Zeldatopia
Written by VariableMammal
Edited by Cimar
Artwork...coming soon
Judy lay on her back, in the middle of a dense thicket of trees. The soft fragrance of the forest was in the air, and she rose up, stretching.
Her partner, meanwhile, was facedown in a field of yellow flowers nearby.
"Nick," Judy hissed, her voice unusually quiet, "Nick, where are we?"
The fox in question held his head up blearily, and both of them were surprised to see some sort of whitish-glowing bug on Nick's nose. It made a jingling sound, then flitted off. Nick promptly sneezed, then rubbed his muzzle.
"Uh... last I checked we had just done- well, something in Zootopia," Nick said lamely. He was dressed in his usual garb, and so was Judy, for that matter. The pastel purples and blues looked quite nice on her. "But this doesn't look anything like Zootopia, even compared to the Rainforest District..."
"Well, let's explore!" Judy piped up perkily, starting to rush forward into the forest. Soft, golden-orange light filtered through the trees, making for a vista unlike anywhere either of them had seen before. Unfamiliar birds chirped, and the air was dense with tiny glowing bugs and mist.
"Gah!" Nick's foot caught on a rock and it went tumbling forward for a roll. The fox winced and bounced up and down, wiggling his foot. "Jeez."
"I meant exploring with our eyes," Judy mocked, then looked sympathetic. "You okay?"
With a small poof of smoke, a tiny... creature of wood appeared before them with a soft rattling sound. The creature was about half Judy's size and wore some sort of decorated leaf mask with holes in it.
"Yahaha, you found me!" It's spritely, childish voice chimed.
"...Well, I was okay," Nick's eyes grew wide.
"Wow, you can see me!" The creature looked both confused and enchanted. "I'm a Korok, a child of the forest!"
"Ah, so we're in some sort of mystical fantasy land," Nick gestured in deadpan. "Makes perfect sense to me."
"You're in Hyrule!" The Korok shouted back. "Least, I think we're in Hyrule. I fell into a swirling whooshy vortex thing and ended up in this place. It feels very familiar, though!"
"Swooshing vortex thingy," Judy slammed a fist into her palm. "Yes, I think that sounds familiar. As I recall, we both tripped and fell into it."
"We both tripped?" Nick chuckled. "That sounds awfully clumsy of us."
"Well, look who thinks he's sure-footed all of a sudden," Judy wiggled her eyebrows, "despite all evidence to the contrary." She darted a look at his foot.
"Yeah, okay," Nick groaned.
"We should go find the Great Deku Tree and see what's going on!" The Korok piped up in an energetic tone. "He'll know what to do!"
"Definitely a fantasy land," Nick decided.
Judy rolled her eyes and indicated the Korok's tiny steps forward. "You have any better ideas?"
"Give me a minute," Nick pouted, following the Korok.
The unsteady steps of the small wooden creature were a bit too easy to follow, especially since he... or she... or it, kept falling over. Eventually, the three made it to a clearing with an impressively-massive tree in it. If you had enough imagination, the tree looked like it had a face. Nick tilted his head as the three stood before its "mouth".
"Oh Great Deku Tree!" The Korok called out. "Hi! ...Um, what's up!?"
There was no response.
"Does this seem odd to you?" Judy asked the fox quietly.
"We're watching an infant tree try to wake up a granddaddy tree," Nick shrugged. "Seems to make sense to me."
"No, dummy, I mean, look at this thing," Judy walked closer, looking at the pale complexion of the wood and the oddly-colored leaves. "It looks dead." Nick followed her lead and sniffed at the tree.
"Yeah, a fair assessment," Nick surmised. He looked at the Korok. "Uh, kid...? Seems like the Great Deku Tree's not currently living."
"What!?" The Korok's limbs shot out behind it. "...That can't be right! The Great Deku Tree doesn't die. ...Does he?" The Korok looked at the tree folornly. "Isn't he just sleeping? ...I can't feel his life energy. Oh no..."
"So this Great Deku Tree..." Judy put a hand on her chin, "he was alive where you came from."
"Oh yeah, super alive," the Korok nodded. "Definitely not dead. He's never died before!"
"Portals, things being out of place-" Judy started.
"Yeah, us," Nick interjected.
"Seems like we're dealing with some sort of spacial disturbance-"
"As if that were normal."
"Hush, Nick, I'm trying to think," Judy waved a paw, then knelt down by the Korok. "Where can we go to get more information about the state of the world?"
"I get all my infos from the Great Deku Tree..." the Korok sounded like it was pouting. "But, um..."
"You got a library or anything?" Nick shrugged.
"Maybe Princess Zelda?" The Korok put one of its hand branches near its face. "She should be just south of here, in the castle. ...No wait." The Korok tilted its head. "North. ...Weird, I feel like this forest is in a different place than normal."
"A princess?" Judy echoed.
"Knew it, fantasy world," Nick seemed pleased.
