Edward Kidnastoff
By John Little
Chp. 6: Back to the Fountain, Back to the Bottle
*****
Navi fluttered around the fairy fountain, quietly mourning her most recent position. Her meeting with the Great Fairy hadn't ended quite as well as she would have liked.
At first the Great Fairy was very understanding. "Navi, don't feel so upset. Link's death would have released the Triforce from his hand, and I would have certainly felt that. Wherever he is, he is most likely fairing well."
These encouraging words were, however, quickly followed by the ones that she had been dreading. "Navi, you are to return to the fairy fountain near the Forest Temple. Until more about Link's absence is known, there are other ways that you can help the world."
Navi had effectively been demoted from a companion fairy to a baby-sitter for the fairy children in this fountain. Most of them were too young to form coherent statements while others were simply too busy performing acrobatics above the fountain's water to truly notice or care about Navi. Some of them were decently intelligent, but generally only those who were themselves about to mature and leave the fountain. Those fairies realized what Navi must be going through and, for lack of any proper experience in the matter, opted to ignore her and simply hope that she cheered up.
Navi had spent the first few hours of her time in the fountain crying. She found a quiet little corner as far from the other fairies as she could before crying about everything that had happened since Link had disappeared. She had failed Link, the Great Deku Tree, the Sages, and (she had somehow convinced herself) the Great Fairies as well. She didn't know if she would ever be allowed to advance out of the fountain if Link was never found. As far as she knew, she was the first fairy to ever face such a great dishonor.
After she finished crying she took up moping. She half-heartedly fluttered from one side of the fountain to the other, steadily growing bored and angry. Surely the Great Fairy didn't intend for her to stay here, did she? How could anyone return to the play pen that they had been born in? She had consistently gone above and beyond the call of duty, sticking to Link against seemingly insurmountable odds. Ganandorf, Twinrova, Morpha, Bongo Bongo,....she could have easily been killed by any of them. How many of the other fairies from the Kokiri Forest ever had to put up with that kind of constant danger?
Through her anger her sadness gradually returned. Going above and beyond the call of duty was what she was expected to do. It's what any companion fairy would be expected to do. Failing as she had failed was simply inexcusable, she knew that.
Navi slowly sank to the ground to rest.
*****
Link had to time it just right or he might never escape. Link carefully examined the bottle that he had pulled from his inventory, and the fairy that was sitting inside of it just waiting to be released. He had two fairies at the moment, but he didn't want to count on a second chance. In one swift motion, Link opened the bottle and hurled it across the room that Dr. Kidnastoff had given him to stay in. The fairy quickly zipped out of the bottle and raced towards Link, but Link wasn't going to let it touch him. He knew that the fairy would vanish as soon as it had "healed" him.
"Oh, no you don't!" Link shouted as he pulled out his shield, determined not to allow the fairy to get close enough to him. The fairy tried to reach him, but only managed to bounce off of his shield at every attempt. After bouncing on the shield about five times, the fairy stopped and hovered in the air.
"I can help!" the fairy chimed. "I can make you feel better!"
"No, I don't need that," Link said. "I need you to send a message for me."
"Message?" The fairy seemed to hop in the air. "What do you mean?"
"I mean....I need you to tell someone something that's very important."
"Important?"
"Do you know who...do you know who Princess Zelda is?"
"I know of Zelda! Zelda lives in a big castle in Hyrule! She's got dragons and guards and paintings and things!"
"Well, not quite, but she does live in a castle. Do you know how to find the Castle?"
The fairy simply continued to hover.
"Ah. Well. Do you know....do you know Saria? Saria the Sage of the Forest? A Kokiri girl?"
"No."
"Do you think that you could remember some names and a story?"
"Yes! Yes yes!!! I love stories! We tell stories at the fountain! Fairies remember things well!"
Link breathed a sigh of relief. "Good. Now then, there are some people that you should tell this story to. If you can find Princess Zelda, Navi the fairy, Saria the Kokiri, Rauru the...the Sage, Darunia the Goron, Princess Ruto of the Zora, Impa the Sheikah, or Nabooru the leader of the Gerudo thieves of the desert, then you tell the story to them. Can you remember those names?"
