Chapter 9: The Magical Map
One Hundred Years Earlier...
It was a cold and rainy evening on the Great Plateau, which was a small region amongst the central regions of Hyrule. The relentless rainfall was accompanied by the occasional booms of thunder and sporadic bursts of forked lightning, which stretched across the vast skies in a bright flash.
The trotting of a horse could be heard in the stormy scene. The horse had a red-brown coat and a white mane. The manes colour matched the white hair above its four trotting hooves, which would disrupt the dormant water of the occasional puddle pooled on the soaked plain from a passing trot.
The rider of the horse was none other than Link, who was dressed in his blue champions tunic and white pants. He was wearing his brown boots and brown fingerless gloves, and was also wearing a dark hood on his head because of the rain. Navi was tucked inside of his hood, in order to shelter herself from the rain.
"Just a little farther, Link." A female voice had encouraged him telepathically, in a matter-of-fact tone. "Continue up the hill and past the Temple of Time, and you will find the entrance to the shrine."
Link was now riding on an incline. To his left, on top of a hill that was separated from the hill he was climbing by a small lake, was a large temple. It was a staunch, rigid structure with three spires at its front, of which the central spire was the tallest. Link had seen this building a number of times, but was so impressed by the architecture that he never failed to take a moment to appreciate it on passing. Two faires, one pink and one white, were flying near the rear of the building.
Link continued up the hill, eventually arriving at the summit. It was a small grassy clearing with a narrow peak at its front, which provided a spectacular view of the Great Plateau and beyond. From this vantage point, it was obvious that the Kingdom of Hyrule was massive. It beckoned one to explore it.
On the summit, there was also the entrance to what appeared to be a cave. Link was peering into the darkness of the cave as his slowly trotting horse came to a halt.
"There." The same female voice had started to speak to him again. "Within that cave lies the Shrine. As soon as you are ready, please proceed."
Link said nothing for a moment, sitting atop his horse. The horse shook its head and nickered. The rain had slowed to a light drizzle. Navi flew out from Link's hood with a glistening chime, flying in place as she examined the entrance of the cave with a fist clenched beneath her chin.
"Well, here we are." Navi informed, although she lacked conviction in her tone. "We've finally made it to the Shrine that Princess Zelda told us about."
Link said nothing as he dismounted his horse. It had reoccurred to him now that he was never going to see his horse again.
"Hey, Epona." Link said softly, with a serene expression on his face. He stroked her mane softly. "You're free to do whatever you please now, alright? Don't wait around for me."
Epona whined loudly, standing on her hind legs and kicking her front feet. Link had taken a step back, weakly shielding himself with his left arm.
"I'm sorry, girl." Link apologized, with a somber expression. "You can head back to the Castle, if you like. But this is good bye."
Epona had relaxed. She trotted slowly towards Link, and nudged his arm gently with her nose. She nickered softly. Link gave her a soothing hug, and gently stroked her. A single tear slid down from one of her brown eyes.
"I know." Link softly comforted. "I'll miss you, Epona."
Link took a step back, but Epona remained close with her head lowered to him. Link looked into her large eyes lovingly.
"You go back there, and you help out the soldiers at the castle, okay?" Link encouraged, with a nod. "They need a strong, healthy horse like you around. They'll be so thankful and happy to see you return!"
Epona was now standing up straight, with a more courageous posture.
"Go and show them what you can do, Epona!" Link encouraged, waving her away. "Now go! Make me proud!"
Epona raised on her hind legs with a powerful neigh, and then proceeded to full blown sprint back down the hill. Link watched solemnly as Epona ran down the hill, eventually escaping from his sight forever. The rain continued to fall gently. Navi had misty eyes, sniffling as she wiped a lone tear with a curled fist. Link turned to her with a serene smile.
"She'll be just fine, that one." Link assured. "They'll be fighting over her back at the Castle."
/
"Wait, so..." Daisy interrupted, with a softly raised hand. "That was the last time you saw your horse?"
"Yes." Link confirmed, with a nod.
"That's so sad..." Rosalina added, looking as though she was on the verge of tears.
