LEGEND OF ZELDA TIME LOOPS: New Loopers, New Worries
Disclaimer: I don't own the Legend of Link...err...Zelda. Yeah, that one.
21.1 (masterofgames)
Navi simply stood slack jawed as her Picori instructor calmly dusted his hands off and walked back inside, leaving behind a pile of ash that had once been a cucco. "Th... those things are MORTAL!?"
Librari nodded sagely. "Indeed. Such is the power held inside this pouch." he replied, patting the tiny bag tied to his belt. "In my travels, I have learned many things, but the thing that has come in handy the most often is this. The more useless a magic object seems, and the harder it is to get, the more powerful it tends to be. This Magic Powder seems to be no more than a bag of dust, and can only be obtained in a world within a dream. It is the only thing I have ever encountered able to destroy a cucco with a single shot."
He then grinned, looking up at Navi as he passed her on his way inside. "And let me tell you. It took quite a few attempts to figure out how to bring it with me. I must have died a dozen times before I figured it out."
Navi froze stiff as he entered his house with a chuckle, attempting to process his words.
"... You're LOOPING!?"
"Should I not be?"
21.2 (Stonebrow)
Link sat at the table, ignoring the nearby chess game. Sipping his drink, he turned to his taciturn companion. "It's a sword made out of lasers, right? Why can't it shoot?"
Obi Wan was taken aback. "What?"
"The light saber. Not a bad sword, but no long distance capabilities."
"Not a bad swo- … It is the epitome of millennia of warfare! We don't need to 'shoot' with them, we bounce incoming fire back at our opponents!"
Link nodded, "Well that's fine if everyone uses lasers, but what if you've got 30 guys with bows and arrows shooting at you? Light saber can't bounce arrows back, can it? Anyway, Mirror Shield is more practical at reflecting attacks. Bigger surface area."
"Can your sword melt through metal?" Obi Wan asked, looking at the green-clad warrior's metal blade, strapped to the youth's back.
"Well, no. I'd generally use one or more bombs in that situation. I'm not saying my sword is better, per se, I'm just saying that the ability to launch projectiles out the end is really useful if you have to hit a guy a dozen yards away. Or if you want to chop a bush up without going out of your way."
"… I don't even know what to say to that."
21.3 (Drakohahn)
Link had a feeling in the back of his mind that something strange was about to happen. He knew Ganondorf was Awake, but not much has changed from the baseline. Clearing that thought with a shake of his head, the green-clad swordsman opened the door into the grand cathedral where Ganondorf was playing the pipe organ as normal. Also as normal, when Link got closer, the evil overlord of the Gerudo stopped and turned to face him.
"So, you're finally here, oh mighty hero. You have beaten me many times before." Then he grinned evilly, "However, that was as the King of Thieves and Ruler of Darkness! How will you defeat..."
The roof over their heads opened up to reveal a giant disco ball slowly descending overhead and the floor turned into tiles of rapidly flashing lights. Suddenly, in that change of lighting, Ganondorf was no longer wearing his usual outfit. Instead, his red hair was puffed up in an afro and he was wearing a disco suit.
"The King of the Dance Floor!"
Link just stood there in horrified silence.
21.4 (Crisis)
"This is an odd flower..." Link mused as he examined the bright flame-colored flora with the beady little eyes. Seeing no immediate reason not to, Link bent over to pluck it.
The flower immediately flared and vanished, leaving Link with a rushing feeling of warmth and power. He noted that his green tunic had turned white and his brown boots, gloves, and belt had become red. Flexing his left hand experimentally yielded a fist-sized ball of flame that only felt slightly warm to the touch. A moment later and Link was tossing the ball of fire from one hand to the other, a grin beginning to split his face as he did.
Oh, yes. He was going to have fun with this.
21.5
Midna sighed and stretched as she Awoke, before grinning. She was an adult! Well, technically, she was always an adult, but at the moment, she actually looked like it. One of the most unfortunate part of the Loops for Midna was that she was so often stuck in the imp form she had been cursed with when she first went out to save the world with Link. It was useful at times, especially because a lot of people would underestimate her, making it easier to take them out if necessary, but it was still annoying how people were so often patronizing to her, just because she looked like a child.
Midna ran her hands across her arms as her hair went through a few complicated motions. She was happy to see that despite her apparently being human this loop, give her pale skin and round ears, her hair was still under her control. After checking that she could still access her Pocket and use some of the abilities she had picked up throughout her life, she turned towards sorting out her memories to figure out what her position was this Loop.
It was at that point that the door behind her blew off its hinges, and Lord Voldemort stepped into the nursery Midna was currently standing in.
About half an hour later, Midna finally got the last bits of Dark Lord out of her hair. The number of pieces he had been cut into might have been overkill, but if he hadn't wanted to die, he shouldn't have snuck up on her. Midna conveniently ignored the fact that her Unawake self had been running from Voldemort, so he couldn't technically be said to have been sneaking, but she stood by her principles, dammit.
Setting fire to the hair brush that she had just finished using, she exited the small bathroom of the cottage. Currently, she, Sirius Black, and her...child, were the only living beings in the house. A massive man named Hagrid had shown up to check on them, saying something about taking Harry to Dumbledore, but after seeing Lily glaring at him with bits of Voldemort still trapped in her hair, he had said a few condolences and beat a hasty retreat. Sirius was currently in the master bedroom, still mourning James. He didn't have much choice, as Midna had had to stick him to the wall with a permanent sticking charm to keep him from running after Wormtail, who her memories told her was the one who had been guarding the secret of where she and her family had been hiding. Midna hadn't ever really read the books, but they had been mentioned by several of the other Loopers, and she knew that Sirius ran off to prison or something, so she was going to keep an eye on him until she sorted out what to do from here.
She stepped quietly into the nursery, and looked down at the sleeping form of Harry Potter. She had sent out a ping right after taking out the Dark Lord, and she hadn't gotten back a response, so she figured that Harry either wasn't Awake yet, or there was a Stealth Anchor running around. Still, from what Zelda had told her about this particular Loop, she should have a good sixteen to seventeen years, at least, before the Loop ended. Privately, she somewhat hoped that Harry Awoke soon, as she didn't want to face the pain of raising him, only to see him vanish when the Loop ended. Similarly, she was both saddened that James Potter was dead, as well as relieved. No matter that in this life, she was the woman he had married, it would still feel too much like she was stealing another woman's husband.
She ran a hand across Harry's smooth forehead, before pulling away and heading out the door to go try to talk some sense into Sirius, and think of a way of getting him down off the wall in one piece. Whatever happens, she would do what she always did.
Win.
Harry groaned softly as he Awoke to the sound of knocking.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm up, Petunia." He mumbled as he sat upright. Blinking sleep from his eyes, he reached up with his hand, waving fingertips through the area where a low ceiling should have been. He reached over to a carved nightstand, and pulled on a pair of glasses that were obviously the right prescription for him, and took in a rather handsomely lived-in room.
