Chapter 10 - A New Battle

Mario stared out the window into the blackness of space. It was amazing how many stars there were in the great expanse of space. Of course, looking at them this close was different from looking at them from the ground. Mario closed his eyes, and let his mind wander.

He thought back to a long time ago. To a time years away, when things were simpler. Mario and Peach were lying in a patch of flowers, looking up at the night sky. Peach always enjoyed the quietness of watching the stars. And, of course, whatever she enjoyed, Mario enjoyed as well. That particular night, Mario was planning something special. He'd thought about this for months. They'd been together for so long, he felt that now was time to do it.

Of course, timing was everything. All Mario needed was the right moment. So far, they'd spent 15 minutes watching stars, and while Peach was becoming more and more relaxed, Mario was practically a nervous wreck, as he fingered his little present for Peach inside his pocket.

"Did you hear?" Peach then suddenly asked.
Mario was startled slightly, then replied, "Hear what?"
"Russ T.'s getting married!" Peach said excitedly.

"Really," Mario said, sensing his moment quickly approaching, "It's funny you should mention marriage-."

"It's so romantic, isn't it?" Peach said, interupting Mario, "Devoting oneself to someone who you adore more than any other person in the world."

"Yes, it is, isn't it?" Mario said, doing his best to hide his excitement.

"And just think," Peach continued, "soon they're gonna have children, raise a family, and...Oh, it's just so wonderful isn't it? I've always wondered what it would be like to have children. Don't you think it'd be wonderful?"

At this point, whatever excitement Mario may have developed had disappeared in an puff of smoke.

Children? Family? These were concepts Mario had never considered until that moment.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Peach said, and then turned to Mario expectedly and asked"You wanted to tell me something?"

Mario then started to feel panic; however ready he felt before, he was most certainly not ready now.

"Um...you...you look especially beautiful tonight."
Peach's starry eyes then lost their glitter, and Mario thought he caught a hint of disappointment in her smile.
"Oh. Well...thank you," she said, and then she laid back down to watch the stars.


Mario opened his eyes again as he brought himself back from the painful memory. It was the hardest thing he had to live with in his entire life. He could've proposed; he should've proposed. Why didn't he?

Mario, of course, knew the answer: he was afraid. Afraid of change, of commitment, of being a parent. Being of such small mindedness, it was a wonder why they stayed together for as long as they did. They're relationship may have been well known, but it progressed nowhere. It was in flux, and was only skin deep. At the time, that was how Mario would've preferred it, but it always seemed like Peach wanted something more. Mario regretted knowing so little then, compared to how much he knew now.

Mario was then forced from his thoughts by the sound of his doors opening. He turned in his chair to face his two top generals. The first one was a tall skinny man who wore a black styled outfit with a purple cap. The person beside him, Mario's second general, was shorter in stature, and more portly, with a yellow outfit and cap.

"Report," Mario said.
"Repairs on the Gauntlet are going along smoothly. She took a lotta damage on the port side, but we should have it ready by the end of the week," the tall man replied.

"And what of our rebel problem," Mario asked.
To this question, the tall man was less willing to answer readily, so the fat man spoke, "We're having a little...trouble with that one, but we should have it under control soon."

At this, Mario shot two energy bolts at them and blew them into the bulk-head behind them.

"Soon?" Mario asked incredulously, then said, "Soon has already come and gone. And so far, I'm still hounded to no end by those insidious Knights of Hope!"

The two generals simply sat there, afraid to get back up, while Mario continued, "What's more, I also have the displeasure of dealing with that Meta Knight fellow from the Pop Star Dimension! And to top it all off, we now have that group known as Star Wolf to contend with!" He punctuated his frustration by slamming his fist into his desk, smashing the surface of the glass section completely.

"Boss. Come on," The fat man said cautiously, "We're doing the best we can."
"Somehow, I seriously doubt it, Mister Wario," Mario snapped, "If you and Waluigi were truly doing your best, there wouldn't be anymore resistances for me to worry about, would there?"

Neither general had an answer to this, and so remained silent as they rose back to their feet.

"Maybe," Mario continued, "The reason you two are failing in your responsibilities is because the work load is too much for you..."

"Whoa, wait a minute, Boss-man," Wario responded defensively, "We can handle the responsibility junk! It's no problem, really!"