After finishing their meal, Mario and his friends had migrated to the Royal Lounge in order to learn more about Links backstory. Link was sitting in the center of a red sofa, leaning forward with his hands clasped together. Mario was on his left and Luigi was on his right. Daisy and Peach shared a red love seat, while Rosalina sat criss cross on the floor next to the coach the boys were sharing. The two couches formed a right angle. Navi sat on the coffee table that was shared between the two sofas, while Geno had pulled up a tall stool from the nearby soda bar.
"I miss her." Navi frowned, her lips quivering.
"A great and noble steed, she was." Link softly sighed, reaching for the cup of sake he had placed near Navi. "I miss her too."
There was a pause. Peach broke the silence.
"Please excuse me for bringing up unpleasant memories, but..." She looked solemn during her pause, continuing with a hand. "But if this was one hundred years ago, then..."
/
"That's right." Link intervened, his voice speaking to Peach as the memory continued. The past Link and Navi were cautiously walking through the cave. Their vision was guided by the sequential, alternating torchlight hung on the left and right cave walls. "We had to say goodbye to everyone we ever knew."
/
"I am..." Peach looked down with a very somber expression. "Very sorry."
"I can't even imagine." Daisy frowned, Mario and Luigi each looking somber as well.
"Hahaha!" Link suddenly laughed. "Why the long faces?!"
Each of them directed their attention to Link with expressions of soft surprise. Link was pouring himself another cup of sake from his bottle of Chateau Romani. Although Link had offered some earlier, as usual no one had taken him up on it.
"I got to meet all of you, right?" Link reminded. "And what a journey we will have together!"
"Hey, yeah!" Mario agreed, with a fist.
"That's the spirit, Link!" Geno added, with spread arms.
"You are right, but..." Peach objected.
"You have to take the good with the bad, Princess." Link interrupted, shaking his head. "I lost something when I left that world, but I also managed to gain something equally as valuable in this world."
"Gee, I hadn't thought of it like that, Master Link." Navi admitted, a hand on her chin in thought. "I've just been so hung up on everyone that we've lost, that... I've just been so focused on making sure that I don't lose you, too."
"Aww, Navi." Peach cooed, tilting her head affectionately. "How sweet."
"I'm glad you are here with me, Navi." Link smiled. "But remember, we haven't lost everyone. There is still one person that remains."
"That's right!" Navi remembered, her eyes widening with joy. "Of course! I mean, I knew this already, but I just hadn't thought of it very much..."
"Really? And who might that be?" Luigi questioned, scratching his head in perplexity.
"Princess Zelda." Link informed, his eyes closed and arms folded.
Rosalina, who was trying to play a 3DS unnoticed, suddenly lowered the device and listened with keen interest.
"Oh, right." Peach recalled. "The Princess of Hyrule."
"She's been so preoccupied with maintaining the seal on Ganon, that since we've woken up, we've hardly even had the chance to see her." Link explained. He suddenly went grim. "Boy, I really don't think that she is going to be very happy with me once she finds out that I went to the Mushroom Kingdom..."
"Wait a sec, so you knew Princess Zelda from one hundred years ago?" Mario questioned, scratching his head. "Is it the same Zelda as the one alive today?"
"Hey, is she the female voice that was speaking to you at the start of your story?" Daisy inquired, with a raised finger.
"Yes to both questions." Link answered, with a nod.
"But how is that possible?" Mario challenged, throwing his hands in disbelief. "I mean, she would be over a hundred years old by now, right?"
"Technically, yes. But not in the conventional sense." Link calmly refuted.
"What do you mean by that?" Luigi probed, scratching his head in confusion.
"What I mean to say is that she has been preserved over some period of time, much like Rosalina." Link answered.
"But how did she preserve herself all of this time, while also maintaining the seal on Ganon?" Peach challenged, a finger on her chin in thought.
"My, you guys truly think of everything! Hahaha!" Link laughed, his arms folded proudly. "Well, Ganons power used to be weak enough so that Zelda could maintain a seal on him while also being preserved. However, in recent years, he has become much stronger, such that Zelda must now devote nearly every waking minute on upholding the seal she had placed on him so long ago."
"Aww, that sounds like a very tough life." Peach frowned, expressing some sympathy for the foreign princess.
"She has many, admirable attendants." Link assured. "As well as four of the best and strongest folks I can think of guarding her constantly."
"It was really nice to meet them before we left, huh?" Navi added.
But this comment went practically unnoticed, as Rosalina intervened with another question.