His first thought was along the lines of 'Sweet, no Dursleys'. His second thought, after taking in the variety of decorations and pictures on the wall, was 'Sweet, a variant I've never been in before!'. Even if the only difference turned out to be that his unawake self loved the light teal color that the walls were painted, novel experiences were the most valuable thing a Looper could have, especially one as experienced as Harry. His third thought was to send out a ping, which was answered by the door opening, and a voice both familiar and strange saying, "Oh, good, you're finally Awake."
Midna smiled softly as she watched the Hogwarts Express pull away from the station. Harry had Awoken just over a year ago, and it was somewhat bittersweet, both his Awakening, and him leaving on the train.
Despite her (admittedly halfhearted) efforts to keep some emotional distance, she had gotten attached to Harry, having him run around and call her 'Mum'. Harry the Anchor had still called her 'Mum', and still acted like a little kid, but she got the feeling that it was more him humoring her than any actual level of true affection. Still, they had developed a new dynamic, and Harry admitted that it was very nice to actually have a Loop where he could be 'Just Harry', given how rare such opportunities were.
Midna rolled her eyes as she headed towards the Floo, calmly ignoring the whispers of "There she is" and "the Crimson Banshee" and "Do you think his nose is still in her hair?". The only fame Harry had to deal with now was the fame that came with being the only son of the Mad Muggleborn, the Witch Who Won, the Crimson Banshee, etc. Apparently, the Wizarding World couldn't settle on a single name for her, something Harry found very amusing. He had helped her ensure Voldemort was really gone right after Awakening, and they were planning to spend the rest of the Loop just living a normal life. Something Midna could really appreciate.
Now if only the marriage proposals would stop...
21.6 (Archeo Lumiere)
Footfall Perception
Link Awoke while he was still asleep, a novel feeling, one which awoke Link in the mundane sense of the word. As he analyzed his surroundings, he also was analyzing his loop memories, surprised that, despite being the Ocarina of Time time period, he did not have his usual outfit on yet, instead, he had on an outfit similar to his initial Great Sea outfit, but the pants were darker, the shirt was white with green rather than blue with white, and the lobster was replaced with the Kokiri Emerald. His memories confirmed this as the typical outfit of the Kokiri, save for the bottom variance among individuals. Link sent out a Ping, only for it to fail. It seems that out of loop powers are restricted. How about the Pocket? At this, Link tried to take one of his Boomerangs out, only for that to fail too. Lastly, he took the journal in the room and put it first into his in loop pocket and took it out, and then his Subspace Pocket. When he put it into his Subspace Pocket, he could not remove it. So baseline powers only, Pocket's in but not out, interesting.
The upside to being Awoken when asleep is that baseline awakenings don't happen. Link had been long awake when Navi flew in the door, so he saved himself a tumble out of bed. Taking this as his cue to start his adventure, he left his house and went straight to the boulder chamber, got the Kokiri Sword, and got to cutting enough grass to afford a Deku Shield. Having bypassed Mido, he ran along to the Great Deku Tree.
Upon entering the Great Deku Tree's Meadow, Navi shouted "Great Deku Tree... I'm back!" This was the signal marking an initial conversation with the Tree, one from baseline. However, after Link agreed to take upon himself the quest, the Tree said something new.
"Indeed, thou hath the courage, and the wisdom, but thou hath not the awareness needed to defeat the creatures within. The monsters that inhabit my inside, as well as this world, will take any opportunity to sneak up on you. You have not yet experienced this, seeing how the monsters inhabiting the path here are stationary, but thou must perceive all that is around you." At this, a chest fell down from the Great Deku Trees's limbs. "Inside this chest are Sacred Garments infused with some of my power, take them to a nook present in the east side of my visage, and change into them." he concluded.
Link took the chest itself to the nook, seeing how it was small enough, and opened it there. Inside was an outfit very similar to the one he usually wore, a green tunic and hat. Surprisingly, it did not contain boots. Shrugging at this, Link changed into the outfit, leaving on the shoes that he had been wearing. Upon return to the Tree's front, the Great Deku Tree spoke again.
"Good, the Sacred Garments fit you well, although it seems that I had forgotten to mention their caveat,"
Here comes the curve ball...
"just as I am rooted in the earth to grow, so must you be connected to the earth to truly receive the abilities presented by the Sacred Garments. One must be connected to the ground upon which they walk."
and there it is, the loop is keeping me barefoot. Well, I can deal with that.
"So please, remove thine foot coverings, and experience the sensation of true awareness." the Great Deku Tree prompted.
Link did as he was asked, sitting on a root and taking off the shoes that he had started the loop wearing. When he dropped down from the root, his mind was flooded with sensation, with information that his mind had no way of easily processing, but the clothes he wore were embedded with magic that translated the vibrations into thought patterns, and mental maps. He felt what the village looked like, where the boulder was in the grove that he found the Kokiri Sword, and exactly what the inside of the Great Deku Tree looked like, down to the last detail. He even felt the wing beats of the birds in the sky, allowing him to estimate their position in the sky. It was breath taking.
"Now dost thou see what I mean? These garments will connect you to the very foundation of our world. Now go, and defeat the evil that resides within me." At this, the Great Deku Tree opened his mouth, flooding Link's mind with even more detailed sensations of what lay beyond. He entered, knowing that nothing this loop would catch him off guard.
21.7 (Zap Rowsdower)
"IT IS DANGEROUS TO GO ALONE TAKE THIS," exclaimed a suspiciously Librari-like human, giving Link a rubber chicken, which strangely had a hub-loop "Spencer's Gifts" tag still on it.
Link stared at the tag for a moment.
"Er, old man... are you... Librari? And looping?"
"EASTMOST PENINSULA IS THE SECRET."
Link sighed. Loop restriction or not, might as well play along.
"Say the dodongo thing twice if I'm right.
"DODONGO DISLIKE SMOKE. DODONGO DISLIKE SMOKE."
After saying that, Librari paused a moment, and took out a quill and notepad, scrawled something out, then handed it to Link.
"So, you've been Looping for a while, huh? That was you looping as Rauru that replaced all my tunics with pink ones while I was sleeping last Ocarina of Time loop!"
Librari nodded and smirked, then handed Link another note. "LETS PLAY MONEY MAKING GAME."
"A hundred rupees on if I can tell it's you or not next time you're Awake? You're on!"
21.8
Link sneezed as he pulled himself through the dusty secret passageway. Zelda hadn't met him to go to the Picori festival, and he was worried that Vaati had gotten to her early. Vaati wasn't Awake (or at least, he hadn't answered Link's ping), but variants were, as ever, still a thing. Though, as the Triforce told him that Zelda was Awake, he doubted that any variant of Vaati could beat her for long.
Link ducked past a pair of patrolling guards, and knocked softly on the door to Zelda's Room. After a few moments, in which he wondered if he had the wrong room (it oddly didn't change too much between Loops, unless the entire castle changed), Zelda opened the door, sniffling.
