The Hyrulean Army marched on the Valley of Seers, emboldened by their prior successes. The Doctor bearing the Master Sword had granted victory after victory, position after position. Very few among their number believed that the war's end in their favour was not upon them. Before they entered the valley proper, they decided to rest.
"Anyone up for some entertainment?" Sky asked.
"Wait, what?" Hylia, Sky's Zelda, asked, looking around in confusion. Malon had indeed become fed up, and forced the three Zeldas to choose their distinct names. Hylia was an easy choice for Sky's Zelda.
"I've still got this," Sky said, pulling out his lyre. He started strumming it experimentally, and frowned. He took the time to start trying to fiddle with the strings. Time signalled something.
"Time says his instrument can get ready sooner," Malon translated. Time had pulled out his ocarina, and began playing it surprisingly loudly.
"Urgh… Midna, do you still have Ganon's magic?" Twilight groaned.
"Of course, Princess. It's how I control my wolf attacks," Midna said, holding out the gem.
"Yeah, not going to ask about why you have those in the first place," Twilight responded, grabbing the gem and transforming into her wolf form. She began to howl, and the three Links continued to try and outdo the others.
"Wind, you've got a conductor's baton, right? Try and settle this before Cia finds out we're here!" Impa barked.
"Bring her on," Wind snapped back, but he complied. He grabbed his Wind Waker, and tapped it sharply on a nearby rock. Time, Twilight and Sky turned to him, and watched his movements. Wind began waving the baton around, until Theresa took pity on him and possessed him, granting him some other melodies to play. Wind began conducting a nice beat that the ocarina, howl and lyre combined to produce. Lana found her foot tapping to the rhythm.
"Hey, isn't this…" the Doctor said, as he started to recognise the tune.
"I know! I asked Theresa to see if it was known in this time!" Lana said, humming the tune under her breath.
*Dun-da-dum, dun-da-dum, dun-da-dum.*
"Listen, Lana…" the Doctor said nervously.
"What?" Lana asked, keeping time with the beat.
"I can't let you fight in this battle," the Doctor stated quickly.
"WHAT?" Lana repeated, this time losing her place in the song.
"You're still winded from your stunt against Puppet Lana. And your attempt at fighting before hasn't helped any," the Doctor said. He pulled up Lana's arm, and checked her wound.
"Doctor, I have to help you! Pleease, please let me help you!" Lana begged.
"Lana… you know I have to prescribe what's best for you," the Doctor told her. Lana's head fell.
"Doctor… fine. I will stay back with Zelda," Lana said. 'Zelda' referred to the one native to this time period- she and Sheik, Time's Zelda, had argued at great length as to which would claim which name.
"That's all I ask. Wind! How about something uplifting… do you know the song of Molgera?" the Doctor asked.
"Molgera? That brings back memories… all right," Wind replied. He stopped the choir, and began playing Molgera's song. The tense beginning confused a few people until Time began his piece, and the song instantly inspired great courage.
"A great beat you have Wind playing…" Impa commented. The Doctor turned to her.
"I guess I had you wrong, Doctor. There's nothing you'd fight for more strongly than the health of your companions," Impa remarked.
"Honestly, with Lana calling me 'the Doctor' all the time, you'd think that'd occur to you quicker," the Doctor snarked.
"Har har har… Doctor, what do you plan to do once this war is over?" Impa asked.
"Return to my time, of course. I've received plenty of great feedback about my practices, and every day I spend here is a day that I'm not at home doing what I do best," the Doctor explained.
"But you're a time traveller! Surely your absence could be a second to the future people!" Impa said in encouragement.
"Well, you see, time travel was a bit of a sticky wicket back when it was first developed. What learned women suggested was that, if one were to spend X minutes in another time period, they should return X minutes later," the Doctor explained.
"Women?" Impa asked.
"Pregnancy was the biggest concern when people started exploiting time travel in that fashion," the Doctor said.
"Oh… I see. But you will continue to fight alongside us?" Impa asked.
