(Written after a weekend of Zelda. Spoilers made as minimal as possible.

I have not beaten Spirit Tracks yet, so if you spoil it for me, I will beat you!

(All characters © Nintendo)

Ever Onwards

At last—at long, long last, the last piece of the map is theirs.

Incorporeal as she is, Zelda high-fives Link, both of them laughing victoriously. The map is theirs—the final piece, the one that will lead them straight to the final temple.

Nothing will stop them…

"So this is your handiwork, is it?"

Or so they had thought.

Shocked and frightened, Zelda hides behind Link as Byrne appears, approaching them, smoldering fury building in his eyes. Link doesn't dare to draw his sword, even as the taller man raises his armored hand; he stands no chance against Byrne—all he can hope is that he will stop himself—

"Stop, Byrne."

All three of them turn to see Anjean at the doorway, eyes closed as she shakes her head.

Link and Zelda only hear bits and pieces of the Lokomo's words; the shock of hearing them has stunned them both. They say nothing, do nothing but stare amazedly at each other, even as Byrne pushes past them.

That can't be possible…!

But then the blue light surrounds them both.

"Hurry to the Fire Temple, Your Highness. Quickly!" Anjean orders, pointing to the princess and the engineer. "You too, Link! Restore the Spirit Tracks!"

"But Anjean—"

Zelda's protest dies as both she and Link suddenly find themselves falling through the air…

Link lands rather harshly on his back, the world spinning around him as pain flares throughout his body. Zelda, only barely able to stop herself, helps her hero to his feet before worrying about the Lokomo above.

"…I guess we'll just have to believe she'll be okay, won't we?" she asks, getting a serious nod from Link. "Let's head for the Fire Temple like she said. We have to restore the Spirit Tracks in time!"

Another nod—

Game Saved.

The Tower of Spirits suddenly grows dark.

"We're good to go! She's turned the power off, we can relax for a bit!"

Simultaneously, Link and Zelda sigh, with the green-clad boy pulling off his sword and shield and chucking it into the train.

"Five hours!" Zelda exclaims, floating around in circles as Anjean and Byrne appear in the doorway. "She played for five hours and didn't even take a break! What kind of madness is this?!"

"She's at least trying to return you to your body in the game, Princess," Byrne grunts, pulling down his bandana from around his mouth.

"Yeah, but the more she plays, the longer I have to go around pretending to be a ghost… Hey, speaking of! Where on Hyrule is Cole with my body?! Doesn't he know we're on break right now?!"

Visibly frustrated, Zelda floats upward, disappearing through the ceiling in search of the chancellor.

"I know it's hard for her to keep on splitting from her body, but this is insane," Link groans, laying himself upon the ground as Anjean turns the lights back on. "At least she gets to talk in the game! I'm not even allowed to jump around on my own, how sad is that?"

"You two are doing a remarkable job at grinning and bearing it, though," Anjean remarks, folding her arms and resting them against her body. "And it could be worse, couldn't it?"

"I need a vacation," the blond youth shakes his head. "Molgera, Ganondorf, Bellum and Phytops, all in one day…"

"You should complain to someone," Byrne comments. "Worker's compensation. How long have you been doing this, now?"

"I've been doing the 'Wind Waker' gig for almost eight years now, but who can I complain to? Besides, being a hero pays pretty well… I don't have to worry about my hospital bills."

"That's just wrong on so many levels."

"Yeah, well… I have it easy compared to Zelda."

As if on cue, all three of them hear the princess's voice as she verbally lacerates Chancellor Cole.

"…leaving me like that even when we're on break, how dare you! You know what the rules are!"

"I'm sorry, Princess, but the top of the tower isn't connected to the main system yet—I didn't know she had turned the game off—please don't hurt me!"

"'Damsel in distress' really doesn't sit well with her," Link chuckles as Zelda and Cole join him, Byrne and Anjean on the main floor.

"You've got that right!" Zelda huffs, crossing her arms. "I had a much better time as Sheik and Tetra… You know, actually doing something besides being trapped or turned into stone?"

The floor rumbles slightly.

"Wait… she just turned the system on," Link frowns, suddenly sitting upright.

"But the power hasn't gone out… that means—"

Loading: Minish Cap…

"No! I refuse!" the female Hylian shrieks, tearing at her long blonde hair. "No! No! I refuse to go!"

"We have to, Zelda," Link groans, forcing himself to stand up. "She's starting a new file, since she had me beat Vaati yesterday. Oh, he's going to hate her for this…"

"Yeah, well, we'll all complain later together. It'll be a great big 'Get a Life' party, or something. Now come on! If she's starting a new file, that means I'm seen first, and if I'm late for the opening sequence…!"

Complaining together as they sprint out of the Tower of Spirits, Link and Zelda dash to the next game, not noticing Byrne, Cole and Anjean give them pitying looks as they leave.

"Poor children… They shouldn't have to go through something like this," Anjean sighs, shaking her head.

"Well, they can't possibly come up with another game anytime soon… can they?" Cole asks, pulling off his fake horns before scratching the top of his head.

"It was only two years between Phantom Hourglass and now," Byrne replies.

An uneasy silence follows.

"…I think I'm going to go bake them a cake," Anjean declares, her motorized chair turning and headed towards the hidden elevator. "It's not much, but it'll be something for them when they get a proper break."

Confused, Cole and Byrne look at each other, hoping the other will be able to explain the old woman's logic.

"If you two are just going to stand there and look silly, you can come help me!" the Lokomo declares sharply, prompting both men to hurry and join her in the elevator.

"Yes, Anjean," they both murmur, almost afraid of her.

"And perhaps we can get some cake out to Niko and Linebeck. This isn't the first time they've been in a game too, you know!"

"And after what Linebeck went through in Phantom Hourglass… You'd think he'd have quit and left," Cole comments. "And now Niko has to play an old man…"

"…Perhaps I ought to make a couple cakes. There are quite a lot of people who were forced to return…"

"…maybe it would just be easier to throw a party here," Byrne suggests. "Or we'll be running all over Hyrule."

"That's not a bad idea…"

And so they talked and plotted and planned, thinking of ways to show Link and Zelda and all the other poor souls that, though their master showed no sympathy to their plight, they were not forgotten.

--Fin