"Zelda, Navi, Saria, Rauru, Darunia, Ruto, Impa, Nabooru!"
"Good! Oh, and if you see a Great Fairy before any of these people, can you tell them?"
"No!"
"Why not?"
"I can't talk to a Great Fairy! They're too important for me."
"Okay then, no Great Fairies. Now, here's the story. It's a story about me."
*****
"This is a nice place."
"No it's not."
Saria had come to see Navi. She had been concerned when Navi didn't speak to her after she met with the Great Fairy. After making some inquiries, Saria traced Navi to the fairy fountain just outside of the Forest Temple. When she arrived she had eventually found Navi hiding behind a pillar in the back.
"Just so you know, the search for Link is going pretty well."
"How so?"
"Well,....the six other sages and I are talking to people here and there, covering a lot of ground. If he's anywhere in Hyrule, then we're sure to find someone who knows where he is soon!"
Navi seemed to perk up at this, though not much. "Well, that's good to know."
*****
"Link was kidnapped by a man who calls himself Doctor Edward Kidnastoff. This person can make evil monsters with a big machine. When this machine is working, it makes Poes who go to Hyrule through pipes. The pipes might be moving, but Link isn't sure."
"Perfect!" Link exclaimed. This fairy had memorized Link's distress call on the first attempt. "Now I know how Navi knows everything about monsters whenever we run into 'em. Okay, now! Who do you tell this story to again?"
"Zelda, Navi, Saria, Rauru, Darunia, Ruto, Impa, Nabooru!"
"Right! Now, tell me the story just one more time before I work on getting you out of here."
*****
"So what happens to these fairies after they heal someone?"
"Hmm? Oh, that. Well, they generally just fade to another plane of existence where they recuperate their magical energy for about a week before heading back to a fountain or wherever they were hiding."
"Ah," Saria commented. She'd been gradually building Navi back up to her normally cheerful self, but she was running out of topics of discussion. Fortunately, Navi thought of one for her.
"Say, Saria? If Link's still okay....and the Great Fairy seemed to think that he would be....then why hasn't he tried to contact you with your song?"
Saria blinked. She hadn't thought of that. She didn't show it, but she had a sudden pang of worry. The Great Fairy's statement had initially given her hope when she had asked Navi about how the meeting went, but aside from being alive what might his situation be? What if he couldn't reach the Fairy Ocarina? What if the Fairy Ocarina had been damaged? What if Link wasn't dead, but was dying? He might not be in any position to play the Ocarina.
*****
"Stupid Ocarina," Link muttered to himself. He hadn't even considered using Saria's Song earlier; his inability to teleport with the Ocarina had all but removed it from his mind as a still useful tool for escaping. However, when he attempted Saria's song he couldn't sense the normal mental connection that he usually did. Maybe the metal that Kidnastoff's base seemed to be entirely constructed from had some unusual properties that made it impervious to magic, or maybe part of the security measures designed to prevent monsters from getting loose would interfere with that type of mental communication.
"Oh, well," Link sighed. "It was just a passing thought anyway. Still wish I'd thought of it sooner, though. Now then, back to business."
Link looked over his supplies. The fairy, who's name was Paltu as Link learned through idle chat, was ready, as was the bottle and the basin of water that Dr. Kidnastoff had provided for him. Link knew from his many underwater experiences that fairies could hold their breath underwater for a nearly limitless amount of time. He was hoping that this was something that fairies could do naturally, and that it wasn't some learned trait that they picked up after leaving the fairy fountains.
"Are you ready for this Paltu?"
"Yep!"
"You remember the stories and the names?"
"Yep!"
"Okay, then. We'll see how this works. Good luck, Paltu. I'm counting on you."
So saying Link quickly swiped at Paltu with the bottle and then filled the bottle with water. After closing the bottle firmly, Link examined it just to make sure that it produced the desired effect. Sure enough, Paltu's light was being refracted by the water within the bottle, causing it to glow with a pale blue light. The water seemed to shimmer with the help of a magical aura shining from within. Which it technically was, Link thought after wondering just what Paltu was going to have to go through.
"Just have to wait for a good opportunity to use this then," Link said. "If Kidnastoff was right about how long it would take for his Monster Maker 3000 to work again, I should be able to use this thing tomorrow."
