attacks so quickly caused him to stagger and fall. As he struggled to get up, Mario clambered to his feet, smoking slightly.

The plumbers clothing was scorched and chunks of exposed skin were burned from the voltage. He took a few hesitant steps forwards…that became more definite as he neared his fallen foe. Raichu could barely move…but Mario was still going strong, in spite of the damage. As Mario approached Raichu the mouse tensed for one, hopefully not, final action.

As Mario raised his hand to deal a powerful strike to Raichu there was the sound of an electrical discharge and Mario arched his back as a powerful current held him in place.

At first Raichu thought he had attacked, but then he realized he still had the energy he had planned on using on Mario. Then…who?

A blue leg slashed out and hit Mario brutally in the chest, knocking him away. A second energy shot emerged from Samus's Paralyzer but Mario rolled away before flipping back to his feet.

Raichu moved away as Samus and Mario edged closer to each other. Mario had unnatural strength and speed…but Samus had that whole Chozo Blood thing so she was strong as well. The only question was…which one was better?

"Do you have anything to say to me?" Samus asked.

"Besides surrender?" Mario asked.

"You know I'm not going to."

"Good," Mario said with a grin, "I didn't want you to."

Mario dashed forward, crouching under Samus's initial shot and side-stepping her kick before landing a powerful uppercut to her chin, sending her shooting up. He jumped up but as he neared her she flipped around in midair, smashing her legs into his head just as he reached her level and sending him shooting back to the ground, which he hit hard. Samus dropped gracefully just in front of him.

She shot off another burst of paralyzing energy but Mario spun while standing up, hitting it with his cape and reflecting it back at Samus. The bolt stunned her, which gave Mario plenty of time to charge at her, punching her hard in the stomach before sending her flying with a kick to the chest. She hit the ground and skidded…and Mario jumped high in the air before crashing down towards her.

She rolled out of the way, his fist impaling itself into the ground where her face had been. Quicker than he could react she swept out with her legs while getting to her feet, kicking him multiple times. She lunged forward to punch him, but he caught her hand. A second missed strike and he had her other arm in his steely grip. She kicked at him, but that close and she couldn't get any power behind it. Grunting slightly Mario lifted her by her arms and flipped her over his head into his frequently used slam to the ground. Samus cried out but was unable to defend herself as Mario prepared another attack.

While this was going on Raichu had ran to inspect Falco and Diddy, both of whom were moving. A quick jolt from Raichu had them up and about, if a bit grouchy. By the time both were ready for combat Mario was preparing to finish off Samus…they had to move fast.

Mario slammed Samus to the ground twice more, each more painful than the last. Samus could feel her bones starting to crack, even with her increased toughness Mario was simply to powerful to beat on her own. Luckily for her, she was not alone.

Raichu and Diddy leapt onto Mario's back, grabbing his cape. Furious he let go of Samus and tried to grab the two of them…just as Falco burrowed into his side with the Fire Falco maneuver.

As the corkscrew of flaming bird drilled into Mario, Diddy and Raichu jumped off Mario, yanking his cape off at the same time. Hurriedly they ran off while Mario grabbed Falco before the bird could stop the attack and threw him at Samus. Eyes burning with frightening fury he turned towards Diddy and Raichu…just as they tossed his cape off the side of the stage.

"NO!" Mario yelled, shooting off a massive burst of flame at the two, which they barely dodged by diving in opposite directions.

Falco got off Samus and fired a few bolts at Mario, irritating him enough to turn around. He shot some fireballs at Falco but he reflected them back. Mario took the fire without blinking, scorches, slashes and bruises evident all over Mario. He stood proudly as the four surrounded him, weapons drawn, each just as beaten as the plumber.

"You're going to lose," Diddy said, "Please, just…stop."

"I'm not. No matter which way this battle ends up going I won. I changed my life. For once…I did something I cared about…even if it was the wrong thing."

"You know it was wrong! How could anything you hope to do here help anything?" Falco said, "This is all pointless!"
"Pointless?" Mario said, "I've never been told anything I did was pointless before…well, with the exception of minor villains I quickly eliminated. It's…nice. Show me. Show me how pointless this dream of mine is."
"We will," Raichu told him, "You and Kidar are both going to fail here and now. We've beaten bigger baddies than you guys, even if you were with us for that. "

"But I'm not a baddie," Mario said with a smile, his faint Italian accent giving his words a disturbingly cheerful sound, "I'm a hero…the greatest one of all. Surely you don't think you can stop a legend?"

"You're no legend," Samus said harshly, "You're a sick man. Everything you did before now will be tainted with the knowledge of the evil you've done. You've eliminated any chance you had of being the greatest hero…and I assure you, you won't be remembered as a very good villain."

