LEGEND OF ZELDA TIME LOOPS: Of Heroes and Bottles

Disclaimer: Guess what? I haven't gained control over the Legend of Zelda since I last posted. Also, Hyrule Warriors looks like it is going to be an awesome game. Go check it out, after you read this, of course.


9.1


Zelda clung tightly to the mane of her horse as she raced across Lonlon Field. In front of her, Prince Link was riding on his own steed, his large cloak flapping around in the wind. For all that she felt she had been adept at entering the palace, Link, even Unawake, has blown her performance out of the water. Right after leaving the room, he had pulled her into a side passage. Several dizzying turns later, they had emerged into a dungeon. From there, they had taken several more passages, through the gardens, a dining hall, and finally ending in a small cavern built in a hill behind the city. During this entire run, they hadn't encountered a single guard.

In the cave, there were several horses stabled. According to Link, they were kept here in case of emergency, so the royal family could escape if necessary. He apparently rode them quite often on his trips outside of the palace. Now, he was leading them on a straight course towards a darkened wood, where he claimed the Old Palace was located.

The horses slowed to a trot as they entered the woods. Zelda kept her eyes peeled, channeling a small measure of magic through the gauntlet to summon a small orb of light. It did little to help, merely twisting the shadows, but it helped her to know that she would be prepared if worst came to worst. The path twisted and split, but Link confidently led his horse down the left-hand path, and Zelda followed. As they wound through the woods, Zelda compared the figure in front of her with the Link she knew.

This Link was an amusing mix of bumbling and confident, at ease with himself and in his mannerisms. However, his confidence was the confidence of Nobility, the knowledge of greatness one was born into. Link, her Link, had a confidence born of being proven, in trial and combat, the confidence of a Hero. Zelda wondered, would this Link have rose to the challenge to dispel the coming darkness if she had not Awakened? Or would it have fallen to her Unawake self to undertake this quest? She smiled, before pulling up on the reins sharply as Link halted his steed.

"My lady, we have arrived. Or rather, we have gone as far as these faithful steeds can take us." Link slid from the saddle with a bounce, and Zelda followed.

They were at the edge of a wall, which Zelda thought she recognized as the outer wall of Hyrule Town. Given the directions from the field, the entry bridge ought to be around here, somewhere. She followed Link as he stepped over some roots, clambering up and over like robed monkey, his cloak snagging on branches and rocks as he ascended. She laughed as he pulled it free from a particularly stubborn bush, and then waved him off as he looked at her curiously.

Finally, they arrived on what could only be the stone causeway leading into town. However, the way was blocked by vines, which filled in the gaps between the ruined walls, forming a natural barrier. The ruined look was accentuated by the presence of several large trees, which extended through the bottom of the bridge.

"This is as far as I have ever gotten. I have often thought of climbing over, but I never took the risk." Link stepped forward, rubbing his hands. "Now though, I have no excuse!" Puffing his chest out, he stepped forward smartly, his hands reaching out and grasping at the vines as he pulled himself up. He placed his feet in the vines and twisted, flailing to grasp a handhold, while behind him, Zelda laughed, wishing she could access her Subspace Pocket for a camera or pictograph machine. She would have to get Link to dig out that penseive of his to show him this memory.

Link had gotten about three feet off the ground, when the vines suddenly began to shake. Link fell back to the earth with a cry, while Zelda spun, glancing around. The vines and trees seemed to vibrate, rustling and shaking like in a wind, and then a dusty, creaking, painfully familiar voice rumbled out.

"Huhoom, hum hmph. Who's there? I was sleeping..." The creaky wooden voice of the Deku Tree rumbled out, and on one of the trees, placed just to the side of the entrance-way, a pair of eyes and mouth opened up, yawning. Link sat on the ground, gaping at the talking tree, while Zelda stepped forward, her heart swelling.

"Great Deku Tree. We come on behalf of Ancient Hyrule, seeking to find the truth behind the darkness that is spreading across the lands." She bowed, then glanced up. The Deku tree blinked several times, sleepily, before focusing on her.

"Hyrule. I remember Hyrule. It was a great kingdom. Blessed of the goddesses. Yes, sad to see now. And who art thou?"

Zelda sighed. It appeared this would be something of a long conversation.