Link immediately stepped in, putting his hand on her shoulder. "What happened?"
Zelda shook her head, turning away and walking back to her bed. Link followed, and sat down next to her. The two of them sat side by side for several moments, before Zelda whispered, softly.
Link cocked his head. "What was that?"
"...I'm a parasite."
For a brief moment, Link thought of the Go'auld he had encountered a couple dozen Loops ago, before shaking it off. At this distance, he could feel Zelda through the telepathic bond that they sometimes shared. She was terribly upset, but certainly herself.
"What? Why...you're not a parasite."
"Yes I am!" Zelda stood up, sorrow giving way to anger and she spun to face him. "I...I don't know who I am! Right now, I'm Zelda, daughter of King Daltus, descendant of King Gustav. Or at least I'm wearing her face. But I've been the daughter to Dorosean Harkonia Hyrule, sworn brother of the Gorons; of his great-great-grandson, Magorian Lenatius Hyrule; of the sea-captain Leonidus, captain of the Pursuer's Error; of any number of Kings, Sailors, Knights, and Sages. Each time, I will step in and steal the life of their daughter, wearing her face, calling them father..." Her anger died down, sadness creeping in again. "I have no true family, no true..."
Link stepped up and embraced her. "And do you think the same about me? Who now wears the face of Link, grandson of Smith? Who has worn the face of the brother of Aryll, of the nephew of Alfon? Do you think that I too am a parasite?"
Zelda hugged him back, before slowly shaking her head into his arm. Together, the two of them sat down again.
"What brought this on?" Link kept one arm around her as she sat, clenching her dress in her fists.
"My last life, I...I awoke shortly before Zant broke free and plunged the world into Twilight. Immediately, I felt a barrier, between me and my...her memories. Zelda, the real Zelda, hadn't fused with me." Zelda turned to look up at Link. "She screamed. For hours, especially when Zant took over while I was distracted by her. She was convinced I was some sort of possessing spirit. Even when I showed her my memories..."
"I stole her body. She was completely disconnected from it, from the Triforce. All that she was, all of her life, her memories, was just a helpless passenger..."
Zelda looked down, tears streaking down her cheeks. "How many times? How many times have a killed some defenseless girl, settling into her place like some faceless shadow?"
"None."
Zelda snapped up to look at him, her mouth opened, eyes enraged, before he covered her mouth with his hand.
"No, listen. I've thought the same thing as you before, my second, no, third time on the Great Sea. I was talking with Aryll, and I thought 'This is not my sister. Her brother vanished the moment I appeared.' I looked at her, and I just started to cry." He dropped his hand, and Zelda stayed quiet, watching him intently. "I told her everything. I don't know that she fully understood, but I do know what she told me back."
Link looked Zelda in the eyes. "'You walk around like my brother. You talk like my brother. You smile like my brother.' And then she hugged me, and I hugged her back by instinct. 'And you give hugs like my brother. Silly Link, you are my brother, just with more of you.' I'm still not sure what to think, but I do know that I live like all of my other selves, my incarnations, whatever you call them, would want to live. When you took the Twilight Zelda's place, did you do anything that she wouldn't?"
"Well...no. I tried to do what I could to defeat Zant and Ganondorf. But..."
"And in your other lives, do you do things that your other selves wouldn't do?"
"Yes!" She stomped her foot, glaring at him. "Yes, I do. When I'm Tetra, and I give up being a pirate to help build up a New Hyrule. Or when I'm on Skyloft, and I start planning Hyrule's future rather than going flying or spending time with that Link. I do things for me, selfishly using their lives..."
"And what would they say in your place? Tetra would tell you to chart your own course, and to blow any obstacles out of your way. The Zelda of Skyloft would tell you to do what makes your heart soar, what makes you feel happy. Yes, you may not do what an individual Zelda in your place would do, but you honor them all. You build up Hyrule, make it prosper, while at the same time, being happy yourself." Link grabbed her left hand with his, causing both of their Triforce marks to shimmer. "You are your own individual. I am still not sure what to think of these Loops, and I can't tell you how to react to living someone else's life, except to tell you what I do. Live in honor of them, of the person they are, and of the person you are. You are not some shadow, some parasite formed of their echoes. You are Zelda, the Looping Princess of Hyrule. Uniquely, and individually, you."
Zelda was silent, before reaching out and embracing Link again.
"Thank you."
21.9 (masterofgames)
It really was a lot harder than it looked. The time between Waking Up and having your in-loop memories settle in was a lot like a really good stretching of your back after sitting in one place for too long, if she had to choose an analogy. A great sense of relief and loss of tension and fatigue, followed immediately after by a lightheaded feeling and total memory loss of what you were doing, or even thinking, mere seconds ago.
So it was understandable that even with the Triforce of Wisdom, using complex memory magic in that narrow time frame for her desired results had Zelda on her eighth or ninth attempt... that she could remember anyway. Memory magic and all that.
Link had said it hadn't been needed, but her lives had started blending together in her mind long ago, and even she slipped up sometimes. And she could tell each time that she did, that others had caught it. Her tutors giving her strange looks as she referenced events yet to come in her history lessons, her father's solemn concern as she acted far too mature for her age, her subject's awkward glances as she took just a touch too long sifting through her memories for context on issues brought up as she held court... Some loops she had even caught wind of rumors that bearing the Triforce of Wisdom caused ones mental prowess to burn out from overuse at a young age.
No. She owed it to her family, her subjects, and her entire kingdom to do this. A kingdom without faith in their leader easily fell. And so, once more, she cast her spell the moment she registered that she had Awakened. Using her Triforce as a filter of sorts, she poured everything that she was into it. Memories, magic, knowledge, experience. Everything was copied.
And then, once her loop memories had settled in, she let it all come flooding back.
In theory, this would create an 'echo' of sorts in her looping memories, giving them a slightly otherworldly quality. Her in loop memories, clearer with no such echo in them, would therefore be dominant. Instead of her existing self merging with her, she would in effect be merging with her existing self, her looping memories clearly there, but not in such a way that would overpower her.
And, once again, she failed.
But progress had been made. A very faint line in her mind's eye. Just barely, she now had a 'bookmark', for lack of a better term, in her memories, marking where she ended, and 'she' began.
Yes. It was progress.
And for now, progress she could live with.
21.10 (wildrook)
Ganondorf was a little surprised as Link told him about his first experience in the Mario Kart Circuit.
"Let me get this straight," he said, outside Lon Lon Ranch as he found Link brushing Epona. "You've got a motorcycle that resembles one of the horses and has the Master Sword and Hylian Shield."
"That's right," Link replied.
"And you decided, when you're in a modern setting, to use THAT instead of Epona." Link nodded. "While deciding to ride Epona in the eras necessary for horse-back." Again, Link nodded. "I understand your reasoning, but can I ask you something?"
Link nodded, knowing Ganondorf.
