Princess Zelda couldn't believe what was happening to her. Her worst fear was coming true. She was going to be queen! She was going to move to another castle, get married to Sonic, adopt Benny Bubbles and form a new Sparks Crew which meant leaving most of her friends behind. She raced around her soon to be former Hyrule Castle that she was supposed to pass onto Beast Boy and Lucita Sky, who were going to be the duke and duchess. Sonic looked around. "Uh… Zelda?" he called out. "I think we have everything!"
"I'm just doing a final check, Sonic!" responded Zelda as she kept running around. "But… we already checked twice," said Sonic. "I'm pretty sure we've got everything." Just then, Zelda poked her head through the door, holding a familiar magazine in her hands. "Aha!" she cried. "Now aren't you glad I triple checked?" She handed it to Sonic, who looked at it with a smile and an arched eyebrow. It was his favourite magazine. "Oh, nice. You found a Power Ponies comic," he chuckled. Zelda forced a grin and Sonic could tell she was in one of her moods. "But.. Zelda, I'm going to be king soon," he said. "I might not have time to read this." Zelda was shocked! "No, no, no!" she exclaimed. "You love Power Ponies. And you can share it with Benny as a father son bonding time. I'm taking it with us and I won't take no for an answer." Sonic sighed. "Benny can have these if he wants," he said. "But I won't always have time for them." Zelda's lip quivered. "But Sonic, just because you're about to be king doesn't mean you leave behind everything you love, right? Even when we grew up, we never left our childhood memories behind." Zelda moaned, sank to her knees and buried her face in her hands. Sonic knelt beside her and rubbed her back. "Are you nervous about being queen?" he asked. Zelda looked up. "No… I've never been more ready," she said. "I'm doing this for Benny, remember? He was forced to retire when Sara lost her powers. I promised I'd keep the Sparks Crew going for him and I can't break that promise. This is how we're doing it. Just because I'm ready to keep something going for Benny by being queen doesn't mean I'm ready to leave this castle." She looked at a newspaper and saw the picture of her and her friends battling Jinx, Ganondorf and Zant. "When we were fighting to save Hyrule from Ganondorf, Zant and Jinx, I was too busy to think about it. But now, everything is happening at once!" she exclaimed as her voice started to shake. "What is?" asked Sonic. "The coronation, moving, the wedding and leaving my friends behind…" she said, starting to choke up. "I know we're going to be ruling together, but it'll still change. What if we all just drift apart?" Sonic sighed. He knew that Zelda was not looking forward to being queen. He could only feel empathy for his longtime friend.
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…
Benny Bubbles and Lucita Sky were packing up for moving to Hyrule. Benny looked at the school garden where monarch butterflies were flying around. Lucita came up to him. "Benny, are you okay?" she asked. "I'm nervous," admitted Benny. "Moving to Hyrule means I'll never see the butterflies again."
"Well," said Lucita. "How about we split our time between Hyrule, Hero Elementary and Ordon Village? Would that make you happier?"
"It would make my transition easier," said Benny, managing a smile. He wrapped his arms around her. "Thanks, Lucita." Lucita sighed happily and returned the embrace. "But, Lucita, what about you?" asked Benny. "How are you feeling about this?"
"I'm actually pretty excited about being duchess," said Lucita. "Sure, it was disappointing that I'm not going to be princess, but this will be fun too."
"Yeah, and if we split our time like you suggested," said Benny. "It'll make your transition easier too." Lucita could only grin. Now that they had a solution to their problem, they felt much better.
…
…
Meanwhile, Zelda was still worried about drifting apart with most of her friends. "Why don't you just tell them how you feel?" suggested Sonic. "I bet they're just as nervous as you are." Zelda managed a weak smile with a sense of encouragement. "You're right, Sonic," she said, standing up and giving him a side hug. "A conversation with a good friend always helps."
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…
Benny and Lucita had just settled into their new house in Ordon Village. WALL-E was there, helping to unpack some of their stuff. "You know I can't help but wonder if Zelda is mentally ready to be queen," said WALL-E. "What do you mean?" asked Benny. "We're going to have a new family. You'll be a granddad."
