"So..." Samus asked. "How long do you think this is going to take?"

  Pikachu looked up at her from his position cuddling the egg. "Pika," he said.

  "I know," she said. "But the longer we stay here, the higher the chance that Bowser guy, or someone worse shows up."

  "Pika, Pikachu."

  She held up her hands defensively. "You're right, I've never actually hatched an egg before. What would I know?" She wondered idly if Pikachu, in fact, had ever hatched an egg before. It didn't make much of a difference if he did or not - after all, she was just making up his responses to her questions.

  "Pikapi?"

  Samus looked around. "I don't know." She was looking for Mr. Game and Watch, who seemed to flit in and out of existence. When they had arrived in this cave hideout, he (was he a he? the Mr. part of his name suggested so, but she had no idea how to define him) had gone out to scout the area, and hadn't returned since. He left no footprints behind him or sign that he had really interacted with the world at all, so if it weren't for the end of her fight with Bowser she might have believed she hallucinated the whole thing.

  Overall, a purely two-dimensional being had to be close to the top of the list of strange things she had seen since coming to Smash.

  Her armour was close to repairing itself after the last fight, but until she was wearing it again she was automatically on edge.

  "Pikachuuu." Pikachu was looking at her with pleading eyes. He pushed the egg towards her slightly and extended is arms widely. "Pi, Pi, Pikachu."

  She blinked. "You want me to hold onto the egg?" Pikachu responded with an exaggerated yawn. Samus sighed. "It feels like every time I turn around you're sleeping, how are you always tired?" Pikachu didn't offer any response - not that she would have understood it - so she took the egg into her lap. She was sure that it was warmer than it had been when she first found it, and if she focused she was sure that she could feel movement from the inside.

  "Do you feel that, Pikachu?" she asked, only to hear a soft snore next to her. Pikachu was already asleep, curled up so that his back was in contact with her side. "Get some more sleep then," she said.

  She leveraged her pistol from its holster and settled it on the ground next to her, and continued to stare idly at the entrance to the cave. She fell into a stupor like that, sitting against the wall with one hand curled protectively around the egg and the other gently scratching behind Pikachu's ears.

  A noise at the entrance startled her out of the daze and she reached for her pistol, but it was only Mr. Game and Watch, who entered in his jerky manner carrying a skewer with several fish on it.

  "Where did you get those?" Samus asked.

  The outline of a chef's hat appeared on Game and Watch's head, and a moment later the fish were cooked. The sound was enough to wake up Pikachu, who easily moved over to eat, and Samus decided that she didn't need to worry about the fish's origin. They were, after all, delicious.

  "So, Mr. Game and Watch," Samus said, after finishing her meal. "What's your world like?"

  Game and Watch moved his hand jerkily through the air, and a space of nothingness appeared in the wake of his hand. Samus frowned. "Do you not have a world of your own?"

  It was complicated, Game and Watch was telling her. While he didn't have a world, he did have an origin, being birthed of an idea. Samus didn't really understand it, and was somewhat disappointed that there was no 2D world out their, but she smiled and nodded.

  "Either way, Mr. Game and Watch, it's nice to have you here in Smash."

  Behind her, there was a loud cracking sound.

  Ganondorf gasped for breath and sat down on a log. Captain Falcon turned to look at him, concern furrowing his brow. "Are you okay?" he asked.

  "Oh, yes," Ganondorf assured him. "I'm just a little bit worn out from all this walking, is all. Never get old, young man."

  "Do you need me to carry you?" Falcon asked.

  "No, no. Though, if I may, there was a river a few hundred metres back. Do you think you could collect some water for me?"

  "Of course!" Falcon said. He disappeared into the forest.

  Once he was gone, Ganondorf let the polite smile fall from his face. "You can come out now," he said. "We're alone."

  The Crazy Hand appeared in the small glade next to him. "You are being slow to follow through on our deal, Ganondorf!" it said. "Perhaps I was wrong to put my faith in you."