"Well, who else is supposed to swing the Master Sword around? The only other people remotely qualified already have theirs!" the Doctor said, indicating the Links. Wind seemed to be scolding Twilight for messing up the song.
"One of these days, they will learn to cooperate," Impa said.
"Yes. And perhaps we will learn how to harness the power of Cuccos," the Doctor observed.
"Be careful. Twilight's come close," Impa scolded.
"All right, fine. Perhaps people will spring back to life from death's door. Perhaps the hottest flame will suddenly turn to snow. Perhaps I will find a adynaton that you guys haven't got to first," the Doctor said, throwing his arms up in annoyance.
The group marched on the Valley. Surrounding the place was a sense of dread- as if something unpleasant were about to occur. One might chalk it up to the nerves before a great battle, but the Doctor had the Master Sword. Nothing unpleasant should happen. A high pitched laugh echoed across the valley.
Hydra-Headed Dragon: GLEEOK!
The Doctor looked up at the beast that had been sprung upon them at once. The surprise was certainly unwelcome, though the Doctor couldn't find a specific rule of war that prevented it. The dragon itself was covered in sickly green scales, and bore four heads, each snarling and drooling.
"Well, that's lovely. It can eat more of us in one bite," he remarked. Without a further word as everyone behind him gathered their bearings, the Doctor drew the Master Sword, and jumped into the air. He slashed the sword in a dramatic arc, but fell short of the dragons themselves. The Doctor landed, tossing aside the Master Sword as he drew his Luminal. The Luminal's electric blade hissed in the air, and three Gleeok heads charged forward at unnatural angles. The Doctor parried one, while Ruto launched water at a second and Agitha send a massive bug at the third. Batreaux had accounted for the fourth head, stopping it from getting any funny ideas. The Doctor jumped, and slashed with the Luminal. All four heads dropped loose.
"What do you think of that, Cia?" Lana asked excitedly.
"No… Gleeok are not tamed so easily," Wind observed. The four Gleeok heads were flying in the air, glaring menacingly at them. However, observing that they were all now armed, they decided to retreat.
"Good call," Twilight said, watching them go.
"That won't be the last we see of them," Impa remarked.
"Obviously. Cia must be planning something to stop us in our tracks, and a beast so easily tamed must not be it…" the Doctor observed.
"What do we do?" Lana asked. She had continued to eye the Gleeok's body, which was showing signs of sentience. The Doctor turned to it, and his eyes narrowed.
"This fight cannot last long. I'll go directly to Cia, and get her to stop this. I'll talk her down," the Doctor said, as if it was the most obvious and logical plan available.
"Are you crazy?" Impa asked.
"No, I'm a Doctor. I'm the best Doctor in the future. If it wasn't for Ganon stepping in, I'd have helped her through her obsession. It's time I proved that reputation," the Doctor claimed.
"…You're going to use your reputation to call Cia out?" Lana asked. She had witnessed the Doctor at work and had reservations- this couldn't bode well.
"4Δ#ΡL knows who I am. She, more than anyone, would know," the Doctor said.
"Right, so…" Impa said, looking at the Gleeok body. It would eventually figure out where its enemies were.
"Time, take everyone from your time, and go to the west side. Sky, ditto with the north. Wind, the east. Twilight, the south. Find the Gleeok heads and defeat them. Those native to this time period, do something about the body and then set up a base. We must prepare for the worst. Even if I can talk sense into Cia, Ganon is still a factor," the Doctor suggested.
"Time is of the essence, boys, so go, go, GO!" Lana added. The Doctor nodded, and turned to run. The four heroes grabbed their forces, and split in the directions the Doctor had suggested. Impa and Zelda stepped up, and considered how to fight the hulking form of Gleeok before them.
The Doctor clambered to the top of the ruins, where Cia had stolen his Triforce of Courage once more. That would not happen again. The Doctor needed to return 4Δ#ΡL to her senses.
"Four. Delta. Sharp. Rho. Elle," the Doctor started, using her name as an attention grabber. The Master Sword was sheathed, the Luminal pocketed. If Cia made a move to attack, the Doctor would be hard-pressed to save himself. And that was all part of the Doctor's plan.
