AAAAAAAAHH! I seriously don't know why it took me SO LONG to get this chapter done, but I did it! I was just... really unmotivated to write, but it's finally here! Here's the sort of 'next arc', hehe. Enjoy!
-Joost

Shattering the Stars
Chapter 13: Repent

Landia had been without luck for some time now, each realm he traveled to either not having any life for lightyears, or there was no evidence to suggest that Shatterhand had made a visit. Every world that held life was blissful and happy, existing without the fear of the unknown, in Landia's case, that being Shatterhand. Even as mighty as the dragon was, there were still things he feared.

There was something off, however, about Landia's search. The entire time he felt like he was being watched, even though he was completely alone, flying through the endless void of space. When he roared to open a portal, the feeling just intensified, as if someone took special notice every time he jumped to another realm, taking notes.

Eventually, the unnerving suspicion grew to be so frustrating that Landia, when he opened a portal, just hovered in front of it, waiting. Waiting for someone to appear, something to happen, anything. For a moment, Landia was starting to think he had gone mad, the long months of solitude before being called to this whole endeavor by Meta Knight having gotten to him. He almost considered just moving on beyond the portal, putting the strange feeling behind him.

"You can sense me, can't you?" A soft, womanly voice echoed inside Landia's head. The dragon went on guard, startled by the sound. He was floating along in space; no sound could even travel to his ears. "Please don't be alarmed…"

Landia snarled and bared his teeth, ready to send fire towards anything that decided to attack. He went to roar, but nothing came from his mouth, and rightly so, he received no response.

"My friend, there's no use trying to talk aloud," the voice said, hiding a chuckle. "I am speaking to you through the mind, telepathy, if you will." Landia was confused at the voice considering his roar to be an attempt at speech. "Allow me to present myself to you in a more proper fashion. I apologize for my lingering watch, but I needed to make sure that you were the right one."

"The right one?" Landia thought to himself.

"Yes, the right one," The voice responded, again startling the dragon. So it could hear his thoughts? Then that must be how he could communicate with whoever this voice belonged to.

Before Landia could think of anything to ask, before him, a new portal appeared. It shimmered extravagantly in space, bright enough to be mistaken for a star. Out came a blue, eagle-like creature, flapping her delicately crafted wings with passion. Her mantle was like an ocean, flowing down her body into her trailing tail feathers. Two quills came from the back of her head, adding to her own splendor. Landia was almost humbled at the sight but kept wearing a determined gaze.

"Greetings, Landia, it's a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance," the majestic eagle said calmly, lowering her wings and gently floating in space.

"You know me?" Landia snapped.

"Yes, I do," said the eagle, her voice expressing a smooth, considerate aura in contrast to Landia's brashness. "Along with the nature of your presence here, in a realm not of your own. Your mission."

At that moment, Landia finally became interested in something. He raised an eyebrow inquisitively, closing his mouth and relaxing. The portal that he had opened before now closed, the dragon electing to stay and hear this mysterious phoenix out. "Alright, you have my attention," Landia commented, "How do you know about my purpose here?"

"Well, Landia, your Wave Energy gave it away," the eagle stated matter-of-factly.

"Wave Energy?" Landia tilted his head.

"Yes, your Wave Energy. It's foreign to this reality," The being spoke as if Landia had any clue what she meant. After another confused look, it dawned on her that she had already talked of things that would've come later. "Oh, forgive me, you're uninformed. I shall explain in time, I assure you."

"Who are you, exactly?" Landia was as blunt as an unsharpened pencil.

"I go by a few names, but you may call me Empyrea."

"A 'few names'?" Landia repeated, still somewhat confused. He had never heard of an 'Empyrea' in his exceedingly long life, but he guessed that there were still things to learn from the multiverse. Regardless, he didn't dwell on a simple name, far too enraptured by the mystique of this Empyrea and why she had decided to make herself known to him. "Never mind, but you were the force that's been watching me. Why, and how else do you know about me and my mission?"