"You think you can get me a motorcycle in case we're BOTH our usual roles in a Modern setting? I may have been raised around horses, but after seeing this, I can't help but think that I could use a little hobby on the side."
"I'll see what I can do," Link said. "Heck, there's a branch of loops that can use card games on motorcycles. If you can run into the Anchor of that branch, you can ask him for jousting adjustments."
21.11
Zelda's Grand Adventure, Part 6
Zelda moaned as a rhythmic thumping drew her into wakefulness. Her eyes felt crusty, and when she peeked them open, the light around her seemed to swim, amplifying the headache she was experiencing. Twisting, she rolled over onto her back, only to gasp as a sharp rock dug into her spine. Then her memories flooded back, and she gasped again, startled to feel cool air filling her lungs, rather than water.
Wincing and battling back her headache, Zelda sat upright, forcing her eyes to focus. She took in the organic looking blue and tan walls, the floor, cracked and shattered, with pools of water here and there in the deeper holes in the stone surface. She was in a courtyard between several buildings, and given the shimmering dome above her, she was apparently within the walls of the Zora Palace. Had she made it over the wall before falling unconscious? It didn't seem likely, because she recalled rather clearly the feeling of slamming into the stone wall.
Rising to her feet, Zelda moved over to the stone boundary wall, running her hand along to search for gaps. The thumping sound seemed to be coming from the other side, possibly the Zora banging against the wall. It was possible she could have been sucked through some crack while she was unconscious, but there should have been some sign of the opening in this side of the wall. After a minute of fruitless searching, she stepped back, shaking her head.
"Well, I suppose it doesn't matter. I'm in the palace, so, off to find the Sapphire."
The palace itself appeared to be a series of large stone towers, connected by smaller tunnels at floor level. The entire complex was surrounded by a high stone wall, which was capped with a shimmering bubble, which kept the air in. Three of the tallest towers sat in the center of the area, surrounded by a second wall, and that seemed like the most likely location for Zelda to find the Sapphire.
It took a bit of time to reach the front gate of the inner complex, as whatever cataclysm had driven the Zora mad has also done considerable damage to the palace's structure. Several large pools of water lay among fallen blocks, and one of the outer towers had collapsed completely, creating an effective dividing wall across a large section of the outer courtyards. Zelda skirted around the pools, wary of rabid Zora leaping out of them. She figured that she would have to swim at some point in this dungeon, given that it was obviously what Link called a "Water Temple", but she would put off venturing into the murky depths for as long as possible.
The front gate to the inner complex was richly decorated, and was surrounded by an intricate mosaic of sea life, historical depictions, and what Zelda recognized as the Zora version of a Map. Given how the Zora lived in three dimensions under the water, their maps weren't really focused on scale, but more on positions of landmarks in relation to each other. Tracing her hands across the artistic diagram, Zelda had to conclude that the star emblem at the top of the tower closest to the gate must be the Zora Sapphire. She quickly moved over to the gate proper, running her hands across it to try and find a hidden latch, but all she found was a depression in the center that was obviously a keyhole. Sighing, Zelda stepped back, running her gaze across the numerous outer towers, and then scanning the inner wall for any plant life she could use to scale it with the Deku Emerald.
'The grinning shark has swallowed the key.'
Zelda whirled around, her eyes scanning for the source of the breathy whisper that had just echoed from behind her. The courtyard was empty, save for a few broken pieces of stone. Zelda stalked around, peering behind each stone, the Goron Ruby glowing with barely restrained fire. After a brief circuit, she hadn't found anyone in the courtyard.
'Break the smile to retrieve the key.'
Zelda whirled again, this time towards the inner wall. No sign of movement. Zelda's eyes fixed on a portion of the mosaic off to the left of the gate, where a massive shark with a mouthful of stone teeth was chasing after a Zora hunting party. Slowly pacing back from the wall, Zelda raised her gauntlet, pushing more energy into the Ruby. Her fingers flared out as she let the energy fly, and a fiery burst rocketed out to slam into the stone wall. There were several sharp cracking sounds, and as the smoke cleared, Zelda saw that several of the shark's teeth had broken off, revealing a small hole in the wall. Reaching down, Zelda picked up a long thin piece of broken stone from the ground, and carefully stuck the end of the stick into the hole in the wall. There was a brief metallic ring as the tip of the stone struck something in the hold, and then Zelda pulled the stone back, dragging out a bluish key, which fell to the ground with a tinkling thud.
Zelda looked around for a third time, before bending over to retrieve the key. It did appear like it would fit the keyhole in the gate. With a last glance over her shoulder, she scooped it up and walked back to the gate. The key was smooth and organic, just as she would expect from the Zora. With a small amount of trepidation, she slid the key into the keyhole. There was a click as it settled in place, before it quickly spun in place, breaking free of her grip. She took a hasty step backwards, but all that happened was the gate sliding open, splitting on a near-invisible line in the middle and swinging inward to reveal the inner courtyard. Zelda turned around once more to scan her surroundings, before heading into the central complex.
The tower housing the Sapphire was tall and hollow. Zelda could see a long series of rising balconies, stretching up and around the interior up to a hole in the very top of the ceiling. From that hole dangled a broken staircase, the bottom half of which lay in a tangled heap in the middle of the floor. Water had leaked in from somewhere, leaving a deep moat of water surrounding the raised central dais where the staircase had once stood. Zelda frowned as she traced out a path up through the balconies. There was a balcony that she could probably reach if she leapt from the broken staircase, and then the door behind it would probably lead to a corridor to access the next tier of balconies. About halfway up, one of the balconies had collapsed, leaving a ramp of rubble stretching between three floors. Then at the top, she could cross the gap to the remnants of the staircase by stepping along that beam. So, that just meant...
Zelda's only warning came in a harsh chittering sound. She spun in place, just in time to see a massive insect leap off of the surface of the water behind her. A large sphere of liquid followed it up, clutched in its legs, and as it came down, it bounced on the captured ball of water, bouncing forward to crush her. She rolled quickly to the side, and the insect kept going, its watery ride merging with the water on the far end of the room, and the bug skittered around on the surface, spinning about to come for a second pass. Off to the side, Zelda saw two more of the insects skitter around the bulk of the fallen staircase.
"Woohoo, a mini-boss." Zelda flexed her gauntlet, and rolled to the side again as the insect bounced towards her. This time, however, she let loose with a burst of flame from the Goron Ruby, which slammed into the bubble as it bounced past. The water superheated, expanding quickly, until the bubble burst, showering Zelda in hot water and causing the insect to crash to the ground, where it began to flail around, flopping towards the water.
Zelda leapt forward, charging a Fairy Spark to take the insect down, only to have to leap back as the other two insect bounced forward. By the time she had dodged past both of them, the original insect had made it to the water, and was skittering around to have another go.
That set the pace of the battle for several minutes. She would manage to destroy one of their bubbles, but it would result in the other insects blocking her from finishing off the downed insect. She tried to take all three out, but by the time she nailed the third, the first would have gotten back to the water and came back for another go.