"So she's not super old?" Rosalina asked, looking up at Link from her position on the floor.
"Nay." Link declined, his eyes closed with a soft toothless smile on his face. "She looks just as lovely today as she did one hundred years ago."
"Lovely?" Rosalina chimed, failing to hide a faint blush. "So is she your girlfriend?"
Daisy gave Rosalina a peculiar look, which Rosalina noticed. Daisy continued to stare at her, before whispering something into Peach's ear. Rosalina was watching with narrowed eyes, but Links response stole back her attention.
"Girlfriend? Hahaha!" Link guffawed. "With Zelda? Now that's rich, Rosalina."
"Link and Zelda have an umm..." Navi started, struggling to find the right words. "Interesting relationship, let's say."
"Forget about that, let's hear the rest of the story already!" Geno whined, folding his arms impatiently.
"W-Wait-" Rosalina meekly beckoned, with a hand.
"Oh, yes." Link recalled, setting down his sake cup. "My apologies. Allow me to continue."
Rosalina folded her arms with a pout as everyone continued to listen to the rest of Links story with absorbing interest.
/
Link and Navi had arrived in what appeared to be a dark chamber which was filled with all sorts of ancient technology. The walls were glowing orange, and there was a pedestal to Link's right that was designed for a Sheikah Slate. The most prominent feature of the room, however, was the strange bed-like cell in the center that appeared to be designed for a human. It was glowing orange on the outside, with calm water on the inside.
"You have arrived, Link and Navi." Zelda suddenly announced, which caused them both to face semi-skyward. "It is here where you shall both be preserved for the next one hundred years."
"I understand just as well as you, that this is no easy ordeal. You have my deepest, most heartfelt gratitude." Zelda continued. "The future generations will be forever in your debt."
"What is it that I must do?" Link inquired, his demeanour calm and serious.
"Place the Shiekah Slate which I have provided into the pedestal." Zelda directed. "Then, the two of you will lie in that bed, face up."
Link removed his clothes, and folded them neatly against the nearby wall. He was now only in his blue brief shorts. He placed the Sheikah Slate in the pedestal. It was in a vertical position, on a circle which was raised from the base. It flipped over, rotated horizontally, and then the raised circle sunk down such that it was flush with the outer ring of the pedestal.
Nothing happened at first. The lights were still humming at a pleasant orange wavelength. Link went towards the bed-like cell, lying face up in the tepid water. Navi joined him. Only then, did the lights change from orange to a serene blue. Link and Navi closed their eyes, and the chamber which they rested within would remained sealed for the next century.
/
"Next thing we know." Link concluded, everyone listening to him intently back within the Royal Lounge. "We wake up within that same chamber, only one hundred years into the future."
"Wow." Mario awed. "I had no idea you had such a strange backstory."
"What happened after that?" Peach questioned, with a hand.
"Hahaha!" Link laughed. "I must be quite the raconteur, if you still want me to keep going. However, I think this is a good place to stop, for now."
"Very well." Peach accepted, with a nod.
There was a short pause. Daisy directed her attention to Luigi.
"So what about you, Luigi?" Daisy inquired, with a hand. "What happened to you after we split up from the mall yesterday?"
"Oh, uhh..." Luigi stumbled, rubbing the back of his head with a slight blush as all eyes were now on him. "I uhh, ran into Wario and Waluigi last night. I overheard them speaking about their plan, and when I tried to run and tell everyone, they cornered me and captured me."
"I found Luigi on the X-Naut airship, and rescued him!" Navi explained, thumbing to herself proudly.
Navi proceeded to explain the story about her daring rescue of Luigi from Wario and Waluigi, and how they managed to escape.
"But how did you managed to get captured in the first place?" Daisy persisted. "Where did you run off to?"
"That is right." Peach recalled, with a nod. "You said you had something important you had to do. I mean, I do not mean to pry, but-"
"No, it's alright." Luigi assured, with a hand. "I, uhh... I was at the gym."
"Really?" Mario awed, his eyes lighting up. "Hey, are you starting to train?"
"Y-Yeah." Luigi shyly admitted, blushing somewhat.
"The gym?" Daisy gawked, as if she was underwhelmed. "Well why didn't you just say so, Luigi? You had us worried!"
"Sorry." Luigi frowned, rubbing the back of his head. "Guess I just wanted to keep this a secret for a little bit."