By John Little
Chp. 6: Back to the Fountain, Back to the Bottle
*****
Navi fluttered around the fairy fountain, quietly mourning her most recent position. Her meeting with the Great Fairy hadn't ended quite as well as she would have liked.
At first the Great Fairy was very understanding. "Navi, don't feel so upset. Link's death would have released the Triforce from his hand, and I would have certainly felt that. Wherever he is, he is most likely fairing well."
These encouraging words were, however, quickly followed by the ones that she had been dreading. "Navi, you are to return to the fairy fountain near the Forest Temple. Until more about Link's absence is known, there are other ways that you can help the world."
Navi had effectively been demoted from a companion fairy to a baby-sitter for the fairy children in this fountain. Most of them were too young to form coherent statements while others were simply too busy performing acrobatics above the fountain's water to truly notice or care about Navi. Some of them were decently intelligent, but generally only those who were themselves about to mature and leave the fountain. Those fairies realized what Navi must be going through and, for lack of any proper experience in the matter, opted to ignore her and simply hope that she cheered up.
Navi had spent the first few hours of her time in the fountain crying. She found a quiet little corner as far from the other fairies as she could before crying about everything that had happened since Link had disappeared. She had failed Link, the Great Deku Tree, the Sages, and (she had somehow convinced herself) the Great Fairies as well. She didn't know if she would ever be allowed to advance out of the fountain if Link was never found. As far as she knew, she was the first fairy to ever face such a great dishonor.
After she finished crying she took up moping. She half-heartedly fluttered from one side of the fountain to the other, steadily growing bored and angry. Surely the Great Fairy didn't intend for her to stay here, did she? How could anyone return to the play pen that they had been born in? She had consistently gone above and beyond the call of duty, sticking to Link against seemingly insurmountable odds. Ganandorf, Twinrova, Morpha, Bongo Bongo,....she could have easily been killed by any of them. How many of the other fairies from the Kokiri Forest ever had to put up with that kind of constant danger?
Through her anger her sadness gradually returned. Going above and beyond the call of duty was what she was expected to do. It's what any companion fairy would be expected to do. Failing as she had failed was simply inexcusable, she knew that.
Navi slowly sank to the ground to rest.
*****
Link had to time it just right or he might never escape. Link carefully examined the bottle that he had pulled from his inventory, and the fairy that was sitting inside of it just waiting to be released. He had two fairies at the moment, but he didn't want to count on a second chance. In one swift motion, Link opened the bottle and hurled it across the room that Dr. Kidnastoff had given him to stay in. The fairy quickly zipped out of the bottle and raced towards Link, but Link wasn't going to let it touch him. He knew that the fairy would vanish as soon as it had "healed" him.
"Oh, no you don't!" Link shouted as he pulled out his shield, determined not to allow the fairy to get close enough to him. The fairy tried to reach him, but only managed to bounce off of his shield at every attempt. After bouncing on the shield about five times, the fairy stopped and hovered in the air.
"I can help!" the fairy chimed. "I can make you feel better!"
"No, I don't need that," Link said. "I need you to send a message for me."
"Message?" The fairy seemed to hop in the air. "What do you mean?"
"I mean....I need you to tell someone something that's very important."
"Important?"
"Do you know who...do you know who Princess Zelda is?"
"I know of Zelda! Zelda lives in a big castle in Hyrule! She's got dragons and guards and paintings and things!"
"Well, not quite, but she does live in a castle. Do you know how to find the Castle?"
The fairy simply continued to hover.
"Ah. Well. Do you know....do you know Saria? Saria the Sage of the Forest? A Kokiri girl?"
"No."
"Do you think that you could remember some names and a story?"
"Yes! Yes yes!!! I love stories! We tell stories at the fountain! Fairies remember things well!"
Link breathed a sigh of relief. "Good. Now then, there are some people that you should tell this story to. If you can find Princess Zelda, Navi the fairy, Saria the Kokiri, Rauru the...the Sage, Darunia the Goron, Princess Ruto of the Zora, Impa the Sheikah, or Nabooru the leader of the Gerudo thieves of the desert, then you tell the story to them. Can you remember those names?"
"Zelda, Navi, Saria, Rauru, Darunia, Ruto, Impa, Nabooru!"