  "Please," Ganondorf said. "I am not so dishonourable as to go back on an agreement. You wanted the fighters out of the way - what better method is there than to let them destroy one another?"

  "Your twisted games may reveal much less than a prize," Crazy Hand warned him. "The Captain Falcon does not believe you when you speak about Link and call him evil."

  "If I recall," Ganondorf said, "you told me that this path will lead me to Link, and to a princess that he is protecting. I get Link, you get the Princess for use in widening the rift."

  "Well, you will have your chance soon enough," the Crazy Hand said. "One of them is here." It disappeared. A moment later, an arrow appeared from the treeline, streaking towards Ganondorf. He reached up and snatched the arrow out of the air, snapping it in half.

  "Link," he said. "It's so good to see you."

  He could see Link now - damn that green tunic, it provided surprisingly good camouflage. He could see someone else behind him - this must be the Princess Peach that Crazy Hand had warned him about. He knelt in an exaggerated bow. "Your highness," he said. "Sorry that we couldn't meet under more fortunate circumstances."

  Link stepped forwards, raising his sword. "Don't listen to him, Princess! he's a master manipulator!" He swung at Ganondorf, but he stepped backwards and the tip of the blade passed harmlessly in front of him. "Now, Link, you wound me with your words." He looked past the boy at Peach. "Pardon me, your highness, I hate to spill blood in the presence of a lady."

  Peach's face was set in the way only a politician's could be. "I've met slime like you before," she said. "And may I say, you're lucky that Link is fighting you before I do."

  Ganondorf laughed. "Oh, I can correct that." He caught Link's sword as it was thrust towards his chest, and slammed his foot into the boy's chest. Now with a little more space, he shifted his stance into a perfect imitation of the one he had watched Captain Falcon practicing. He saw the effect of Link's face immediately. Oh, that was perfect. For all the ways Ganondorf hated the little hero, he couldn't deny that his greatest enemy was a master at combat. There was no way he wouldn't miss the change in fighting style.

  He charged him, delivering a series of punches in the same style that Captain Falcon would have. Link backed up, the confusion clear on his face. Ganondorf laughed internally. In such a simple manner, he had managed to shake Link's faith in a new friend. What else would he be questioning now?

  If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  And for that matter, where was Captain Falcon now? Ganondorf had been betting on him returning and seeing him being attacked by Link, but that didn't seem likely.

  Young Link had been the one who found Ganondorf sitting on the log, with another man leaving for some reason. He had gone back to Link and Peach and told them where Ganondorf was, then snuck off to confront the other man. He wanted to know who this guy was, and why he was working with Ganondorf.

  He found the oddly-dressed man squatting by the river, filling a canteen. He was having trouble remembering who this was exactly - since separating from the other Link, it was getting increasingly difficult to remember the things that that Link had experienced. He remembered his own words: that Link was a brand new Link, made just for this world. So, maybe he should get to own his own memories. Still, it didn't help much here.

  He decided he'd start with a friendly approach, and so stepped out of the trees with his sword and shield in place on his back.

  "Hello!" he said, cheerfully.

  The man started when he saw him, then squinted. "Link?" he asked. "Did you... shrink?"

  "Shrink?" Link asked. "I'll have you know I'm average height where I come from. What about you, did you shrink, weirdly tall man?"

  "Weirdly tall man? You know me, I'm Captain Falcon," Captain Falcon said.

  Link frowned. "Captain Falcon? I think that sounds familiar, but why were you working with Ganondorf. He's the king of evil!"

  The Captain frowned. "Well, I don't know about that. He seems like a decent fellow. Honestly, he said the same thing about you."

  "And did you believe him?"

  "No." Link saw a flicker of doubt on Captain Falcon's face. "I fought alongside Link against Master Hand. I thought he'd died, and for a moment when I saw you I was glad to see him. But, if you don't remember me, and you look like that, are you even Link at all?"