"Yes," replied WALL-E with a sigh. "I will. But I can't help but think that I should talk to Zelda before the coronation."
"If it makes you feel better," said Lucita. "Then that's what you should do."
…
…
Meanwhile, heeding Sonic's advice, Zelda went to talk to Beast Boy, who was going to be the duke of Hyrule soon. "So, you'll make sure nothing will change when I become queen?" Zelda asked the little shapeshifter. "Of course not," replied Beast Boy. "Change is normal. I mean, look at me. I'm always changing looks."
"Yeah, you have a point there…" sighed Zelda, not wanting to hear what she'd just heard. She and Sonic then went to see Merna, who was going to become the next princess of Hyrule. Zelda hoped for a comforting response from the merhog.
However, any hopes for a positive response were dashed.
"Worried? No way!" declared Merna. "I don't mind having a brother and a sister. We're all in this together, right?"
"Right…" said Zelda, sniffling sadly.
…
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Her next stop was at Princess Peach's castle. Peach was making her wedding cake. "Would you like a taste, Zelda?" she asked. "No thanks," replied Zelda. "Actually, I wanted to talk to you about something."
"About the wedding? I bet nocreature's more excited than you two!" declared Peach. "Continuing the Sparks Crew for Benny, becoming queen, getting married to Sonic, what a dream come true, am I right?"
"I guess…" muttered Zelda.
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Rainbow Dash was visiting her parents' home. "Well, Rainbow Dash, this is it," sighed Windy Whistles. "Soon, you'll have new parents."
"Yeah…" sighed Rainbow Dash.
"But you'll always have a place in our hearts," said Bow Hoothoof.
Then, Rainbow Dash noticed Zelda and Sonic behind her. "Sorry, guys, I don't have time to talk," she said. "Gotta say goodbye to my parents before I get adopted to you." She chuckled nervously.
…
…
Finally, they went to see Princess Jasmine. "Oh darling, change is a good thing!" she said. "We need new things in our lives, or else everything would be boring!" She made a face. "Change is a part of fashion. For example, I used artificial spider silk for your dress. Don't worry. No spiders were harmed using it."
"You used spider silk? Yuck!" said Sonic. Zelda, on the other hand, couldn't believe what she was hearing. Jasmine didn't seem to be taking the coronation seriously either. And it was confirmed in her mind what Jasmine said next. "You see, sweetie? Change is amazing!"
…
…
Dejected, Zelda went back home and sat on the floor, hugging her knees together. Her emotions were bottling up inside of her and she couldn't stop them. "Zelda?" said Sonic as he raced over. "Benny will come by in a bit. He has the adoption papers for you to sign." Then, Sonic noticed the comic book on the floor and smiled as he picked it up. "You know what, Zelda? I think I will take these after all," he said. "Benny might enjoy Power Ponies. It might be a fun father son activity. I'd hate to leave the Power Ponies behind."
"The Power Ponies don't care, Sonic," said Zelda sadly. "Just like our friends." Just then, Beast Boy, Merna, Peach, Rainbow Dash and Jasmine arrived in the castle. "Hey, Zelda," said Beast Boy. "We wanted to wave you off but there's still a lot to do, yo."
"You're not coming with us?" asked Sonic. "Nope. I have to help Lucita get settled into her new house," said Beast Boy. "I have to keep preparing for the wedding banquet," said Peach. "I'm going to talk to WALL-E" declared Merna. "I want to ask him if he wants me to put on a bubbleworks show, or if Benny is going to do that."
"And I have to say goodbye to my mom and dad one more time before you adopt me," said Rainbow Dash.
Zelda sadly got to her feet. "Well," she said, her voice quivering with emotion. "I'll be living alone in another castle, so I might as well take the train alone as well. Goodbye, I guess." She got up to leave, only to be stopped by Jasmine. "Wait, Zelda! You won't have to travel alone, sweetheart," Jasmine declared. "Sonic will go with you, but then you'll have to go because the ceremony has to be perfect."