"Then, for your sakes," Mario said coldly, "You'd best try harder from now on."
Just then, a computerized chime sounded from an intercom on Mario's desk, and he pressed the intercom and barked, "What?"

"Dash Bowman, reporting, Sir," the voice responded calmly.
"What is it," Mario asked irritably.
"One of your fighter pilots was successful in scanning the small worm-hole the girl used to escape," Dash replied.

Mario's temper seemed to be tamed by this news, and he said, "Go on."
"After analyzing the frequency, we were able to trace it to it's exit point. We know which dimension she escaped to," Dash said.
Mario was silent after a while, then said into the intercom, "Send the information to me. I'll deal with her myself."

"As you wish, my King," Dash said, then the intercom cut off.

"As for you two," Mario said with an icy cold glare, "get to work on our rebel problems, or you will have to face most dire consequences."
"You got it, Boss!" Both Wario and Waluigi replied frightenly, and both bolted out the door in milliseconds.

Once Mario was alone again, he took another look out into the stars. And he was once again washed over with feelings of regret. If he'd only taken a chance, just maybe, his life would've turned out for the better. Of course, Mario reminded himself once again of his incompetence back then. And now, Peach was gone, and he was now truly alone.

That's why he needed to continue forward. Never again would evil arise to threaten the innocent; never again will people need to suffer. Mario would change everything. Everyone, once brought under one nation, will no longer think of waging war or causing pain. He would bring about the beginning of the age of peace; peace as according to him. At that moment, Mario cracked a smile as he thought about the perfect world he'd be building. Then, a toad soldier entered, carrying the message given to him by Dash.


A whole day had passed, and Link, with the help of some local rock beings, called Gorons, was able to retrieve Krystal's ship and hide it in some foliage near the town walls. That was fairly easy, but, when you considered his other mission, Link was starting to feel pushed to his limit. No matter what he said or how hard he tried, he could not get the now clamish Krystal to open up. Despite the urgency of the current situation, nothing seemed to stir her. All Krystal did was either sit in a corner brooding, or lie in her cot in a vain attempt to fall back to sleep. Link had never seen such depression before in his life.

Link was, at the moment, sitting at the bar, gulping down yet another glass of Ordon goat's milk. So far, the only change was Link's deteriorating patience.
"Ya know, honey," Telma chimed in, "you drink anymore of that milk, you're gonna use up my last barrel's worth."

"Sorry," Link replied as he rubbed the ridge of his nose, "I got a lot on my mind."
"Bet you five rupees I already know what you're thinking about," Telma replied.
Link thought about this for a bit, then said, "I'll pass. You more than likely do know."

"Look," Telma began, "If this whole 'save the universe' business is too much for you, let
someone else take care of it. Why put yourself through all this hub-bub?"
"You don't understand," Link answered, "I gotta do this. This is my duty we're talking about."

"What duty?" Telma asked, "You think just because some wierdo spirit told you you're the 'Hero of Legend' you feel bound to go fight whatever evil shows up?"

Link didn't say anything, but pointed to his left hand.
"That little tatoo don't mean-,"
"You're not listening, Telma!" Link interupted, "I have to do this!"

"No you don't!" Telma said angrily, "Hyrule is safe! There's no proof that this 'evil' is gonna come here!"

"And what if it doesn't?" Link continued, "How are we supposed to just sit here while the rest of the universe burns down all around us?"

"They'll find their champion!" Telma said, her tempers rising still, "You don't have to solve everyone's problems!"

Link stared at Telma for a short while, then said, "What's become of you? Only six months ago, you were more daring than this. More willing to stand up against the darkness growing all about our kingdom. You'd be the first to offer your aid, not just for precious little Hyrule, but for the Gorons and the Zoras as well! Has all this peace made you so afraid of darkness that you would turn a deaf ear to those who suffer?!"

Telma slammed her fist down at this and stared back at Link with tearful eyes.
"Get out," Telma whispered angrily, and turned to tend to a pile of dirty cups. Link stormed out of the bar, kicking a stool over to puncuate his frustration. Thankfully, there weren't any other customers in the bar. Telma knew all to well how awkward the scene would've been if she was seen arguing with a well renowned hero.

This didn't mean of course that the conversation went unheard, for their voices were enough to rouse Krystal from her sleep. She still laid there, only this time pondering Link's words.