"You… χ8&WӔ. You're very unwise, approaching as unarmed as you are. I will defeat you, and claim the Spirit of the Hero as mine," Cia told him.
"I suspected you'd say that. I can help you, you know," the Doctor pointed out.
"You can't help me, χ8&WӔ. With this power, I will be able to claim what is rightfully mine… those four medieval heroes, all mine…" Cia claimed.
"Is that so?" the Doctor asked, drawing his Luminal.
"Do you intend to attack me, Doctor? Do you mean to wound, to harm? You would apply all measures for the benefit of the sick…" Cia taunted.
"I will remember that there is art to medicine as well as science. Warmth, sympathy and understanding outweigh the surgeon's knife and the chemist's drug. I am treating a sick human being, not a fever chart or a cancerous growth. I will prevent disease, for prevention is preferable to cure!" the Doctor quoted right back. The Oath was his lifeblood, and he'd sooner forget his name than those words.
"You have failed, Doctor," Cia told him.
"It appears I have. As it stands, the options for ending this without becoming an oathbreaker are slim. Killing you now, even though I have had all the opportunity in the world to do so, would break most of them. Never cruel nor cowardly… never give up. Never give in. Time. Twilight. Sky. Wind. Your autonomy is not healthy for them," the Doctor said with confidence. However, he had faltered. As he spoke, as he drew upon his knowledge of medical ethics to make his point. However, he came to a stop: this was definitely a blurred case he was stepping in.
"I can see the scholar has read too much of his scrolls. Why not take the time to play with that shiny new sword?" Cia asked. She brought her staff to the ground, and sent a jolt of electricity forward. It stopped short of the Doctor, and the flash of lightning was more bright than harmful. However, as the Doctor turned away, he noticed his shadow lengthening, and a figure emerging from the black.
Darkness's Quack DARK DOCTOR
The Dark Doctor was clad in a cloak, like the Doctor's own white cloak for when he was practicing. However, this Doctor was anything but white. He was coloured, from head to toe, in black, with no differing shades but for his glowing red eyes.
"Arrogance. Ego. Pride. Your confidence in your knowledge shall be your undoing, Doctor," Cia said, stepping back into the unknown. The Doctor weighed his options. For one thing, if this Dark Doctor was anything like himself, he already had a few ideas about its weaknesses. For another, it was clearly an otherworldly creation, and the Doctor doubted that it would be considered malpractice to kill it. The Doctor realised, with a start, that he hadn't considered every possibility.
The possibility that his ethics would prevent him from escaping from any battle Cia might engage him in had somehow eluded him. And this was the price.
The Doctor levelled his Luminal, and shot a spread of electricity towards the Dark Doctor. The Dark Doctor repeated the action, causing similar damage to the Doctor himself. Potentially more, since the Doctor's green tunic came with chain mail that the Dark Doctor's medical clothes did not. The Doctor lunged with his Luminal, a blow the Dark Doctor deflected. The Doctor's momentum carried forward, and he stumbled. The Dark Doctor raised his Master Sword, and brought it down.
The Dark Doctor was shoved away from a massive explosion of electricity. The Doctor looked up, and saw Lana standing there, her tome at the ready.
"I have more! More if you want it!" Lana shouted, before summoning a bolt of lightning down on the Dark Doctor, dispelling it. Lana turned to the Doctor, but dropped to her knees, grunting. The Doctor heard Cia's grunt in there, too, and turned, scrambling to his knees.
"There are… others…" Cia stated, disappearing. Lana seemed to get to her feet, her wound gone.
"Others?" she asked.
Darunia was chucking Powder Kegs up at the Gleeok head, but each toss failed to strike, instead causing explosions in the ruins. Despite how scattered Time's forces had become, he was still doing it. Time stopped him, but not because of the results. He was watching the Gleeok head, and noticed that it was changing. It dropped to the ground, and turned jet black. It grew tall- as tall as Darunia, and taller still. The figure the head had become looked much like an adult Hylian… except it seemed larger and fiercer than life.