  Link frowned. "Of course I am. I'm the most important Link." Still, he could see that Falcon wasn't sure, so he pulled a gamble out. "You aren't seriously about to fight a child, are you?"

  Falcon shook his head. "No, of course not. Even so, I can't trust you. I think you and I should go talk to Ganondorf, and maybe we can sort this out."

  Link laughed. "Ha, I knew it! You are working for him!" He pulled his sword off his back and levelled it at Captain Falcon. "You'll have to force me!"

  "Like I said, I won't fight a child."

  Link grinned. "Well, then, what if there was someone here who was your own size." He sheathed his sword and reached into a special pouch on his belt. He grabbed one of the masks inside, and pressed it against his face. "Fight with me, Darmani," he whispered. The mask fused to his face, and he doubled over as he felt a rush of pain through his body. He screamed with the mask's mouth, as he felt his body shift and grow, becoming double his original height. His skin hardened, his muscles bulged, and Darmani the Goron's body became his to use.

  "How do you like me now?" he asked, in his new, low voice.

  Captain Falcon raised his fists. "Whatever that was, I don't like it."

  They charged one another.

  Link gasped as Ganondorf easily deflected another of his arrows with a mere flick of his wrist. The king of evil swung at him, using those familiar moves, and Link only barely managed to raise his shield in time to block it. His arm went dead from the force of the impact, and he staggered back from the blow. Ganondorf's power was as high as ever, and he was fighting like this... what had happened.

  "Where's Captain Falcon?" he demanded.

  Ganondorf laughed. "You mean my new friend?" he asked. "Oh, I've been learning all about you and your friends from him. Brave Mario, Incredible Kirby, the Warrior Samus. I can't wait to meet them all, throw your broken shield at their feet, and watch their fear before I kill them too."

  Link grimaced as Ganondorf easily dodged more of his swings. "You were talking to that Hand!" he demanded. "What for? Why are you working together?"

  "For the same reason anyone does anything," Ganondorf said. "Because there's something in it for me. I get the prime opportunity to kill you and Zelda, and then I get to return to Hyrule with you both gone. Imagine your home covered in my darkness - oh but you don't have to, do you? We both remember all of our lives, and I remember the age that came from your defeat. Monsters filling the land, people living in despair. You've failed to stop me before, Link."

  Link yelled in frustration and, instead of swinging his sword, slammed his shield into Ganondorf's chest. The gerudo stumbled backwards, allowing Link to dive towards and strike for his chest with the Master Sword.

  "Link," Ganondorf said, batting the sword aside and grasping Link by the throat. "After aeons of feeling the touch of your blade, did you really not think I would have remembered your moves. Now, I believe you're familiar with the Falcon Punch? I put my own spin on it." Darkness gathered in the palm of his hand, and he closed his fist around it before slamming it into Link's chest. Link went flying, slamming hard into a tree and hearing something crack - he seriously hoped it was the wood. Darkness still hung around his chest, before floating across the glade towards Ganondorf and gathering back in his hand.

  "Do you like it?" Ganondorf asked. "I call it the Warlock Punch."

  Link dug the Master Sword into the ground and used it to get to his feet. "Actually," he spat, "I hate it."

  "Link!" he turned and saw Peach marching towards him. "Here - take this." She made him open his hand and dropped something into it. He looked down and saw a strange flower, with what looked like a face poking out from the centre. "Eat it," she said.

  Link looked at her incredulously - and so did Ganondorf. "What?" he asked.

  "I've been keeping these on me since Mario and Luigi left," Peach said. "I was going to give them to Mario and Luigi when I saw them again, but it looks like you need this more than I do."

  She pulled another flower, this one pale blue in colour, out of the folds of her dress. "Don't worry," she said. "I'll fight with you." She stuffed the flower in her mouth. The effect was instantaneous, with snow seeming to fall over her body that turned her dress from pink to white, with a blue trim. Her long white gloves crackled as frost spread across the fingers, and ice spread to the grass around her feet.

  "Your turn," she said.