"Yeah, she knows everything that's going on," the Korok nodded. "'Cept for the stuff that the Great Deku Tree knows."
"Well, Nick, let's go," Judy shrugged. "We don't have any better leads, and maybe this 'Princess' can tell us what's going on in the world at large."
"Sure thing," Nick agreed. "You want to come too, little guy? Gal?"
"No," The Korok wiggled itself violently. "I should stay here an' look around for my siblings. Maybe they know what's happened to the Great Deku Tree."
"Solid," Nick wiggled a finger. "So, North, then." Nick looked at the source of the light filtering through the trees. "And it's about midday, so... that way."
"And you didn't even need a compass, Junior Ranger Scout," Judy proudly trotted after him.
"Okay, please don't bring that up," Nick grumbled.
On their way out of the forest, a large, creaky wooden bridge greeted them. It appeared to be slightly damaged, so the two mammals took it slowly.
Halfway across, the two were surprised as another of those glowing bugs flitted about near them, jingling. They were even more surprised when a figure materialized before them.
It was unlike any mammal the two had seen before. Vaguely feminine, somewhat reminiscent of a pig, but with a smaller nose and pointier ears, and overall more slender. Very little fur on it except for a lavish green bit of hair on top. It was clothed in green, and wore a morose expression on its face.
"I've been watching you two," it said. Its voice was distinctly feminine.
"Are you Princess Zelda?" Judy immediately wondered.
"...No," the creature shook its head, "my name is Saria. I'm a Kokiri, a child of the forest."
"Wait," Nick held a finger up, "I thought the Koroks were children of the forest."
"Those creatures," Saria's brow furrowed, "I've never seen them before. At least not until this... 'disturbance' occurred."
"Many different worlds are spilling into this one, from what I'm gathering," Judy mused. "are you also from Hyrule?"
Saria nodded. "Yes, and Hyrule is in great peril."
"You think maybe Zootopia was founded in a world where Hyrule didn't exist, Nick?" Judy turned to her partner.
Nick still stared at the unusual Kokiri creature before him. "I'm not sure what I'm thinking right now, to be honest."
Saria's green eyes wandered to the corner of her eyes, a morose look upon her face. She held a hand close to her face. "I have a strange feeling about you two."
"Good? Or bad?" Judy grimaced.
The Kokiri paused before continuing, taking in a deep breath. "Somewhere in this forest is a gem known as the Kokiri Emerald. If you can find it and bring it to me, I'll tell you how this kingdom may yet be saved."
"Ooh, a side quest," Nick quipped with a grin, "definitely getting some vibes of-"
"C'mon, Nick, let's go," Judy interrupted him, beckoning for him to follow. Nick hurried after the bunny, who headed deeper back into the forest. Saria leaned on a tree and looked after them with a blank expression on her soft face.
After an hour or two of searching in the woods, the two came to a suspicious-looking clearing in the woods, circular in shape. There was a lone bush in the center of it, and Judy walked toward it with an inquisitive look on her face.
"I wonder what-"
Before she could finish her sentence, a creature popped up from beneath the bush. It was some sort of plant-based being with glowing red eyes and an elongated mouth. With a "pfft", it shot a hard seed at Nick, who recoiled and grabbed his chest.
"Ouch, that hurt, mildly!" Nick rubbed at where he'd been shot.
"Why you...!" Judy rushed the creature, which quickly burrowed back into the ground. While she tugged at the structure of the bush, it wouldn't relent. She glared down at it, furious, but nothing seemed to happen.
"Maybe it's gone?" Nick wondered, though he seemed wary. Judy began to walk away from it, but heard the rustling of leaves.
"Ju-"
"Pfft!" Another nut was fired, but Judy snapped her leg at the projectile with a swift kick. The nut flew right back into the odd little monster, and with a disappointed chirp, it burst into a puff of shadow.
"Whoa," Judy blinked. "I- uh, I don't think I meant for THAT to happen.
With an eerie droning sound and a swirl of light, a sizable treasure chest appeared in the middle of the clearing, surrounded by a few earthenware vessels.
"Huh," Nick rubbed his head. "I guess treasure chests are naturally-occuring in this world."
"It could be a trap," Judy noted. Nick nodded and carefully flipped open the lid, recoiling defensively right afterward. When nothing seemed to happen, Nick dug into the treasure chest. Judy hopped near him eagerly. "Well? Is it the emerald?"
"Nope," Nick said, presenting her with the contents. "It's a bow!" Nick held a handsome, rather large bow in his paws.
"Ooh neat, a weapon!" The bunny balled her fists in excitement. "Give it here!"
"Excuse me, finders keepers," Nick blinked coquettishly.
"Wha!?" Judy gasped. "The treasure chest appeared after I defeated that monster!"
"Mm, but I got shot, so clearly I'm the one in need of defending," Nick said, already trying the included quiver on. "Plus, have you ever used a bow in your life?" The bunny held a finger up, but her mouth hung open wordlessly. "Thought not. I have. Isn't it a little big for you as well? I mean heck, it's big for me."