"I see. Darkness, yes, there is a great darkness beyond the gate. Hyrule isn't as bright as it was, the price of the Queen's madness. Hmmph." Zelda smiled thinly. She had spent the past fifteen minutes explaining the circumstances to the Deku Tree, but it was apparent that the Tree was very old. It often lost track of their conversation and wandered off on tangents. Link was occupying himself by attempting to peer into the Deku Tree when its mouth was open. It didn't appear to notice him examining it.

After a couple of seconds of silence, Zelda spoke. "Be that as it may, we require entry. The answers we seek will lay within. May we please enter?"

The tree was silent for several seconds, before it coughed. "I will let you in, but first you must gather something for me." Zelda bit back a groan. Adventuring along side Link had led her to developing a sense for side-quests, and this was shaping up to be one.

"In my branches, there is an emerald. Find it, and the vines will part before you."

Zelda blinked. Maybe this wouldn't be as big of a quest as she thought. She stepped forward, even as Link began jumping to try and grab a branch. Lightly, she stepped around the back side of the Deku Tree, and she quickly ran up the side of the trunk, before catching hold of a pair of branches.

After several minutes of searching, Zelda spotted a gleam of green in a hole in one of the branches. Slowly, she reached in, using her gauntleted hand. Dungeon Tip #8: Always expect a trap. Her finger brushed against the green gem stone, and suddenly it burst into light, green energy spilling out of the hole as Zelda drew her hand back. The light continued to shine for several moments, before, with a flash, the gemstone shot out of the hole and slammed into the back of her hand.

Zelda cried out, but managed to catch her balance, grabbing hold of a branch to steady herself. She glanced at the back of the gauntlet. The green stone had fused into the open space closest to her wrist, and the lines were now shifting to accommodate it. A pair of line were forming between the Fairy Topaz and the new gem, and there were lines of script scrolling between them. 'Sympathy, Flowers, Springtime or would that be Rebirth?'

"My lady, are you alright?"

Zelda started at Link's cry, before making her way down to the side of the tree. She spotted Link, who was standing, looking somewhat rumpled at the base of the tree. "I am fine," she called down, before swinging down from the branch to land next to him. He stepped back, startled, before gathering himself.

"That is good. Did you, ah, acquire the gem?" In answer, she raised her arm, displaying the gauntlet. He leaned in, eyes widening. "Fascinating. It's changed, hasn't it? It is incorporating the gemstone, and connecting it. Are the glowing lines competing paths, or are they synchronizing? I wish..."

"Harrmph! So, thou found it." Link straightened at the sound of the Deku Tree, and Zelda stepped forward to the front of the tree. She raised her gauntlet, and the eyes of the Deku Tree widened. "I see. So, thou art the one destined to break the seal and purge the land of darkness. Hmm hmm." The Deku Tree shifted, and the green gem lit up. "That stone is the Deku Emerald. With it, thou canst command plants, to either grow or shrink away. It may have use with thy other gem, though what that could be, I do not know."

Zelda nodded, then turned and approached the wall of vines, which shuddered at her approach. Gathering her magic, she pressed it through the gauntlet and emerald. A green glow gathered around her hand, and then spread out, uncoiling from her outstretched hand to merge with the vines. Slowly, the vines drew back, curling up and away from the entrance, until a path was cleared through the middle.

Behind her, Link began to clap. "Well done. Astounding. So this is the magic of Hyrule."

Zelda smiled at him, before turning back to the Deku Tree. "Thank you. I will do my best to clear the land of the darkness."

The Deku Tree swayed in a parody of a nod. "Hmm, yes, I believe it. Unfortunately, my vines are not the only thing guarding the palace. A wall of fire and a wall of ice await thou within. Thou wilt need the Goron Ruby and Zora Sapphire to enter the castle."

Zelda smiled tightly while groaning inside. She just knew it. She bowed again, and then turned to Link. She paused. Link's mouth was hanging open, and a look of horror was plastered onto his face. Then, behind her, a voice spoke.

"Well, well, my prince. I am glad to see you are unharmed. Worry not, we will rescue you from the clutches of this witch."

Zelda spun in place, to come face to face with Ganondorf Dragmire.

"I don't know who you are," Ganondorf said with a sneer, his face void of recognition, "but, you will not escape." Behind him, the hulking shapes of the palace guards dismounted from some truly massive war horses.