Darkness's Deity DARK TIME
Dark Time approached Time, brandishing a massive double-helix blade. Time jumped, realising what it was, and dragged Malon away. Dark Time's slash sent out a purple sword beam, carving a trench in the ground far too deep for a simple sword beam. Dark Time started a spin attack, which Malon hurriedly cast a fire spell to interrupt.
"Ti… no, Link! You've got to use your Fierce Deity Mask!" Malon screamed. Time reached around, and pulled out the Fierce Deity Mask from his bag. It had repelled all attempts to destroy it, so Time reasoned that it'd be safest in his own hands. But to use it, to call upon the power of the Fierce Deity…
Dark Time had slashed again, the sword beam knocking Malon to the ground. Time watched Saria rush to her side, before turning back to Dark Time, a fierce glint in his eye. He put on the Fierce Deity's mask, the blood running throughout his veins boiling and fizzling. The familiar sensation of becoming the Fierce Deity overtook him again, as he drew his sword, the sword that was turning into the double-helix blade. Time brought his sword up, and struck at Dark Time. Dark Time's sword came in the exact same fashion, clashing the blades. Time and Dark Time continued to strike and counterstrike in this fashion, equally matched. Malon let out a scream of fear, causing Time to falter. Dark Time took the chance to knock Time to the ground. Malon cried out again, as Dark Time approached Time…
"HEY!" Darunia yelled. Dark Time turned to Darunia, and approached him instead. Darunia was smirking, hands held behind him. Saria, Ruto and Sheik were watching Dark Time's approach in horror. Sheik turned to Time, who wasn't getting up anytime soon. Ruto watched as Dark Time began an overhead slash, as Darunia lifted the Powder Keg up from behind his back to block the blow, and hurriedly created a wall of water in front of everyone, blocking the massive explosion from causing more than scratch damage to everyone but Dark Time and Darunia. Both had vanished, leaving little remains.
"Oh dear…" Sheik remarked.
Twilight levelled her crossbow, and fired. The Gleeok head dropped to the ground just before the bolt landed, causing Twilight to let out a course of unladylike words- could the head just die already? As the general thought came to her mind, she blinked, realising that the Gleeok head was actually doing something different. It was growing into a rather curvy young woman, draped in what Twilight recognised as her own green hood. Well, it would have been green if it wasn't pitch black.
Darkness's Princess DARK TWILIGHT
"You again?" Twilight asked. Dark Twilight levelled her crossbows, and fired two bolts- one at her, and one at Ilia. Twilight dodged hers, and Ilia summoned a statue to deflect hers. Ilia took the chance to inspect the bolt. It looked more like an arrow, and Ilia was prepared to bet that it was somehow more lethal than Twilight's bolts. She didn't know enough about bows to make a call herself.
Twilight and Dark Twilight had gotten into a crossbow duel. Twilight was trying to shoot Dark Twilight's bolts out of the air, but their larger size made the effort less than the ideal she was hoping for. Ilia at least commended her accuracy, though. Twilight let out a shuddering gasp, and dropped to the ground. Dark Twilight levelled both crossbows, and Ilia summoned another statue to deflect those bolts.
"Down in front, Ilia!" Midna commanded. Ilia complied, deleting the statue before wrapping herself around Twilight. She had her eyes half closed, but the bright white orbs soaring overhead were still clearly visible. Ilia reopened her eyes, to see Midna astride her wolf, snarling. Ilia turned back, to see the fading form of a large cannon. Dark Twilight growled, and Midna summoned another pair of glowing orbs. She shone them, letting the brightness cross over Dark Twilight's skin, before sending them into her chest.
"Go, Ilia! Get Princess checked!" Midna said. Ilia nodded. As much as she wanted to see Dark Twilight get comeuppance, Twilight needed checking.
Sky had taken his battle with his Gleeok head to the high skies. It was only natural, but he could tell that Hylia was getting shaken by his absence. The Gleeok head opened, and started changing shape. Sky soared backwards, allowing the Gleeok head room- lest the force of the change knock one of his wings out of place and send him to the ground. He watched as a winged figure hovered before him. Humanoid, with two massive wings sprouted from his back. Coloured from head to toe, wing-tip to wing-tip in black, except for a pair of glowing, red eyes.
