"Come on guys, you know the words! Thirty-seven bottles of gravy on the wall, thirty-seven bottles of gravy!" Ed began singing this song not long after they left windfall (Yes, he DID start on ninety-nine!) and the king of red lions and Double d could tolerate it, but Eddy had had enough, "Ed! Shut up before I get a hernia!" just then they saw it: a mountainous island that reached into the sky and cast an impressive shadow over the ocean. Around it was a ring of smoke, like a nest, that hovered at over a thousand feet. The king of red lions suddenly spoke, "There, on the horizon, Do you see it?"
"Well, duh!" Eddy indignantly responded, "That thing only takes up half the ocean!"
"That 'thing'" the boat announced, "Is Dragon Roost Island. That's our destination!" the boat sailed into a small bay near the more appealing beach of the island and the Eds climbed out onto the sand, well Except for Ed: He kind of stumbled out of the boat and fell into the seawater face-first. "High atop this island's peak lives the spirit of the skies . . . a great Dragon by the name of Valoo." The king of red lions announced
"Cool!" Ed gazed up to the peak of the island, hoping to see said creature.
"Big deal!" Eddy mumbled, "So what are we here for?"
"You must go see this Dragon and request from him a jewel called Din's pearl."
"Oh great! More girly jewelry!"
"It's not just girly jewelry; it's essential to our journey. The people on this island, the Rito tribe, will assist you in this." Eddy and Ed started to depart, but the boat stopped them, "I almost forgot, wait one moment." In its mouth lay a pure-white conductor's baton, "This is the wind waker. In ancient times, people would use this baton to play music in prayer to the gods."
"Interesting," Double d picked up the baton and examined it.
"In those days, simply using it allowed one to borrow the power of the gods, but I do not know if it still works."
"Oh, oh! Can I try?" Ed asked hopping around manically.
"Why not?" Double d handed Ed the wind waker and he swung it randomly, playing a song no one recognized. (Inside Ed's mind) ooh Eee ooh ahah ting tang Walla Walla Bing bang! Ooh Eee ooh ahah ting tang Walla Walla Bing baaaang!" {Note: this was the tune Ed played that no one could recognize. I was listening to it while writing this part . . . Shut up.} "Well, apparently it works." The boat mumbled, "That was 6/4th time. Double d, why don't you try playing in 4/4th time?"
"Well, alright!" he took the baton and played the first notes of "ode to joy". "Yawn." Grumbled Eddy, thinking all this music stuff was lame. "Ok, Eddy. Try playing in 3/4th time." Eddy dimly played taps on the magic baton.
"Good. Remember well how to use it, it might come in handy at a later time."
"Great, thanks!" Eddy quickly responded, grabbing his two friends, "Let's go boys!" and with that they left their tiny red boat bobbing in the bay.
The three scrambled across the island, looking for a way to climb higher, but every method seemed useless. Eddy finally collapsed in front of a shallow pool of water, "We're never getting' up there." He panted as Ed picked up something big and blue that was growing on the ground near Eddy. "Hey guys! Can I build a birdhouse with this?" Double d gaped in horror at what Ed was holding, "Ed, get rid of that bomb flower IMMEDIATELY!" Ed tossed the explosive plant at a large rock nearby, shattering it into pebbles. Double d brightened up when he saw the clear path ahead, "Eddy that's it! We'll use bomb flowers to traverse the island!"
The boys threw bomb flowers at every obstacle, and Eddy collected ten rupees a rock. Along the way they passed a platform with several musicians standing on it playing lively Spanish-sounding music on string instruments like mandolins and violins. The Eds stopped for a moment to listen, "You guys are good!" Eddy commented when the song was finished. "Thanks." Responded the violin player, "We are the band of Yoshihiro Arita, and that was the traditional song of Dragon Roost island." Then the musicians began playing again and the three moved on. Soon they were on the path to the Rito tribe. The first face they saw was a familiar one, and Ed recognized it immediately. "Mr. Quill birdie man!" he ran up and gave the Rito another painful hug! "Ed... I wish . . . you wouldn't . . . Do that!" he gasped out the best he could before Ed let go. "I must say, you three travel far without wings."
"We certainly do amazing things when we work together as a team." Double d responded.
"And what about Sarah, is she . . ." the three looked away, Ed almost looked ready to cry, Eddy feebly tried to speak before the kind postman stopped him, "Is that so," he responded reading their silence "Don't worry too much, Sarah's a tough girl, I'm sure she'll hang in there."
"Quill, would you happen to know about something called Din's pearl?" Double d asked with optimism.
"I know about it, but you'll have to speak with our chieftain and his son if you want to see it." Quill responded.