'Ok, Ganondorf isn't Awake either. That's good...ish.' Zelda tensed slightly, then raised her arm. Ganondorf's eyes widened slightly as he saw the glowing lines on her gauntlet, before she opened her hand and detonated the Fairy Spark in the center of her palm.

"Arrgh!" Ganondorf stepped back, rubbing his eyes from the light. Zelda didn't want to attack him directly yet, it would likely not do much more than irritate him, but with a good enough distraction…

Zelda had dashed towards the horses after firing off the sphere of light, but she had to tuck into a roll under the arms of the guards, who apparently had managed to avoid or overcome the effect of the light. Luckily, the uneven ground worked to Zelda's advantage. She twisted, rolling down the side of the causeway to the clearing below with the horses. Large war chargers stood next to Link and her steeds, obviously the mounts of the guards and Ganondorf. Zelda leapt lightly, as two of the guards crashed to the earth behind her. She landed in the saddle of her horse, and turned towards the treeline.

'Let's see what this gem can do.' The Deku Emerald flared on her gauntlet, and the trees in front of her twisted slightly, creating a narrow path between them. Zelda drove her horse forward into the gap, the trees twisting to block of the path behind her.


Ganondorf stood on the ridge, staring down at the trees where the mysterious woman has slipped away. Pasting a smile on his face, he turned back towards the young prince.

"Well, I am glad that you are safe." Ganondorf walked up to the stunned looking prince and clapped him on the shoulder. "Let us get you back to the palace, and I won't tell your father about this little trip of yours."

The prince nodded faintly, staring after the woman, and Ganondorf sighed dramatically.

"Go get saddled up, my Prince." Link started, then nodded again, before making his way towards the path down. He glanced back when Ganondorf didn't follow. Ganondorf raised a hand and waved him off.

"I will follow shortly." He then turned towards the Deku Tree, who was staring at him with a blank face. "For now, I have to speak with our leafy friend here. It won't take a moment." Ganondorf strode forward, his smile replaced with a deep frown.


9.2 - (abcd_z)


Ganondorf ran down the hallways of Castle Hyrule, his cloak billowing behind him. Originally his plan had been to enter the castle as an ambassador of the Gerudo people, gain the king's trust, and pull the strings necessary to obtain the Triforce. It had been easy to fool the king the last time he had been in this world, and Ganondorf felt confident he could do it again.

That plan had lasted until two guards blocked him at the castle gates, citing orders that "a red-haired Gerudo male" was to be barred entrance.

Ganondorf slaughtered the guards for their impudence and made his way into the castle, his rage fuelled by the insult delivered to him by the nobodies that didn't even deserve the throne.

His new plan was to slaughter everybody in the castle. The entire ruling family killed, he would forcibly take over as ruler of Hyrule, crushing any who might oppose him. Then, once his reign was secure, he would resume his search for the entrance to the Sacred Realm and absolute power.

At least, this was his plan until he realized that there was absolutely nobody in the castle. He ran from room to room, his rage turning to curiosity, and then to bafflement, as he searched for somebody who could explain what was going on.

He turned a corner and came to a dead stop. Standing in the castle courtyard was a hunched figure in a maroon hooded robe. The figure's gender was obscured by the robe and its facial features were cloaked in shadow. A gnarled walking stick supported the unknown form.

Ganondorf raised his voice. "Are you the one responsible for this?" he asked imperiously.

The figure made no move to speak.

"Speak, now, before my patience runs out and I destroy you where you stand!"

An old man's voice emerged from the cloak. "Let me tell you a story, oh King of the Gerudo. Once upon a time, there was a young man who desired power above all else. He fought and killed many, ruthlessly crushing all who stood before him in search of his dream. And eventually, one day, he obtained his heart's desire: The Golden Power.

"But the Gods who rule the world decreed that this should not be, and ripped Absolute Power from the young man's grasp. Not to be deterred, he set out again. Again, his desires were thwarted. Again and again he tried, only to be thwarted each time by the Gods and their Chosen Heroes. Not even Death itself could stop him, so great was the man's desire. And in time that desire became a curse. Unwilling to let go of his goal, but forever unable to obtain it, the man descended into madness."

Ganondorf sneered. "A pretty story, old man. But utterly irrelevant. I will succeed where that man failed. I am strong! I am powerful! Even if the Gods themselves align against me, I will destroy them and grasp victory!"

