Heroes vs Villains - Ponderosa

Chapter 8 - Juror 8

And there goes Hyrulian's princess. Zelda just got voted off for the first time ever. I'm sure this is going to be a whole new experience for her, so let's dive in.

~KF

"Hello. I am Zelda, juror number eight, and this is my very first Ponderosa."

Night 36

Oh well. At least she was able to make some points for making history in some sort of way, right? Making history no matter what occurred was always something to take from the Survivor experience.

And though Zelda was saddened to being voted for the first time in her Survivor career, she knew it was one way to look at things from a more positive perspective.

"Being part of the jury is something that I have never experienced." The producers walked with her every step of the way, further distancing herself from the Tribal Council. "The last time I played this game, I was sitting right at the finals and I was the one that had to face to jury. Now three people are going to be facing me where I am going to be asking the questions... I know it is definitely going to be a new feeling for me seeing things from the other side."

"I suppose it is something to look forward to. I thought that maybe the others could show me of how it works. I know for sure part of me is going to feel rather off by the time the final night of the game comes around, because of the fact that I am not going to be sitting with the other two finalists this time. Tomorrow night, the night after, and the last night of the competition will be a little challenging for me to get through when I face the remaining contestants. Though it is pointless to have a petty attitude. I am glad that I was the sacrifice needed for somebody else to win this game."

She was right. The woman already made it to the end before. That alone was enough to be thankful for what was already achieved in her Survivor journey. What good came out of being a sore loser? Boohoo.

"I know right now I am going to be paying Doctor Crazy Hand a visit. I have not talked to him as much as the other jurors due to them going through this experience. But I am aware that sometimes he really does live up to his name. I am just generally curious of what he's going to do."

Well, she had to find out for herself as she gave a peek into his tent.

"And there she is. Hello, Zelda! Won't you please come in?"

She giggled, calmly making her way inside. "Don't mind if I do."

Quietly breathing out, she immediately sat down in the seat.

"You look tired."

"I feel tired, too." She admitted.

"Awww... Should I get you some iced tea? Anything?"

"I am... pretty sure they have it at the Ponderosa. I will order it once we are finished here."

Fair enough. At least Crazy Hand showed genuine concern for the castaways. A lot of producers behind the scenes regarding big corporations did not give a damn about other people at all. All that mattered was that damn pay check. If money never existed, the world would have been less evil indeed. Money, money, money...

...

"Hmm... You know, this isn't my first time checking up on you. You seem to be rather quiet sometimes."

"I have heard." Zelda chuckled a little nodding her head. "But I suppose it is because I... have a lot in my mind right now. The others, me not being in the game anymore the first time, getting more food at the cafe, everything."

"Now that you have been voted out for the first time ever, you are having a whole new experience right now. Maybe it's best if you just take your time. But I know one thing: you need to rest."

"Oh, believe me. I definitely will. I have heard the beds here make you feel as if you are sleeping on clouds. It is definitely something I look forward to."

"Crazy Hand does not seem so bad. Him acting 'crazy' at times is nothing more than a given. But no matter how he may act at certain points, he does do his job. And I can tell he loves it."

"Do you remember how much you weighed before you started?"

She had to think for a moment as she actually almost forgot. "...165.2"

And as Zelda stepped on the scale, her eyes widened just a bit at the results. "152.4."

"Okay, so that means you lost 12.8 pounds, Zelda. Do you still feel the same?"

"I, um... I believe I do for the most part. But I do feel like my hair is a mess." And she was dreading the thought of taking a glance at herself in the mirror. "It is not exactly going to be looking pretty. I know I am going to spend quite a bit of time cleaning myself up when I get the chance."

The next scene was Zelda eyeing the large menu while she rode on the boat. Her exhausted eyes scanned every option available. If she was going to the Ponderosa knowing that she just lost the game, she felt the need to treat herself rather nicely to keep her mind kinda distracted.

But it was going to be rather easier said than done when it came to the other jurors that were going discussing of the events surrounding her elimination in the first place. Yet she had no reason to blame them. Nothing wrong with being curious. There were even two more jurors that were going to be on the scene after her, and she pictured herself being just as intrigued as everyone else of what would have went on.

"I do remember myself having the strong urge to just go to bed and have a long sleep. There was hardly anything else on my mind at the time. I knew I was still disappointed by being cutoff from the game only a few rounds from the final three, but I figured with me sleeping it all off would have allowed me to wake up with a fresh start."

"There is another thing that I have just realized. In both seasons, I ended up being the last woman remaining both times. I never even put too much thought into it, but... a little extra trivia added to my Survivor resume, I suppose..."