"Why his son?" Eddy probed in confusion.
"Well, his son has it."
"Of course he does…" Eddy flatly mumbled, "Whatever, sure we'd like to see 'um!"
"It's settled then!" Quill announced happily spreading his arm-like wings, "I'll fly ahead and let everyone know you're coming." With that the Ed's were left to the near-by door into the village.
The Rito village was basically a two-leveled cave within the mountain that acted for the most part as a post-office. As the Eds stepped into the room, before them stood several Rito men speaking to one another in the center of the room, one was dressed in red and looked particularly important, asked another one, who was hovering a few feet off the floor "Well? Have you discovered the cause of the Great Valoo's anger?" The other Rito shook his head and ascended as the three boys stepped forward, "Um, excuse me," Double d ventured as the Ritos noticed the boy's presence.
"Ah, so you are the Eds, are you?" the important looking Rito asked.
"That's us!" Eddy responded poking his chest with his thumb on the word "us".
"Quill has told me all about you three. A troubling tale, indeed . . ." The Rito replied.
"Sir, we need to speak to the chieftain, as soon as possible." Double d requested.
"Then look no further!" the Rito chieftain laughed before becoming serious again, "I insist you let us know what we can do to help. We'll do anything in our power to assist you."
"Man, this is gonna be easy!" Eddy whispered to Double d and Ed before the chieftain started speaking again. "However, in the meantime, we have a problem of our own to deal with . . ."
"Or not!" Eddy grumbled as Quill explained further, "When you arrived on this island, did you notice the raging dragon perched atop the mountain?"
"Why yes," Double d answered, "Valoo, right?"
"Yes, you're a smart lad!" The chieftain began to explain further, "As you can see, we of the Rito tribe are profoundly connected to the sky. We make our livings on the airways."
"We make our living on dead fishies!" Ed announced as Double d and Quill winced, but the chieftain seemed to take no notice as he continued his tale, "We do so by the graces of the sky spirit, Valoo. When a Rito reaches adulthood, he or she journeys to the top of Dragon Roost to receive a scale from the great dragon. It is this scale that enables the Rito to grow his or her wings."
"Ooh, ooh!" Ed hopped around with his hand raised, "I want a magic scale to fly with too!"
"Unfortunately, the scales only work on Rito natives." The Rito leader corrected, "Besides, as of late the once-gentle Valoo has grown too violent and unpredictable for even us to approach him."
"Aww." Ed groaned.
"If this continues, the fledglings who are of age will never be able to receive their scales and will remain wingless."
"But that would mean," Double d reasoned and the chieftain answered, "Yes. Soon our very way of life will be threatened. As chieftain of the Rito, my first responsibility is to solve this problem. My apologies, but I must ask you to wait for our assistance until this is done."
"We understand sir, thanks for the consideration thus far." Double d spoke on behalf of Eddy and Ed. Quill turned to the chieftain and asked, "Chieftain, what do you think of consulting the Eds with regards to your son, prince Komali? As you can see, the Eds are gallant young men. I feel certain that prince Komali would open his heart to them and speak freely of his fears and worries."
"Double d, are we really gallon young men?" Ed asked
"No Ed, he said 'Gallant' not gallon." Double d answered as the chieftain thought it over. "Let me be direct." The leader finally responded, "My son Komali is of the age to earn his wings . . . Yet . . . he is weak, in some ways . . . and in light of the current situation, he might just give up on ever getting them . . . "
"Why, that's terrible!" Double d sympathized with the bird king.
"Will you share some of your courage with him?" the worried father asked, and Eddy responded, "No sweat! He'll be a real man when we're through with him!"
"Thank-you. We shall do our best to solve our problem as quickly as possible, so that we may better help you with yours." The leader of the Rito tribe assured them. "I have something I wish for you to give to my son. A young girl named Medli is holding it for me. Would you find her and take it?"
"Certainly." Double d responded, as the chieftain turned to leave, "I'm counting on you three." The Rito leader departed. Quill turned to Double d and handed him what appeared to be a fanny-pack, "Here, take this with you. Who knows, it might come in handy."
It turned out to be a delivery bag, the kind used for carrying letters and the like. "You should find Medli in one of the upper rooms."
"Is there anything else we can do to help?" Double d offered.
"No, we can handle Valoo ourselves. In the meantime, do your best to aid prince Komali." And with that Quill flew away.
The Eds climbed the stone ramp that wound its way up to the second floor. "Eddy, do you even know where we're going?" Double d warned as Eddy started to check the rooms on the second floor. "Have I ever steered us wrong?" He responded confidently. "Yes!" Double d reminded him as they stepped into a particular room where a young female Rito stood. Eddy quickly asked, "Hey, are you Medli?" she quickly recognized their description and announced, "Wow! You really DO have green clothes and a funny looking hat!"