'I need to break up their pace.' Zelda rolled past the insects again, and reached into the pouch on her back. She quickly pulled out a Bomb Flower Seed, and began focusing on growing it. This may or may not work, but it was worth a shot. The moment the Bomb Flower was fully grown and had started to hiss, she grabbed it with her free hand, pivoted, and fired off a fire blast at the nearest water bubble. It burst, the insect went flying, and Zelda lightly lobbed the bomb towards where it seemed the insect would land. She may not have had much of a throwing arm, but at this distance, accuracy was more important, and she was nothing if not precise. The insect landed perfectly on the bomb, and then a second later was sent flying again, this time in several pieces. Zelda dodged a flying leg as she drew out another Bomb Flower Seed, grinning ferally.
After she finished with the jumping insects, Zelda moved to the middle of the tower. She could play the game, move through room to room, but she had an uneasy feeling, and she wanted to claim the Sapphire as soon as possible. Reaching back into her seed pouch, she reached into a different section and pulled out a couple of Tough Ivy seeds. It would be easier if there were dirt around, but she could make up for it with more power. She placed the seeds at the base of the ruined stair, and quickly began feeding magic into them. The vines sprouted, twisting through the rubble to form a base, and then three thick vines shot skyward. Two of them missed, flopping sideways to slam into the wall and curl around the edge of balconies. The third reached her target and curled around the bottommost step of the top half of the ruined staircase. Quickly, the vine twisted around more of the rubble, stretching out to secure itself. Zelda pulled on the Ivy briefly, and then began to climb.
It took a minute or so to reach the hole in the ceiling, and Zelda was extremely grateful that her Unawake self had grown up with acrobatic and other exercise training. It made this entire journey much easier to have a competent body.
There was a small door off to the side in the chamber above the hole. Zelda crossed quickly, and found the chamber to be unlocked. She pushed her way inside, wary of traps or enemies, but there was nothing. Unfortunately, that nothing extended to magic gems. There was no sign of the Zora Sapphire, though the pedestal in the middle fit the part of a resting place for the gemstone.
"Great. Of course, the thing is lost. Next, I will get some spooky premonition about a Zora taking it away to the desert or something."
"Not quite that far, my dear lady."
Zelda spun around at the unexpected voice, to find herself face to face with a ghost. The pale image of a Zora King floated in the air in front of her, smiling slightly. Zelda straightened.
"Yes, yes, I'm sorry I startled you. My name is King Lubol."
"Zelda. So you moved the Sapphire?"
The King nodded, his head bobbing oddly, and he floated forward. "Yes, yes, I did. It was when the Toxins first appeared, yes, yes. The Zora's Sapphire proved capable of cleansing the water, but not completely, no, no, it only cleared a small area. There were ancient spells, yes, yes, that I knew of, sealed below the palace, and so I took the Sapphire, yes, yes, to use to power a barrier around the village. It should have kept the toxin out, yes, yes, but before I could finished, yes, yes, those driven mad by the toxin attacked, yes, yes, and I was only able to defend the palace grounds before I died, yes, yes. You can find the Zora Sapphire in a chamber below the palace, at the base of the Great Cistern, yes, yes."
Zelda nodded. "Very well. And how do I get there?"
The Zora King waved his hand towards the small desk set off to the side. "Take up my charm that lies in that desk. It will allow you to create bubbles of air, yes, yes, and will help you control the doors in my palace. Then, travel as deep as you can go within this tower. There should be a tunnel that will lead into the Grand Cistern from down there, yes, yes."
Zelda strode over to the desk, quickly searching through the drawers before she found the obviously magical charm. It took the form of a seashell on a short necklace chain. She put it on and examined it for a moment.
'Well, at least it matches my complexion.' Zelda turned to thank the King, only to find the room was empty. She complained aloud, "I hate Batman exits!", before turning to head back out of the room.
The climb down through the tower was somewhat harrowing. As if cued by Zelda heading towards the actual Sapphire, hoards of enemies suddenly popped up out of the stonework, as it were. Snapping fish she didn't recognize, feral Zora that had slipped in through the barrier, Octorocks that spat sea urchins, wave after wave popped up as she made her way down the tower. Luckily, she had managed to slide down the vine to the ground floor, but the tower apparently extended just as far down as it did up. Eventually, however, she made it to a tunnel marked with a map drawing displaying a cistern or well, and she knew she was on the right path.
The tunnel itself, like most of the bottom levels of the tower, was underwater, but thanks to the Zora King's Charm, she could conjure up bubbles of breathable air at will, which made moving about underwater much easier. With the glowing gems of her gauntlet providing light, she set off down the tunnel.
The tunnel was straight, for the most part, though there were dips and rises every so often. A few of the snapping fish came through, but otherwise it was almost peaceful. So, Zelda should have been expecting something to go wrong. There was a brief rumble, and suddenly a long, green something burst out of the ground directly in front of her. She caught a glimpse of glowing red eyes and blade like fins, and then whatever it was was gone, smashing its way through the ceiling. A whirlpool formed in the bottom of the tunnel as water began rushing out into whatever was below. Chunks of the ceiling and wall tumbled with it, as did Zelda herself, but the rubble arrived exactly as she did, and a single massive stone plugged the hole just as her leg slipped inside.
Zelda let out a ragged gasp as her leg was pinned by the pressure between the rock and the floor. She twisted, trying to work the rock off, but all that she accomplished was popping the bubble around her head on a nearby sharp stone. She gasped, swallowing a lungful of water, and quickly formed another bubble, coughing as she did so. The rocks around her were settling in, and she had to brace herself with her arms to keep from popping her precious bubble against any of the nearby stones.
'Ok, Zelda, think. That's what you are good at.' She couldn't use bombs or fire, as either of those would damage her, and might just collapse the tunnel further. Fairy Spark was useless, and the Ivy wouldn't grow in seawater. She couldn't spot any other plants nearby, and none of her other tools would be much use. As for out of Loop spells, maybe she could vanish the stone? That still might trigger a bigger collapse, so she stowed that idea for now. Most of her teleportation spells were iffy when used underwater, or when trapped like she was, plus she needed a clear destination, and she didn't really want to try to backtrack through here to get the Sapphire. Strengthening magic, maybe? She could try to use that Reinforcement Skill she had picked up in Fuyuki.
Zelda shivered at the cold water, and shifted slightly to rest her arms a bit, only to catch a glimpse of something out of the corner of her eye. She turned her head and froze, dread creeping up her spine. It was a Floormaster, though bigger than most that she had seen. Crimson energy crackled around it as it flexed its fingers, its long wrist vanishing into a pool of shadow. Idly, it pushed aside a couple of pieces of stone as it reached towards Zelda. Somewhat frantically, she twisted to bring the Gauntlet to bear, popping her bubble again in the process. The Floormaster suddenly accelerated forward, palm flat, and it swatted the side of the boulder trapping Zelda.
