Chapter 4: Passage

Princess Zelda of Hyrule

She opened her eyes. Sensing a hostile presence, she immediately conjured some magic in her hands. It was only once she took in her surroundings that she realized she wasn't fighting Tabuu anymore. She was in some forest somewhere. More specifically, in a clearing, with a dirt path cutting through the middle. A beep startled her, and she leaped back. Then she noticed the diminutive black man, who had apparently woken her up. She gave a sigh of relief, and started laughing softly. Mr. Game and Watch had been a good friend to her aboard the Halberd. There was no question about whether Zelda trusted him. The dark figure in the distance, on the other hand...

Bowser. He was slashing down trees, looking for something. Zelda briefly wondered whether he knew she was there, but Mr. Game and Watch let out some beeps, reassuring her that the spiky turtle meant no harm. Bowser chose this moment to finally turn, and begin trudging towards the princess. As he did so, he began speaking in a booming voice.

"So you're here as well, huh Zelda? Have you seen any Koopas... nah you only just woke up."

With a stern look on her face now, she demanded, "What happened? Weren't we fighting Tabuu...?"

"Yeah. We lost, apparently. Somehow this guy here avoided getting Trophied, and saved Wolf, who then saved me. It's just us three. Well, and some Koopa Troopas."

Then he gave a dissatisfied snort, and turned around, meaning to go down the dirt path. Zelda, however, stopped him.

"So... everyone's in here? Just... as trophies?"

"I guess so. Look, you're free to follow, but don't bug me with useless questions."

Zelda scowled, then sighed. At least Mr. Game and Watch would be more receptive. She looked down.

"BEEP BEEP BEEP?"

"Huh? Who am I? We know each other!"

"BEEP BEEP BEEP..."

"Oh. I'm sorry, I didn't know you had lost your memory," she said with a reassuring smile. "I'm Princess Zelda of Hyrule, but I suppose Hyrule isn't around for me to rule anymore. You can just call me Zelda."

Unbidden, her memories of Hyrule came rushing back. Particularly, of Link... and Ganondorf. Link, the Hero of Courage, the one who had saved her so many times. Ganondorf, the Dark Prince, her frequent oppressor. They were both here. She knew that she would have to find Link's trophy quickly, and save him. She smiled a bit at this irony, but then sombered up when she thought about Ganondorf. No matter what, Ganondorf was sure to bring trouble, but he did seem committed to beating Tabuu, when they last met. She supposed she would have to find his trophy as well, if only to give their resistance a fighting chance. A roar in the distance shook her from her reverie.

"DAMN IT! They aren't anywhere around here! Blacky, are you sure you saw one around here?"

Mr. Game and Watch raised his hands in surrender, then nodded shakily, beeping all the while.

"They must have wandered off."

He trudged on further into the forest without any further preamble, followed by Mr. Game and Watch, and Zelda found herself with no choice but to follow.

Wolf O'Donnell

A door? In the middle of a forest?

Wolf had been wandering the forest, attempting to follow Bowser's trail. However, he got sidetracked by the appearance of a mysterious door ever so slightly hidden by the foliage. It was pretty easy to miss, but Wolf's keen eye had caught on to it instantly. It didn't seem like Bowser went through it, but such a thing was so incongruous that he had to examine it. So, he got closer.

It was emitting a vague aura of dark energy, and he became a little nervous. But, the great Wolf O'Donnell, leader of Star Wolf, was never one to back down from a challenge, especially not a door. He opened the door, and saw only a swirling void beyond. He tried to stop himself from going in, but the pull was irresistable. He went through. The door closed, and he could only see a maelstrom of black and white. Then, he found himself going through another door. He came out in the middle of a clearing in a forest, wondering what in the world just happened. He began to collect his bearings. He was in the middle of a forest, but the trees were clearly different than the one he just left. The clearing was pretty big, and there was a circle made of stone tiles. Embedded in the middle was a smaller circle of light, with some odd circle-shaped insignia floating above it. Then... he looked up.

"What the heck?!"

The orange sky was broken. A large yawning crack lay in the middle. Beyond, there was only a purple, smoky, void. Instantly, he knew. This world was dying. He stood there, gaping thoughtlessly, until a call from Andross shook him out of his daze.

"What are you doing? Are you following Bowser?"

He picked up his communicator right away, despite still being in shock.

"...Um. Oh, yeah I'm on his trail. I just had to investigate something, that's all."

"Well, get going! We have no time to waste."

He shut off his communicator, and made to turn back towards the door he left.