Darkness's Angel DARK SKY
Dark Sky drew a sword, and raised it skyward. Sky jumped, and copied the action. His Skyward Strike came out in time to block Dark Sky's, but it was a close thing. Sky shot his Beetle, and Dark Sky slashed it down. Sky chuckled, before drawing his bow. He let a few arrows fly, until Dark Sky shot a sword beam, knocking the bow from his hands. Sky tried the Gust Bellows, but they fell from his grasp before he could steady it. Sky drew his sword again, and flew in for a strike. Dark Sky parried and counterstruck, sending Sky flying back. It suddenly occurred to him that, aside from Demise (which was a very special case), he had little experience duelling another flying opponent. Most of the advantages he had trained with disappeared in this setting.
"Link!" Hylia's voice cried out. Sky looked down, and noticed Hylia aiming his bow. To his surprise, it was pointed rather firmly at Dark Sky.
"Hylia!" Sky called out.
"…Ominous black hole thingy, take this!" Hylia exclaimed, firing the bow. The arrow was sent singing skywards, stopping just short of doing more than scraping Dark Sky. The arrow began its descent, and Sky realised said descent would be right into Hylia. He dived down, reaching for the arrow, grabbing it- before realising grabbing a moving projectile wasn't the best idea. He held his tongue, trying to get to ground to get the wound bandaged, and missed Groose's words. He couldn't miss, however, the giant blast that signalled Groose had shot something, and the resulting thud-kaboom of that thing being Dark Sky.
"Ouch," Sky remarked.
Wind's efforts to stop his Gleeok head were limited to conducting wind around and about, adding Theresa's magic for damage. Tetra was tossing bombs, and Aryll Hyoi Pears for the seagulls. The Gleeok head consumed a bomb directly, and the assault stopped. Everyone stepped back, proud of their work. The Gleeok head had fallen, and its shape replaced by a short, black figure. It looked up, and red eyes were revealed.
Darkness's Fairy DARK WIND
Dark Wind levelled an odd rod at the group. No one, not even Theresa, quite knew why, at least until Dark Wind opened a large portal behind him. It widened, revealing a large, black carriage. It came out with a loud whistle, and rammed solidly into Wind. The carriage disappeared into another portal, but something suggested to those who remained standing that the carriage would return. Aryll jumped to her feet, and listened for the shrieking whistle that would signal the carriage's return. It came from the left, and Aryll jumped aboard. The carriage disappeared into the darkness.
Aryll departed the carriage, and found herself standing on uncertain land. The floor was virtually indistinguishable from the rest of the surroundings, bar a few grey paths on the ground. Aryll noticed that the odd carriage only followed those paths. She also noticed Dark Wind, a black blot against a purplish-black backdrop, motioning with his rod, moving the carriage across the world above. Aryll drew the Gilded Sword, and slashed at him. The attack took Dark Wind by surprise, and he turned to the girl in shock. He parried a blow from the rear, and Aryll realised that Tetra was attacking from the world above. Aryll added her own strokes, careful to watch what Dark Wind was parrying and not strike there. Every stroke of hers he blocked, there was a sign that Tetra was dealing damage. Eventually, Dark Wind dissipated, and Aryll could pick up his rod. She summoned the carriage, and used it to escape the world of darkness.
Bet Dark Wind regretted that kind of attack.
The Doctor checked Lana's wounds. Lana felt fit to stand, but the Doctor felt otherwise. He gave them a wave over with his Luminal, and replaced her bandages. As wounds went, hers was looking decent, but still not exactly a wound she should be jumping around and electrifying enemies with.
"Doctor…" Lana said, looking behind the Doctor. The Doctor turned, and noticed a dark light flowing into the air above him. The darkness was in four pieces, but as the Doctor turned, he saw them converge, and change shape. They formed into the shape of a woman, and the woman landed in front of the Doctor. She was entirely black, with red eyes. Another Dark Link. The Doctor felt his Luminal vibrate, and Theresa appeared beside the group.