The boulder might as well have been made of foam. It ripped free of the ground, its wake splitting the water and scattering several of the smaller rock fragments. Zelda flipped over, bringing her Gauntlet around, Fairy Topaz burning with light, even as she made a new bubble around her head, but the Floormaster was faster. Its massive fingers closed around her, and then it retracted. Zelda bounced against one of the rock pieces, and then she entered the shadow.
She couldn't breathe. She couldn't tell if her bubble had popped, but she couldn't get air into her lungs, and she couldn't feel her limbs. It was so cold, so dark, so tight, she was blacking out, drowning, down, down,...
Zelda tumbled end over end as she popped out of the shadows, rolling to a stop against the side of a large statue. The energy from her gauntlet released into a Fairy Spark that hurled towards the ceiling, flaring with a sharp pop against the distant stone. She gasped, sucking in large lungfuls of air, and twisted onto her hands and knees, coughing to rid herself of the water that had been sucked into her lungs. She sat there for several moments, before hauling herself upright. She glanced up, only to blink as she saw a solid dome overhead, rather than the open ocean she had expected. Had the Floormaster not pulled her back out to the courtyard of the palace? She examined the walls and ceiling and then stepped out around the statue itself, and stopped. In the middle of the room, the floor dropped away to form a massive pit. Water sloshed several feet below the edge of the pit, while tall Zora statues lined the walls in a circle. If Zelda didn't know any better, she would call this room...
"Why did the Floormaster bring me to the Grand Cistern?" For that matter, why had it appeared underwater? Zelda had never heard of one of those evil hands popping up under water, though it was possible Link just hadn't shared that story with her. Shaking her head to clear it, Zelda paced around the edge of the cistern, peering down into the water. There did seem to be a bluish glow down in the depths of the cistern, so it was entirely possible that this was indeed the place she was looking for. Zelda quickly paced around, looking for signs or writings. The only sign she found was in an odd form of the Zora Script, and it read something like "Overflow Tunnel, Next Floor".
Zelda turned and walked back to the edge of the pit of water. The best way to check if this was the right place was to go down and explore the glow. However, Link's advice came to mind about this sort of situation. 'Adventurer's Tip #22: If your goal is in sight, an enemy is about to drop on your head.' The waters below were murky enough on the edges to contain any number of beasts, and they would probably attack the moment she entered the water. Zelda smirked slightly as she reached for her pouch. 'Time to cheat a little, then.'
Looking back, Zelda figured she probably should have dropped the bomb just a little bit sooner, though it wouldn't have really made a difference in the long run. Bomb Flowers were rather finicky when wet, but the Zora King's Charm gave her a solution. She wrapped one of her Bomb Flowers in a bubble to keep the water out, before releasing it to drop into the water below. Sure enough, just moments after the bomb dropped in, something large stirred in the water. Zelda saw several shadowy appendages reach for the Bomb Flower, before it detonated in a rather impressive explosion.
The surface of the cistern broke as a massive squid popped up through the surface, its tentacles flailing. Zelda couldn't see any marks from the bomb blast, so it had probably detonated a bit too early. Still, she didn't have much time to think about it, as she had to leap to the side to avoid the thrashing tentacles. She leapt back again, and then ducked under a sweeping strike. It was just like with those bouncing bugs, there were just too many tentacles moving about to keep track of them all accurately. Hastily, she ducked and rolled behind a fallen statue to try and catch her breath.
'Look upward'
Zelda flinched slightly as the mysterious whisper returned. Almost reflexively, she glanced upward, and she spotted movement out of the corner of her eye. It was across the chamber, on one of the balconies above the ground floor. The Floormaster from before had returned.
It waved cheerfully at her.
Zelda blinked, staring blankly at the bizarre sight, before she had to throw herself out from behind the statue as a long tentacle slapped down where she had been crouching. She ran around the edge of the chamber, keeping one eye on the Floormaster, that was now pointing at a tunnel next to it.
"It wants me to run away? Why did it drop me off here then?" Zelda muttered to herself as she spun around, blasting on of the tentacles with a fire from the Goron Ruby. The tentacle flinched back, but it didn't appear to have actually done any damage.
'The intruder has a long reach, but frail. Use the gates to break his grasp.'
"What gates?" Zelda leapt over another tentacle, kicking off of the wall to land on a fallen bit of stone, and then actually jumped onto a tentacle as it swung by. The tentacle was bouncy, almost like rubber, and she quickly jumped off back to the ground. Her little stunt seemed to have confused the squid, as if flailed at the air, ignoring her for the moment. Another movement caught her eye, and she saw the Floormaster from before, now on a nearby balcony, pointing at another tunnel. Zelda blinked as she noticed to gate suspended above the entrance to the tunnel. "That gate?"
The Floormaster began wiggling its fingers, before it stuck out one finger and pointed down the tunnel. Then, it drew back the finger sharply and shook itself, wiggling its remaining fingers. Zelda blinked, before glancing at the squid.
"Use the gates to break his grasp. Of course." She looked up again to find the Floormaster was gone. "Man, wait till Link hears I played Charades with a Floormaster."
It actually proved easier than she thought to make it up to the balcony. There were several sea vine growing in cracks in the wall, and she was easily able to amplify their growth to create a path up to the next level. She flipped onto the balcony, just as the squid apparently rediscovered where she was. She jumped to the left, avoiding a slap from one tentacle, and then ducked down to avoid a sweep. It was actually easier to dodge the tentacles on the small balcony, as the tentacles were somewhat sluggish reaching up this high out of the water. Finally, the squid reeling back and jabbed forward with one of its tentacles. Zelda twisted to the side, and the tentacle itself continued, straight into the tunnel behind her. Zelda quickly leapt over to the wall and pulled the lever. The gate squealed, before dropping to the floor with a crash, cutting off a good three feet from the end of the tentacle.
Whatever the squid had been expecting, it obviously wasn't that. It quickly drew all of its tentacles back, screeching, before it bashed its head against the side of the cistern and sort of flopped over a bit. Zelda wasted no time in firing off several shots of both the Fairy Spark and the Goron Ruby, with a Bomb Flower tossed in at the end for good measure. The Spark didn't seem to do anything, and the Ruby only made it twitch, but the Bomb Flower caused it to spasm in pain and quickly slip under the water.
Zelda used the quick break to try and reset her tunnel trap, but it appeared that the old gate was sealed shut from the impact. Zelda quickly turned and made a count of the gates she could see. Four other gates circled around the room. She nodded and hopped over the edge of her balcony to make her way to the next gate.
In the end, it only took getting two more tentacles chopped for the squid to decide she was too much trouble and to swim off into the murk. She waited for several minutes to see if it would return, but the cistern remained calm. Another dropped bomb didn't engender a response, and so finally, Zelda slipped over the edge and dropped into the water. She quickly descended, bubble securely wrapped around her head, and finally alighted on the bottom of the cistern. The glow she had seen before was shining out of a shimmering hole in the floor, and Zelda quickly slipped through, to find that a barrier similar to the one over the palace was in place, keeping water out of the room below. She dropped lightly to the floor below.
