"I've just about had enough of the two of you! If you simply return the flow of time, I promise to perish both of you quickly."

Link steeled himself in front of Saria, while she scooped the ocarina of time off the ground.

"You say it as if we've done something heinous. You used us!"

"Yes, and now your use has worn out. This is your final warning to return time. Until now, I've only been toying with you. Do you really want to see my full wrath?"

Saria did not answer this time. Mandgrova gave a wry smirk.

"Very well, your lifetime of suffering begins now!"

With a mighty crackle, magic began to beam down from Mandgrova's palms. Link managed to catch the raw light with his sword, pooling its energy into the blade. Once he had charged enough power, Link began to counter Mandgrova with a beam of his own. Power surged back and forth between them, lighting up the morning sky. Bit by bit, Link's energy ebbed closer toward the great fairy. In a flash his magic broke through to Mandgrova. It exploded into her body, sending her careening backwards and scattering fairy dust every which way. After regaining her midair balance, the great fairy chastised the boy.

"You pest! Why won't you accept your fate already? Cannot you see it has already been sealed?"

With a wave of her hand, Mandgrova sent two bolts of lightning down at her adversaries. Using his sword as a lightning rod, Link absorbed the first bolt, but the second streaked past him, toward his friend! Completely unarmed, Saria ducked for cover and feared for the worst. When it should've killed her, however, the lightning blast burst around her, creating an odd green glow.

"What in-?!"

"Gah! What is this?!"

Now surrounded by magic energy, Saria looked about herself dumbfounded. Sparkles twisted and swirled around and towards her, like water flowing to a hole in a bucket. What was causing this magical behavior? It was... oddly beautiful. Even behind the face of the fierce deity, Link could not mask his confusion and slight awe. As soon as the thunderbolt was gone, however, so was the field. Saria looked down at her hands, now both slightly aglow.

"...Did I do that?"

"Is everyone suddenly a magical being? You stay out of this, girl! Know now that I have made it my mission to give you an even more terrible death!"

Though she was making threats, Mandgrova herself seemed rather unsure of what had just happened. Instead of harming the girl, the great fairy's magic dissipated, and Saria absorbed it. It was almost like a barrier formed around her.

"Could it be? No... my powers are much too weak for that, aren't they? Link, I think that was sage protection magic!"

Though she had not been awakened as a sage in Link's world, she had been in her own. Maybe because time had been stopped, her link to her own world had been strengthened, boosting her magic? Or perhaps simply because her time connection's convergence was so near? Regardless, what power she had was only that absorbed from Mandgrova, save for however she had absorbed it. Saria felt the green glow built up within her and looked to Link.

"I'm not certain how, but I've siphoned the power from Mandgrova's attack! Do you think... maybe my magic has grown a bit stronger from it?"

By snapping her fingers, Saria conjured a steady green flame in her hand. As compared to her pitiful attempt at magic in the Temple of Lost Souls, this was a roaring flame! As quickly as she had made the fire, however, it went out, along with her hands' green glow. She would need a lot more of that if she wanted to do anything useful.

"You call that magic? My dear, I will show you magic!"

Mocking Saria, Mandgrova snapped her fingers, only instead of a small flame, she unleashed a massive wave of fire. While the young girl dove for cover, Link stood in the flame unfazed. A quick sword beam slice popped Mandgrova in the palm, halting her attack and spraying fairy dust again into the sky.

"What are you invincible? If I had only destroyed you with the harp before your blasted friend had rendered it useless!"

Behind a half-charred building, Saria watched as the raining magical powder shimmered. It filled the air around her, swirling back and forth. She reached a hand out to catch some of it and quickly found that it was attracted to her. Waving her arm in the air, sparkles moved toward her like she was a magnet. Was she absorbing the tiny particles too? That gave her an idea...

"Hit her again Link!"

By the tone of her voice, Link could tell she was up to something. With a left to right chop, he pelted another blast at the fairy. It left Mandgrova clearly undamaged. Small particles of magic again burst into the air... just as Saria thought they would.

"I do hope you can try harder than that, for your sake. I didn't even feel a thing!"