  Link nodded, and ate the flower. It had a strange, spicy taste, which didn't stay in his mouth. A heat spread through his body, like his veins were becoming fire, turning his green tunic to a vibrant red. His sword began to glow with heat, even turning red as the power of fire linked with the power of his tri-force.

  Ganondorf watched them both, amused. "Well," he said. "Fire and ice. This looks like it could be fun."

  Captain Falcon held back on his first punch, which turned out to be a mistake as his attack bounced harmlessly off of Link's face. For his troubles, he had gotten a giant rocky hand to the face that had knocked him flat on his back and convinced him that he definitely couldn't hold back.

  "That mask of yours is impressive," he said, panting heavily. "But let me try and knock it off your face. Falcon Punch!" He gathered his flames and hit Link as hard as he could. Link's face turned slightly, but other than that he showed no signs of actually registering the hit.

  "Really?" Link asked. The voice was different, but the boy's cadence and tone were exactly the same, even in this form. "Is that the best you can do?" He went to punch Falcon again, but it was slow, and he managed to jump backwards. He kept moving, twisting around to get behind the boy. "Falcon Kick!" Once again, his flaming knee to the back of the head appeared to do nothing, but by the time Link had turned around he had already gotten out of his reach.

  "So that's it, huh, big guy," Falcon mused. "With that mask, you trade speed for power."

  "Oh, I can give you speed!" Link insisted. He leapt forwards, curling into a ball as he did so and rolling towards Captain Falcon. Link was right; this was fast, and Falcon only barely managed to dive out of the way. Link began to turn around, but it clearly wasn't easy as he took a wide arc to get to him, by which time the Captain was ready for him and dived out of the way again.

  Still, apparently not learning his lesson, Link came around for a third pass. By now, thick stone spikes had emerged from his body and were tearing up the ground in his wake.

  "Not learning your lesson, huh?" Falcon asked. He made ready to dive out of the way again. This time, he had angled himself so that Link would go directly into the river if he missed. There was no way that bulky body could float.

  The second before he reached him, Link's body unfurled and he leapt into the air. "I'm learning just fine," he said, slamming down on top of Captain Falcon with a force that felt like he had been hit by the Blue Falcon itself. Falcon found himself pinned beneath Link, struggling to lift the rock creature off when his arms were pinned by his size.

  "Not so confident now, are you?" Link taunted.

  Falcon summoned the last of his strength, and managed to lift Link off him. Link yelled in surprise and fell forwards, grabbing onto Falcon at the last second. With a pair of yells, they fell into the river.

  Samus, Pikachu, and Mr. Game and Watch gathered around the egg as cracks spreads across its surface. Light spilled from those cracks, as though something inside was filled with some great power. Then, all in one go, the egg shattered. A piece struck Samus in the forehead, and she yelled in surprise and closed her eyes.

  When she opened them, she saw a small yellow creature with a tiny black tail and huge yellow and black ears looking up at her. "Pichu?" it asked.

  "Uh..." she hesitated. "Yes, I'm fine. Is Pichu your name?"

  "Pichu!"

  She took that as a yes.

  Pikachu leant forwards towards the Pichu, and Samus saw small sparks of electricity pass between them. Next to one another, they looked incredibly similar. "Is Pichu like a younger form of you, Pikachu?" she asked.

  "Pika!" That meant yes.

  Mr. Game and Watch extended a hand and patted Pichu on her head in his jerky manner. She nuzzled into it, then sent a small amount of electricity into his palm. Game and Watch jerked away, but then the outline of a battery appeared in his hand, and he offered it to Pichu. She gladly hugged it, enjoying the energy it contained.

  Samus had an idea. She donned a small piece of the Power Suit, just one arm, and extended it to Pichu. "Here," she said. "Try this." Pichu cried out happily as the electricity in her suit passed through her body. Samus smiled. For the first time in a very long time, she felt like she had the beginnings of a family.

  She glanced towards the entrance of the cave. The rest of that family was out there somewhere. It was time to find them.