Chapter 40: Courtyard of the Goddess Statue
After Zelda, Sheik , and the Deku Princess stepped into the circle of light at the base of the well they found themselves standing before the Deku Shrine. Nearby, Lana was on her knees with the Deku Butler's head cradled in her lap. His eyes weren't open and his breathing seemed irregular.
"How is he doing?" Zelda asked.
"Not too good," Impa said, standing next to Lana with her arms folded. "He might die soon."
"Then we should give him this," Zelda said and took a leather water-bottle out of her satchel. "I filled it with some of the water from the well."
"So you took care of the guardian and summoned the Light Spirit?" Lana said, taking the water-bottle from Zelda's hand.
In response, Zelda nodded. "Now all I have to do is learn the Ballad of the Goddess and play it at the Goddess Statue."
"The Spirit of Light said that to you?" Impa asked, raising an eyebrow.
"He did," Zelda answered. "But I don't know that song."
"I do," Sheik said, taking out his harp. "I'll play it for you if you want."
"Which instrument should I play the song on?" Zelda ruffled through her satchel for one of the Wind Instruments.
"Any of them will do, I think," Sheik said, and played a light melodic tune on his harp. "But try playing it on each of the four Wind Instruments just in case."
So while Zelda learned to play the Ballad of the Goddess on the four Wind Instruments, Lana was busy getting the Deku Butler to drink the water. Once he swallowed enough, the scratches on his arms and legs were instantly gone and his eyes fluttered open. Lana helped him to his feet, and the Deku Butler stretched his arms as if he had just woken from a long sleep. Then just as the Deku Butler was about to say something, the Deku Princess walked up to him and stepped on his foot causing him to flinch.
"That's for running away!" The Deku Princess pouted.
"I said I would bring help," the Deku Butler said, rubbing his foot.
"But you didn't get my father or the palace guards," whined the Deku Princess.
"It doesn't matter now," the Deku Butler said firmly. "These people saved your life, so you should at least be grateful for that."
The Deku Princess huffed and marched out of the shrine.
###
Back in the throne-room, the white monkey was tied up and being lowered into the fire-pit. But once the Deku Princess appeared, everyone stared in awe. The Deku Leader was especially surprised, and stood up from his throne.
"Floret," the Deku Leader exclaimed. "Where have you been?"
"I went down into the Deku Palace Vault," the Deku Princess admitted reluctantly. "That stranger from the Twilight Wolves poisoned Raitoad, which made him angry and caused the swamp water to turn purple as well as the storm that's been hanging over the palace."
The Deku Leader huffed. "How can you prove that?"
"Raitoad coughed this up," Zelda said, holding up the Shadow Crystal for all to see. "This is a Shadow Crystal. They're abundant in the Twili District and are said to be corruptively potent."
A quiet gasp erupted from the Deku Scrubs, including the Hylian tourists.
"But why would the Twilight Wolves poison a guardian to the sacred well?" Kasai asked out loud.
"To keep anyone from finding the Wind Instrument needed to summon the Light Spirit," Zelda answered. "It's the only creature that can repel the Twilight Realm, which has covered this whole area."
Everyone looked surprised.
"None of you have realized it because you've been lead to believe such a thing would never happen if you joined the Twilight Wolves, but you're wrong. Midna's planning to cover this whole city in Twilight, and possibly the world after that. Now if you would be kind to let us go deal with her, Deku Leader, I would greatly appreciate that."
"By all means," the Deku Leader said. "You've saved my daughter and my most trusted servant, so I am in your debt. Therefore, I propose that you take the Aeroplant out of the Deku District."
The Deku Princess Floret gasped. "But father—
"It shall be done!" The Deku Leader said, and stamped the ground with his staff.
Behind the Deku Leader, a sliding door opened revealing a device that looked similar to Lana's Loftwing only the wings were made of leaves and placed on top of the cock-pit. Curious, Lana entered the cock-pit and pushed a lever which caused the wings on top to spin like a propeller.
"Fascinating," Lana muttered as Zelda, Sheik, and Impa got on. "When did you have this made, Deku Leader?"
