You were not sure for how long you fell, but suddenly it was over and you were spat out on hard wooden floorboards. Behind you were thumbs as the others were also spat out and in front of you gasps and shouts. And then thundering applause.
Owlishly you blinked and looked up from where you had kissed the ground. A group of amazed faces were focused on you, most of them little kids and some teenagers and their parents. And one kid had his phone out.
Well, damn.
"Delete that!" you snapped, radiating anger and annoyance while getting to your feet. The kid stared at you wide eyed, unmoving. "Now, or I'm gonna sue your pants off of you for making a video of me without my permission" you growled out, done with the kid and the gasps behind you.
That finally got the kid moving and he quickly scrambled to nod and fumble on his phone.
Satisfied you turned and gave everyone around you a quick check to make sure there were no other phones.
And then you turned to the poor carnival magician whose show you had literally crashed. "Good job, man, see you never" you said, giving a mock bow, a quick salute and a toothy grin and the shush-sign before scrambling the Links together and herding them off the stage and out of there.
While the poor guy was still gasping and gaping, you heard a gum chewing teenager muttering to another: "Wow, those effects were so fake. I could see the trap door open and close behind them." The other nodded in agreement: "Yeah, totally. That fake blood really ruins their looks also, I've seen tomato juice look more realistic. And that one kid didn't even bother to change into a costume. So lame. Honestly, this show sucks."
You grinned inwardly but didn't stop pushing and pulling until you were around a few corners, even as some tried to stop and gape at the attractions and rides around them. In the shadow of a building you finally stopped and took a good look at the group in front of you.
Twilight was carrying a bleeding and unconscious Wild and everyone was sweaty and bleeding from minor injuries. A lot of them were also fidgeting nervously and looking at you and around them wide eyed.
Finally Wind opened his mouth when the silence between you all got too much and stated: "What the duck?" In a nearby rollercoaster some people screamed and reflected thus your inner mental state.
You blinked, trying to process this.
Time gave a disapproving frown at Wind: "No cursing, sailor." "I'm a goddess damned pirate and I am ducking allowed to curse all the sh*t I want" the kid snapped at that.
Okay, rewind.
Brain process restarted.
Well, damn.
"You're speaking English!" you stammered out, dumbfolded. At that nine pairs of eyes turned to you, to blink.
"I guess?" Hyrule offered with a helpless shrug. You were absolutely ready to pull at your hair at that. All this time the miscommunication could have been avoided with that stupid notebook!
Also, you were back in your world, finally. This was just wow.
Groggily Wild chose that moment to wake up and give a fake-cheery: "So what did I miss?" To which Twilight only gave a small glare that promised a long talk about risk takings later before placing Wild back on his feet.
Alright, where was the catch? This was too much good at once.
Cue a pair of police officers patrolling. They stopped when they saw your group. And then one of the two came closer to look at you all, frowning. You tensed, ready to bolt, and with rustling behind you, you knew the Links were also.
But then the officer broke into a bright smile: "Wow, I love your cosplays, kids! What are you playing as?" Then he turned to Time: "Where did you buy them, old man?"
Time took the strange situation with graze and answered with a straight face: "I have my connections, but my wife also had a hand in mine."
The officer nodded in understanding and asked if he may take a selfie, which you quickly declined before any of the Links could say something differently. And then thankfully the second officer pulled the first away with a fond eye role and quick apology while the other was pouting. "Stay safe, kids" the first officer reminded with a grin and then both of them were gone around the next corner.
Silence followed.
You nearly collapsed with relief. That was a bullet you dodged you really did not want a repeat of.
Brushing some hair out face, you came in contact with one of your ears. You paused, wide eyed, before quickly touching it again. It was smaller and rounder and it was what you had most of your life. You nearly cried with relief at that.
You were human again.
And looking at the fidgeting Links you realized with a start that they now were, too. This was so weird.
And well, you now understood their fidgeting, as your bladder reminded you that you were not Hylian anymore but a normal human being with a normal bladder.
Awkwardly you cleared your throat and pointed to the building in whose shadow you had fled: "Let's just go and…find a toilet, yeah."
This gained you nine awkward nods and then the whole group quickly marched around the building, which turned out to be a coffee shop. The girl in charge of the counter gave a quick glance at how you all were fidgeting, before giving a toothy grin: "Toilet's only for costumers."
"Could I just pay for us using the toilet? I'd pay one dollar per nose" you asked, rummaging in your backpack for some of your strewn around cash. The money shark shook her head and showed even more teeth, before gesturing at her overprized items: "No, only costumers."
You narrowed your eyes at that before quickly pointing to a chocolate cookie, the cheapest thing in the shop. The cashier gave a grin before picking the smallest out of the bunch and putting it in a paperbag. "What else?" she asked sweetly. "That's it" you bit out under the surprised gaze of the cashier.
You put the six dollars for the cookie on the counter and accepted the paperbag under the questioning gazes of everyone in the room. And then you started to methodically break the cookie into ten pieces, handing one to each of the Links and only keeping the last one for yourself under the gaze of the slack-jawed cashier.
Ah yes, victory really tasted sweet.
You gave her the sweetest smile possible while stating: "Now excuse us please, we'll be on the toilet now." The death glare she gave you had nothing on Legend's.
The shop only had one toilet and thus those who needed to go direly got to go first, one after one. It was not so nice that you had to talk them through the use of toilet paper and flushing the toilet through the locked door but the horrified looks the cashier gave you was well worth it.
In the end all of you walked very relieved out of the shop and went back to your hiding place, Wind bugging you relentlessly on what he had just tasted and if he may rob the shop so he could get more.
"No!" was the general answer, no matter if the person saying it knew what chocolate was or not. Wind pouted and probably plotted robbing the shop anyway and thus a few Links decided to keep watch on him while the others discussed with you on what to do next.
And that's when your phone decided to ring. Surprised you pulled it out and saw the grinning face of your best friend on the caller's ID. Answering the call confused, you were immediately greeted with an enthusiastic: "Oh my gosh, you're back! You gotta give me all the deeds!"
"What?" you brought out, ear ringing by her enthusiastic greeting. "How'd did you know?"
"I am tracking your phone of course, dummy" Zelda chuckled at that. Ah, that'd explain that. Deciding not to bother with her decision to apparently bug your new phone for now, you stated: "Alright. Do you know where I am? Cause I kinda need to find a way home."
"Of course, don't worry, Babble. I send Impi like half an hour ago. She should be there soon."
"Babble?!" you sputtered out. "Yep" she hummed happily. "Gotta love that nickname. You're not getting out of that one."
"Not even if I brought some Links?" you suggested with a grin.
On the other side of the line there was a dull thud, quickly followed by the sounds of a lot of frantic movement.
Welp, guess she dropped the phone. What a nice reaction.
"You brought them with you!?" Zelda brought out once she had wrangled the phone back into her probably with excitement shaking hands.
"Yep" you stated with a grin, trying to ignore the weird looks the Links shot you at your one sided discussion with your phone.
"Oof, I'm so glad I send one of the bigger cars" was Zelda's muttered answer finally.
"Big enough for ten people?" you questioned.
Muffled laugher was the answer: "Who do you think I am? Go big or go home, buddy."
Okay, now you were concerned.
"Zel, how big?"
"You'll see" she chuckled before promptly ending the phone call.
Annoyed you stashed the phone away before turning to your travel companions hopefully to somewhat successfully explain to them the wonder that was modern tech.
But then you realized that they were not looking at you, but at what was behind you.
"Sup, pipsqueak" Impi greeted.