"Stupid tradition!" Eddy mumbled.
"You must be the Eds. I'm an attendant to the great sky spirit, Valoo. My name is Medli. Well, to tell the truth, I'm not an attendant I'm still studying to be one."
"Um, yes," Double d interrupted, "This would indeed be an interesting conversation for another time and place, but right now-"
"Oh, what am I thinking?" She replied, "Here! This is from the chieftain. He wants you guys to deliver it straight to prince Komali" She handed them a well-written letter that Double d promptly stashed in his new Delivery bag. "The room in the back on the first floor is prince Komali's room." Medli instructed them, "When you meet him, please don't be offended by his demeanor."
"Trust me, he can't be that bad!" Eddy remembered the people and monsters he met in the past.
"We'll do our best." Double d promised as the three turned to leave. "Wait!" The young Rito stopped them, "Before you go, I have a small favor to ask of you . . ."
"If it involves making shoes or baking cookies then I'm out!" Eddy announced flatly. Medli laughed, "No, nothing like that. I was wondering if you could come to the entrance to Dragon Roost Cavern later?"
"Certainly, but what for?" Double d asked.
"I'll explain everything then." Was her cryptic reply as the three boys left the room.
The Eds followed Medli's instructions to Komali's room, which was placed in a secluded cove and blocked by a bird-shaped door. The Eds entered the room to find a young Rito boy, slightly shorter than Eddy, with red eyes and snow-white hair lying on a grass-canopy bed; in his hands was a large orange pearl, about the size of his head. Unfortunately, Ed mistook it for something far tastier . . . "JAWBREAKER!" he shouted, Grabbing the pearl from the stunned boy and stuffing the whole thing in his mouth. "Spit it out you heathen! SPIT IT OUT!" the poor child seemed ready to cry, and Eddy was laughing manically on the floor. "Ed, DROP IT!" Double d ordered holding out his hand. Ed, like an obedient puppy, let the bright orb roll off his tongue and into Double d's hands. "Guh, I'm sorry about that," he apologized, polishing the spit off the sphere with a rag, "Ed thought it was a jawbreaker, lovable oaf!" The Rito snatched the treasure from Double d, as it was now, for the most part, clean. "Do you realize that this was a gift from my deceased Grandmother?" the Rito boy asked angrily.
"Oh, my." Double d felt terrible, "I am so, SO Sorry!"
"AND," the lad continued, "That it's a treasure to this land, the legendary Din's pearl!"
"Wait a sec," Declared Eddy, getting up from the floor from his laugh-fest, "Then you're that prince guy, Komali!"
"Indeed I am! And when I tell my father what you've done- Double d pulled the letter out, "Actually, that's why we're here. We were sent by your father with this letter."
"A letter? From my father?" Komali set the pearl down on the bed to read his father's letter. "Oh, sure," he mumbled after reading it, "telling me to be brave is easy enough for him… it's not like he went through that horrible experience, it's not like HE still has to get a scale from Valoo!"
"Komali, I'm sure your father only wants what's best for you." Double d tried to comfort the prince.
"You guys are the Eds, right?" Komali suddenly asked.
"The one and only!" Eddy once again addressed.
"You're in this letter too, you know. Poking your noses into other people's business, you're nosey, aren't you?"
"Why I oughta…." Eddy mumbled as the prince continued. "Sorry, but I really don't feel like going to see Valoo right now. I mean, how am I supposed to get a scale from him when he's so upset?"
"We could get you a scale!" Ed offered despite the panicked look of his comrades.
"Are you saying YOU can calm Valoo down when not a single Rito native here can?" Komali asked with disbelief.
"Well, I s-suppose we could try." Double d offered without being too enthusiastic about meeting a dragon.
"Pssssh! That's just a big, fat lie!" the prince accused, "it's easy to say you can do anything! Bragging doesn't cost a thing!"
"But what if we actually could do it?" Double d offered.
"I'll tell you what: if you can find me someone who can get past all the obstacles on Dragon Roost to get to Valoo, THEN I'll listen to anything you say!"
"Deal!" Eddy agreed dragging the Eds out of Komali's room.
"But Eddy, we don't even know the way to Dragon Roost Cavern." Double d admitted as Eddy ran about every which-way. "I'm following my gut here!" he replied as they exited the village and entered an ashen yard that overlooked a blocked fountain. In the depression that housed the blocked spring stood Medli, next to a ramp. "Looks like I was right!" Double d gave him the usual look he gave Eddy when he let his ego get out of hand. The three ran to where a bridge probably stood and leapt from it, with Ed landing on his face and the others on their feet. "You guy's actually made it!" Medli happily replied.