"Are you training with the Master, Luigi?" Mario probed, with a hand.
"Yup." Luigi assured, with a nod. He rubbed his head worryingly. "Boy, I sure hope he won't be mad that I missed this mornings session..."
"Given the circumstances, I am sure he will understand." Peach assured.
"True." Luigi agreed, with a nod.
"Hey, I think now would be a good time to help set up your phone." Daisy explained, holding up a smart phone with a green case that had an L on it.
"Okey-dokey!" Luigi accepted.
Peach and Luigi exchanged seats, so that Peach was now sitting next to Link and Mario, while Luigi and Daisy sat together on the love seat. Luigi watched with interest as Daisy eagerly guided him through the installation and account set-up processes.
"So, I suppose now it is my turn to ask questions." Link started, directing his attention to Peach.
"Yes, that seems fair to me." Peach consented, with her hands neatly placed on her lap.
"The Goddess Star." Link started, with Mario, Geno, and Navi each listening in as well. Rosalina was instead concentrating on a video game she was playing. "Did you use it?"
"Mm." Peach confirmed, with a nod.
"You were knocked out for awhile after our fight with Bowser." Mario reminded, with a hand. "Did you go to that place?"
"Yeah... it was so strange." Peach recalled, shaking her head and looking semi skyward. She directed her attention back to Mario. "So you must have went there too, I presume?"
"Yeah." Mario nodded.
"Wait, what are you guys talking about?" Navi questioned, her head tilted in interest. She was sitting on the coffee table with her arms wrapped around her knees. "What place?"
"It is this place called the Jail of Souls." Peach proceeded to explain. "Shortly after I touched the Goddess Star, I collapsed and found myself awakening in this place."
"The same thing happened when I got a Goddess Star, too." Mario clarified, thumbing to himself.
"So what is this Jail of Souls, exactly?" Geno questioned, shrugging with interest.
"I do not really know how to explain it, to tell you the truth." Peach admitted. Despite this, she proceeded to do her best to describe her experience. "I awoke in a cell. I was a prisoner, with handcuffs and a ball and chain around my ankle... Never have I felt so powerless."
They each continued to listen to Peach with deep interest. She proceeded to explain what the room looked like, how the other cells were empty, and how it was cylindrical. She told them about Saria and Majora, what they looked like, what they said, and how they sounded. Mario was nodding, likely because he recalled a similar experience. Finally, she explained that in order to keep her Goddess Star power, she would need to sign a contract that required her to agree to be imprisoned there in the events that "her life was cut short".
"And did you sign it?" Daisy asked, with widened eyes.
The story was so absorbing, that those who hadn't been listening at the beginning had eventually stopped what they were doing and joined in partway through.
"Yes." Peach answered. She had a hand over her brooch, her eyes closed and a soft, toothless smile on her face. Daisy looked aghast.
"B-But, if you get k-killed, that means-"
"Right." Peach intervened, looking forward with determination. "My soul will be sealed in the Jail of Souls."
There was a tense pause.
"I did the same." Mario added, with a nod. "I also signed the contract."
"But why?" Daisy beckoned, shaking her head. "Why would you do this?"
"I did it for you, Daisy." Mario sharply answered.
Daisy gasped. She leaned back a bit, a hand near her mouth in surprise. Her eyes were trembling.
Mario surveyed the room, then clenched his fists and looked at them. "I did it for all of you. Because with this power, I'll be able to put an end to all of the bad things that keep happening around us."
Everyone listened to Mario attentively and carefully.
"I want to beat Grodus and get you your Kingdom back." Mario continued, directing his attention from Daisy to Peach. "I want to beat Bowser so badly, that he'll never even think to bother us again. And I want to help Link defeat Ganon, too."
Mario then looked right into Daisy's eyes, his expression brimming with determination. Racing black lines accompanied him as he declared with heart: "I will do anything for my friends! Even if it means risking my life and soul!"
"M-Mario..." Daisy softly cried, her misty eyes trembling.
"Spoken like a true hero." Geno proudly smirked, his arms folded and eyes closed. "I can already tell that the Goddess made a great decision in choosing you."
There was another heavy pause.
"But Peach..." Mario started, his voice trembling. "Why did you-"
"For the same reasons, Mario." Peach interrupted. "Had I not have obtained the Goddess Star power, you would have been killed by Bowsers poison..."