"I do apologize for the intruding feeling, but if you're to help assist those boys in defeating Shatterhand, you're going to need much more help than you have now," Empyrea explained, making Landia tense up just slightly. She knew about Link, Kirby, and even Shatterhand.

"If you knew about Shatterhand, then why didn't you stop him?" Landia asked the million-dollar question.

"Well, a mother must take care of her young, Landia," Empyrea stated, flying closer and glaring at the dragon with a bit of hostility. Up close, her wingspan exceeded Landia's, as did her overall size, commanding authority to all normal eyes that happened to lay upon her. Landia would not follow such order, bowing to no one. "However, to discuss that is not why I'm here. I'm here because you cannot defeat Shatterhand alone, at least not with the allies Link and Kirby have gathered so far."

"You underestimate my friends?" Landia asked without thinking. It occurred to him that he didn't often openly consider people his friends.

"No, you underestimate Shatterhand. The Archfiend of Reality has burned and purged more heroes across the multiverse than breaths you've taken," Empyrea spoke with deep remorse, having sat idly and stared through her looking glass for far too long, watching the tyrant kill without honor or mercy. "Now, with my children mature enough to live independently, I am free to act and finally put an end to him."

"Alright, fine, Empyrea," Landia said her name sarcastically, "How can we beat him?"

"We must journey together and find four heroes in which I am familiar with. We can trust them," Empyrea clarified. She paused and smiled to herself, fond memories of the four she spoke of resurfacing. "They're all quite good friends, and two have put their lives on the line for me before. Once them, along with Kirby, Link, and the others are in one place, I plan to bestow upon them a gift."

"What kind of gift?" Landia was tired of the talk of mystery. He looked at his own talons nonchalantly, feigning disinterest. Deep down, however, he was somewhat enchanted by how much this Empyrea knew. He thought the burden of his life was something he went through alone, but now her story told him otherwise.

"I mentioned something known as 'Wave Energy' before," Empyrea said, before stopping herself. An idea entered her mind, and she easily decided that it was better than just filling the telepathic train of thought she and Landia had been on for the past few minutes. "Allow me to show you, among other things,"

Empyrea turned and opened a new portal, and then looked back to Landia, beckoning him to join her. A soft, warm smile appeared along her beak, and Landia then wore his own. Perhaps there was room in his stone-cold soul for more friends.

"Very well, but what 'other things'?" Landia asked as he flew over next to Empyrea.

"I want to show you… everything."

Kirby rubbed his tired eyes, trying to get a glimpse of where he was. His memory was hazy, the last thing he remembered being hugged ferociously. Who though? Who was hugging him so much that even his pink, puffy form became sore? That purple girl! The one that seemed to be entangled with his cuteness the night before, so much so that she watched an endless amount of film on that bizarrely shaped mini-television she carried around.

"Poyo?" Kirby stood up, finding himself alone in the living room. It was a lot different from his own house in Dream Land or the room he stayed in while at the Mushroom Kingdom. Even though there were lavish decorations all about, it felt oddly empty. The soothing patter of rain bounced against the windows, adding to the ambience.

A light shuffling sound came from the hallway, drawing Kirby's interest. He left the cushioned couch and wandered around the spacious apartment, following whatever his ears picked up. Hearing a door open and close, the pink puffball crept along the corridor sneakily, crouching down and easily squeezing under the thin gap between the bottom of the door and the floor. Once he was inside, he saw that girl, the purple one, and his friend Link asleep on the bed.

Violet stared wistfully at the sleeping Link, not noticing Kirby by the door. She had unknowingly been just as stealthy as Kirby, having discovered that the man in the bed stirred at the lightest of sounds. The little Star Warrior wasn't a privy to such information, and when he took a step forward, the floorboard beneath his foot creaked loudly.

It's commonly thought that one wakes from a dream once they realize they're in it, however that was wholly untrue in terms of Link Dotour, among others. He normally slept without ever figuring he was within his own dreams, except for a few rare occasions. This time, however, he remained on the edge of ignorance and cognizance, stuck in an almost purgatory. Suddenly, he was abruptly freed, his arm acting on its own and hoisting him out of his prison.