Unable to handle it anymore, Zelda finally reached her breaking point and snapped.
"BUT THAT'S THE PROBLEM!" she screamed, tears flying out of her eyes. "I don't want to move out and I don't want to be queen!"
Before her friends could say anything, Zelda ran from them, sobbing loudly. WALL-E arrived and was dumbfounded to see his daughter in such despair. "What happened?" he asked.
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Niether Zelda's friends or family could believe what they were seeing. The shock of seeing Zelda cry her heart out caused their combined excitement to crash into a million pieces! "I'm going to check on her," Sonic declared. He ran upstairs to Zelda's bedroom.
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Just then, Benny bounced in on his bubble shoes. Right away, he noticed that something was wrong. "Sorry I'm late," he panted. "I had to get the adoption papers and… uh-oh, where's the princess?"
"She's gone," replied Beast Boy solemnly. "Zelda must be more scared of the coronation than we thought. And it looks like we just made it worse."
"Oh, poor Zelda," said Benny, worriedly.
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…
Taking a big gulp, Sonic knocked on the door.
"Go away!" he heard Zelda cry out on the other side. "Leave me alone!"
"Zelda, it's me, Sonic," the blue hedgehog called. "May I come in?" Zelda opened the door to allow Sonic to come inside. His hero instincts kicking in, Sonic picked up the princess and ran to the bed, putting the poor princess in his lap. WALL-E also came inside. Zelda's friends looked on. "Oh Zelda," whispered Beast Boy. "What have we done?" Before they could look any further, Impa, the captain of the royal guards, closed the door. "I think you should leave them alone," she said.
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…
With Zelda alone in her room with Sonic and WALL-E, the princess of Hyrule felt hurt deeply and emotionally with her mind scrambled and fried. Even with her champion and dear father inside, Zelda couldn't stop crying.
"Shh, shh, it's okay, Zelda," said Sonic in a whisper, allowing Zelda to cry onto his chest. "We're right here for you."
"You've got a lot of love and support," added WALL-E. "I know how hard it must be for you."
"They don't care… about my feelings," Zelda cried through sobs. "All they care about is my coronation and how they want it… to be perfect!"
"I know they don't really mean that," said WALL-E. "Everyone's happy for you, including me. But I understand how you must feel right now."
"But only Sonic knows how scared I am!" said Zelda. "Moving to a new castle. Leaving our friends behind! Everyone else doesn't care about my feelings, just like my friends."
Sonic could only sigh as he held Zelda in his arms. He wondered how he could make the transition easier, but it wasn't that simple. They had to be king and queen to keep the Sparks Crew going for Benny. They promised.
"They were too busy with our coronation," sobbed Zelda again. "And the fact that we're moving doesn't bother them one bit."
Sonic sighed again as he stroked Zelda's messy hair. WALL-E stroked her back.
But the little robot wasn't prepared for what Zelda said next.
"You lied to me when you said Sonic and I would rule together, WALL-E! You lied to me!"
Those harsh words caused WALL-E's heart to shatter into a million pieces.
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On the other side of the room, Impa's eyes widened, really taken aback to what Zelda cried out. "Zelda," said WALL-E. "I didn't lie to you. Of course you and Sonic will rule together." Zelda sniffled as she looked up at WALL-E. "But if it helps, we won't force you to be queen. And we can postpone the coronation until you feel most comfortable going through with it. Your mental health is more important than anything else right now." Zelda felt a sense of relief at hearing that.
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"I can't believe it!" gasped Merna. "The coronation? Cancelled?"
"Not cancelled, Merna," corrected Impa. "Merely postponed. Right now, we must stand with Zelda and help her get through the crisis."
"How could we do this to her?" cried Rainbow Dash, punching her front hooves together. "It's like the wedding rehearsal for Simon and Jeanette all over again."
