Contains Skyward Sword Spoilers.
References the Skyward Sword Prequel Manga by Akira Himekawa found in Nintendo's Hyrule Historia.
Post Skyward Sword.
Of Time Immemorial
Chapter One
Lifting the small blue object from the water, he gingerly rotated it in his hands. He examined its smooth, recently-polished surface as it caught the sunlight, blinding him for a split second. He fingered the set of holes carved on both sides of the stone to assure himself for what must be the tenth time that they were really where they were supposed to be and of the perfect size. Then he checked the mouthpiece to make sure the plaque around it fit snugly intact.
It was coming out well.
Link smiled, overjoyed that his handiwork was close to completion. All that was left was to paint the Triforce symbol on the silver plaque.
He set the blue object down on the grass beside the stream to dry. He'd just finished giving it a quick rinse with the water.
Getting up, he headed to his bag leaning beside a wooden stool a few meters away and withdrew a bottle of golden paint from the bag. Setting up his painting supplies, he began to think.
Would such an extreme idea work? The object now laying in front of him drying on the grass was made with a Timeshift Stone. The idea for it had come from an old Gossip Stone... could playing a melody on it really reverse time?
Nonetheless, it would make a beautiful instrument.
Barely a month ago, he had been exploring the lands beyond the Sealed Grounds. To his surprise, he had reached the forest's edge and come to the entrance of a seemingly endless plain.
Honestly, it had been a pleasant change of scenery. The landscape was not a barren desert, not a dark forest nor a treacherous mountain, but something altogether new and fresh that contained the thrill of adventure.
As he had slowly left the treeline and the safety of the familiar woods, he had heard it... A haunting sound on the wind's lips.
It is faint, almost inaudible.
His curiosity, as insatiable as always, prompts him to explore the surrounding area. Further examination reveals misshapen blocks of rock partially hidden by the tall grass.
Ruins?
The sound grows louder as he nears a particularly large clump. Among them, hidden beneath a slab of rock, is a weathered stone with ancient markings. Link recognizes it immediately, it's undoubtedly familiar.
There, in the rock's center where there should have be an eye, is a hollow. It's what is producing the eerie tune. Link listens for a while, something close to nostalgia grabbing hold of him.
The Tear all Sheikah Stones had is there, but the hollow where the eye should be...was it supposed to make music?
Perplexed, he pokes and prods it, looking it this way and that, but it doesn't appear to move or talk. Then out of the corner of his eye he notices the Blessed Butterflies flying atop a patch of grass nearby, in the crook of a slab of rock.
He returns to the forested Sealed Temple to retrieve the Goddess' Harp. When he comes back to the ruins, it's almost nightfall and twilight looms heavy on the horizon.
He finds the butterfly-filled corner again. Without realizing that he had memorized the tune blowing from the ancient Sheikah Stone, he plays it, and his skillful fingers know exactly which notes.
"BOING!"
Out pops a cheerfully bobbling Gossip Stone. "BOING!"
Link hopes it will tell him a little about the other ancient-looking Sheikah Stone behind him, the one producing the eerie tune.
"Hey there, buddy!" it says.
Link waves a greeting in return. He always wondered where the stone's mouths were.
"I hear this place was once a mighty fortress built by humans! It was huge! The ancient war left everything in ruins though. The plains too, they were burnt to ashes. Just rock and dirt. Thankfully, any trace of that catastrophe been hidden by vegetation over a few thousand years! I wonder how it used to look!" The stone wobbles a little. "Why don't you try seeing for yourself?"
A blue object springs from the Gossip Stone and rolls its way to Link's feet. Surprised, he picks it up and recognizes it as a bit of Timeshift stone. His eyes go to the rock in his hands to the Gossip Stone, then back to the rock.
The talking stone sways encouragingly. "Try it!"
An azure light emerges from the Timeshift Stone after he taps it, forming a shining circumference a meter from him on all sides. The grass at his feet becomes shorter and the ecstatic Gossip Stone disappears in a flurry of lights.
The slab of rock where the hollowed Sheikah Stone had been beneath is gone now, so are the closest ruins. Instead, the slab has been rebuilt to a towering black turret. It is all Link can see before the circle marking the Timeshift ends.
He walks along the base, coming to the spot where the ancient hollowed Sheikah Stone had been in his time. Butterflies glide close to the ground.
So it was once a Gossip Stone as well? Link thinks as he plays the same tune on the Harp.
Out springs another Gossip Stone, bouncing elatedly.
"Hey there, friend!"
Link begins to wonder why all Sheikah Stones seemed to address him- a complete stranger- so friendly.