"W-Wait!" Violet gasped as she watched Link awaken, Kirby none the wiser.

Link grunted and quickly rose his head, eyes darting around the room. He had the urge to shout, curse, or throw a punch, thinking that the red plumber was still in his grasp, but then something different presented itself. A new face, one oozing an almost overbearing impression of admiration.

"Who… Who are you?" Link asked, weary of Violet. The inkling didn't answer, blushing profusely, unable to look the hero in the eye.

"Poyo!" Kirby said, easing his friend's fears.

"Kirby? Wait, you're-" Link sat further up, and promptly regretted it. He felt the cool air of the bedroom hit his bare chest, sending a chill down his spine. A quick expletive filled the air and he covered himself with the blanket, trying to keep a little bit of his decency. "Where is my tunic?!"

Violet again blushed; her face never having been so red in her life. So this must be how Freddy feels when he's with his girlfriend, she mused, before meekly pointing to the other side of the room, "It- It's over there, on my hope chest…"

A similar redness to Violet's appeared along Link's face. Romani had a hope chest too, which they opened together after they were married. The contents inside were then spread out along the Beach House in Great Bay, which the couple used often, especially during their preparation for their child. Here, the sight of Link's tunic atop another girl's hope chest positively mortified him. After a few quick stammers, the hero looked to his pink friend.

"K-Kirby… Could you get that for me?" Link asked, hiding his face from Violet.

"Poy!" Kirby nodded happily and scampered over to the hope chest and grabbed Link's tunic, blissfully unaware of why his friend was so flustered. Violet watched, slightly saddened, as Kirby gave the tunic back to its rightful owner, inwardly contemplating her feelings.

Once Link was appropriately dressed, he stood from the bed, feeling starved of sleep, even though he had just awakened. "Where am I? Where are the others?" Link asked Violet sternly, unwilling to put up with any childish games. He had just remembered he had a score to settle with the red plumber.

"They- They're all resting, I think," Violet mumbled, stepping back towards the door. "My friends found you in the alley, but my apartment was the only one big enough to let you all recover," She was overcome with embarrassment, something she once thought impossible after she broke up with Rez.

Link groaned at the idea of Mario still healing from his bout against Shatterhand. He couldn't just storm into the room where the plumber slept and continue the brawl they had the day prior. Even when driven to an uncharacteristic anger, Link refused to stoop down to such a low level. Annoyed, he started to leave the room, and Violet suddenly found some courage to speak.

"If you don't mind me asking," the inkling began, "Who exactly are you?"

Link stopped in his tracks and waited for a second. Should he even tell her? He had gotten a decent look at her, and she seemed far too young to be entangled in what he, Kirby, and the others were doing. Though he figured his name wouldn't do much to provoke anything.

"My name is Link," the hero replied.

Violet's eyes widened, shocked at the fact that Freddy was right. "Wait, your name is Link? Like… the Link?!" The man in question winced disgruntledly, his assumption quickly proven incorrect. "H-How can you be Link?" Violet continued, walking up and inspecting the hero without her infatuated gaze from before. "No, you can't be, you've just got to be a really good, really tall cosplayer. Yeah, 'cuz like, your ears are just like ours!"

"Why in every realm I go to, people focus on my ears?" Link asked himself as he walked out of the room, clearly not in the mood for any of this foolishness. Kirby followed, leaving Violet completely flabbergasted. The way he just pushed her words aside made her scarily more convinced that Freddy was correct.

Link treaded the hallway indifferently, ignoring the expensive styling and numerous framed photos on the wall, searching for his gear. More importantly, the Ultra Sword. He was going to need the weapon if he wanted to escape from the city and continue his journey to defeat Shatterhand. Then, his entire body stopped, unwilling to obey the commands of his brain. All he could think about was the man himself, the one who came so close to finished him and his friends, Shatterhand.