"We pride ourselves on service!" Eddy joked.
"I'm really sorry about bringing you to such a dangerous place. I had to! I wouldn't have asked if I didn't need help desperately."
Double d gave the falling ash an uneasy look, " what can we do to help you?"
"You see this place?" Medli asked rhetorically, "There used to be a spring here, surrounded by a beautiful pond . . . it was peaceful and lovely. But then great Valoo became angry and in his rage he shook the mountain and this boulder crashed down, plugging the spring. You can see the result."
"So you want us to unplug the spring?" Eddy asked.
"If I knew how I would. But tell me, how was prince Komali."
"Everything went fine, until Ed tried to Eat Din's pearl!" Eddy chuckled.
"But it looked like a jawbreaker!" Ed sobbed.
"Other than that," Double d explained, "He's still apprehensive on seeing Valoo."
"I may be partially to blame for the bad turn that prince Komali's taken" Medli confessed.
"What do you mean?" Double d asked.
"See, prince Komali's grandmother was the great Valoo's former attendant. She was an amazing woman. I was honored to have her as my teacher. She was kind and brave, and unsurpassed in her dealings in the great Valoo. I'm not yet worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as her."
"Come now, Medli." Double d explained in his reasoning tone, "Just because she passed on doesn't mean you're to blame for Komali's turn in mood."
"Yeah it's like my mom used to say:" Eddy began, "People live. People die. Circle of life, Eat your salad!"
"I guess, but if I possessed some of her strength, I'm sure prince Komali would've felt more secure. That's why I need your help. I want to go to the small shrine that's near the peak of Dragon Roost, but that ledge is so high."
"But, you can fly . . ." Double pointed out.
"I know, it's just the wind is so hostile, it's hard to take off. If someone could toss me in the right direction-"
"Oh I can do that!" Ed shouted as he picked up Medli and ran towards the ramp, but he threw her at the wrong time.
"Ed, No! The wind-" Medli shouted as she hit the stone wall. "Medli, are you alright?!?" Double d asked as he and the others ran to where she was slumped against the stone. "Double d, Eddy, ED?" She asked, trying to shake off the dizziness, "When did you all become triplets?"
"Well, that could've been far worse," Double d addressed Ed, "This time, let's take the wind into consideration!"
"Got'cha Double d!" he announced, once again picking up Medli, who had turned back to normal. Double d held up his finger, testing the wind, and when it blew in the right direction, "GO!" Medli was tossed from the ramp and landed successfully on the other side. "Thank-you" she called down to the three boys, "From here I can climb to the top of the island and meet with Valoo."
"Are you sure the way is safe?" Double d asked with every right to be concerned.
"Don't worry," Medli responded, "I'll be fine! Look, if anything happens to me, please look after prince Komali."
"Ok." The three responded.
"This is all I have to give you," Medli admitted, producing a reward, "I know it's not much, but please take it!" She tossed a glass bottle to them, and Double d barely caught it. Medli added one more thing, "Don't tell anyone I'm up here, ok!"
"Our lips are sealed!" Eddy promised as Medli made her way onward.
"Now what?" Double d asked, still standing in the gorge.
"Heck, I don't know!" Eddy answered, "Let's scam some Rito's!"
"Oh, I have an idea!" Ed shouted as he grabbed the bottle from Double d and filled it with water from the plugged spring. He climbed the ladder-like broken bridge and poured the water on some wilted bomb-flowers. "What's he up to?" Eddy asked while the two stood in the depression, "Upsey-daisy!" Ed shouted as he picked up a plump bomb flower and tossed it at the giant rock; visibly frightening his friends, destroying it and flooding the gorge and rising up to where the Eds could reach the other side. "Ed, how did you know?" Double d asked bobbing in the water. "This much I know is true:" Ed started, "The gods blessed the broken bridge that gave me an idea!"
"Now if only they could give you a brain!" Eddy joked, "Ok, what's next?"
"Well, it would seem the only way to progress further would be to see what we can do for the sky spirit!" Double d announced climbing out of the water on the side near the cavern. "Oh great!" Eddy mumbled, "More danger!"
"Oh relax, it can't be that hard-" Double d started to say before he laid eyes on the pit of lava. "Oh My!" he mumbled. "THAT'S IT, I'M GOING HOME!" Eddy shouted turning around. "Nonsense." Double d barked, "We just need to find a way across."
"If only we could fly!" Eddy Sarcastically wished.