"Fine," Mario said, the smile fading, "Come on then…COME ON!"

As Mario screamed, fire erupted from his entire body…and the four attacked.

As the battle neared its final stages, its first "casualty" began to move. White-gloved hands twitched, as a mind tortured by commands it dared not disobeyed was forced to consciousness for a conclusive strike…

Kirby and Link could not get through Kidar's defense. He weaved and blocked with amazing speed and it was only because they had three swords and a shield to his two blades that they weren't breathing through deadly stab wounds in their guts. Still he used a minimum of energy with his elegant movements compared to Link and Kirby's frantic strikes followed by equally frantic blocks. It was only a matter of time until he tired them out…and they knew it.

Kirby was the one who decided to do something about their seemingly hopeless situation. He let Link take the lead, and Kidar easily blocked both his shield jab and sword stab with his blades…and Kirby threw both of his swords at Kidar.

The mage spun away from Link and batted them both out of the air…and that was when Kirby ran up and slammed the startled swordsman with his massive hammer, the blow literally lifting Kidar off his feet and sending him hurtling through the air. He flew several feet before landing roughly at which point Kirby dashed up and swung again at the prone man…just as Kidar swiped with his sword.

There was a loud whiff, followed by a thunk…as Kirby's wooden hammer head was cleanly removed from its handle. Kirby stared at his ruined weapon for a second, which gave Kidar plenty of time to kick out and smash Kirby in the face. He jumped up and hurled one of his swords at the charging Link. The point bashed off his shield hard enough to force Link to stumble back and Kidar raised his now free hand towards Kirby.

The puffball stared up at Kidar, his mouth silently forming a questioning poyo…and a dark burst of energy shot out from Kidar's palm and slammed into Kirby directly between his eyes. Time seemed to freeze as Kirby's eyes closed and he stopped moving.

"What did you do?!" Link demanded, as Kidar summoned his sword back to him.

"Just an instant unconsciousness spell…don't worry, it only works if they're extremely…weak," Kidar told him, idly twirling his blades around.

"You're going to pay for everything you've done, scum," Link spat, "I don't want to do this but-"

"Oh please," Kidar interrupted, "This is exactly what you want to do. You and me, one on one…and complete justification for your killing me. But it won't be that easy…you're fighting to kill…I'm fighting to keep you alive. Who's in the wrong now?"

"Don't pull that crap on me mage," Link warned, "You want me alive for evil…I want you dead for good. You're as bad as they come, and nothing you say will change my mind."

"So stuck in your ways Link…it should make it all the more fun when I train you to adore me."

"Never going to happen," Link said, sword and shield raised, "Enough chit-chat…let's see how M.C.'s pet does against the Hero of Time."
Kidar stiffened and an icy tone entered his voice.

"You will learn to never refer to me as such, boy."
"Touched a nerve? Didn't even know you had one, you emotionless sack of-"

"You won't make me angry…you'll just make me more determined to end this."
"Fine," Link said, "Let's do this."
They ran towards each other, and the clash of blades echoed throughout the arena.

The initial charge of the four attacking Mario was completely rebuffed by a wave of fire that erupted from him, sending all of them flying back, charred and smoking. Diddy was the first up as Mario began glowing again. Mario gathered his energy as Diddy pulled back his guitar…when a blue blur tackled Diddy and slammed his head violently to the ground.

It was Meta Knight. Falco was the first to react, and the closest as Meta proceeded to bash Diddy's head repeated to the floor. A sharp snap kick knocked Meta off the severely unconscious and damaged Diddy and as Meta recovered and dived at Falco, white gloved arms outstretched, a second snap kick sent Meta crashing to the ground, where he joined Diddy in sleepy-time, a time that would hopefully last until this whole thing could be sorted out.

While Falco dealt with Meta and Samus tried to get her breath back from her near charbroiling experience Raichu dashed at Mario. The plumber saw him coming but Raichu was too fast to do anything about it…he charged up a quick Skull Bash and slammed into Mario's stomach, quickly flipping and grabbing onto his overalls…before releasing all of his remaining electricity into him.

Unfortunately it wasn't as much as Raichu could hope, and Mario managed to fight past the extreme pain long enough to punch Raichu three times in the head. Tacked on with his lack of electrical energy and Raichu slumped to the ground, out cold.

Mario looked up to see Falco and Samus running at him. Reacting quickly he ran forward and then raised his hands to block as both did a jumping kick at him, the force of the attacks knocking him back. He responded quickly though and punched out, catching Falco a light blow on the side, before ducking under Samus's whip.