Violet came across Link, standing in the middle of her living room, wearing the most spiteful, miserable look she had ever seen. His lips were crossed downwards, only bearing a few select emotions, and a dark determination swelled within his irises, burning passionately. Cautiously, she approached him, unsure if speaking up would set him off in some way. Kirby was somewhat surprised at Link's forlorn demeanor, but he was still able to see that his friend was in pain.

"Poyo…" Kirby said as he walked up to and hugged Link's boot affectionately. His own starry eyes met with Link's, and the dark determination faded away, a weak smile forming across his face.

"Thanks buddy," Link said, stepping carefully to the couch and sitting down, putting his face in his hands and sighing deeply.

Then Link felt the overly-inquisitive eyes of Violet.

"You going to tell me who you are, or are you just going to stare?" Link tilted his head and looked at Violet, his tone filled with authority.

"My name's Violet," Violet muttered. Link didn't react, just staring at nothing. Kirby let go of Link's leg and stood between him and the inkling. "I'm, um, sorry that I startled you earlier, I guess."

"It's alright," Link said, hardly thinking it was a problem. Kirby hopped up and sat next to him on the couch, making sure to stay close. Link appreciated the pink puffball's concern but couldn't shake the slight feeling of nausea. For some reason, he felt unbelievably disorganized and disoriented. There was an odd stench in the air, not a bad one, just odd. "Where are we?"

"M-My apartment, Flounder Heights, right by Inkopolis Square," Violet listed, not wanting to confuse the man further.

"Ugh, that doesn't help me," Link grumbled.

"Excuse me?"

Link just rolled his eyes, scanning the living room. Millions upon millions of questions bubbled to the surface of his mind, each fighting for dominance to be asked. To him, he thought Violet was just a child, a young teen that had just happened to find him, oblivious to her history and just exactly how much she and her friends had been through up to that point. Finally he became fed up with the swarm of inquiries plaguing his mind.

"Where is my gear?"

"You mean your swords and stuff?" Violet received a nod, "Oh, my friend Freddy took them to his apartment to keep them safe." Only half of that was true. She knew Freddy too well, correctly assuming that he only kept the items just to geek out over them.

Link groaned again, leaving his seat, "Perfect," he said, irked. It seemed this universe was completely against him, as were the others he had visited so far.

A knock from the door caught Link off guard, making him tense up and hold his ground as Violet went to answer. On the other side was the duo Amy and Crystal, both wearing broad smiles and greeting Violet happily. They didn't even acknowledge the tall, green fellow for a moment as they entered the room and got comfortable, too preoccupied in each other and their friend.

"We thought we'd come and see how your uh, visitors are doing," Amy said as if Link and Kirby weren't in the room. Violet faux coughed, her eyes gravitating over to where the two foreigners stood, giving the Inkling and Octoling a hint.

"Wooaaahh!" Crystal stared in awe at Link once she laid her eyes on him. Though he had met a certain inkling that was considerably taller, his height was still impressive compared to her and her friends. "So you're one of those guys I stumbled across? Cool! Nice to meet you!" She held out her hand for Link to shake.

"Uh," Link was taken aback, "Nice to meet you too," he said, giving a weak handshake. It seemed he was surrounded by children, more specifically, young teenagers. Where were the adults, the parents of these kids? Was Violet living alone? She didn't appear to have had any trouble lending all the rooms here to him and the others.

"Weird hair," Amy thought aloud. Link felt self-conscious for a moment, but not for the reason Amy suspected. She wasn't commenting on the odd, silver streak on the left side of his bangs, instead just his hair in general. To her it resembled Judd's fur, only longer, almost like the mammals she had known were long extinct. "So what's with the cosplay, huh?"

Link's clouded thoughts settled on that word again. "Cosplay?" he asked, the bewilderment in his voice easily detected.

The Inklings and Octoling stepped back unceremoniously, Link's serious stare and tone telling them that he had no knowledge of cosplay. At first they thought he was joking, but then a small chirp of 'poyo' grabbed hold of their ears. Simply entertaining the idea that this marvel of a man and the plucky little hero were not as they seemed felt futile.