Mr. Game and Watch

Zelda: The Legend of Zelda (1987)

The princess of Hyrule. In other games, her role changes between titles. In Ocarina of Time, she was hunted by the would-be conqueror, Ganondorf. She deceived him, however, by adopting the persona of Sheik. In Twilight Princess, she surrendered to Zant and was held as his prisoner.

Mr. Game and Watch mulled over Zelda's bio as they walked. Since he was the one to revive Zelda, he had inadvertently gotten Zelda's trophy information. Of course, he had asked her her name anyways, because that's only polite, right? At least, that's what he thought. This world still felt quite artificial to him, but it no longer felt unfamiliar. The people he met... he knew he had met them before. His memory was still slowly leaking back in. He now remembered Zelda as a friend... and Bowser as an enemy. But why was Bowser helping them? Probably for a personal reason, he mused. Still, it was better than fighting him. He caught up to Bowser, and Zelda followed not long after. They entered a new clearing, one the same as before, but there was one stark difference.

"A door?" Bowser said incredulously. "In the middle of a field? Now what the hell is this doing here?"

"Careful," Zelda warned. "It looks... dark. There is an aura that surrounds it."

"Ha! Stuff like that doesn't scare me. Well, only one thing to do now." He stomped over, and placed a massive claw on one of the knobs. Beyond lay a vast, expansive, void, which immediately felt familiar to Mr. Game and Watch. This was undeniably the matter that lay behind the worlds. It may have been where he came from. Before he could investigate further, Bowser walked in, and disappeared. He felt compelled to follow, and he did. Zelda was wary at first, so she had put up a magical mind-block before Bowser opened the door. Still, it looked okay. And, it wasn't like she wanted to be left behind. She walked through.

They floated through the void, and saw another door. Unbidden, it opened for them, and they flew through it.

They found themselves on top of a huge cliff. There were other rocks in the distance, and the air was very dry and windy up here. Mr. Game and Watch could tell that they were in another world entirely, but it looked the same as the one they had just left. Zelda looked back, to ascertain that the door was still there. It was. Then Bowser scratched his head, and spoke up.

"Now what just happened? Any ideas, magic girl?"

"That must have been a portal of some sort... though why we ended up here I haven't a clue."

"BEEP BEEP BEEP!"

"Another world? But this one looks the same. I can even see a forest in the distance, and a lake."

"Hmph. Whatever. The Koopas must have gotten through this door somehow."

Bowser turned away from the cliff top, and walked past the door. Suddenly, a thunk resonated through the quiet land, as Bowser found his snout pressed against a seemingly invisible wall. There was a vibration in the empty space, and the sky, the background, and everything that lay beyond rippled along with it. Then, the ripples stilled, the clouds in the sky still moving. But from that moment, the three of them knew this whole world was merely a construction. Bowser scratched his head again.

"So, we aren't back in the World of Trophies?"

"Tabuu must have created this world," Zelda guessed. "For what purpose, I cannot imagine."

"BEEP BEEP BEEP."

"You're right. This 'world' must be a contained 'bubble' of sorts, and that door lets us pass between them."

Bowser, meanwhile, was testing the extent of the wall. It completely surrounded them, leaving only the cliff and whatever lay below it ahead of them.

"Well, let's get moving!"

Recklessly, Bowser tucked into his shell, and rolled down the cliff. Zelda was about to call out in concern, but stopped herself. This was Bowser, after all. Say what you want about him, but his shell is nigh indestructible. Sighing, she cast Farore's Wind instead, and appeared at the bottom. Mr. Game and Watch used the Parachute move he had learned by accident earlier, and calmly floated down.

They ended up on a rocky ledge not too far from the ground, and with another door within sight. Of bigger concern, however, were the Primids, now climbing up onto the ledge, and surrounding them. They readied their respective battle poses.

Rayquaza

The insects were finally gone. He had been roaming the skies, watching them from above. That accursed wolf, the one who had slashed his face, was gone, in another one of the bubbles. Good riddance. But... what was going on? They shouldn't have been alive. Tabuu made sure of their Trophication. He would have to investigate this, then report to Lord Tabuu. He soared upwards, effortlessly phasing through the walls of the bubble into the void.

Sorry this chapter is slightly shorter than the others. I'm still picking up speed. So, anyways, I guess an explanation is in order here. I've been looking at the Great Maze, in the game, and apparently the Lake level isn't there. But Rayquaza's boss level is, so I guess that's where everyone started out. Wolf went through the main door, to one of the Hubs found in the level. Everybody else went back to the Ruins, to the door above the cliffs. Hopefully, I'll be able to keep the levels in order. Reviews are appreciated, even the negative ones.