"Yes. We were so busy with the coronation that we didn't take her feelings into account," added Jasmine, wiping a tear away. "Change is good, but…"
"You can't force it on anyone," added Benny. "If there's one thing I've learned ever since my retirement, you can't force someone to do what they don't want to do. If Zelda doesn't want to be queen, that's fine." Everyone else agreed. They decided to focus on being there for a friend. A friend they had loved for a long time.
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For a full hour at Hyrule Castle, Princess Zelda still couldn't stop crying and only Sonic and WALL-E were there. After a long time, WALL-E stepped out of the room. "How is she doing?" asked Impa. "Not good," replied WALL-E. "Impa, we can't let her go through with the coronation in this condition."
"I agree," said Impa. "She clearly didn't have the time she needed to prepare for such a momentous occasion. Mario's actions certainly didn't help." WALL-E looked back at Zelda, who had fallen asleep in Sonic's arms. "I think I know a way we can help Zelda," he said. "How?" asked Sonic, looking up. "There are two therapists in Canterlot who will be more than happy to help Zelda stabilize her mental health. Therapists I've blessed many times for her services," said WALL-E. "Oh, you mean Gentle Breeze and Gentle Gust" said Impa. "Yes, they'd be perfect to help Zelda. If anyone can help Zelda recover from such a tragedy, it's them."
"I can take her there," declared Sonic. "And I can send them a note telling them of what's going on," said Impa. "Perfect!" said WALL-E. "You do that. And Sonic, you can take her to the hospital tomorrow. Nocreature can get her there faster than you." Sonic chuckled proudly, knowing that WALL-E was right.
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For the entire night, Sonic stayed with Zelda in her bedroom, and the princess had fallen asleep in his lap. Everyone else waited outside until WALL-E stepped out of the room to meet them. "H-how is she?" stuttered Rainbow. "Is she going to be okay? Please tell me she's going to be okay."
"Zelda's asleep," replied WALL-E. "And we've come to a decision. Sonic is going to take her to the hospital." This news caused Zelda's friends to gasp in shock! "There's a pair of doctors there who can help Zelda stabilize her mental health."
"Ooh, it's that bad, isn't it?" Rainbow Dash said with a shudder. "I still can't believe we did this to her. It's worse than when Sombra destroyed the Tree of Harmony. No wonder Zelda thinks she's not cut out to be queen."
"It's not only that, Rainbow Dash," declared Jasmine. "Zelda also got upset when Ganondorf, Jinx and Zant appeared, and took the magic with the bell."
"Can we come with her?" asked Benny. "Well, none of you will be fast enough to keep up with Sonic," replied WALL-E. "But you can talk to him before he leaves. We can indeed go to the hospital, but Sonic will be there way before us."
"When is Sonic going to take her there?" asked Benny. "Tomorrow morning," said WALL-E. The others looked at the boxes with their friend's things and sighed as they thought about feelings they shouldn't have ignored. But now it was too late. The damage had been done and now Zelda had to go to the hospital.
Once everyone had gone home, WALL-E went back into the room and sang a little song into Zelda's ear:
Hear the wind in the trees
Hear the music I bring
Daddy's right here with you now
And it's your song that I sing
Sonic was touched by the affection WALL-E showed towards his daughter. "You are a wonderful father," he whispered. WALL-E smiled. He was glad that Zelda would soon get the help she needed.
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The next morning, Zelda woke up and opened her eyes, finding herself in Sonic's lap. "Sonic…" she whispered. "You're still here?"
"Morning, princess," whispered Sonic. "We've been thinking about you. I think the stress of the coronation is getting to you."
"Try telling that to my friends," complained Zelda, bitterly. "You're the only one who cares about me. I don't want to leave here, but my friends don't care."
"That's not true, princess," said Sonic. "Everyone cares about you, a lot. Which is why we're going to get to the bottom of your anxieties."
"How?" Zelda moaned. "I'm going to take you to the hospital," replied Sonic. "There's a pair of doctors there who specialize in dealing with someone's psyche. They can help you."