The old man chuckled. "Perhaps you will succeed, then, where I have not. But I doubt it."

Ganondorf stepped closer to the man. "You? Who are you, then?"

The figure took his hood off. He was older, much older, but the features were unmistakable. "Think of me as a ghost of the man you could become. I know what you had planned and I gained the king's trust long before you could have." There was no boasting, no pride in the old man's voice, only melancholy. "I sent the entire royal family away, to be spared your wrath. Now there is only you and me."

Ganondorf ground his teeth together. "If you are against me," he said, "there can be only one conclusion." Ganondorf drew his sword and leapt at the old man in one fluid motion, only to be blocked by his gnarled walking staff. Ganondorf's sword should have swept through the old man's protections easily, but somehow Ganondorf's sword rebounded off of the staff, forcing Ganondorf backwards.


The fight was long and arduous. Ganondorf's strength and skill was pitted against the older Ganondorf's cunning and trickery. In the end only the younger Ganondorf remained standing. He was bloodied and beaten, but he was alive. The older Ganondorf could not say the same.

Ganondorf left the castle, troubled by the last whispered words of his elder self.

"I remember this. Some day, this shall be your fate."


9.3 - (generiguy)


"Hooray! Thank you oh so VERRRY much for freeing Tingle! Here is Tingle's heartfelt gift of thanks!"

Tingle stepped back wards, and threw some rainbow confetti into the air.

"Tingle! Tingle! Kooloo-limpah! Become... an item!"

The space in front of Tingle's arms shimmered for a second, then formed a green bottle.

"This is a Tingle bottle! It lets you send messages in a bottle! As many as you want!" announced Tingle.

Link grabbed the item and examined it, a disturbingly large smile on his face.

"Infinite... bottles?"


9.4 - (burningclaw2)


Ganondorf hated to admit it but he was impressed. Even though Link was unawake in this Loop he managed to make a rather competent villain.

After killing the king of Hyrule, stealing the royal crown, and kidnapping an unawake Zelda, Link had proceeded to throw the lands of Hyrule into chaos. The crown was apparently one of two keys needed to awaken the Lord of the Fae, Zelda was the other key. This Link probably had a bout of Dreaming as Ganondorf had to take cover in order to avoid the after effects of a Cuccoo Bomb going off.

'Note to self; See about getting Link scheduled for a metaphysical cavity search. Just to make sure he doesn't have more of those,' Ganon thought as he dodged out of the way from a swipe of Link's monstrous form.


When Ganondorf had caught up with Link for the first time this Loop, it was only after the seal keeping the Lord of Fae locked up had broken. Ganondorf had noted how it felt when that happened, especially when it turned out the Link was the Lord of the Fae. Link had grown a pair of large glowing wings with markings all over them and his clothes also changed from his standard Green Tunic to something more akin to a noble's robe, though the coloring remained unchanged beyond some ornamental highlights.

Link then blasted Ganondorf across back into the ruins of Hyrule Castle and Castle Town, which hurt quite a lot, especially after the fifth wall. Luckily he was quite durable. Almost immediately after stopped flying backwards, he saw a massive tree-like structure grow from the middle of the forest, which had started to expand its borders


Ganondorf dodged the massive blade of the towering suit of armor he was facing. The giant tree he had seen rising in the forest was apparently Link's castle. It was surrounded with barriers, each of which was tied to a boss. This suit of armor was the seventh boss he was facing, and if Ganondorf had read the magic right, there were at least 13 more to go. He grinned as he blocked the next strike, calling on the Triforce of Power to strengthen his arm. Link had been clever, destroying the key pieces in the puzzles needed to defeat these bosses and scrambling the artifacts, so that the weapon to defeat one boss was guarded by a different boss, and vice versa. Luckily, Ganondorf had never relied solely on being tricky. With a surge of magic, Ganondorf sliced through the armor's sword, then twisted, expanding his blade until it was the size of one of the pillars ringing the room. The armor never stood a chance as the blade sliced through it. One more down, a dozen more to go.


After killing all the monsters he had learned that in order to defeat Link he needed the Crown of Hyrule, which Link shattered into pieces and spread into the sea. Of course a cursed medallion from the Pirates of the Caribbean Loops made it laughably easy to get the pieces due to his body being unable to die or needing to breathe, of course the curse only lasted on him for a day thanks to the immense power from his third of the Triforce.