He rolled again, getting between Samus and Falco and then planted his hands on the ground and spun around quickly, knocking both Samus and Falco down with his feet. He leapt up into the air while they rolled to avoid a suspected follow-attack…but they weren't expecting him to shoot off several beams of fire while his leap carried him higher.

Samus and Falco ducked as the beams of red death shot down…but while they soon felt the heat go up, they didn't start burning and dying. Confused they looked around to see that Mario had trapped them in a small ring of fire, with red and orange flames four feet high surrounding them, creating a ten-foot diameter arena. As Mario dropped back to the ground in front of them they realized they were forced into an extremely close-quarters combat…against a foe stronger than both of them combined.

They attacked anyways. Mario threw the first punch but Samus and Falco avoided it, the flames licking their backs as Samus kicked and Falco slashed with his wings. Mario managed to duck under the kick but Falco's slash hit him hard. Mario retaliated by kicking Falco in the stomach, sending him stumbling into the fire. Falco yelled out in pain and ran forward…right into Mario's fist, knocking the bird out.

"Just you left Samus," Mario said as Falco crumpled.

"You have a talent for stating the obvious," Samus said sarcastically.

"You're right. You're on fire."

Samus looked at herself in confusion before Mario launched a ball of fire at her, hitting her in the stomach. She put it out quickly and ducked under his second strike.

"Clever," Samus spat, "But I'm not giving up."

"Fine by me," Mario said, as the fire faded, "This will be over soon."

Samus ran forward, her whip extending out, the point ending in a ball of energy. Mario sidestepped and lunged forward, his deadly hands just barely missing Samus as she backed away. She punched and he grabbed but she smashed her elbow into his chin before he could slam her like before. Angrily he jumped up and kicked his legs at her. She dodged but he dropped faster than she could have guessed and used his forearm to block her hastily thrown kick.

A sudden jerk forward and Mario was within Samus's guard. He jumped up, catching her under the chin in a brutal, but familiar Super Jump Punch, his fist bumping her up bit by painful bit. Samus was trapped in the attack until Mario retracted his fist, going up a little higher than Samus…before smashing his fists down in a brutal hammerhead blow that hit her in the back.

She shot down, hitting the ground chest-first a second before Mario landed next to her. She groaned slightly and tried to move, but a short, sharp kick made her just as unconscious as all the others. The fight, at least for Mario…was done.

But Link and Kidar were still going strong and now with no one else to get in the way he was able to go all out. As soon as he got the chance he threw out a Spin Attack, the multiple strikes preventing Kidar from attacking as he frantically blocked and dodged the whirling dervish of death…and the wave of magic after the end of the attack sent him skidding back.

Immediately Link sheathed his sword and pulled out his Hookshot, the point skimming past Kidar's shoulder. Kidar smacked it with his sword and the chain wrapped around his blade. Link flipped a switch and the Hookshot began to retract, yanking Kidar's sword out of his hand. Kidar pointed a finger at Link and the Hylian ducked under a thin beam of purple energy, before grabbing Kidar's sword and pocketing the Hookshot. Link raised the blade so similar to his own…before it vanished and reappeared back in Kidar's hands.

"Nice try Link, but it'll take more than that to disarm me," Kidar said laughing.

"Alright then…more it is," Link said, pulling out his boomerang and throwing it hard. Kidar crouched under it, and then raised his right-hand sword to block Link's powerful overhead strike.

Kidar whipped his second blade around and Link easily blocked with his shield. Kidar let his sword bounce off the metal plate before bringing it down in a slash that Link had to move his foot to avoid. Kidar stepped back…and slashed out behind him, cutting Link's boomerang in half. The two pieces kept going and hit the ground behind Link before coming to a silent stop, the broken wood completely useless now.

"Nice trick, but obvious," Kidar said, "I expect more from the Hero of Time, and the Bearer of the Triforce of Courage. Come on…show me how you beat Ganondorf!"

"You're going to regret asking that," Link said, pulling out a bomb.

"A bomb? That's the best you have? If that's what you want…" Kidar said, sounding vaguely disappointed, as Link tossed the bomb at him.

Kidar kicked it away and it exploded harmlessly out of range. Smirking he looked back at Link…only to jerk one of his swords up to deflect the arrow from entering his head. Link shot off a few more and Kidar dodged, ducked…and allowed a few to dink off his armor. After four more arrow shots he laughed again….which is when Link fired off a Bomb Arrow.