"Doctor, Darunia is dead, and Twilight, Sky and Wind all report injuries that require your attention. Nothing serious, but..." Theresa started, before her eyes landed on the Dark Link.
Darkness's Idol DARK FIRST
"No…Cheyenne…" Theresa muttered, her hands jumping to her mouth.
"Cheyenne?" Lana asked.
"…Also known as the First… I knew her," Theresa said simply.
"…This isn't her," the Doctor assured Theresa. He drew his Master Sword, and approached the Dark First. The Dark First drew her own Master Sword, twirling it around like it was child's play. The Doctor tossed a slash, and then a second. The Dark First parried both easily, barely even touching her blade to perform the strokes. The Doctor stepped back, wondering how to proceed. The Dark First tilted her head to either side, and Lana and Theresa turned in those directions.
From the left came a rather feral-looking boy holding an odd stone slab in one arm. From the right came a rather sweet, Twilight-ish girl sitting astride a rather large wolf.
Darkness's Breath DARK WILD
Darkness's Dame DARK LINKLE
"Three of them…" the Doctor whispered.
"Someone's clearly been busy…" Theresa added. The Dark First shot forward with a leap, and Lana spread a barrier around the group, sending parts of the Dark First into Dark Wild and Dark Linkle. The pair of them gained odd auras, and leaped forward as Lana's barrier failed her. Theresa focused, and clasped her hands together.
The Doctor looked up at the two Dark Links, to see an encouraging sight. Malon, Ilia, Hylia and Tetra had leaped into action, holding back the two Dark Links. As he looked up, the four had knocked them away. Hylia turned to face left of the Doctor.
"True strength comes from knowing your weaknesses!" Hylia stated proudly.
"Said the blind girl to thin air," Ilia remarked, rolling her eyes. The Doctor smiled, regardless, and hefted up the Master Sword. He stared at it, before tossing it aside.
"I cross the void beyond the mind. The empty space that circles time. I see where others stumble blind. To seek a truth they'll never find. Eternal wisdom is my guide. I am the Doctor!" the Doctor exclaimed, drawing his Luminal, and creating a massive burst of light. The darkness that composed Dark Wild and Dark Linkle dissipated.
"What do you know? Eternal wisdom means knowing light dispels darkness…" the Doctor said, looking into the point of his Luminal. He turned, to see Twilight, Sky and Wind. He waved his Luminal over the three, getting his diagnoses.
"Kekeke…" sounded behind him.
"…Oh dear," the Doctor remarked.
"You may have memorised thousands of medical procedures… but here, on the battlefield, you're out of your element, Doctor," Wizzro said.
"Correct," the Doctor stated simply, blasting Wizzro with the light blast. Wizzro reformed, grinning.
"Put that light out," Wizzro scolded.
"I can't! It's a Luminal! Luminal equals light!" the Doctor explained. Malon picked up the Master Sword, and ran towards Wizzro. Wizzro cackled, waving his arms around. Dark circles began appearing, jumping all across the valley. Malon cut Wizzro into pieces, before slamming the sword into Wizzro's ring. The thousands of souls that comprised Wizzro spiralled away into the sky, but the dark circles remained around the valley.
"Can those not be awful?" the Doctor asked, vaguely hopeful.
Zelda looked around at the dark circles that had made their appearance. Many were also in front of the various exits to the valley, as well as in places like the centre of the allied base. Zelda organised a retreat, as Moblins and Redeads emerged from the circles.
"Fall back!" Impa commanded. She looked up at the temple, to see the Doctor running towards them. "We leave here, and strike against Cia another time!"
"Leaving so soon?" a deep voice asked. Zelda's feet were locked in place, as heavy footfalls sounded from behind her.
"Ganon…" Impa uttered.
"The very same. That Cia wretch is doing nothing but disobey me, but she will be punished later. I must claim the Triforce," Ganon boomed, pointing at Zelda. Zelda grunted, and turned around.
"I'm not afraid of you, Ganon," Zelda told him, drawing her lyre.