He then set out to retrieve the central gem of the Crown which ended up being guarded by what the hub had described as a 'Boss Rush' in the Pit of a Hundred Trails. He not only had to deal with the boss monsters he had fought again in various combinations but also faced several monsters he had never fought before. One particularly annoying fight was between him and what appeared to be Sting Chameleon from the Mega Man X Loops, the Stealth Sneak from the Kingdom Hearts Loops, and Espio from the Sonic Loops.

Not only did he have to deal with them turning invisible, and Sting Chameleon was apparently invulnerable while invisible but he had to constantly be aware of any minute distortions in the area so he could find his enemies. Sting Chameleon at least had to undo his camouflage before he could attack.


Now here he was fighting Link, whom started out with turning into a giant wolf which looked similar to his wolf form from the Twilight Princess Timeline, only wreathed in gold fire at the hunches. The beast while not as directly damaging as his boar form was no less dangerous. It was agile and quick despite its size and its claws and fangs left rather deep gauges in the room. Link had also shown himself to be wielding the Master Sword on his hip, not to mention the Triforce of Courage's protection from dark magic which reduced the damage he was receiving by a fair bit. Oh the beast still was injured but like himself it simply shrugged it off.

Quickly ducking as Princess Zelda, who was currently being controlled by Link, was shooting at him with Arrows of Light. So Ganondorf had to deal with not only a giant, highly mobile monster but also the princess he was supposed to be saving. Jumping to avoid another arrow Ganondorf met Link's pounce with a swiftly charged kick to the maw slamming the large wolf into the wall.

Ganondorf could only grin as he landed, it might have been a nuisance to deal with but playing the hero was definitely a challenge and enjoyable from time to time.


9.5 - (generiguy)


Like always, Phantom Ganon materialized in front of Link. Cackling, he teleported into the air in front of Link, and began charging up an energy ball in his palm. Once the sparking ball was big enough, he hurled a it at the boy below.

Link had done this before. He tensed, waiting for it to approach, then swung his sword at the crackling ball with a mighty

-Ping!-

Instead of flying back at the boss, like most energy balls did, the mass of energy hovered in place for a second, before fading away and exposing a red-and-white ball. Confused, Link wound up for another swing, only to find his sword missing.

"What?!"

Link immediately refocused on Phantom Ganon, who was staring at the ball as well. The ball wiggled once, then clicked. "Congratulations!" announced the pokeball. "You caught the SWORD!"


9.6 - (generiguy)


Like always, Phantom Ganon materialized in front of Link. Cackling, he teleported into the air in front of Link, and began charging up an energy ball in his palm. Once the sparking ball was big enough, he hurled a it at the boy below.

Link had done this before. He tensed, waiting for it to approach, then swung his sword at the crackling ball with a mighty

-BWAK!-

Link barely had time to think 'what?' before the all too familiar cucco horde materialized.


9.7 - (masterofgames)


"Zelda?"

"Yes Link?"

"I can't help but notice that absolutely nothing has threatened your kingdom this loop, and that the Gerudo are sending overly generous trade caravans instead of attempting a hostile takeover."

"This is true."

"I also can't help but notice that you replaced all your guards and soldiers with cuccoos wearing guard armor and holding tiny spears."

"This is also true."

"Are these facts related in any way?"

"Not telling."


9.8 - (abcd_z)


A Moblin Boss slouched in the center of the cavern with a swollen eyelid and several cuts and bruises marking his body. His unconscious subordinates were scattered around the cave, left there by Link's ferocious attacks.

"All right, all right," the moblin groaned. "You beat me fair and square, so you may take the treasure fair."

Link rubbed his hands in anticipation. It had required a surprisingly long treasure hunt, but at last the Potion of Gaseous Form was within his reach.

The moblin continued to talk. "But take heed: the potion will evaporate if it isn't kept sealed in a bottle."

Link walked through the doorway behind the moblin, entering another cave room. An ostentatious stone fountain in the room sprayed a purple liquid that misted over and drifted to the bottom of the fountain, where the mist condensed into a small pond.