A thunderclap from outside brought all in the room looking to the window. Link noticed that the teens around him eyed the rain with a slight tinge of fear, something he used to feel when he was much younger. He used to have a fear of storms, but as he grew up with Anju and Kafei, he came to admire the violent weather for its natural beauty. While much tragedy of his life was accompanied by the storms, he knew that they made him who he was now. If he hadn't dreamt of Ganondorf before him in front of the Hyrule Castle Town gate, the rain keeping his fear strong, he may not be standing where he was today.

For just a moment, Link reflected on the rain as the Inklings and Octoling tried not to. His thoughts ran from all the battles he'd waged, the swords he'd clashed with, and the blood spilled.

"YOU!" A certain voice cracked through the silence like a whip. At the mouth of the hallway stood Mario, holding his battered shoulder in pain as he pointed at the man in green. Malice raged on in his eyes as he slowly stomped across the living room to face Link. "I ought to beat the shit out of you with my own sprained arm!"

Kirby was shocked at Mario's foul words, but almost humorously, Amy, Crystal, and Violet were unfazed. Link wondered if that kind of nasty way of talking was common for them, but he didn't remain on the idea. He had to defend himself.

Mario threw a punch, and it was blocked by Link's right forearm. Without any thought behind his actions, Mario latched onto Link's ankle and pulled him to the ground. There, with all his anger, he hurled the Hero of Termina over his back and sent him slamming onto the coffee table. The weight of the crash splintered the wood, a small groan coming from the hero as lay sprawled along the remains of the furniture.

Violet screamed at the destruction.

"You'll stay down if you know what's good for you," Mario grunted, his uncharacteristic emotion making his voice sound nothing like it used to.

Link was acutely aware of what was good for him, and he kept still. He had a feeling that Mario would come a little closer, and when he heard the gentle footsteps of the plumber's boots, he acted without remorse.

Sweeping his leg to the side, Mario fell to the floor with a thud, and Link sat up and lunged at him like a wild predator. They struggled against each other for a second until Mario's left arm gave out. Deep groans came from the mustachioed man's mouth as Link's fist hammered down his nose, nearly squashing it. Blood trickled from his nostrils as he jutted his head up and bashed it against Link's, finally getting him off.

"Gah…" Link panted, wiping the sweat from his face. Mario almost mirrored his enemy's action, the blood starting to pool under his bottom lip. "You seriously have no common sense, do you, huh?"

"All I know is that you forced us to abandon our realm and leave it to Shatterhand," Mario countered, yelling. "Heartless!"

"Shatterhand?" Crystal whispered to Amy. Amy just shrugged, having no clue what the two foes were talking about. Admittedly, it was difficult not to listen in on the argument between the two grown men, fighting like toddlers.

Link just growled animalistically, not wanting to think about the fiend that he and the others narrowly escaped. He stalked forward and frisked Mario, grabbing onto the straps of his overalls and thrusting him back into the wall. Mario retaliated with a straight punch to the face, deeply bruising Link's cheek. Then he reached up and yanked on the Terminian's golden locks, forcing some recoil before elbowing the man in the stomach. The wind left Link's lungs and he was tackled, the pair getting into another tussle on the floor.

"You have-!" Link shouted as he hit Mario as hard as he could, knocking the red cap off his head. "-No idea what," he continued breathlessly, "What I had to do to get this far, bastard!"

"You lied, that's what you did!" Mario tried charging his Firebrand, but only a few miniscule sparks came from his hands. He was far to weak to use any power, as was Link. No magic or special techniques would help the two try and best the other.

Link was about to say something else, but then the front door to the apartment opened again.

"What in the-!?" Freddy couldn't believe his eyes. He set down the hefty bag he held and rubbed the goggles of his mask, thinking they were fogged up and hazy. No, he really was seeing two of his most cherished heroes duking it out on the floor of his friend's apartment. "S-stop it, both of you!"

Amy, Crystal, and Violet gave puzzled looks to their masked friend, unused to hearing such authority in his voice.

The two men on the floor blinked twice. "Ugh, get off," Link pushed Mario away and dusted himself off. His limbs cried out in silent agony as he stood up, and the same with the plumber. Without a word, they both walked over to the opposite sides of the living room, giving each other intense death-stares.