The Zora Sapphire was sitting on a small pedestal, obviously feeding energy into the spell the Zora King had mentioned. Zelda shook herself (she had been completely dried by the barrier over the hole, but she still felt like she should be wet), and walked over to the table. She reached out to pick up the crystal, only to pause. Would removing the Sapphire flood the chamber and palace with water?
"Don't worry, the spell is hardy enough to last for some weeks without the stone before it would fail."
"Auugh!" Zelda spun around, "Will everyone stop doing that!?" She flushed as she saw the Zora King's Ghost floating in the air, looking rather affronted by her response. She closed her eyes, bowed, and took a deep breath, before bowing slightly. "I'm sorry, I have been getting paranoid about people sneaking up on me."
The Zora King nodded, chuckling slightly. "Not at all. It is understandable to be nervous when not in your element. In any case, as I said, the spell to keep the polluted waters away from the palace should remain for at least two weeks before it would fail. However, I do have a request to make." The Zora King floated over, hovering by the Sapphire's stand. "My people are long-lived, and many of those that knew the times before the pollution are still alive, driven mad by the tainted waters. If the seas could only be cleansed, I am sure that they could regain their senses." He turned to face Zelda. "Gauntlet-Bearer, I must plead, please take up the Sapphire and purify these waters. The Sapphire will allow you to create a purifying stream of water, as well as purifying nearby water. If you can track down the source of the pollution, you can break its hold on the seas once and for all."
Zelda nodded, then frowned. "Just to be clear, you are implying that the squid that was guarding the cistern is not the source of the pollution, correct?"
"Oh no, Bluphquis is simply a neighbor of the Zora who took refuge in the palace. He is much fiercer now than he used to be, but he is as much a victim as the Zora." Seeing Zelda's somewhat sheepish face, The Zora King laughed. "Don't worry, his grasping arms will heal in time, no harm done."
Zelda nodded. "Alright. So, do you have any idea on what is causing the pollution?"
"Indeed I do. We called them Shadow Urchins. Twisted balls of malignant magic, they can't stand the purity of water, so they pollute it to make it suitable for their habitation. If you come across them, simply engulfing them in pure water should be enough to rob them of strength, and then they can be simply destroyed. Our folly was not to destroy them when they first appeared, and by the time we set out to destroy them, they had already polluted large swaths of the sea and twisted much of the sea life into savage degenerates."
"And how many of these Shadow Urchins are there?"
"No more than a few dozen."
Zelda slumped slightly at the thought of swimming around the entire ocean looking for balls of evil, when she had an idea.
"Let's head outside."
Zelda finished the last node of her runic drawing with a flourish, and stepped back to check her work. She had found many different methods for amplifying magic through the Loops, and she had found that runic circles tended to be the best, if you could properly set them up. She had set up a large circle in the main courtyard of the palace, generally divided into three quadrants, each of which contained a pentagram that linked in the center. Everything looked to be in order, so Zelda quickly crossed to the center of the circle and held out her gauntlet, the Zora Sapphire shining. Then, she began to dance.
Twisting, contorting, spinning in place, Zelda danced around and around in the small central circle of the runic circle. As she flung her arms out, water flowed away from the Gauntlet, spiralling out to cover the lines of runes in the greater circle, causing them to glow brightly as the water flowed over them. Over and over, water flowed out, until a thick flowing mass of glowing water spiraled around within the runic circle, the small inner circle where Zelda was dancing the only piece of dry ground remaining. Opening her mouth, Zelda began to sing the Song of Healing. If what she had observed was true, the Song should help boost the power and purity of the Zora's Water, and may help it to damage the Urchins when it got to them.
The song and dance rose to a crescendo, as the water whipped and whirled within the bounds of the circle. Finally, Zelda felt that she couldn't contain the magic any longer, and she threw open her arms, triggering the outer circle to release the water. Several massive streams of water burst out, twisting like massive serpents as they flowed around the courtyard, before striking out at the inside of the dome. The dome glowed as the water flowed out, spreading into the Zora City. Despite the water being freed from the circle, the water around Zelda was actually increasing, forming a whirling dome around her, out of which several more streams of water flowed out to connect to the wider ocean.
Starting with the water of the palace, a wave of purification flowed outward, not just pushing the pollution away, but eradicating it completely. The ocean waters glowed as the power of the Zora Sapphire, boosted by the magic and knowledge of a Looper, raced through the ocean. A small Shadow Urchin, hidden at the edge of the City, screamed as the wave of magic swept away its dark power, leaving it to deflate in its hiding spot, powerless. More of the Shadow Urchins were rendered powerless as the wave of purity washed through the ocean, and, on the surface, the water glowed with the holy energy.
Back near Hyrule, several fishermen were just setting out for a day of fishing. Out, farther ahead, was a smaller, weather-worn boat. Most of the sailors shook their heads as they watched Renmark sail out to check the deep waters. Renmark was the oldest fisherman in Hyrule, and he claimed to remember back when the waters were clear all the way out through the deeps, when you could chat with the Zora out as you fished. Every day he would sail out to see if the clear waters had returned, and every day he would sail into the fishing ground an hour later and quietly let down his nets. The sailors turned back to their lines, tacking to swerve out and around, down the coast towards where the fish schools were last seen. Then, one man glanced up, and noticed that Renmark's ship was on its way back. The sailor squinted, holding his hand out, and he could just make out Renmark, dancing around on the deck of his boat, and waving his hat in the air. Turning, the sailor poked the captain of his three-man vessel.
"Renmark's on his way back. Looks excited about something." Slowly, word spread, and several of the sailors peered out to see what Renmark was dancing about.
"You think some of the schools have move clHOLY GODDESS!" Similar shouts went up all around the fishing fleet as the source of Renmark's excitement became obvious. A wave of light was sliding through the ocean, shining so brightly there was no doubt that it must have had mystical, possibly divine, origins. The light rushed past the fleet, surging inward to the now distant shore. The fishing fleet eventually came to, sailing out after Renmark to explore the now purified ocean.
Water crashed to the courtyard as Zelda ended the massive spell, dropping to her knees in exhaustion. It wasn't the biggest piece of magic she had ever done, but it was still extremely draining. The Zora King floated over to her, his eyes wide.
"You, you truly purged the sea of the darkness. How...?"
"I've got a few secrets, and a link to the Ancient Triforce." Zelda straightened up, smiling slightly. "I can't explain it all now, but that should solve the issue for now. It will take months before what Urchins survived will be able to taint the seas again. I will return in a month to purify the sea again, and hopefully the Zora will have regained their sanity enough that they can track down the Urchins. They will be much more effective than I will."
The Zora King nodded, and opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by a joyful laugh filling the courtyard. Zelda looked up, eyes wide, as the Great Fairy of the Sea appeared in a flare of light above their heads, circling around and glowing with energy.