After leaving the bar, Link took to his heals and made his way to the western gates; running as fast as he could until he reached Hyrule Field. This was probably the only place he'd ever felt at peace. True, the woods of Ordon Village provided just as much comfort, but there was an emptyness present in Hyrule field that was far more comforting. Link figured that maybe he preferred emptiness above all else. No past, no future; not even a present. Time seemed to stand still here. It was as if you could lie here forever, and you wouldn't have to worry about anything at all. How easy life would be.
Then again, Link thought to himself, there wouldn't be much point to living, would there?

Link, after crossing the bridge and the stone path, found a small patch of grass and planted himself down. It was about mid-day, and the sun shone brightly in the sky. It was amazing how warm the air was here compared to the tiny goat pen in Ordon. At least here you could get a breeze that blew just the right way.

As Link sat there, he closed his eyes and let his mind go blank. He didn't want to think about Krystal, or his mission, and especially not the arguement he just had. All he wanted to do was let all his trouble melt into nothingness.

As he lay there, Link soon lost track of all time. And it wasn't until he heard someone sit down next to him that he was brought back to reality.
Link's eyes flew open and he rose sharply, immediately reaching for his sword. But then, he relaxed his muscles when he saw who was next to him. Even still, he was surprised to see Krystal out and about.

"Sorry," Krystal said, "didn't mean to interupt your meditating."
"It's no trouble," Link replied, then noticing how far the sun had sunk said, "Looks like I've been out longer than I intended."
"Time tends to fly when you're resting," Krystal said.

They sat in silence for a short while, then Link turned to Krystal and asked, "So, what made you come looking for me?"
Krystal continued her silence for a short while, then asked, "Have you always cared this much about others?"

Link was silent for a moment; this was another surprise to him, so he asked, "Why do you ask?"

Krystal didn't answer, so Link decided to answer first, "If you must know, it's part of what
I've believed all my life. From the day I was born to the day I first became the Hero, the truth I've come to live by is to think of others, not of myself."

"Your parents must have raised you well," Krystal said as she gazed off at the sinking sun.
Link's vision sunk to the ground as he replied, "They would have...if I had any."

Krystal looked over at Link suddenly, startled by his reply. After a small pause, she said, "Sorry. I didn't-."

"It's no trouble," Link said flattly, "Besides, I didn't say I was alone."
Krystal looked at curiously for a moment, then Link continued, "It was thanks to the villagers of Ordon. They're all the family I've ever known."

"Sounds like you do this hero stuff for them," Krystal said, her vision returning to the horizon.

"Well, yes, but it's not just them," Link said, "It's all life."
Krystal wasn't sure how to reply to this, so Link continued, "You see, during my adventures, I met someone. A mysterious being of shadows. At first, she only helped me in an effort to exact her own vendetta against the one who brought about the calamity that threatened our world. She told me that couldn't have cared less what happened to my world, so long as she completed her own ends. But then, something happened. We came under attack, and she was badly injured. I had no other course but to take her to the Princess of Hyrule, to see if she could save my friend. And when we arrived there, the Princess offered her own power, her inner spirit, to save my friend. It was the first act of sacrifice my friend had ever seen, and we were both moved by her sacrifice. From that moment on, my friend no longer cared just about vengence, but about the well being of both my world and her own. She actually began to care for others. And, you could say, some of her belief rubbed off onto me."

Krystal listened in silence while Link came to his conclusion, "Now I know, more than ever, that all life is precious; too precious to simply ignore. That's why I must stay on the path of the Hero: to protect all life from darkness."

Krystal continued to look at Link with intrigue and awe. Then, she lowered her head as tears began flowing down her face.
Noticing this, Link said with a start, "Did...my story offend you?"

"No," Krystal said, a smile now evident on her face, "It's just...at that moment, you sounded just like...Fox."

Link turned his sights to the horizon, which was starting to turn to a bright red, and said, "He must be an admirable fellow."
Krystal didn't respond at first, but then replied, "Yes...he is."

After that, they spent a time in silence, watching the horizon as the sun continued to set. The beautiful, warm, glow was comforting for both of them, and if they had the luxury, they could've spent the rest of the day, and maybe all night, sitting there.

However, destiny waits for no one, and just at that moment, both their destinies became interwoven as a strange portal flashed before them, partially blinding them. As both Link and Krystal's visions returned to them, they found that the portal had disappeared, and in it's place stood the very embodiment of doom.

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