Waving both hands in the air, Saria pooled together more fairy dust. Her hands were beginning to emit a faint glow again.

"That's it! Fairy dust, Link! Knock as much fairy dust off of her as you can!"

That certainly was an odd plan... but nothing else had worked up to then, so Link was willing to try anything. Link leapt to the air and began to climb the floating portion of the city again. Each leap, Mandgrova attempted to skewer the warrior with long vine-like growths. However, each time she came close to hitting him, Link would lop the end of the attacking plant's stem off.

"For the love of Din Nayru and Farore, stand still!"

Now that he had overcome the spirit of the mask, Link could use its power in a much more coordinated manner. Back at the top of the floating town, he prepared to attack.
Rather than swinging his sword to and fro, he kept light on his feet, prepared to counter anything the great fairy could throw at him. Sure enough, Mandgrova made the first move. She hurled several clumps of thorns and briars at Link, but he sidestepped and returned with a sweeping blow to the shoulder.

Below, Saria ran to catch the explosion of fairy dust. Each particle of light increased her magic vigor, and with it, her glow. If she could get enough power...

"What do you think you're doing? Feeding off my magic? That will be enough of that!"

While the angry fairy coiled back to launch an attack at Saria, Link seized his chance and sprang up at the woman. He flipped majestically through the air, then for the first time, his blade made direct contact with her. In the instance of contact, the double helix sword generated an immeasurable amount of energy and channeled it all at once into one hit. Mandgrova was sent hurtling across the valley with a shockwave, and multicolored sparkles filled the air like a thick rainbow fog. Link watched as she blew over the mountain range, across the horizon.

For a moment, all was silent. Saria stared up into the air with childish glee while it rained fairy dust. Both arms held out, she began to take in all the magic power. A cyclone of magic dust swirled around her, taking the colorful display of sparkles and funneling it all down to her. The sudden influx of magic put her on her knees, gasping for breath. She could feel it pooling within her, a powerful burning within her chest. Once she had absorbed it all, Saria was so ripe with magic energy, the glow could be seen through her body. She had never held so much magic power before! Saria labored with each breath to keep all the energy under control.

"Woah! Almost... almost enough. Just a bit more magic!"

Link grew a bit worried for Saria. More? She looked as though she could hardly hold all that energy as it was!

"Are you sure?"

"Just t-trust me! I need enough to be sure it will work!"

Before Link could ask what she had planned, he spotted an absolutely livid Mandgrova flying back across the Northern horizon. By the looks of her, she was literally flaming with anger. Just how fast was she flying? She certainly didn't seem to be slowing down. Link steadied himself on a knee and held his sword between him and her. She was coming at him head on!

"I WILL END YOU, BOY!"

"Oh hell!"

With a blow comparably powerful to Link's, Mandgrova collided with him headfirst, and knocked the boy towards the opposite Mountain range in the southeast. Fear once again entered Saria's heart as she watched Link disappear into the distance.

"That should take care of that filthy little pest! Now... where is the other..."

Saria ducked under a half-intact shed to hide herself from the colossal fairy's view, but her magical glow shone just a bit too bright. Even in the daylight, her glow could be seen shining through the cracks in the shed's roof. Mandgrova had not found her yet, though.

"It's just you and me, child! Your mute friend is so far away, he would need a boat to get back to us. Pray tell, just what did you plan to do with my magic? Such power is not meant for a mortal like you. You would surely kill yourself if you tried to use all of it!"

"I... I'm not afraid of you!"

That was a lie. Saria was very afraid. Mandgrova swooped down low to the city, browsing across the ground for the girl.

"Aside from your little time stunt, you don't seem very well versed in magic. You would probably roast your own arm off if you tried to attack me with it. A pity, really. I would loved to have seen you try."

That was true probably true. She certainly felt as though she would burn herself to a crisp if she wasn't careful. Closer and closer the fairy drew to the girl. With a finger, she flicked the roof off a house to search it. This was very bad... time was running out. Saria was much too preoccupied holding the magic within her. The only good spell she knew... she still needed more magic for it.