"Couldn't we just use Rosalina's wand or Rapunzel's hair?" Zelda asked worriedly only for Sonic to shake his head in reply. "Sorry, princess, but magic isn't going to fix this one," he said. "You're mentally injured, not physically injured."
This made Zelda more and more worried, wondering what's in store for her at the hospital. "Does… Link, Amy and Tails know about this?" she asked. "Not yet," said Sonic. "But I can send them a note to tell them what's going on."
"What about Peach?" asked Zelda, feeling betrayed by her best friend. "Peach is just as worried as we are," replied Sonic. "So are Beast Boy, Merna, Jasmine and Rainbow Dash. You've got lots of support here, princess, and we're going to help you get through this." Sonic smiled, before he and Zelda walked out of the bedroom. "Good morning, Zelda," said Impa quietly. "Hi," said Zelda, waving with one hand while holding Sonic's hand in the other. Sonic picked her up and zoomed away.
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Sonic stopped by the train station where Beast Boy, Peach, Merna, Jasmine and Rainbow Dash were waiting. "Morning, Zelda," said Beast Boy, but Zelda said nothing to the little shapeshifter's dismay. "I'm taking her to the hospital," said Sonic. "We know, fool!" said Beast Boy. "WALL-E told us yesterday."
"Honestly, how could we be so foolish?" said Jasmine. "Yeah," said Rainbow. "We thought Zelda was working on not freaking out, but maybe expecting that from her was doing more harm than good."
"True," added Beast Boy. "When Zelda told us she didn't want anything to change, we should've listened to her. Some friends we are." Sonic shook his head. "I'm sure you didn't intend to be mean to Zelda," he said. "To be honest, I'm nervous too."
"You, Sonic?" asked Peach in surprise. "Is that because you're going to be king?"
"Yes, but I'm more nervous for Zelda," said Sonic. "She's like a sister to me, and I'm like a brother to her." With that, Sonic zoomed away.
When Sonic got close to the hospital, some reporters surrounded him, having expected him and Zelda to be departing for the new castle where the coronation was supposed to be, but that would not be the case. "Get back! Get back!" said Sonic. "By order of King WALL-E, the coronation has been postponed until further notice!"
A few seconds later, they arrived at the hospital. "What's happening, Sonic?" asked Zelda. "It's okay, princess," said Sonic, tenderly patting her shoulder. "They're just going to help move you into the hospital." Zelda gasped as she was placed into a wheelchair. As they wheeled her in, Sonic walked behind her while shooing reporters away.
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Back at Lucita's house in Ordon Village, Lucita was just unpacking some of her things when a knock on the door interrupted her. "Come in!" she called. Benny came inside and ran over to her. "Lucita!" he exclaimed. "Benny? What's the matter?" asked Lucita. "Zelda was taken to the hospital," replied Benny. Lucita gasped. "Why?" she asked. "Because her mental health isn't well," replied Benny, only for Lucita to scratch her head. "Hmm. I don't suppose Rosalina knows a spell for healing mental health," she said. "I don't think magic's gonna be enough to fix this one," said Benny. "That's why Sonic took her to the hospital. Remember what we used to do when our superpowers weren't enough to solve a problem?"
Lucita thought and thought and it wasn't long before she remembered. "Oh! We went to our other powers," she said. "Our Superpowers of Science! Sonic must be doing the same thing."
"Yeah," said Benny. "But Beast Boy and I are supposed to inherit Hyrule Castle as duke and duchess, aren't we?" Lucita wondered. "Well, if Zelda doesn't want to move out," said Benny. "We shouldn't force her. Being queen is really bothering her to the point where she has to go to the hospital."
Lucita could only sigh in sympathy over the princess of Hyrule. She hoped she would feel better soon, magic or no magic.
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…
Being wheeled to the hospital, Zelda looked to her hedgehog champion behind her. "Sonic, I'm scared," she whimpered, reaching for Sonic's hand. "I know, Zelda," replied Sonic, taking her hand and rubbing it gently. "I know."
Zelda could only wait in anticipation for what would happen next.