I do not own Super Smash Bros. Melee. I wish I did, but I don't. Nintendo owns all of the Super Smash Brothers. Any other characters that appear are owned by Nintendo, Nintendo's subsidiaries, Sega, or in one or two cases, Rare (Traitors)

The Prologue

Part one: Requiem of a Hero

                The sun shone bright over Hyrule Castle, and Link's mood matched it. After years of waiting, he was finally ready to ask for the hand of his beloved Zelda. To top it all off, his friends Marth and Roy were also here and thus would be able to get to the wedding fairly easily. The sight of Zelda running towards him stopped his thoughts. "Link! I'm so happy to see you!"

                "Really? I'm glad to see you too, Princess"

                "Please, just call me Zelda"

                "Whatever you say, Princess"

                "Link!"

                "Alright, Alright. Zelda, I have to ask you…"

                "No. I need to speak to you. Link, have you ever thought about marriage?" Link's heart skipped a beat.

                "Of course. Why?"

                "Well so have I, and today, I just got engaged. Link! Are you okay?"

                Link was shuddering, and a loud choking noise was coming from him. His ears quivered. She took a step towards him, but he waved her away. "Why, Zelda. How. wonderful.who?"

                "Marth!" The loud choking noise got louder. "Link, I thought you'd be happy. And what is that horrible noise?"

                "Oh, I am happy. Very happy. Very, very, happy"

                "Good. The weddings going to be in two days. Isn't it great?" And with that, she skipped off. Link waited until she was out of earshot, than gave a scream of inarticulate rage, the scream of a man whose soul just died.

                Later that night, a rider, dressed in a black riding cloak, rode away from the castle, his mind a mix of anger and hatred. He was watched as he rode, by someone both very near, and yet so far away, he might be on another world. The hidden watcher turned to another, saying "How ironic. The princess has left him. Now his soul is empty, and as we all know, an empty soul must be filled, given purpose. That purpose will be my purpose," The figure laughed, a booming frightening cackle.

Part two: A Toadstool amongst the Truffles

                "Mario! Look out! Bowsers coming for you" The green suited plumber watched, helplessly, as his brother turned around, clearly not ready. Luigi ran forward, catching Bowser by the tail, and swinging him around. The big, green, spiky turtle was tossed into a wall, and Bowser screamed in pain as tons of rubble fell on him.

                The cell door opened, and Peach ran forward. Luigi stood still, waiting to be kissed, but she pushed right past him and hugged Mario, saying "My hero!"

                "Oh, but I saved you." But it was too late. Peach dragged Mario out, neither of them noticing Luigi. He sighed, and turned to follow them, when he heard a rumble.

                "Fool" The green suited plumber turned around. Bowser was pulling himself up. Luigi tensed himself for a fight, but none seemed coming. "Don't you see, Luigi? No matter what you do, Peach will never love you, and Mario will never thank you. And the question I ask you is, why?"

                "I don't know. Probably because he's the older brother, and I'm the tall and gangly younger brother."

                "And if there was another way? A way to take revenge on your brother, and to steal the princess's hand in marriage?"

                "Know you of such a way, Bowser?"

                "I do. My way. Think, Luigi. Together, we can conquer not just the Mushroom Kingdom, but also the whole world!" Luigi considered his options. If he went back, he would be forced to go through yet another heroic ceremony, with medals, and kisses for Mario, but nothing for him. If he stayed, then here was someone offering him a chance to get his own back. It was a choice between the evil koopa, and becoming that which he had fought against, and staying good and being ignored, while Mario married the princess. For Luigi, there was no choice.

                "Very well, Bowser. I accept your generous offer. But how do we keep my hated brother from realizing my treachery?"

                "Like this, my new ally, like this.."

                Behind Mario, the castle exploded. He didn't notice, just said, "Well, Luigi, that was a big explosion, huh? Luigi?" He and Peach ran back. Where Bowser's castle once stood, a deep crater now lay. Just outside the blast radius was a pair of workman's boots.

Who is the hidden watcher? What ramifications does Zelda's marriage have for the four Hylian nations (Hyrule, Termina, Labrynna, Holodrum)? Well, I'm not going to tell you. Be patient.

Tide of Destinies is A SlyWolf Industries Production