"In the end though, none of it would have mattered... you saw how little your friend could do to me. I am a goddess. And you are just a girl from the forest. You forest children are not as immortal as you would have yourselves believe. ...ah... there you are."

As if she were uprooting a clump of grass, Mandgrova reached down and plucked the roof from the shed. Saria let out a slight whimper.

"I'm far beyond asking for final words at this point. Time for you to take your place in the pits of Din."

Mandgrova waved her hand and vines sprouted from the ground, wrapping Saria's arms and legs together. Like a snake, the vines constricted themselves tighter, squeezing the life out of the poor girl. And she was powerless against it. It took most of her strength just to house the energy within her, she could do little to resist. If she let it all out now, she'd just kill herself anyway.

"Goodbye, young one."

"NOOO!"

Mandgrova reeled to the side to face the unwelcome voice. In the nick of time, Link leapt back into the fray of the city, delivering a powerful blow to the great fairy's cheek. Saria's constraints loosened themselves just enough for her to wriggle an arm out. Something to cut the vines, where?! Remembering her sword, she stuck her arm deep in the vines and wrestled to draw her blade from its sheath.

Meanwhile, Link kept a surprised Mandgrova held back, sending beam after beam toward her. She narrowly managed to block each with a growth of vines, but Link had her backpedaling.

"Argh! I can't get rid of you, can I? That is enough! I have simply had it!"

After many failed attempts before, Mandgrova finally caught Link in a tangle of vines. She held him tight, just as she had Saria. His arm was pulled against his body squeezed so tight he couldn't even twist his wrist to swing his sword. While Mandgrova tightened her grip on Link, she absentmindedly loosened Saria's. After a bit of chopping, she weaseled her way out of the fairy's grip entirely.

"Even wherever you get your demented power from, you are still a pitiful boy! I can see in your eyes that you are just a scared little child. You and your friend both!"

Yes... he was but a child wearing a mask. Saria unsteadily reached into her pockets.

"You are children, yet, you insist on interfering with matters that are above you? This is my valley, I was given it by the goddesses themselves! But then all you people, you sinful, cancerous people... you took it for your own You ruined my beautiful land... Now, I reclaim what is mine at last. Time to squish you bugs once and for all!"

"Just one bug! The other seems to have crept out of your bottle!"

"How in-?"

With a quick flick of her wrist, Saria chucked her boomerang right at... Link's face?! When the boomerang hit its mark, it did exactly what it was enchanted to; it stole Link's face. The fierce deity mask pulled right off of the Link's face, and in a flash of light, he turned back to a boy, effectively slipping through the grip of the vines. Again a child, Link crashed against the ground slightly disoriented. Standing up, he quickly realized what his friend had just done.

"Catch!"

Saria chunked the fierce deity mask back to Link, and without hesitation he put it on again.

"What in the goddesses names are you two doing?!"

"Pop her Link! Anywhere!"

In the moment of confusion, Link ripped off two swings, sending two sword beams right into a collision with Mandgrova. A cloud of fairy dust sprayed down, and Saria held a hand up to absorb it. Hopefully, that would give her enough energy to do what she had planned. With the last influx of magic, she fell to the ground, completely overrun with power. Her eyes shone a bright unseemly green, and her entire body seemed to glow with them. She was to the absolute brim with power! Saria writhed in the energy, keeping herself together with short sharp breaths.

"Aaaaaaagh! Aah... I can do this! This should be enough! Get back Link! Get back!"

Link feared for what was fixing to happen. The poor girl looked as though she was fixing to tear herself apart!

"And just what do you plan to do? Your magic isn't going to hurt me! You forget I am a being of magic itself, ordained by the goddesses!"

Saria struggled to her feet and raised her hands to the air in a ritualistic manner.

"That's not the plan. Ancient Creators of Hyrule! Place a seal on the the Great Fairy Harp, and banish this monstrous woman within!"

In response to her prompt, Saria's energy expelled from within her a shattering crackle. The burst of power zipped to and fro amidst the air until it collided with the great fairy harp left floating above the city. When the magic exploded against the harp, suddenly, a white void brighter than the sun itself appeared where the harp was. The portal began to suck everything around it with immense strength. Strength so immense, even Mandgrova could not escape its pull.