"Good! Oh, and if you see a Great Fairy before any of these people, can you tell them?"
"No!"
"Why not?"
"I can't talk to a Great Fairy! They're too important for me."
"Okay then, no Great Fairies. Now, here's the story. It's a story about me."
*****
"This is a nice place."
"No it's not."
Saria had come to see Navi. She had been concerned when Navi didn't speak to her after she met with the Great Fairy. After making some inquiries, Saria traced Navi to the fairy fountain just outside of the Forest Temple. When she arrived she had eventually found Navi hiding behind a pillar in the back.
"Just so you know, the search for Link is going pretty well."
"How so?"
"Well,....the six other sages and I are talking to people here and there, covering a lot of ground. If he's anywhere in Hyrule, then we're sure to find someone who knows where he is soon!"
Navi seemed to perk up at this, though not much. "Well, that's good to know."
*****
"Link was kidnapped by a man who calls himself Doctor Edward Kidnastoff. This person can make evil monsters with a big machine. When this machine is working, it makes Poes who go to Hyrule through pipes. The pipes might be moving, but Link isn't sure."
"Perfect!" Link exclaimed. This fairy had memorized Link's distress call on the first attempt. "Now I know how Navi knows everything about monsters whenever we run into 'em. Okay, now! Who do you tell this story to again?"
"Zelda, Navi, Saria, Rauru, Darunia, Ruto, Impa, Nabooru!"
"Right! Now, tell me the story just one more time before I work on getting you out of here."
*****
"So what happens to these fairies after they heal someone?"
"Hmm? Oh, that. Well, they generally just fade to another plane of existence where they recuperate their magical energy for about a week before heading back to a fountain or wherever they were hiding."
"Ah," Saria commented. She'd been gradually building Navi back up to her normally cheerful self, but she was running out of topics of discussion. Fortunately, Navi thought of one for her.
"Say, Saria? If Link's still okay....and the Great Fairy seemed to think that he would be....then why hasn't he tried to contact you with your song?"
Saria blinked. She hadn't thought of that. She didn't show it, but she had a sudden pang of worry. The Great Fairy's statement had initially given her hope when she had asked Navi about how the meeting went, but aside from being alive what might his situation be? What if he couldn't reach the Fairy Ocarina? What if the Fairy Ocarina had been damaged? What if Link wasn't dead, but was dying? He might not be in any position to play the Ocarina.
*****
"Stupid Ocarina," Link muttered to himself. He hadn't even considered using Saria's Song earlier; his inability to teleport with the Ocarina had all but removed it from his mind as a still useful tool for escaping. However, when he attempted Saria's song he couldn't sense the normal mental connection that he usually did. Maybe the metal that Kidnastoff's base seemed to be entirely constructed from had some unusual properties that made it impervious to magic, or maybe part of the security measures designed to prevent monsters from getting loose would interfere with that type of mental communication.
"Oh, well," Link sighed. "It was just a passing thought anyway. Still wish I'd thought of it sooner, though. Now then, back to business."
Link looked over his supplies. The fairy, who's name was Paltu as Link learned through idle chat, was ready, as was the bottle and the basin of water that Dr. Kidnastoff had provided for him. Link knew from his many underwater experiences that fairies could hold their breath underwater for a nearly limitless amount of time. He was hoping that this was something that fairies could do naturally, and that it wasn't some learned trait that they picked up after leaving the fairy fountains.
"Are you ready for this Paltu?"
"Yep!"
"You remember the stories and the names?"
"Yep!"
"Okay, then. We'll see how this works. Good luck, Paltu. I'm counting on you."
So saying Link quickly swiped at Paltu with the bottle and then filled the bottle with water. After closing the bottle firmly, Link examined it just to make sure that it produced the desired effect. Sure enough, Paltu's light was being refracted by the water within the bottle, causing it to glow with a pale blue light. The water seemed to shimmer with the help of a magical aura shining from within. Which it technically was, Link thought after wondering just what Paltu was going to have to go through.
"Just have to wait for a good opportunity to use this then," Link said. "If Kidnastoff was right about how long it would take for his Monster Maker 3000 to work again, I should be able to use this thing tomorrow."