"You made it, Zelda!"

Maybe with Shovel Knight being there, she might have had a slightly easier time dealing with the situation. "I'm coming, I'm coming..."

"Don't worry. I took my time getting over here, too."

Upon her reaching the others, Shovel Knight was already coming down the steps to embrace her. Yet he was cut off by big ol' Vector the Crocodile that managed to hug her first. Though Vec was not a mean guy, as he was almost certainly unaware of what he just did, it was rather rude...

"You get to go through this with us, Zel. We'll make you feel right at home."

"Well I am only going to be here for three nights. I'm just going to take it in one second at a time."

With the reptile finally releasing her, now she had the opportunity to hug Shovel Knight.

"I am so sorry this had to happen to you. We both would have voted for you no matter who you sat with at the end."

And there it was. Zelda was guaranteed two jury votes had she made it to the last day. What a shame...Did

"That only makes me feel a little more disappointed in myself, but I do appreciate it from both of you. I really gave it my all this time, but... unfortunately it was not meant to be."

"Shovel and Vector were of course the first two people to greet me. The three of us and Yoshi formed a very strong alliance together since the Meta Knight vote, and we all tried to make it as far as we could have. However, Vector was the biggest physical contender in our alliance when it came to challenges, Wolf and DK made an alliance to counter us resulting in Shovel going home, and I did not have enough numbers to save myself. Now Yoshi is all on his own, and I do not think he has ever been in that position before..."

"We really tried to make it work, Zel." said Vector. "The four of us really had a special thing going. I remember when the three of us were the swings needed at that tribal right before the merge. We've made a pact and I really wish we would have made final four together."

"I do wish the same, even though you probably would have been number four if that actually happened.

"Hahahahahaha!" That kind of answer was something he actually expected. Zelda was too smart to not see Vector as a threat. And it showed that she was considering Vector to be a threat, yet he was blindsided at the wrong time. Zelda and Shovel without a doubt still needed the man for a few more rounds.

If only Yoshi actually played his hidden immunity idol on him...

"Did you actually plan on voting for Donkey Kong tonight?" Springtrap asked out of curiosity. "And I don't mean any offense or anything, but... Wolf and Plague kinda ate you up back there."

A few of her fellow jurors laughed in reaction.

"Well,..." She was attempting to sound as professional and mature as she could have. One thing about her was that she knew how to carry herself. Hyrule's princess always had an incredible amount of patience. "-I knew what I was doing, and they knew what they were doing. It is always the later stages in the game where all of the gloves are off and become grow to be desperate to have a spot at the finals. I did not want it to get to a point where I would actually be voted out for the first time, but the Goddesses have someone else in mine to win this season. And whoever is going to win it, it is something I am pretty sure we are all looking forward to."

"Zelda is a real trooper." There were a lot of reasons for Vector to feel so proud of her. "In her first season, she actually got all the way to the end of the game even though her name was tossed around several times. I don't know how she did not get one damn vote, but she learned ways to improve her game even more. She took that moment and grew into an even smarter player than what she already was. Even I can admit that she was the big brain within our group. We would have had an even more difficult time if it wasn't for her. She helped protect me, and she tried to teach Shovel how to become a better strategist. She's gonna have her moments that she's not out there fightin' anymore, so Shovel and I have to keep reminding her that Link is gonna be as happy as he can be."

She was eyeing in her reflection. It was actually a pretty rare scene to have her jaw dropped, but she was completely speechless. In her eyes, her appearance fell beneath her already low expectations.

"I... Okay, this is rather embarrassing."

"Haha! You'll be alright." said Golden. "One shower and you'll be back to your old self. You should also get some more food in you, even though you went with DK and Ryu on that reward you all talked about. ...What did you all eat?"

"It was some jamaican beef stew."

"Ooh. That sounds appetizing. Now I'm getting hungry here. Let's just all sit at the table." The bear suggested, allowing Zelda to move on ahead. "The others are just up ahead."

Oh yeah... She nearly forgot about Shadow and Ridley. They were still not greeting people at the entrance? What was it going to take?

Zelda almost instantly felt awkward when they both eyed their way.

"Hello there." Alright. Maybe with Ridley speaking first, it put her at ease a little.

"Hi." She waved in reply. "...Hello there, Shadow."

"Hi..."

Okay, that was it. That was the last straw. Someone was going to have to get through to him one way or another. The audience just had to stay tuned for the following morning.

But for the time being, Zelda needed to have her dinner: steamed vegetables with fried plantains. Another thing about the woman was that she was also curious trying different cuisines from different cultures. For her it was real taste of that country.