"There will be no need to return. I and my fairies will track down the Urchins and destroy them." She opened one hand, to reveal a deflated black sphere, before she crushed it in her hand, dispersing it into black smoke. "You may continue your journey. Break the dark will that felled Hyrule, and seeks to destroy the entire planet."
Zelda opened her mouth to agree, but was cut off as a wave of blue light sprang up around her, and she felt herself being transported away. When the light faded, she smiled at the sight of pure, untainted seas. She turned around slowly, and then her smile faded. Seas stretched in all directions, and a familiar boat was tied up alongside the rock she was standing on.
"Right, I guess I'm sailing back. Joy."
21.12 (DrTempo)
Saria Senju was the top kunoichi graduate at Kohona Academy, and possessed the Mokuton bloodline, which allowed her to summon forests and trees as weapons. She was heading for her team assignments...
Then something happened to her, as she Awakened. Memories of a life not her own, spent among a far different forest, flooded her mind and senses.
Clenching her head, Saria staggered for a second. Looking around, she didn't recognize where she was at first. 'This isn't anywhere in Hyrule. Where...'
Her memories soon gave her the answer. "This is Konoha. Was Hyrule..simply a dream?"
As Saria sat down in her classroom, she was still deeply confused. Hyrule seemed so real, her memories of it so vivid, and her memories of Kokiri Forest felt more real than those of this place. But she was here, now, physically present in a life she barely recognized. As she pondered this conundrum, Naruto Uzumaki, the class clown, walked over to her, a curious expression on his face. He asked, "You Awake, Saria? Today's a big day."
Nodding, Saria responded, "Yes, Uzumaki-san. Why did you emphasise 'Awake' like that, though? Though I am Awake, I feel that I did have an odd dream. Almost..."
"Too real?"
She jumped slightly as Sasuke Uchiha sat down next to her, and asked, "What was the dream about?"
Saria looked between the two of them, somewhat put off. Neither of them had really spoken to her that she could remember, but she was still confused about what was real. Smiling to cover her confusion, she decided to reply, saying, "A place called Hyrule." As she explained her 'dream', Sasuke looked at Naruto, who got an odd look on his face.
"Did you feel that?"
Saria looked around, confused, "Feel what?"
Naruto shook his head, smiling. "Never mind, you must be very new." He laughed lightly at her confused face, then said, to Saria's shock, "Hyrule, Link, Zelda, they were not a dream..."
After Naruto and Sasuke explained things, Saria smiled, though she still felt offput.
"So, I'm a 'Looper' now. And if what you say is true, I'll be able to use the skills I learn here when I return to my home Loop."
Naruto and Sasuke smiled and nodded, both ignoring the teacher who was making team announcements.
Saria mused to herself. "These powers might help against..."
"...Team 7, Naruto Uzumaki, Saria Senju, and Sasuke Uchiha. Jounin Sensei is Ganondorf Uzumaki."
Saria looked up. "...Him." At that instant, she looked scared beyond reason, half a second from bolting from her desk. Naruto facepalmed. "Knew I forgot something... Knew I felt a reply to my Ping." He placed his hand on Saria's arm, forcing her to look at him. "Saria, relax. Ganondorf...he's more or less not so evil. If he was, him being one of your world's Anchors would be really bad."
"You can not be serious...him, not evil? And an Anchor.. That's impossible." Saria shook her head, visions of flame and death, of the foul power of the Gerudo King filling her memory.
Naruto put his hand on her arm again. "Perhaps it will help for me to explain. Here's what happened to mellow him out."
After the explanation of Ganondorf's purification, Saria was still confused. "So, he's..."
"Not responsible for my actions? I'm amused, Forest Sage."
Saria leapt in her chair, wood sprouting from the nearby desks and floor to form a defensive shield, as Ganondorf appeared behind the three Genin. He gave a light chuckle at her response, but then frowned.
"Sadly, all my choices were mine. I do regret them a bit, but I must take the role of the Dark Lord. Better the evil you know, as they say, and regardless, it is the role to which I am accustomed. I had a feeling you'd become a Looper sooner or later. Though, I had thought, hoped perhaps, that you would encounter Link or Zelda before me, to be honest." Offering a hand, he said, "Shall we put the past behind us?"
Saria stared, the wood still half wrapped around her. "I…" Slowly, she nodded, and reached out to shake his hand, her entire body still tense. "For now, I will trust you, as I seem to have little choice, Ganondorf. Naruto's vouched for you, so...A truce..for now."
Ganondorf nodded. "That is as much as I expected." Then, he reached into thin air and withdrew a staff, before handing it to Saria. "Something I acquired in a recent Loop. That is a Deku Staff; a fitting weapon for you, I must say. Tragically, since I was the only Anchor Awake that Loop, I did have to play my role."
Saria frowned. "I understand. I'm glad for the gift. Once I see an Unawake version of you, he'll pay for what he did to Hyrule. That'll be cathartic. It will take me a while to trust you, if I ever do, but for now, I believe you have some new ninja to train."
Ganondorf cracked his knuckles. "You're the one in need of teaching compared to these two. They could likely train me. However, since I am the leader here, I will take the time to enjoy this."
Naruto grinned, leaping to his feet, and yelled, "Let's go!" Saria smiled as she followed, while inside her mind still whirled from the revelations.
21.1 Omake!
"Huh, buh, wha, how!?" Navi buzzed in shock, as Librari simply tilted his head, a single eyebrow raised in polite curiosity. Shutting her open mouth, Navi squinted, and flew a tight circle around Librari, examining him minutely. Then, in a blur of motion, she reached forward to tug on his nose.
The Librari Mask came off with a pop, and Link blinked owlishly at her. "Oh, hi Navi. Fancy meeting you here."
"...LINK!" Link darted for the door as three blades of wind cut through the spot he had been before, Navi giving chase with Titania held in her grip.
21.1 - And Librari joins the Loops, as the wise old mentor figure...despite most everyone else being older and (arguably) wiser than he is.
21.2 - Why doesn't the lightsaber have a "burn a hole in everything in this direction" setting?
21.3 - Gives a new meaning to Disco Inferno.
21.4 - To which, Link responds with the Flames of...Foliage.
21.5 - Midna enjoys having a mature form more than words can express.
21.6 - Link's biggest worry this Loop? Ghosts.
21.7 - Librari enjoys a good prank.
21.8 - This is an issue each Looper has to deal with in their own way.
21.9 - Remembering with distinction.
21.10 - Ganondorf was a bit less enthusiastic when he learned motorcycles are nicknamed "hogs".
21.11 - And Zelda claims another treasure. The Fetch Quest is almost over.
21.12 - And now Saria joins the Loops as well.
21.1 Omake - No, this didn't actually happen, yes, Librari is Looping. Still, it's a good prank.
Alright, and that concludes this batch of updates. I would love to promise more soon, but history is rather against me. Regardless, enjoy these tales of the Legend of Zelda Time Loops!