"So when I came face to face with that contract, I figured..." Peach continued, with a somber expression. There was a pause. She eventually faced forward with a much more determined look. "I figured that something like that could easily happen again. And how would I be able to live with myself if I could have saved one of you, but forfeit the ability beforehand?"
"Peach..." Daisy awed, with a proud smile. "You're so brave."
"So you also acted selflessly." Link noted, his eyes closed and arms folded. He opened his eyes and grinned at her. "You guys are really something, you know that?"
"I'm sorry..." Mario apologized, his eyes concealed in shadow as he stared at his lowered clenched fist. "I just... I just don't know what I would do if I lost any of you to that place."
"We will not lose each other." Peach assured, with a noble expression. "And the more Goddess Star abilities we have, the more power we have to work with, to use to help each other."
"Decreasing the risk by increasing the risk, huh?" Geno pondered, his maroon eyes rolling once in thought. "A most interesting proposition."
Everyone jolted slightly as Geno suddenly jumped high into the air with a spring-like sound, twirling in the air before landing on the coffee table with his wooden arms raised magnificently.
"But never fear!" Geno proudly proclaimed, thumbing to himself. "Because under my tutelage, things will work out just fine!"
"Somehow I doubt that." Daisy declined, her arms folded.
"It's true!" Geno persisted, with a raised wooden finger. He placed a hand on his chest proudly. "I am a great warrior from Star Road, instructed by the Goddess herself to assist her chosen Three on their journey to save the world from a great Demon! It's true, I tell you!"
"Star... Road?" Rosalina quietly muttered, holding her head as if she was in deep thought.
Geno had jumped onto Daisy's lap, a wooden boot each standing on a separate leg.
"H-Hey!" Daisy whined, her hands raised in protest. Geno leaned forward with a wooden finger raised, but Daisy only grew more enraged.
"To doubt my ability, is no different than to doubt the Goddess's intuition!" Geno challenged. "Just remember that."
"Get off of me!" Daisy growled, shoving forward.
But Geno had jumped quickly, dodging the shove and landing back on the coffee table.
"Now, if I could have your attention please!" Geno beckoned, digging into his belongings. He eventually revealed an old tattered map, hoisting it up high. "Take a look at this!"
Mario's eyes had widened upon seeing the object, as memories went rushing back to him:
{"What a pain..." Rosalina complained, walking all the way over to the Treasure.
She lifted the golden, glowing orb off of the starry ground, apparently not very impressed by it. "Now what?"
"Take it over to that grey pedestal right there. Stand atop the Pedestal, and hoist it in the air!"
"Well, okay..." Rosalina calmly surrendered, doing just that. She stood atop the pedestal, preparing to lift it. "This feels silly."
There was no comment. After a brief period of silence, she hoisted the Treasure into the air.
With an oddly sacred hum, the grey pedestal lit up with a circle of what appeared to be an ancient language. The figures rotated, with Rosalina standing in the centre.
"What's happening?" Rosalina questioned, admittedly growing a bit nervous.
"Shh. You'll see."
The golden, glowing orb proceeded to pulsate. The Thousand Year Door reacted to the pulsing orb, all of the intricate designs upon it lighting up in much the same way the pedestal beneath Rosalina had. All of them watched in awe as the orb levitated above Rosalina's hoisted hands, bobbing up and down and pulsating. Eventually, it shattered into a billion fragments, and a sharp ring of light raced outward from the point of its destruction.
What remained, was an old and tattered piece of paper. It was torn at the edges, divided into quadrants, and rather large. It looked like a blank map.
"That's the Magical Map."
"The Magical Map?" Rosalina inquired, puzzled.}
"Hey, I remember that." Mario recalled. "That's the Magical Map."
"Oh, right." Rosalina recalled. Her speech was slow enough that it was difficult to discern whether or not she was thinking hard on it or not thinking at all. "That's what the treasure turned into."
"Back in front of the Thousand Year Door." Link added, with a nod.
"Of course! You guys couldn't have forgotten about this already, right?" Geno frowned, shaking his head.
"Err, it's been quite the day..." Mario countered, half-apologetically.
"Well this magical map is what we are going to use to find the Shadow Realms, remember?" Geno reminded. He pointed at it. "And look! It's reacting!"