"Alley-oop!" Ed shouted tossing another bomb flower into the hands of the statues that stood beside the lava, and with a loud "Kaboom!" they were lying face-down in the lava, "C'mon guys!" Ed called, crossing the impromptu bridge, "I want to meet the magical Dragon!"
"After you, Eddy!" Double d held out his hand smugly.
"Whatever!" Eddy grumbled as he and Double d crossed the lava pit into the Cavern.
The three entered a ceremonial-looking room illuminated by two bowls of fire. At the back of the room sat three statues that looked, to Double d at least, like gorons. The wall behind them had a mural of two dragons on it, but from what they could see, there was no way to continue on further. "Can we go home NOW?" Eddy asked in a frustrated tone. Double d shook his head as he pointed to Ed, who had moved the blocks and provided a path to the next room, which held two angry-looking Bokoblins that Ed pummeled relentlessly. When the fight was over, the Ed's looked to the near-by door, only to find that it was locked. "What do we do now?" Ed asked as Double d picked up a boko stick and lit it on fire with a nearby torch, "Well if that door is locked, we must find a key." Double d and the others circled around the dark room, searching for the path onward. Without realizing it, he lit two torches at the far end of the room. Suddenly the space between the torches began to glow, until a chest appeared, in it was the key they were looking for. "Despite that being sheer luck," Double d commented unlocking the door, "From now on we'll need to work together. Ed, we'll need your strength."
"Okey-dokey!" Ed replied wrenching the door open.
"Eddy, you'll lend us your cunning,"
"Tell me something I don't know!" Eddy gloated
"And my intelligence will be my gift." And with that the three stepped into a world of lava.
From there the Eds faced the dangers of Dragon Roost Cavern; lava and monsters. It seemed every room contained a puzzle which Double d would flawlessly solve, every room would contain a monster that Ed would annihilate, and every room had hidden dangers that Eddy often found first. The puzzles included anything imaginable: bombs, keys, fire, pressure, and faith. And the monsters were the vilest sorts: bokoblins in every color, bat-like keese, lava-proof centipedes known as magtails, and purple birds nearly as tall as Ed; kargoroks. But Eddy proved most useful, while burning his tookus on lava and lifting vases that bokoblins would hide in, he reminded them all that this wasn't a game. About halfway through their ordeal they made it to the top of the mountain.
"Are we THERE yet?" Eddy asked impatiently, rubbing his hindquarters after their third encounter with lava. "According to the map," Double d responded as he and Eddy started climbing a nearby staircase, "We're very close to the shrine." As Ed gingerly stepped onto the stone steps, they began to crumble. "RUN AWAY!" the three shouted as they ran up the disintegrating path. Just as the last step fell, Ed reached the top with the others. "This is not good!" Double d mumbled. As he looked down to where the stairs once were, now a stair-shaped hole in the clouds revealed the vast ocean. "Yeah, and Ed's parents can't even bring them back!" Eddy joked referring to an unusual punishment Ed would often serve on behalf of Sarah. "No problem, guys!" Ed shouted, pulling out the Tingle tuner, "Mr. Silly man can get us out of here!" after hitting more buttons on the tool Tingle appeared on screen. "Tingle here!" The odd little man answered. "Tingle," Double d calmly addressed, not forgetting his promise to arrest this creep, "We need some way to traverse this chasm, perhaps your balloon-"
"If you want to use the Tingle balloon, you'll have to pay me thirty rupees,' the greedy fairy-man replied, somehow holding his hand out through the screen for money.
"No way, I'll wait for the movie!" Eddy announced, not wanting to spend even a penny of his hard-earned cash on a wimpy balloon.
"Eddy!" Double d growled as he fished through his wallet, but all he could find were twenty-seven rupees.
"Sorry, no balloon for you!" Tingle retorted, taking his money anyway.
"WHY YOU LITTLE!" Eddy shouted as he took the game boy-like device from Ed and threw it spiraling off the mountain where it sank in the waters below.
"I guess the only way we can go is up." Eddy deduced pointing to the last three steps remaining. "HELP!" someone shouted from the very top. "Hurry Eddy!" Double d shouted as he and Ed ran to the voice. They entered an arena-like area with a cage at the back of it. Inside the cage was Medli, guarded by two bokoblins. The minute the boys entered the arena wooden bars covered the exit and the bokoblins sprung into battle position. "Don't worry, I have a plan!" Double d announced with fake confidence. He quickly explained it and sprung it into motion. Eddy and double d split apart, each followed by a bokoblin; when one got close to Double d, Ed struck with his sword, the same for Eddy's monster until both were dead. "Wow," Medli commented as Ed tried to bust the bars of her cage open with the sword, "You guys make an awesome team!"
"Sure do!" Eddy gloated, not noticing the large shadow overhead.