Link pulled up his inventory to grab a bottle, but froze when he realized that all his bottles were already filled with potions and objects that couldn't easily be replaced. Shock turned to relief when he remembered the bottle Tingle had given him. He grabbed the bottle, pulled out the paper inside and tossed it away before filling the bottle with the purple liquid from the fountain. The fountain's pool shrank as it filled up the bottle, until there was no liquid left in the fountain and the bottle was full. The pool had been at least ten times larger than the bottle it was now stored inside, but after spending so much time looping Link rarely worried about things like that. Hell, it didn't even crack the list of top 10 weird things to happen to him *this loop*.

He placed the cork back on the bottle... and the bottle disappeared with sparkles and a brief musical tune.

"What the hell?" Link yelled. "What just happened?!"

The moblin saw what had happened and laughed at Link.

Link turned a baleful eye on the moblin. "You did this?" Link accused. "I was looking *forward* to that potion," Link stated, menace in his voice.

The moblin gulped.


9.8 cont.


Ganondorf stretched as he stepped out of his tent. He had been somewhat lazy this Loop, but he had a few plans for a late start that just might knock Link off balance enough for Ganondorf to get to the Triforce first. Both Link and Zelda were Awake, though Link felt like he was farther away than usual.

Ganondorf turned to head to the stable when his foot hit something in the sand. He glanced down to see an oddly shaped green bottle laying in the sand, filled with a sort of purple liquid. He picked up the curious object, and finally placed the shape. 'This is that bottle that Link was ranting about a few Loop ago.' He swirled the liquid about in it. 'So, does that mean this liquid is...' A slow grin stole across Ganondorf's face. There was only one way to find out.


Link pulled the Master Sword from the pedestal. So far, so good. There had been no sign of Ganondorf thus far. Link had been a bit worried, as he had woken up in Termina, so it had been a bit of a trip to get back here in time.

A slow clap started up behind him, and Link rolled his eyes as he turned around. Ganondorf stood in the doorway to the Shrine. He stepped forward.

"Well met Hero. You have opened the gate for me to acquire the Triforce."

Link shrugged. "You have to get through me first." He grinned as he flexed his arms, already in his adult state. Aging potion was a wonderful thing.

Ganondorf's grin widened. "With pleasure." He then held out his hand, revealing a bottle clasped in his grip. Link barely had time to recognize the small green Tingle Bottle before Ganondorf drew it back and took a gulp from it. Instantly, his body seemed to shift, turning into so much smoke and vapor. Link's eyes widened.

"GANONDORF!" Link charged, but Ganondorf's smoke form was slippery, and he slid to one side, before rushing past Link and through the gate. Link followed, his bellows of anger matching Ganondorf's echoing laughter.


9.9


Link chuckled maniacally as he closed the cork. It was always risky to get a Cucco into a bottle, but he had managed it. Thus far, everytime he had used the Tingle Bottle, Ganondorf had always found it before him. He had even used Fi's Drowsing magic attached to a Deku Stick, but somehow Ganondorf always got there first. Well, now he was going to get his revenge!

Link coughed halfway through his mad laugh. Maybe he should see that psychiatrist Zelda was talking about.


Link grinned. His special Deku stick had just pinged with the presence of a "Cucco in a Tingle Bottle". He was headed out to watch as Ganondorf got his comeuppance. The bottle should be somewhere in the Southern Hyrule Field.

"Ahem."

Link paused, then turned. Malon was standing behind him, tapping her foot. In her hand was a small green bottle, and on her shoulder... a distinctly rumpled looking Cucco was giving Link an evil eye.

"~Someone thought it would be a good idea to stick a poor defenseless Cucco into a bottle, and then have it drop. Out. Of. Reality. You wouldn't happen to know who, would you?~" Malon's voice was syrupy sweet, like a poisoned dagger.

Link paused, swapped the Pegasus Boots onto his feet, and RAN for it. The Bwak of Doom sounded over head as the Cucco Swarm pursued.


9.9 cont. - (generiguy)


Link paused to reflect on his misguided prank. That was definitely not what he wanted to happen. Of course the one time he had decided to exploit Ganondorf finding his bottles, MALON would find it...

Link winced at the memory. That would give him nightmares...

He stopped. How had that cuccoo survived in the Tingle Bottle between Loops, anyway?

When no answer came, he decided he'd find out for himself. Fitting himself into a Tingle Bottle would have been both suicidal and impossible, so he had to try something else. Maybe a fish, he decided. I'll take a bunch of fish, of different ages, and then I'll see how many of them die of old age. That will tell me how much time passes, but then I need to see if I can time a bomb's fuse...