"Reacting?" Link questioned. Everyone was listening in.
"Yeah! The map is showing us the location of someone nearby with a Shadow Realm!"
"And that's... someone who is so evil, that their Spirit Realm has been all distorted, right?" Mario recalled, rubbing his head from strained thought.
"Right!" Geno recalled. "They have a Shadow Realm, and it's up to us to go and steal the Treasure from it."
"And that treasure is the source of their evil desires, right?" Link recalled, hand on chin in thought. "It's what has caused the Shadow Realm to be born in the first place?"
"Yup, exactly!" Geno nodded.
"And once we steal the treasure, they become good and we get a Crystal Heart, right?" Mario added, speaking with more conviction this time.
"Correct again!" Geno praised, clapping joyfully. "See! You guys remember!"
"Hey look at this, Mario." Peach summoned, examining the magical map very keenly. It was slowly forming new regions, as if an invisible pen was at work. "It's drawing up Mushroom City. See? This is the Castle over here!"
Everyone was now huddled around the map with excitement.
"Yeah, look! Here is where we were at the carnival!" Daisy exclaimed, pointing to central Mushroom City.
"Look, there's a glowing purple flame over here!" Link informed, pointing to the small flame.
"What is that?" Navi questioned, her head tilted and arms folded as she hovered before the map.
"That's a Shadow Realm!" Geno declared while peering down at the map from above, as he was holding it up for everyone. "The Magical Map is only constructing an image right now because there is a Shadow Realm nearby!"
"Wow, that's so cool!" Luigi awed, with fists clenched in excitement.
"Hey Mario..." Peach summoned, once again investigating the map keenly. "Isn't that in the eastern district, where we fought Bowser?"
"Hmm?" Mario barked, leaning closer.
Upon closer inspection, it could be seen that the purple flame was hovering over a collapsed structure.
"Hey, yeah! That's exactly where we fought Bowser!" Mario exclaimed, he pointed to the collapsed structure with a white gloved finger. "Look, Geno! That's the building I destroyed! The one that collapsed on him."
"Gee, reckless much?" Daisy scowled, shaking her head.
"Then there's no question about it." Geno declared, his tone much more serious and determined. "Bowser has a Shadow Realm! Guys, we have our first target!"
"Alright!" Mario cheered, leaning back into the seat with excitement. Mostly everyone had stopped looking at the map at this point. "I can't wait to destroy his Shadow Realm and change his heart!"
"Umm, sorry but..." Rosalina started, peering at the map with somewhat sleepy eyes. "I see another one..."
"WHAAAT?" Mario exclaimed, everyone featuring expressions of alarm and surprise. "Another one? What do you mean?"
"Look, it's over here." Rosalina informed, pointing to a second purple flame on the map with a finger.
Everyone huddled around the map once more. Indeed, there was another purple flame hovering over a different city building. This structure was tall, with a satellite on it's rooftop.
"A satellite?" Daisy barked, her arms folded. "What, are they broadcasting something there?"
"Yes Daisy, that is exactly right." Peach confirmed, with a nod. Her blue eyes were narrowed with determination. "This is the Southern District of Mushroom City. Why, it's the MK News building!"
"The MK News building?" Luigi barked, in disbelief. "But who over there would have a Shadow Realm?"
"Hey, isn't the news on right now?" Daisy announced, one hand on her hip and the other raised.
"Yes!" Peach confirmed, her fists clenched to her chest. "We should turn on the news! Maybe we will see them!"
"Navi, press the red button on the remote right next to you." Mario ordered, pointing to the remote.
"R-Right." Navi acknowledged, turning to the remote.
Everyone watched the large television screen with angst as Navi pressed the power button on the remote. Apparently, the channel had already been set to the news. The broadcast was currently showing the middle of a live interview. Mario, Daisy, Luigi, and Peach had absolutely gobsmacked expressions upon their faces as they tried to comprehend what they were seeing. Link, Rosalina, Geno, and Navi, however, did not recognize either of the people in the interview. Nothing appeared to be out of the ordinary for them. But for Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Daisy, it was a different story. They couldn't believe who was being interviewed by Jolene, the pink spotted Toad with blonde hair.
Sitting on a cream sofa reserved for guests with crossed legs was none other than their friend Pauline, the Mayor of Mushroom City.