Out of nowhere a kargorok dropped a moblin into the arena, right in front of Double d, "ED, Assistance please!" he called shakily. "The sword is stuck!" Ed called trying to free the blade from the wooden bars. Eddy was no help; he fearfully blended into the woodwork as soon as he saw the massive beast. Double d ran to the cage and tried to pull the sword free. "Duck!" Medli called as the moblin wound-up its spear. "Where?" Ed asked as he and Double d turned out of the way just in time. The powerful weapon splintered the wooden bars and freed the sword. "S-stay back!" Double d called in terror before fighting the massive pig. Through a mix of courage and luck he beat his foe. "Thank you!" Medli praised when the fight was over, "I have to tell you what I found out!"
"You can save money by switching to Geico?" Eddy ventured.
"No, worse!" Medli continued, "Some creature is doing horrible things to the great Valoo's tail!"
"Where is Valoo anyway?" Double d asked
"He's right up there, I'm kind of surprised that you haven't seen him yet."
The three Eds backed up a few paces and scanned the near-by Cliffside. Sitting before them was a huge red dragon coughing up smoke. "DRAGON!" Ed ran to the hulking beast and gave it a hug. "Spicy!" he commented through his gritted teeth after Valoo torched him with his fire breath. "Nice going dummy!" Eddy laughed as Ed shook the soot off like a dog. Double d searched, but could not find the dragon's tail, "Where's his tail?"
"It's in the room right beneath this one." Medli responded.
"Well, whatever's down there, I guess we gotta get rid of it." Eddy grumbled. "I'll go tell everyone what's happening," Medli announced, "But you'll need this if you want to go the distance." Medli handed Eddy a rope with a claw on the end of it. "What's the twine for?" Eddy asked.
"That's a grappling hook," Double d corrected, "It's used to cross gaps and grab at things that are too far away to reach by hand." He demonstrated by latching onto a near-by branch and swinging across. I retracted as soon as he got to the other side. "It retracts automatically though," Medli added when Double d crossed back, "So all three of you have to use it at the same time."
"Let's move 'em out!" Ed shouted swinging across the gap with Eddy and Double d.
"If memory serves," Double d recited from inside a cage-like platform, "The room Medli described is locked, and no ordinary key can unlock it."
"The key's gotta be around here somewhere!" Eddy rallied as he scanned the map.
"SUKI YAKI!" Ed suddenly shouted as he cut the three ropes that kept the platform aloft. Eddy and Double d began to scream in terror before something stopped their dissent, a spout of lava. "ED YOU IDIOT!" Eddy shouted throwing a large rock ad Ed's seemingly empty head, "What'd you do that for?"
"Well the platform seems to be holding out," Double d commented as the lava slowly lowered them down, "I suggest we continue our quest."
"Quest? When did this become a quest?" Eddy shouted as Double d and Ed followed a stone path. "What kind of crazy fanfic am I in?" he mumbled as he followed his friends.
They crossed through many more rooms and solved many more puzzles until they found a room full of magtails. "AWAY WITH YOU DEAMONS!" Ed shouted poking one in its huge blue eye. It curled up as if dead, Ed lifted it up, "I found a prize Eddy!" he shouted. "Yeah, yeah, later stupid!" Eddy shouted as he and Double d circled around a chest surrounded by fire. "Ed, could you place the magtail here please?" Ed did as he was asked, placing the beast on a switch. The flames died down, Eddy opened the large blue chest and pulled out a golden key with an eye in the center. "It must be the one we need!" Double d announced. "Yeow!" Eddy shouted as the flames re-enveloped the chest. "Ed, why'd you move the magtail!" he shouted in pain. "But . . . Ed's over there." Double d said pointing to the door. "Yup, it's me alright!" he announced stupidly. The three turned around to see four angry-looking magtails staring them down and left hastily.
They backtracked through the fiery cavern until they came close to the room Medli described. It had a pit of lava in the center, which the Eds swung across with ease, and an ornate dragon-shaped doorway guarded by a golden lock, much like the key. "I guess this is it." Eddy mumbled as Ed caught a fairy in a bottle. "It is prettyful!" he explained, putting the bottle in his jacket-like tunic. Double d put the key in the giant lock, assuring himself more than the Eds as he did so, "Well, nothing ventured nothing gained, yes indeedy!" he strained to unlock the door, putting all his weight on it. The lock clicked, and the excess weight of Double d slid off onto the floor. The huge lock disappeared, the golden chains slid away into nothingness and the door rose up for the Eds to enter.
