Ten minutes had passed since the Eds, Link, and Navi appeared back in the Temple of Time, where Ed spent most of the time running around and avoiding the others before being tackled and restrained while Eddy placed Sheldon III inside a jar and sealed it.

"And if you let that hunk of rotting cheese out of that jar, I'm gonna throw it AND you into Death Mountain! Got it?!" Eddy yelled to Ed.

"But it'll spoil!" Ed countered.

"ED!" the others all yelled at him. Ed only hung his head in defeat before quietly placing Sheldon's jar into his jacket.

"Now that that's out of the way, shall we leave for Kakariko Village?" Edd asked.

"Yeah. The humming in here is starting to bug me." Eddy replied.

"Let's go." Link said as they made their way towards the door. They pushed it open and walked a few steps out before stopping again, their eyes taking in nothing but dread and horror. The once beautiful town of Hyrule was now nothing more than an empty husk full of pain and sorrow. The once bright blue sky was now full of ominous clouds. The land was dark and barren. No trees. No flowers. Not even a single blade of grass could be spotted. The buildings around them looked burnt and half destroyed. And from where they saw, the Marketplace that once held dozens of people going about their lives were now filled with nothing but ReDeads. None of the group could find anything to say before Edd summed it all up in four simple words.

"This is a nightmare." he whispered. The four of them slowly walked down the path that would lead them to the Marketplace before stopping out of sight of the roaming ReDeads.

"How many are out there, Navi?" Link asked the fairy as she floated up above them to have a bird's-eye view of the town.

"Too many to take out without drawing the rest." she informed them after a quick survey.

"Why not freeze them again with the Sun's Song?" Ed asked. The others nodded before music filled the air, casting it's power over the ReDeads and freezing them in place.

"Run for the gate!" Link ordered before running off, which was quickly mimicked by the others. Though they ran, they couldn't help but look at the poor town around them before making it to the drawbridge, which was now snapped in half and floating in the river that separated the town from the outside. The change was almost startling when they crossed the bridge, for they instantly found themselves bathed in sunlight.

"That's strange. All of Hyrule Field looks untouched by the madness inside the town." Edd exclaimed with a confused look.

"You're complaining that it's not a barren wasteland?" Eddy asked.

"I never said that. I said that it was strange." Edd corrected as they walked in the direction of Kakariko Village. "I pray that the village is okay."

"You and me both." said Eddy. The rest of the walk was quiet as they reached the staircase leading up to the village. Each step brought a sense of dread to the group, none of them wanting to see more destruction from Ganondorf's evil. To their immense relief and surprise, the village was not only still there, it looked to have expanded a bit. Newer buildings were around, some even built into the rocky walls that surrounded the village.

"Cool!" Ed said, summing up how the others felt.

"Indeed." Edd replied as they walked past the front gate and inside the village and saw other townsfolk going about their business.

"Halt!" The group turned to see a guard approaching them, spear at the ready. "Friend or foe?"

"What's it to you?" Eddy asked as he shoved the spear tip away, only for the guard to thrust it an inch away from his face.

"After Ganondorf took over, what do you expect?" asked the guard.

"We come in peace!" Ed said with a grin while waving his hand.

"That's correct." said Edd. "We wish to stop Ganondorf from spreading his evil any further!" The guard raised an eyebrow before chuckling at them.

"Another bunch of idiots who want to stop the King of Evil, huh?" asked the guard before pulling the spear away and standing straight.

"What do you mean by that?" asked Link.

"I mean others have tried to fight Ganondorf, and all have failed." answered the guard. "If you want to try, go ahead. I won't stop you." And with that, the guard returned to his post, leaving the group to walk further inside the village. They recognized a few shops that used to be empty warehouses, a few that used to do business in Castle Town, and a few new establishments.

"I can't help but wonder how this place has remained safe from Ganondorf." Edd mused before his stomach began to growl, making him blush.