"You know that song you just played? They call it the Song of Time, an archaic melody. Created by the Sages themselves when they built the Temple of Hylia not too far from here."
"They say it calls forth the power of the Goddess of Time. Summoning it gives you power to time travel! Though it's never really been proven. Amazing, no?"
It's called the Song of Time? Link closes his eyes and plays it. The Gossip Stone sways in harmony.
Then it had given him a Goddess Plume.
Deciding to explore the place's past state, Link had only taken a few steps around the tower when a Bokoblin had suddenly materialized and jumped at him. Caught off guard and armed with only a dagger (as he had left the rest of his weapons back at the Sealed Temple and was still seeking out a new sword), he had tapped the Timeshift Stone back to the present just before the bokoblin was upon him.
Night soon arrived and it was hard to see, so he resolved to return the next day with Zelda. Surely she would know more of the plains.
However, he didn't return the day after. Matters back at Skyloft called for both of their attention. However, he continued to think about the information from the Gossip Stones.
Zelda had been a little upset about leaving the Past and Impa behind...hadn't she? And with the Desert Gate of Time destroyed and the Forest Gate sealed, they could no longer travel to the past freely.
But what if they could travel to the past at will?
And with those thoughts, a rather outrageous idea formed. A rather dangerous one at that.
An idea that was almost completed.
With careful precision, Link put the last finishing touches on the now golden Triforce of the silver plague around the mouthpiece. He laid down his brush and held the blue instrument to eye-level proudly.
It was finally finished.
Placing his fingers on some of the holes, he moved the mouthpiece gently to his lips and blew a note experimentally.
Soft and sweet...
He tried more notes in quick succession...Perfect tuning.
He tried a song, an old nursery rhyme from Skyloft. He closed his eyes and played. It was a wonder he could still remember it.
When he was younger, he remembered Jakamar, the man in charge of keeping Skyloft's structures in shape, being fond of a special instrument. Jakamar had explained how the elegant instrument worked to Link, and showed him how to make one out of wood.
The song Link was playing now, Jakamar had played often for his then newborn daughter, Kukiel. It was a merry tune that lifted the spirits of anyone who heard it. However, one day the poor instrument fell down the clouds and was lost forever. A disheartened Jakamar never tried to make one again.
That's where Link had gotten the idea for what instrument he should craft. After miraculously enlisting the help of Scrapper the Robot without Fi's help, he had been able to bring a medium-sized Timeshift stone from the abandoned Lanayru Mining Facility to the Sealed Temple
He was already a skilled woodworker and working with rock was not too difficult than working with wood. As stone is harder than wood, Link's woodworking tools needed to be reinforced so that they would not break while he worked on his project. It had been a small matter for Gondo to strengthen his carving tools with ore, then Link had been ready to use them.
On his frequent trips to the Surface he had worked on the instrument. Zelda had inquired more than once on what he was doing, but he always hid it from her. It was a surprise, he said.
Once he finished the song, Link lowered the cerulean Ocarina from his lips to examine it once more. It's surface seemed to glow.
A lovely surprise indeed, he hoped.
~xxx~
Phew! I wasn't sure how to end it. T~T
Wasn't anyone bummed out when you didn't get to explore the Past like Zelda did? I was...alot. XD This is the start of a story I've had in my mind for a while.
if you figured out what infamous instrument Link was crafting before the ending, you win a cyber cookie. The Ocarina of Time is apparently made out of Timeshift Stone according to Hyrule Historia.
I think I've thought about it too deeply but I have no idea how he was able to hollow out a chunk of rock to form the inside of the ocarina. I can't wrap my head around how that would be logically possible without the help of modern tools. Unless he used a spell or something. Someone please enlighten me if you know. I'm silly. :d
About the plains...it makes sense if you think about it and make a map in your mind... Beyond the (SS)Faron Province is the vast fields of future Hyrule...
Putting in a Howling Stone from Twilight Princess in the ancient ruins seemed appropriate. It's basically just an old Sheikah or Gossip Stone that's lost its magic right? Ehh.
I almost had the urge to write "YOU LEARNED THE SONG OF TIME!" when Link memorized the tune. X3
And Jakamar...I just needed someone to have taught Link about an Ocarina before. It would be kinda weird if he just INVENTED it out of thin air now wouldn't it? Heh. And Jakamar seemed to fit the artistic role.
Leave a Review please! What did you think?
If you're interested, next chapter will be up soon! This chapter was a kind of babble with introductory information I needed to get out of the way. I promise next chapter will be better! :D
Thanks!