"This place gives me the creeps." Eddy stuttered as the door slid closed behind them. It was a large room with a familiar pit of lava in the center of it. Hanging from the top of the room was Valoo's tail, a pronged thing much like the grappling hook itself. "Well, there's his tail," Double d looked for the creature that was supposedly pestering it, but could not find it, "I have a bad feeling about this . . ."
The room began to shake violently and the lava bubbled profusely. Then a giant creature, much like a magtail, burst from the lava with a mighty roar. The Eds panicked at the sight of the beast's large pincers and fiery demeanor.
"WHAT'DO WE DO, WHAT'DO WE DO!" Eddy cowered behind Double d. "Not good, NOT GOOD!" Double d shouted running across the room as the monster tried to crush the Eds with its claws. His friends following behind until the monster trapped them between its claws and prepared to breathe fire on them. "WAIT, my brain is working!" Ed shouted as he grabbed the grappling hook and threw it at Valoo's tail. It latched on and Ed grabbed his friends and sailed over the beast, Valoo up above growling in protest. "Quick thinking lumpy!" Eddy praised at the three swung onto a platform above the cavern. Valoo overhead thrashed about until a huge pile of stone landed on the monster, cracking its shell. "Ed, that's it! We'll use Valoos anger against the beast." Double d advised as the creature replaced the stone up above, where the Eds proceeded to knock it down again the same way. This continued until the beast's shell was completely off, and the stone was reduced to rubble. "Now what?" Eddy asked staring at the worm-like monster as it began its rebuttal. "We fight it head-on!" Double d instructed.
Eddy ran to the back of the room, creating a distraction, while Ed focused the grappling hook onto the creature's eye. When it pulled its eye to the other two Eds, Double d hit it with the sword. Within a few quick sword slashes the beast doubled over and exploded into dust. "That was fun!" Ed shouted as he and Double d cheered. But when they saw that Eddy did not cheer with them they turned to where he was lying in a burnt heap. The monster had gotten him.
"He don't look too good." Ed announced picking up the charred remains of his friend. Double d was near tears, until he remembered something, "Ed, may I see 'the pretty fairy?" he asked. Ed dropped Eddy on the ground and produced the bottle. Double d pulled the stopper off it and the human-like fairy flew out and circled Eddy. The charred skin and burnt clothing repaired themselves as the fairy disappeared. "Wha, what happened?" he mumbled as he regained consciousness. "EDDY!" Ed hugged his now-living friend. "Ed! Can someone tell me what's up?" Double d winced as he spoke "you . . . died."
"DIED?!?!?" Eddy shouted looking himself over, "Does that mean I'm some kind of soul reaper now?"
"Not quite," Double d raised the empty bottle; "Ed's fairy brought you back to life."
"And here I was gonna spit-roast it!" Eddy joked as he stood up and dusted himself off.
"What's this?" Eddy asked, picking up a heart-shaped canister that fell from the dead monster. "That's a heart container," Double d answered picking it up and examining it with his magnifying glass, "they allow the user more resilience in battle and make one harder to kill."
"In that case, let's stock up on both!" Eddy resolved as he greedily stuffed it into his shirt. "Now, which way is out?"
To answer him, a whirlwind circled in the center of the room, where the lava had cooled. "Swirly whirly!" Ed laughed as he carried Double d and Eddy into the dust devil. They spiraled within it and disappeared within it.
"Gyuh!" Double d gasped as the whirlwind stopped turning, "Ed, do ya think you could give us a little warning before you step into a cyclone!"
"But it put us back where we started." Ed commented, pointing to where the king of red lions bobbed in the water.
"Ed, did you flash us backwards like last time?" Eddy shouted, "Cause I'm NOT doing that again!"
"Eds!" the joyful cry came from behind the startled boys. There stood both Medli and Komali, Komali faithfully cradling Din's pearl.
"Hi guys!" Ed shouted happily as usual.
"I assume the fellow Rito's know of our exploits?" Double D calmly addressed. Medli nodded, "Well, Komali? Don't you have something you want to say?" she prodded.
"Eds," the shy prince started, "Thank you so much! I'm sorry I ever mistrusted you." Eddy almost got something snarky out, but Double d spoke first, "We all do things in life we regret, Apology accepted!"
"I hope I can be like you three someday." He sighed
"You will!" Medli assured, "I just know it, right guys?"
"Yeah, sure, I guess," Eddy mumbled, "Just hang in there tiny!" Suddenly Komali handed Double d the pearl, "I want you to have this. Giving you the thing I value most will give me the courage to stand up to bad things!"
"Very well then," Double d delicately held the pearl, recollecting where it had been the last time an Ed touched it, "Ed, I think you should hold onto it. Just don't try and eat it again!"
"WHAT?" Ed stupidly called, the pearl making a bulge in his mouth.