It smashed into his chest and exploded, knocking Kidar off his feet. It was Link's turn to smirk as he fired off three more Bomb Arrows, each hitting Kidar or at least getting close enough to hurt him with the explosion. Link paused, his fifth bomb arrow notched and ready to fire, as the dark and acrid smoke obscured Kidar. He waited for a good shot…when a beam of violet shot out from the smoke, slicing his bow in two and leaving a deep gash along his arm. The bomb arrow dropped and exploded at his feet, leaving Link coughing and throwing aside his now useless bow.

"Nice try Link," Kidar said, waving his arms, forcing the smoke to dissipate around him.

"Wasn't nice enough," Link growled, using the fading smoke cover to pull out his Hookshot again.

"Yes, well, perhaps next time you could-!" Kidar stepped to the side, narrowly avoiding Link's Hookshot.

Kidar dropped a blade and stretched out a hand and grabbed the chain as it shot past him. Link flipped the switch, but the chain didn't retract. Link pulled but the Hookshot remained extended and trapped in Kidar's hand. A violet tentacle, mostly transparent, emerged bloodlessly from Kidar's palm and slowly snaked its way along the chain. It had a ghostly hue about it…but it was all too familiar to Link from his recent nightmares.

Link pulled some more, but as the tentacle inched closer to him he dropped the Hookshot, wary of allowing the sickening tentacle to touch him. The tentacle retracted back toward Kidar, dragging the device with it. Once the tentacle was absorbed back into Kidar he was holding the Hookshot, although it disintegrated a second later, collapsing in on itself. Kidar blew the dust fragments away and summoned his sword back to his hand, grinning at Link.

"It's a good thing you didn't let that tentacle make contact with you…as you can see, it isn't very safe to touch. Any more tricks Link, or are we done?"

Link responded by pulling his sword and shield again. Kidar tensed, expecting another charge as Link pointed his blade at him…but was caught off guard by the beam of energy that shot off from the sword. Kidar ducked and it passed over his head, but Link merely shot off another one, which clipped Kidar's leg and cut a groove in his armor there.

A third beam fired by Link was met by a violet one from Kidar's blade. Both met in midair and fizzled out. Link fired four more times and each one was met by Kidar's counter-attack. Link merely nodded and ran at Kidar.

Kidar started the attack this time. He struck at Link, one sword going towards his head, the other aimed at his legs. Link raised his shield to block the headshot, and then pivoted his legs out of the way of the leg strike. Before Kidar could recover Link used the Master Sword to slash at Kidar's back, tearing the cloak but not penetrating the armor.

Kidar jumped back before Link could do any actual damage and stabbed at Link several times in a rapid-fire attack. Link blocked the majority with his shield but the force was enough to send him sliding back, and with a sudden rush forward Kidar knocked aside Link's shield and stabbed the swordsman in the right arm, leaving a massive gash and cutting several crucial parts of the arm.

Link screamed in pain but managed to move his other arm enough to smack Kidar in the chin with the hilt of the Master Sword. Kidar stumbled back, a trickle of blood leaking out of his mouth as Link's right arm dangled uselessly at his side.

Link hissed again as the pain shot up through his mangled arm, but he managed to open his hand enough to drop the shield to the ground. Kidar chuckled as Link raised his sword up, a faint golden glow showing on his hand.

"You still want to fight? You don't stand a chance. What can you hope to do now?"

"This," Link stated, flipping his hand around to point the Triforce symbol at Kidar. It glowed brighter than Kidar had ever seen it…and a single beam of pure courageous energy shot out of it and slammed into Kidar. The twin Triforces formed around him, holding him in place as Link flew forward and allowed the full power of the Triforce of Courage to guide his strikes.

Kidar wasn't as trapped as Ganondorf…he was still able to move his swords enough to block any crippling blows from Link's super-powered barrage, but as the furious assault continued Kidar weakened and Link was able to bring the Master Sword crashing into first the left-hand sword, knocking it from Kidar's hand and sending it clattering uselessly to the ground. A quick slashing motion in the opposite direction knocked the second sword out of his hand and Link pulled back his sword for the final blow.

Kidar tried to summon his swords to his hands again, but they stopped upon reaching the barrier Link had erected. He stared at Link, true fear of his own mortality for the first time in his short existence evident in his violet eyes as Link plunged his sword into Kidar's chest, cutting through the armor like it was mist, but stopping before going too deep into the mage.

Silence followed…as Link stared into Kidar's stunned and pain-filled eyes. The silence seemed to last for hours until a voice called out in a tone barely recognizable as Link's, so filled with righteous hatred it was.

"Now DIE you twisted spawn of evil!"

Link grunted and drove the Sword of Evil's Bane all the way through Kidar's heart until it erupted out from his back in a horrible sound of tortured flesh, metal and bone. And Link relaxed in the knowledge that it was over…

But it was not…