"What?! NO! NONONONONONONO! How can this be?!"

The great fairy desperately clawed in the air to get away from the all consuming portal. No matter what she held on to, however, she only grew closer to the portal. It wasn't long before the singularity had claimed her legs, and soon, her lower body too. Mandgrova clung to whatever she could to no avail.

"Gah! Cursed child! How did you perform a sealing spell?! It took all my power and youth to cast such a spell! I can't be sealed away! My valley needs me! My fairies need me! Nature will be doomed to suffer under mankind! No!"

Only her arm was left outside the portal. Mandgrova fought to escape down to the last inch. Her struggle was futile. Nothing could escape sage sealing magic.

"Curse you children! Curse the plurbians! Curse my sister! Curse it all!"

At last, Mandgrova had been completely consumed by the portal. Shortly after, the portal collapsed upon itself, and the world was quiet once more. The great fairy harp fell from the sky and clattered to the ground undamaged. Saria collapsed, and Link ran over to help her.

"Woah... she was strong... but I was stronger... We were stronger."

Link scooped Saria up in his arms and cradled her gently. She was exhausted... but she was going to be fine. After a hard fought battle... they had won.

"She was a bad fairy... self consumed. I should've known something was off about her from the beginning."

"Everyone makes mistakes, Link. But even with our imperfections, we still did alright, eh?"

"Saria... I think you're forgetting something."

"Yeah? What?"

"That."

Link pointed his gauntleted hand towards the amalgamation of buildings in the sky.

"Yikes... that looks like it's going to be a catastrophe. We can't return the flow of time with the city like this."

What could they do? Even with Link's enhanced abilities of the fierce deity mask, they couldn't stop a whole city from falling from the sky.

"Wait a minute... did you hear something, Link?"

Time was stopped... there shouldn't be any noises! Saria still in his arms, Link rushed over to where the sound had come from. He arrived to the great fairy harp sitting on the ground. It was pulsating, flashing periodically.

"What's it doing? I thought it didn't work while time was stopped."

It wasn't being strummed, it was just flashing. A mystical silhouette faintly appeared over the harp. Link set Saria to the ground and pulled out his sword. For a moment, both them were worried that Saria's seal had failed. But no... While Mandgrova's hair was a fiery red, this ghostly character's hair was a cool blue. She was also about as tall as the average Hylian, not supersized like Mandgrova. The wisp slowly solidified, going from a mere shadow to a tangible being. She wore a dress that looked as though it came from the blossom of a large deku flower. This strange woman was modestly clothed, unlike the vain garb of both Hyrule's great fairies and Mandgrova. Even then, she still carried a great beauty about her. Her face was very youthful, and her eyes were a glowing blue. Something about this enigma of a woman was very familiar.

"She looks like the woman we saw in the visions... She must be!"

Now fully materialized, the woman looked at the tall warrior and short young girl. She beamed a warm smile, and knelt on one knee.

"Thank you... I and this entire valley shall be forever indebted to you."

"Who are you?"

"I believe we have met before... I am Blassoom. Great fairy of this valley, and sister of the woman whom you vanquished. In sealing her within the harp, you have released me from the seal she placed on me. And for that, I thank you."

"So you really were trapped within the harp?"

"Yes. While sealed away, I watched you children. Though I insisted against rebuilding the harp, the both of you persevered and restored the harp out of good intentions and the kindness of your hearts. My poor sister misunderstood her purpose on this world... fairies were put in this world to serve the people of the land. Alas, she thought the people were subservient to her, and now look what she's done."

Blassoom gestured to the strange splay of buildings in the sky.

"Yeah... she destroyed the city."

"Damaged? Yes. Destroyed? No, not yet, anyhow."

"Whatever do you mean?"

"Perhaps return the flow of time? Then we shall find out."

Author's Note

The final battle has finally ended! Sorry for such a long wait between chapters.
Battles are hard to write, and I have not had much time to write as of late.
There a few things left to resolve, so stay tuned!