"You are wise, Zelda. You should know to fear me is wise. So why don't you?" Ganon asked. Zelda started playing songs on her lyre. Light appeared around Ganon, as forest, flame and water came out and around him. Ganon growled, creating darkness bubbles to dispel the attacks.
"ZELDA!" the Doctor's voice cried out. The Doctor had arrived, followed by Lana.
"Doctor!" Impa exclaimed.
"Lana, kindly escort Impa to follow the others," the Doctor suggested.
"You're not going to fight, are you?" Lana asked.
"But the princess…" Impa protested.
"Will be fine in my hands," the Doctor assured her, shining a bright light on his Luminal. Lana grabbed Impa's hand, and pulled her away. The Doctor activated the Light Sabre on his Luminal, and approached Ganon.
"So… you are the one they call the Doctor. You run around claiming to be a Link, but face a man and you'll hesitate to strike. You will NEVER be my enemy, boy," Ganon taunted.
"Boy? I did not go through years of medical school to be called 'boy'. And while it is true that my Oath stops me from harming men, I don't see any men in front of me. Just a monster trying to kill a lady. I think it's well justified defeating you, hm?" the Doctor responded, approaching Ganon.
"You dare not raise the Master Sword?" Ganon asked.
"I am not a warrior. I am not a hero. I do what I do best: be a doctor," the Doctor said, before charging forward. His opening uppercut sent Ganon into the air, where the Doctor could slash him several times before slamming the Light Sabre, with Ganon, into the ground. Ganon summoned a massive darkness orb, but the Doctor leaped backwards, before letting a giant beam pierce the darkness, dispelling it and sending Ganon flying. Ganon charged forward, to be met by a triumphant spin attack.
"…You… will raise your sword to me…" Ganon panted. The Doctor could see the wounds he bore.
"I offer this chance once. Remove yourself from this conflict," the Doctor suggested. "As long as innocents fear your blade, you are a threat to my profession."
"…You would stand against me… so be it. But Hyrule's blood is on your hands," Ganon taunted, before sinking into the darkness beneath him.
The Doctor looked over Twilight. Sky and Wind were easy to heal, and most of the other wounded were in a similar boat. Incisions and the like were a specialty of the Luminal the Doctor possessed, a Luminal designed to belong on a battlefield.
What Twilight suffered from, however, was not something often found on a battlefield.
"A yeast infection," the Doctor diagnosed, looking to Twilight. As requested, the only other person in the tent was Ilia, and her face suggested she was regretting it.
"A what?" Twilight asked.
"Yeast. It's a type of fungus. And it seems… it was caused by this," the Doctor explained, cutting Twilight's sarashi free, and holding it up.
"The sarashi…" Twilight muttered.
"Yes, breast-binding does have unfortunate long-term effects. This being one of them. I, of course, would like to recommend you avoid it, however…" the Doctor trailed off.
"I need it to do my acrobatics effectively," Twilight stated.
"In which case, I would offer a different measure. This may be a difficult decision for you… but I would be willing to do a breast reduction surgery," the Doctor suggested.
"You would?" Twilight asked excitedly.
"You're excited? Well, I do have to warn you, it won't be me waving my wand and you walking out of here, flat as a board and raring to go. You will have a few concerns- such as needing almost a whole day's rest following, plus a few days where intensive physical activity- like fighting or acrobatics- will not be recommended. Then there's also the scarring, problems with using your breasts as intended..." the Doctor explained.
"…I want this. But… Ilia…" Twilight said, turning to Ilia. Ilia looked at Twilight's chest, before turning back to her eyes.
"If it will make you happy. I will be there to do anything you'd need those for, anyway," Ilia assured her. Twilight smiled, as did the Doctor. Asking permission from someone who didn't have any right to offer it showed true character.
"I will have to knock you out, first. Standard procedure in the future, of course, and normally done with something called 'anaesthesia', but my Luminal can do one better," the Doctor explained. Twilight nodded.
"One last time… are you sure?" the Doctor asked. Twilight locked her eyes with his.
"Yes."