"A long time ago, but I kept it hidden after Mayor Ganon confiscated all the flying devices in Skyloft," the Deku Leader answered. "Now the Aeroplant hasn't been properly tested, so be careful while flying it."
"I will," Lana nodded and pulled down another lever which caused the cock-pit to start hovering up the tube-like shaft the Aeroplant was kept in.
At the top of the shaft, Zelda looked down and saw they were flying above the top of the Deku Palace. Using a wooden steering-wheel, Lana manipulated the Aeroplant to fly southeast toward the Goddess Statue who's back was facing toward them. Below the swamp waters had gone from purple to blue and the storm clouds had vanished.
###
A couple hours later, the Aeroplant banked left of the Goddess Statue's right arm and came above the courtyard. Zelda saw that the front wall to the courtyard had been broken into and there were several bodies strewn about. But what drew Zelda's attention more was a lone man standing in the middle of the courtyard with two figures lying at his feet. When his face looked up toward the Aeroplant, Zelda knew it was Ganon and then suddenly the Triforce symbol appeared on her hand. Behind her, Impa gasped when she saw the same symbol appear on Sheik's hand who looked just as surprised. Then Ganon waved his hand up at the Aeroplant which suddenly caused it to catch fire. Lana tried to steer the Aeroplant as best she could, but they were losing altitude quickly. So Sheik and Zelda jumped off while Impa and Lana crashed the Aeroplant into a courtyard wall.
"Impa! Lana!" Zelda exclaimed, seeing the Aeroplant burst into flames upon impact.
She attempted to run over to where the Aeroplant crashed, but she was blocked by a crystal-shaped forcefield that suddenly engulfed. Then Zelda was pulled back and found herself hovering in front of Ganon who had a malicious grin on his face. At his feet lay the unconscious bodies of Midna, who was back to normal with fragments of the Fused Shadow lying beside her, and Link who's tunic was no longer blue with a blue-haired mask next to him. Behind Ganon, Zelda noticed Cia lying at the feet of the Goddess Statue with a knife in her stomach. A Triforce symbol was glowing on Ganon's right hand but with the top triangle being the brightest as opposed to the right or left.
"Nice of you to drop in, Zelda," Ganon said snidely. "I was just about to finish off the leader of the Twilight Wolves who've been a thorn in my side for too long and the so-called False Hero."
"It's not over yet, Ganon!" Sheik exclaimed, getting Ganon's attention.
"And who might you be?" Ganon asked mockingly.
"My name is Sheik, but you know me as someone else," Sheik said as he suddenly vanished in a flash of pale blue light.
In his place stood a figure that Zelda knew all to well because it was herself but without the goggles and her shirt was pink as opposed to white.
"What? Impossible!" Ganon exclaimed, looking between the Zelda that was trapped in the crystal and the one standing before him. "How is there two Zeldas?"
"She's from an alternate reality, while I'm not," said the other Zelda as she took out the golden harp. "I also have the Goddess Harp, which is the key to summoning the Light Spirits and finishing you off for good."
After playing the Ballad of the Goddess on the harp, four bright lights appeared from the Sheikah, Zora, Hylian, and Deku Districts respectfully. Then as the four Light Spirits arose from these districts, the yellow-tinted clouds of the Twilight Realm vanished causing the sky to be blue once again. Surprised, Ganon attempted to fire beams of purple fire at the Zelda who stood before him which caused the Zelda who was trapped to be released from the crystal forcefield. But before the purple fires could singe the other Zelda, a shield of light appeared around her. Above the courtyard appeared the four Light Spirits whose orbs were shining brightly downward. As Ganon stepped back, the shield disintegrated as the other Zelda found herself holding a golden bow with four arrows of the same color.
"The Light Arrows," Ganon muttered. "No…"
"Oh, yes," said the other Zelda as she placed a Light Arrow into the string of the golden bow. "These are the only things that can destroy you, apart from the Master Sword, that were forged by the Light Spirits when they aided the Princess who helped the Hero defeat you long ago."
To be continued…