Chapter 56: Fairy Grove

While Karoline and Pip were still passed out, Link spoke to Sylvan telling her everything that had happened to him before the circle of light that took Agnes and Raoole surrounded her.

"Tell my sister that I'm fine, okay?" Sylvan said as she vanished.

Link nodded and then turned his attention to Karoline who was just beginning to stir. The eastern sky had turned gray and the moon was now slightly closer than it was before. Karoline's eyes fluttered open and she looked surprised.

"Link," Karoline said faintly. "Am I…dreaming right now?"

"No," Link said shaking his head. "I'm as real as I'll ever be."

"Zelda said you were waiting for us, and then…everything went blank."

"I heard you were all lead into a dark room. Was there anything in it?"

"I think so," Karoline responded as she rubbed her head. "Something small and gray, with curved horns. There was this weird substance coming from it, and I remember falling to my knees before something was put onto my back."

Then suddenly Karoline convulsed and turned on her side. Grim-faced, Link looked underneath Karoline's uniform and saw the Shadow Crystal pulsing on her back. Meanwhile, Pip was breathing heavily as if in pain though he wasn't conscious.

"What is it?" Karoline asked through gritted teeth.

"Ever heard of a Shadow Crystal?" Link asked.

Karoline shook her head. "Should I know what it is?"

"It's a corrosive item that keeps something stuck in a certain form. In your case, it kept you and Pip trapped as those Watchmen that were created by the Fused Shadow."

"The Fused Shadow?"

"It belonged to the Twili people before they apparently vanished. It's a powerful relic of theirs that corrupts anything it touches."

"Did I try to…hurt you?"

"Yeah, but you were stopped by Sylvan who played the Guaracha of the Southern Storm."

Upon hearing that, Karoline cringed even further.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't know. It feels like my mind is being torn apart."

"If only I had the Tears of Light right now," Link muttered under his breath.

"Link! Look!" Proxi shouted, flying around the fountain.

"That's just the fountain," Link said unimpressed.

"I'm not talking about that!" Proxi circled around the edge of the fountain and said, "Look at the plaque, silly!"

Sighing, Link looked at the metal plaque Proxi was pointing to which read, "Here Lies the Vessel of the Last Tears Shed by the Creatures that Dwell in the Light".

"The Tears of Light!" Link exclaimed. "They were here all along? How did Zelda not find them before us?"

"Probably because the Deku Tree hid them from her sight with his magic," Proxi suggested.

"That would make sense," replied Link. "But let's test it to see if it's the real deal."

So Link took a handful of the fountain water and slowly poured it on Karoline's back. The Shadow Crystal steamed and withered, causing Karoline to cry out in pain which woke up Pip. Initially, he was surprised to see Link and then he slowly got up.

"Link, what are you doing to her?" Pip said nervously.

"It's all right, Pip," Karoline assured. "I'll be fine."

Once all the water had run through Link's hands, the Shadow Crystal had completely vanished from Karoline's back. Amazed, Pip knelt down and touched it.

"What was that thing?" Pip asked.

"It was a Shadow Crystal," Link answered. "Zelda was using them to control you guys."

"Zelda?" Pip was about to say something else when he suddenly bended over.

Quickly, Link examined Pip's back. "The Shadow Crystal's pulsing on your back too, just like Karoline's before I removed it with the Tears of Light."

"She's calling us," Pip muttered. "The Mistress…says we should head to the Skyloft Prison District to find the last Medley Fragment."

"Prison District?"

"It's where the Twili District used to be," Karoline explained.

"How do you know that?" Link asked.

"I'm starting to remember things, like they were in a dream but I get the feeling they were real," replied Karoline.

After Link applied the Tears of Light to Pip's back, he took an empty bottle from one of his pouches and filled it with some water from the fountain.

"I need to take care of the others, before they answer to the call as well," Link said. "You'll be safer up here than anywhere else."

"Be careful, Link," Karoline said as she held Pip's head in her lap.

Using a circle of light that appeared behind the fountain, Link was able to warp back to the start of the Sky Canopy. He found Sylvia sleeping nearby and woke her up.

"Did you find my sister?" asked Sylvia.

"Yes, but she's gone to the Sacred Realm," Link responded.

Sylvia was startled. "The Sacred Realm? But only the Wind Sages are allowed to go there."

"Well, your sister turned out to be one of them."

"I see. That would explain why the Deku Tree gave the Bassoon of the South to her."

"Do you think you could help me one last time?"

"Sure."

"There are two Hylians at Fairy Grove that are very weak. They wear the Watchmen uniforms, but they're perfectly fine and they need to be looked after. Can you do that?"

"Yeah, I would be glad to help."

"Do you need me to escort you through the Sky Canopy?"

"I can find my own way around, but thanks for asking."

Then Sylvia bounded off just as the sun was starting to rise in the eastern sky.