"What the hell happened?" Freddy pulled his friends aside.

"I-I dunno! Mario just woke up and chose violence!" Violet truly had no idea what kind of history these two fighters had, but apparently it called for a vicious fight in the middle of her home.

"We just got here," Amy explained. "Link was already up when we arrived."

"But why were they fighting?"

Freddy only got another set of shrugs.

"Well, if we're going to help them, then we gotta settle… whatever this is," Freddy gestured to Link and Mario, pointing out their unsporting scowls.

"Help? Help us?" Mario almost laughed, snorting slightly.

"Not to offend," Link began, "But our quarrel and why we're here doesn't concern… you." He analyzed the squad of strange-looking teenagers. Their odd hair, weirdly proportioned bodies, and wide eyes just gave off the sense that they were merely children. "I'm sure we all appreciate your desire to help us," Link glared at Mario, "But you all are far too young to get involved."

Amy, Crystal, Freddy, and Violet felt somewhat offended. While it was true that they were young, they had been through a lot together, especially Crystal, the Octoling. She came from a place she never wanted to think about, and her partner, Amy, had been essentially disowned by her parents for being what they saw as a failure. Not to mention Violet's sullen mood and Freddy's many secrets, mainly pertaining to the mask he wore perpetually.

"Sorry, Link, but the simple fact that you're here with us means that something big is going on," Freddy said, heading over to the front door to fetch the bag he had put down. There, he rummaged around until his hands felt a special, rectangular device. "Especially since you guys are meant to be in my games and such, not here."

Freddy held his Switch, turning it on and going to the home screen.

The mood suddenly changed. Both Link and Mario's blackened expressions faded away, interest and mystery filling the room. On the tablet screen of the device Freddy held were two, very distinct icons. Super Mario Odyssey and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

"What?" Link and Mario said in unison, a horrified amazement present in their voices.

Luigi and Tael later joined the group as they watched Freddy navigate his Switch, each of the dimensional crusaders riddled with shock. Freddy didn't show them much, suspecting that if he did, they may not take it well. All he let them see was that they were a part of this world before they even arrived.

"I know you've got questions, but I think it'd be best…" Freddy became overwhelmed by the sheer amount of eyes focused on him and his Switch. "B-But I think you guys should just take it easy, okay?"

"This is madness…" Tael muttered, his knees weak. "How is that even possible?!"

"Zelda…" Link whispered to himself, unable to get the image of the name out of his head. Mario himself was the most shaken, finding it impossible to comprehend that his name, face, everything, had been plastered across that little icon on the gaming system Freddy had.

"Bro, look at me," Luigi patted Mario's shoulder, "We'll figure out what's going on, don't worry, we just have to…" He trailed off, toiling on how he could even begin to understand it all, let alone calm his equally confused brother.

"Psst, hey, Freds. C'mere," Violet signaled Freddy over to her. Once he was close enough, she grabbed onto his ear and yanked him down onto the chair next to her. "That was a really, really stupid, you know, showing them that!"

"I know, I know, I just…" Freddy glanced at the travelers sitting across from him on the couch. He was both giddy to see them in the flesh, but also alarmed. He and his friends had dealt with the dimensions once before, and it was a hassle from start to finish. "We needed to get them to stop fighting, alright? It was a bad idea, yeah, but would you have rather them kill each other in your living room?"

Violet just groaned, knowing Freddy was right. It made her a little uncomfortable to have him correct so much lately.

"They're here for a reason," Freddy looked at all of them again. "I can feel it."

"So, uhm, why were you two fighting earlier, anyways?" Crystal asked.

Link and Mario tensed up, unwilling to delve into why exactly they destroyed Violet's coffee table and made an indentation in her wall. They looked away, hiding their eyes, feeling foolish for the entire thing. However, they didn't regret anything. Deep down, Link didn't want to apologize for fleeing from the Mushroom Kingdom, nor did Mario want to for striking the first blow in his anger.