"Grr..." Judy fumed, storming over to one of the pots near the opened chest. She picked it it up, hurling it violently with an overhead toss. There was a satisfying crunching noise as shards of the innocent pot scattered against a nearby tree.
"Jeez, Carrots," Nick chuckled.
"Oh hey!" Judy rushed over to the point of impact. "There were some arrows inside!" Retrieving them and bringing them to Nick, she then started energetically kicking and throwing other pots, all of which seemed to have arrows in them.
"I mean, you could just take what's inside of them out like a civilized mammal..." Nick grinned widely, amused by Judy's sudden euphoria.
"WAY more fun!" Judy picked up another pot, tossed it in the air, then punched with both fists. Among the shards, an oblong green gem fell to the ground. It seemed to subtly sparkle, and landed on the floor with a small chime. The bunny gasped enormously. "Look, Nick!" She held it up with a toothy smile. "The Kokiri Emerald!"
"Aha!" Nick grinned, pointing at it. "Quest complete. Now let's see if we can find that Kokiri girl."
The two made their way back to the bridge, utilizing Nick's sense of direction.
"Wasn't she right here...?" Judy asked impatiently, looking for the glowing creature that heralded Saria. It appeared with a jingle, and so did Saria. She looked confused. "Hello! We found the Kokiri Emerald!"
"You have...?" Saria placed a hand to her mouth.
"Right here!" Judy retrieved the gem from her pocket and showed it to Saria. The Kokiri smiled and began to laugh. It was a pleasant, childish, and pure laugh.
"That's not the Kokiri Emerald..." Saria explained once she got control of herself. "That's a Rupee. It's a green one, the lowest value in all of Hyrule, worth just one Rupee."
"Oh..." Judy appeared shocked, then crestfallen.
Saria seemed to be in a pleasant mood, giving them a small smile. "I'm sorry, you two. Nick and Judy, right? I was spying on you earlier. Truth be told, there was no way you two could have found the Kokiri Emerald."
"What? Why not? Does it not exist?" Judy seemed confused.
"Oh..." Nick stepped forward, gesturing at Saria. "It's because she has it."
"Ah, the fox is clever... fitting," Saria smiled. She pulled a beautiful, faceted emerald, bordered by a gold spiral, out of a pack on her back. "THIS is the Kokiri Emerald."
"So this was just a test," Judy blinked.
"Mhm, and I'd say you two passed," Saria's smile began to look pained. "The eagerness with which you two set out... it was very familiar... it reminds me of someone important to me from a long time ago. Here."
Saria walked over and placed the Kokiri Emerald in Judy's free paw. "This is one of the three gems you will need to open the Temple of Time's inner sanctum. The others are the Zora Sapphire and the Goron Ruby."
"What's in the Temple of Time...?" Nick asked warily.
"Hopefully, our salvation from Ganon, the dark lord of this world..." Saria held a fist close to her chest.
"Well, if that's all," the fox chuckled nervously.
"I have no idea who you two are or where you come from..." Saria admitted with a troubled expression, "but I believe you have the spirit needed to be a light to this world. A light that's grown dim..."
"Thank you for entrusting us with this, Saria," Judy looked down at the gem, "we'll try not to let you down. C'mon, Nick, let's see if we can find that castle."
The two pressed on, and made their way out of the forest. Green fields stretched before them as far as the eye could see, and Nick squinted in the suddenly unguarded sunlight.
"Hold on, you two!"
Looking behind them, Nick and Judy saw nothing, but the heavy feathery flaps of a large brown owl sounded through the air as it landed on a high tree branch.
"Yikes! That is a big bird..." Nick said, readying his bow.
"Hoot hoot! I mean you no harm," the owl said.
"...A talking owl?" Judy blinked.
"And a talking fox and rabbit!" The owl laughed. "We should find some more enchanted animals and start a band."
"We're not enchanted... at least I don't think so," Nick explained. "Though I'm certainly enchanting..." Judy rolled her eyes.
"So, you two are embarking on an adventure, are you?" The owl chuckled. "My name is Kaepora Gaebora. The road ahead is fraught with danger, especially at night, so be wary! In your quest you may see many strange sights, some seemingly from other worlds. These are all a part of the times we find ourselves in. What will you do next? Will you go to the north, where the castle lies? The northeast, where the Gorons call home, or the east, the Zora's Domain? The choices are yours and yours alone."
"For now, Nick, let's keep heading north," Judy decided with a nod.
"By the way, would you like to hear that again?"
"Hear what again?" Judy looked mystified.
"So, you two are embarking on an adventure-"
"Wait, wait, no no no," Nick waved his arms. "Why would we want to hear that again? We got- we got it, okay?"
"Aw, drat," Kaepora's eyebrows twitched. "Oh well. Goddesses be with you!" With more loud flaps, the owl was gone.
"Strange place, this Hyrule," Nick remarked as the two resumed their travel north.