###

Once he got back to the Kokiri village, Link used his Talon Clasp to hitch a ride on the Skyloft Rail that led into the Zora District. There, he payed a visit to Professor Nautilus in the Marine Research Laboratory where Link removed the Shadow Crystals off the backs of Crow and Stitch using the Tears of Light. Though they were initially not happy to see him, Stitch and Crow eventually gave Link their thanks before he left.

Then after that, Link used the Skyloft Rail to head all the way back to the Hylian District where he gave Fletch the same treatment at the Hylian University. He was starting to revert to his previous form as Fahlcon, but after a few Tears of Light fell onto his back Fletch was back to normal. After it was over, he was laid on a cushioned couch in Professor Scarab's office with Wittia beside him.

"Has Professor Scarab come back yet?" Link said as he looked around the nearly vacant office.

"He's conversing with Mister Penman in the library," Wittia said. "The door's already open, so you can go in if you want to."

"Okay, thanks."

Down in the library Link came upon Mister Penman and Professor Scarab having a very intense conversation that he picked up even from a few feet away.

"No! Absolutely not!" Mister Penman snapped. "I have no qualms against you writing pulp-fiction in your spare-time, but I won't have that kind of material in my library!"

"But the students love it," Professor Scarab insisted. "They've been begging me to ask you to add every single issue of Commander Clamp, including the latest ones, to the library's collection. If space or money is the issue, I can certainly accommodate."

"It's not about the money or the space, but rather the principal of keeping our material educational and literary."

"Um, excuse me," Link said, interrupting.

"Great Goddesses!" Professor Scarab exclaimed. "Did you hear all that?"

"The part about you publishing the Commander Clamp stories, and that Mister Penman doesn't want you putting them in the library."

Professor Scarab gave Link a nervous look. "You won't tell anyone?"

"Of course not, but I've been looking all over for you 'Mister Grasshopper.'"

"What for?"

"I need you to autograph this latest issue for a fan of yours who lives in the Gerudo District." Link reached into his tunic and pulled out the magazine he had been holding onto.

"You make it sound like it's urgent."

"The fan, Naru, says she'll show me the way to some ruins where the Time Gate pieces are hidden after I've brought back an autographed copy of your work."

"Naru?" Professor Scarab paused and then asked, "Any family?"

"Yes, a mother," Link answered.

"Very spiteful woman?"

"Yeah, how did you know?"

"I met Naru's mother a few years back, when I was doing research on insects in the Gerudo District. But things got out of hand, and we haven't spoken since."

"Why?"

"It was something that I did that I haven't taken responsibility for."

"Then maybe you should."

"Perhaps, but for now I'll sign that magazine for you."

While Professor Scarab signed the inside page of the magazine, Link turned to Mister Penman and said, "What can you tell me about the Skyloft Prison District?"

"You mean the Snowpeak District?" When Link tiled his head in confusion, Mister Penman explained, "There's not much to say. After the Twili District vanished, Zelda ordered a new district be built in its place and she enslaved the Gorons to do it. They created an entire set of artificial snow-covered mountains filled with underground prison cells and inescapable mazes. Supposedly, the Leader of the Gorons himself is imprisoned there. Why do you ask?"

"One of the Watchmen I defeated said that Zelda was telling him and the others to head there."

"In what fashion did she communicate to him?"

"I'm not sure. The Shadow Crystal on his back was pulsing when he said it."

"Of course," Mister Penman realized. "Those Shadow Crystals not only kept the Watchman under control but Zelda was also using them as a form of internal communication. But why would she ask them to go there? Unless…the final Medley Fragment is there. Then all she has to do is find the Sage and the Wind Instrument, both of which might be in the Snowpeak District as well."

"Then there's no time to waste," Link said turning to the door.

"Now hold your horses, young man," Mister Penman ordered. "You're going to need a plan if you're going to sneak into the Snowpeak District. Security is top-notch there, and the Skyloft Rail doesn't go through it."

"Then what do you suggest I should do?"

"Ride in Number 1735, or Tin-Kan as I've preferred to call him," Mister Penman said as he unlocked the tall cabinet behind his desk and from it emerged a Clockwork Policeman. "I found him in a junkyard a few years ago and decided to tinker with his circuits. He's been reprogrammed to obey my commands only, and will gladly take you to the Snowpeak District."

"You've got to be kidding me," Link said with slight annoyance. "What if someone comes up to me while I'm in it, or another Policemen? Then what would I do?"

"I'll be remotely controlling Tin-Kan with this device," Mister Penman said holding up a device that was small and square-shaped with several buttons and nobs on it. "You just have to sit back and enjoy the ride. But you'll have to manually control him once you're in the district due to the strong interference signals coming from that place. How does that sound?"

"You're a clever old man, Mister Penman," Link said excitedly.

To be continued…