"Sounds like someone's hungry." Eddy snickered before his and the others stomachs growled as well.

"Seven years without food will do that to you." Edd chuckled before looking around. "How about there?" he said while nodding his head towards a nearby building. The others looked to see a two story building with a sign that Navi translated as 'INN' to them.

"Sounds good. I'm starving!" Eddy smiled.

"I'm Ed!" Ed said stupidly before they all walked towards the INN.

"Hold it!" Link yelled, causing them to look at him. "We don't have time to goof around! We need to get what we came here for, then head to the Forest Temple!"

"Okay. Then where are we supposed to go?" Eddy asked, his arms folded across his chest. Link opened his mouth to answer, only to close it moments later when he realized he had no idea where exactly to go.

"All that we were informed by Sheik was that we were to head to Kakariko Village to find equipment." Edd reminded him.

"Link," Navi said as she sat down on his shoulder. "I know you want to get back at Ganondorf for all the wrong that he's done, but being reckless and impatient won't help us. Besides, even a hero needs food and rest." Link only stared down at her as her words sunk in before sighing.

"You're right. I'm sorry." he said before turning to the Eds. "So, who's hungry?" he asked, causing the others to smile before they all walked inside the INN. The inside was peaceful as people were eating breakfast before all eyes were cast on the door at the four men. Nobody said anything for a moment as they all just stared, as if expecting something to happen.

"Food please!" said Ed, as he was the only one who didn't notice all the staring. The others kept quiet before a hefty woman with black hair approached them.

"You four ain't from around here, are ya?" asked the woman. "I should know. I know every face of every villager here. Who are you? Some goons hired by Ganondorf?"

"Certainly not." Edd answered.

"We are here to stop Ganondorf and all his evil!" Ed declared loudly, his finger pointing dramatically in the air. The woman and all the others inside blinked a few times before bursting into laughter.

"What's so funny?" Eddy asked, already hating these people.

"Ain't the first time someone tried to stop Ganondorf." the woman chuckled while wiping a tear from her eye. "I like you fellas! Sit down anywhere. I'll have someone take your order!" The woman walked off after that, leaving the four of them to find an empty table and talk.

"So, what do we have that we can use right now?" Navi asked as she floated around the boys.

"I have my sword and shield." said Link. "And my ocarina."

"I have my shield too!" Ed smiled.

"The shield, boomerang, and the Goron's Bracelet that I have are too small to be of any use." Edd sighed.

"My slingshot's too small too." Eddy groaned.

"All we have is a bag of bombs, some Deku Sticks and Deku Nuts, and a few empty glass jars." Link finished. "Yeah. Heading to the Forest Temple, or any temple, is suicide if we walk in with just this."

"First, we should see if there's a shop that sells weaponry." Edd suggested.

"Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!" Ed chanted with a grin. "I want a weapon like the one used by the villain in 'Werewolf Hunting Grandmas From Across the Street!' It was so cool!"

"I have absolutely no idea what that is. Nor do I want to know what this is." Link said before turning to the other two Eds. "As for the weapons, that sounds like a good idea."

"Oh! OH! Mememe!" Ed said with his hand raised.

"Ed." Eddy groaned.

"And cool armor and clothes!" he said.

"That too." said Link. "I don't think these clothes will protect us from whatever we have to face."

"Plus, I feel a little out of place in my old clothes." Edd said while looking down at the clothing he had on.

"So weapons, armor, and clothes." Navi summed up, earning a nod from everyone before one of their stomachs growled.

"But first some grub." said Eddy.

-In the kitchen-

The hefty woman was busy cooking before turning her head towards a young woman with long hair done up in a ponytail. "Hey! Go out and take those four strangers orders!" she barked.

"Yeah, yeah." said the woman before walking out the door and looked around. She instantly spotted the new faces before freezing. One face she didn't know, but three of them she instantly recognized. She could only mutter two words as her whole body felt shocked to the core. "The Eds?!"