"Hey!" a voice interrupted Link. "Let's get moving! We need to get the Zora's Sapphire!"

Link eyed the fairy floating above him. Maybe he wouldn't need a fish after all, he thought, as a grin slowly appeared.


9.10 - (Crisis)


Link Awoke and blinked as he looked around his clear cylindrical prison for the Loop.

'In retrospect, I'm surprised this didn't happen sooner,' he sighed as he pulled out a pack of tarot cards, good for both fortune telling and solitaire, and proceeded to try and keep himself busy until such point that events necessitated his release.

'I hope I don't need to pee while I'm in here...'


9.11 - (Indalecio)


For Link, this loop had seemed to be just like baseline. He'd believed it to be so, right up to the point where he'd reached the Spirit Temple. The fiendishly difficult traps he'd encountered, normal for the Spirit Temple, but turned up to eleven in this loop, really should have clued him in to what was going to happen next.

He put the Boss Key into the huge, elaborate door before him, and turned.

As expected, Koume and Kotake were there. They battled, but it seemed they were tougher than normal this time, throwing a variety of other elemental abilities besides fire and ice into the mix. Finally defeating them individually, they stopped.

"Ah! He's stronger this time Koume!"

"Looks like we'll have to use THAT technique!"

They jumped off their brooms, standing and facing him, with a little room between them. They assumed a strange pose and went through an intricate pattern of movements which eventually led to their index fingers touching, all the while yelling.

"FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUSSSSSSSSSSSSSSIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNNNNN! HAH!"

There was a flash of light, and while the being standing there looked a bit like Twinrova, it wasn't. She spoke her voice reverbing.

"We're are neither Koume nor Kotake. You can call us Metake. And now you face me, boy."

It was going to be one of those loops, wasn't it, Link thought to himself.


9.12 - (generiguy)


Link walked out of Termina's Clock Tower and immediately headed over to the Bomb Shop. He had thought up an amusing way to prank Tingle involving a Powder Keg, some large sheets of cloth, and a lot of graffiti, and he had been looking forward to it for quite a few loops.

As he turned the corner to West Clock Town, Link allowed himself a smile at the thought of Tingle's face. Seeing a giant fairy crash into the town after 3 days? That would definitely be worth the trouble it would take to spray paint the moon's face over.

Sadly, nobody else would be able to enjoy it. He couldn't feel Ganondorf and Zelda through the Triforce, so he was the only one Awake this loop, Still, even if he was alone, this had been the first Termina loop in a while and he was itching to try his prank out.

'This is going to be awesome.' Link thought, at the Bomb Shop's entrance. 'It's too bad nobody else is here with me. Navi would have loved this.'

Then with a pneumatic hiss, the ceiling of the Bomb Shop opened like a hatch.

A familiar figure Link couldn't quite place rose into the air, grabbing the side of what looked like a flaming barrel with fins.

Link stared dumfoundedly for a second before equipping his Telescope and staring at the rapidly ascending speck.

As the rocket ascended past some clouds, the figure began swinging his arm in a circle, giving a mighty whoop.

Link's eyes widened as he mentally projected the rocket's path. He quickly equipped a megaphone from his subspace pocket. "Hey! I'm using that!"

The figure jumped off his rocket, arm still swinging, looked upwards and gave a toothy grin.

Then with a boisterous whoop, Donkey Kong's fist connected with the moon once more.


9.1 - You didn't think Zelda wouldn't go questing, did you?

9.2 - Imparting wisdom to a younger you can be a dangerous occupation.

9.3 - Infinite Bottles: The Holy Grail of the Zelda Loops

9.4 - And Ganondorf gets a turn at the hero bit as well.

9.5 - SWORD is evolving! SWORD evolved into MASTER SWORD!

9.6 - Return of the Cucco!

9.7 - Nope, not related at all. *Whistle, whistle, whistle*

9.8 - And the Holy Grail is a dud. Of sorts.

9.9 - The best plans of heroes and Cucco hordes, are derailed by a farmer's daughter.

9.10 - Hero in a bottle!

9.11 - His Rupees! They're over NINE THOUSAND...ninehundredandninetynine!

9.12 - And we end with the Moon getting punched in the face!