"Aw, come on, guys!" Crystal did her best to remain cheery. It was her best attribute, something which Amy greatly adored. Even when she was going through the ropes, she often wore a cute, cat-like smile. "If you all are on this mission together, shouldn't you, y'know, get along?"

"Actually," Mario stood from the couch, arms crossed, "I'm starting to reconsider the whole thing."

"What?!" Link shouted, rising from where he sat as well. "Mario, you can't just decide that you aren't going to help! You saw what Shatterhand could do! If we can't stop him, then-"

"Who is this 'Shatterhand'?" Amy interrupted. When the name was first uttered, she thought she had misheard. But no, this Shatterhand was indeed the name of whoever brought these men so much fear. If they were anything like the heroes from the games Freddy played, that kind of fear didn't come from any normal foe.

"He's a-" Luigi held his tongue, wondering if he should say it. After a quick, solemn glance from his brother, the green plumber decided to word it carefully. "He's a man who threatens… a lot. Link was the first to found out about him, and he rounded up Kirby, Mario, and I to try and stop him."

"Wait a sec, how could he do that?" Amy asked.

"With the Ultra-Sword," Link said flatly.

"Hang on, the Ultra-Sword can't do that," Freddy spoke up, having played the game it first came from.

"Poy poyo?" Kirby rolled around on the couch, looking adorable as always.

"Alright, everyone! Stop!" Violet's voice echoed through the apartment, making everyone go silent. "If you guys are just going to keep going on about… whatever it is you're yapping about, then you can find another place to stay! This is my home, and you're going to follow my rules, got it?!"

Amy, Crystal, and Freddy had never seen such a womanly voice come from Violet. She sounded like the idols, almost. Maybe it was just the incessant talking that caused her to break, but only she would know.

"First of all, if you're all going to stay here, then you need to get along!" Violet left her chair and stood between Mario and Link. "I'll give you guys a day to sort this out, since it's already past noon!"

Just briefly, Link considered showing Mario the picture of Romani. That, along with the child they were expecting, and the family he had back in Termina, was the reason he ran from Shatterhand. He couldn't, and simply refused, to let them down. Among his few desires in life, one of them was to live happily, see his child grow up, and grow old with his loved ones. That, in his eyes, was the infinite passion of life.

Then Link's mind wandered to the subject that rested in there before Mario came to fight. The blood he had spilled, both his own and of his enemies. Ganon, Majora, The Garo Master, Dark Link, everyone. Every single one of those encounters came into perspective for the twenty-year-old hero, as if each time the crimson red essence of life splattered along the floor was leading him to this. The fate of that blood.

Mario, also, was thinking about the battles he had faced. The many against Bowser, like the journey to gather the stolen Power Stars, Luigi's battle against King Boo, or their combined fight to defend the Beanbean Kingdom from Cackletta. He never thought hard about them before, but much like Link, he pondered the idea of them all having a greater meaning.

"Look, I don't know what you think of all this," Link pointed to himself, then Kirby, and then the people that were helping them, "But you, Luigi, Kirby, and I all had that same dream, with the vines. It couldn't have been a coincidence. My variant appeared to me for a reason. Call it destiny, I don't know, but he trusted me to finish this and be rid of Shatterhand's evil, but I can't do it alone."

Amy and Crystal's ears perked up at the mention of a dream with vines.

"I have a feeling that everything in my life might have been guiding me towards this. It might be our destiny, or it could just be happenstance, again, I don't know," Link huffed. He felt uncomfortable, vulnerable, and alone. What he didn't realize was that Mario, Luigi, Kirby, and Tael felt the same way. "However, there isn't anyone else able to do this. If he finishes us, then there will be no one left to stop him."

"Responsibility," Mario said. Link's eyes widened. "I'm still pissed at you, Link," he elaborated, making sure nobody got the wrong idea. "But I'm also worried, okay?"

Link and Mario just looked at the floor as the others watched them, waiting for one of them to continue. They never did, at least not for that day. That night they went to bed without a meal, their appetites quenched by the thirst for solace from the threat of Shatterhand.