"Jeez, Ed!" Eddy scolded, taking the treasure out of his mouth, "Don't slobber on it, we need that!" he opened up one of Ed's pockets, put the pearl in it, and glued it shut with super glue.
High upon the island's peak, Valoo roared a less angry Roar In an ancient language. "Use the wind god's . . . wind?" Medli translated, "That's what he said, but I don't know what it means." the Eds shrugged their shoulders.
"It may have something to do with that wind shrine I saw on the way up," Double d offered, pointing to a tunnel near-by. "Also," Medli continued, "Valoo names you three, Ed, Edd, and Eddy, true heroes."
"And that's say'n something!" Ed agreed.
"I'm going to go and visit Valoo!" Komali announced, almost the way Jimmy would if (or rather whenever) he had to visit a dragon, "I'll have the best wings ever!" he ran off then, towards the path the Ed's had just crossed. Medli started to follow, but stopped for a moment and said, "Thank you so much Eds, I'll see you again someday!"
"Bye!" Eddy called.
"Good luck Komali!" Double d added
"I'm out of here!" Eddy huffed as soon as the Rito's were out of earshot. "Ok, Simba! We got the pearl, where to next?"
"There's no time to lose, we must sail south to where the next pearl sleeps!" the majestic boat answered.
"Silly Willy, pearls don't sleep!" The three Ignored Ed and the Eds climbed into the boat and began to sail, but a big problem soon stood out. "This ain't going too fast!" Ed bluntly pointed out as the boat meekly skimmed along. " No wonder. The wind isn't blowing in the right direction." The king of red lions deduced.
"I guess we gotta wait until the wind changes direction," Eddy sighed.
"WE CAN'T AFFORD TO WAIT!"
"But we can't change the wind's direction either!" Double d turned to a small tunnel that bore through dragon roost to the other side and answered, "Maybe we can . . ."
"Are you sure this is gonna work?" Eddy grumbled wringing out his wet hero's cap, Part of getting to the shrine had involved swimming, for whatever reason. "Valoo said 'use the wind god's wind.' So, in theory, if we make a good enough offering to him we may be able to persuade him into changing the wind's direction." Double d spelled out.
"Compelling!" Ed agreed. The three climbed the stone steps that led up to two plaques, actually more like one and a half plaques. The one that was still in one piece had triangle-shaped markings on it. "I think it's in Greek!"
Eddy announced unsure. "Actually, they appear to be the same as notes for the wind waker." Double d corrected, pulling out the baton. Following the stone's instructions, he played a simple melody in 3/4th time. And then the wind stirred above them, as if carrying the cooled ash from dragon roost away for all to see.
"My turn!" Eddy declared, taking the baton, "Yep, that's a miiiiiiighty nice breeze!" someone commented before he could play a single note. The three turned to their left, "GAH!" barked Double d in alarm, "Please don't do that!" sitting on a lime-green cloud was a navy-blue frog, about the same size as Ed, it seemed to appear from nowhere really fast. "Where'd you come from?" Eddy asked after nearly dropping the wind waker, "And for that matter, what the heck are you supposed to be?"
"The name's Zephos," the frog answered, "I'm the God of the winds."
"G-god of winds?" the three stuttered.
"O' course, what else would I be!"
"S-sorry for my friend's reaction," Double d apologized, " We just expected the god of winds to look . . . different."
"What? Like a puff of smoke, or a human, or maybe even a HEDGEHOG?" Zephos replied, "Never mind that, young wind waker!"
"Wind waker?" Eddy tested the word, "you mean this thing comes with a title?"
"Indeed it does, and for beginners, you boys have a nice wind sense about you."
"Aw, shucks, thanks Zither!" Ed blushed
"It's Zephos. Anywho that tune you just picked up allows you to control the direction of the wind."
"You mean we can use this power whenever we choose?" Double d asked.
"Of course wind waker, depending on how it's used the wind can be a good thing . . . or a very bad thing."
"Bad as in Kanye West, or . . ." Eddy ventured
"Bad as in my brother, Cyclos." Zephos hovered to where the broken plaque jutted out of the bedrock, "It saddens me to say that he's miffed that his monument's broken, so these days he spends his time creating cyclones to torment people. So if you ever see a cyclone at sea, chastise him for me, will you?"
"No sweat, we'll cut him down to size!"
"Goodbye Zipper!"
"Zephos, Ed."
"Gravy!"
And with that the strange god was spirited away on a fast gale. With the wind now facing south, the Eds climbed back into the king of red lions. But while sailing the sea, it was noticed that Double d was the best at controlling the windwaker. And, only Eddy seemed to know this, Zephos would only say windwaker, not windwakers.