"I suppose one benefit on playing the game twice is having the opportunity to play in different locations. First Japan, now the Caribbean. And both countries have very interesting flavors, and I can't help but want more of it. Sometime after Emperors vs Knights, Link and I actually took a trip to the exact location where we had our Survivor seasons. And we both enjoyed the food very much. Now we would have to make a trip here, too, especially since Link never really got to experience this location when he played Survivor. The people of the Caribbean have some very interesting tastes. I remember not really caring if I just had beef stew not too long before tribal. I was curious to what the food was gong to taste like, anyway."

"Careful not to eat too much, Zel." warned Springtrap. "I made myself sick by the time I was done."

"Well if I get too full, I might have to save the rest for later. This food is really nice!"

And there was a loud-mouthed Bowser. "Bwahahaha! The best part of getting voted out is eating yourself to death. Though you may be pissed off at everyone for sending you home, at least you get to eat all the food you want while they nothin'!"

His sudden shouting came so out of nowhere for Zelda that it kind of startled her, but she was fortunately able to catch herself... And of course it was Bowser that she was dealing with, but still. Why did people have to talk so loud? They were all sitting right next to each other. It was not as if this was a football game or something.

"This is my second time playing in the Caribbean, so I actually recognize a lot of these dishes." Vector spoke between bites of his steak. "At least I get to experience some of them more than once."

"That is one thing we can agree on." Oh, Ridley! See? He was actually talking to other people. And with Vector? Quite impressive indeed. "Maybe I can get a couple of my own chefs to learn a thing or to from it. I am quite liking what I am putting into my mouth."

"You seem to be obsessed with the steak the most. It has become your usual at this point." Golden pointed out. "And I am pretty sure your people have cooked steak for you on a regular basis..."

"Well I have tried some of their other options..."

"I have a lot of strengths and weaknesses. And when it comes to steak, I just can't help it." Ridley lifted his hands up. "I gotta eat something to keep my strength up. How else am I going to be in peak physical condition? I need steak so that I can be as physical as possible when I go on missions. Or else, I can not perform at my best. So yes, I do have my chefs cook steak for me. ...Problem?"

Nothing much to complain about, supposedly... Ridley was famous in his own world, so it was not at all shocking that there were a lot of people that did things for him. Why did some folks in the world think that his people called him Lord Ridley?

But back to Zelda, she was walking out of the cafe. Her belly was full, and she did not overdo it like Springtrap.

"The food was amazing, but I believe that it would be even more better for me to finally get some rest in. Once I close my eyes, it is going to take a long while before I wake up again."

Day 37

Day thirty-seven. Following the current day, there were only going to be two days remaining in the game. Two. Days.

The end of the first generation of castaways was coming close and everyone was feeling it. And for the jury in particular, all each one of them could have done was simply... relax and enjoy the beautiful scenery. To them it was a great pleasure to finally have their guard down.

In Zelda's case, she took her time opening her door. And as she was exposed to the outside world again, a gradual grin grew on her face. She appeared to be relaxed, refreshed, and ready to enjoy her final days in the Dominican Republic.

"It was the most peaceful night I had. There was no more of me worrying about bugs crawling over my face and in my hair, I did not have to worry about sleeping on the bamboo, and I no longer needed to be concerned about the fire or sudden noises that kept me awake. It was very much needed, and now I am feeling as if I am brand new person. May not be back in Hyrule yet, though I know that I can take my time and lie low in this beautiful country. Breakfast was pretty nice. I had a nice omelette stuff with ham, spinach, onions, and tomatoes."

With sour cream and cheddar cheese. Omelettes were in fact tasty depending on what was stuffed in them. Though everyone knew that the most difficult part was the folding process.

Nonetheless, Zelda's was perfect and she could not have been more satisfied. And part of her felt that she was indeed at home. She usually woke up, got out of bed, and came into the throne room to eat a nice meal in preparation for the day. ...Sure, she did live in luxury (even though Hyrule was not exactly Hollywood in comparison), but the woman jumped through hurdles to get to the point where she declared the princess of Hyrule. She deserved everything and more. And also, she always maintained a humble attitude.

So it was okay for her haters to be jealous.

Moving on, Zelda and Shovel Knight were having their own conversation as they sat in the chairs on the dock And guess what? They were indeed fishing, in the more traditional way. Zelda did not have the energy to go scuba diving at the time, and her longtime friend decided to go easy on her that day.

Besides, the two of them needed to have their time to talk alone. Even though both heroes were separated for only one day, a lot could have occurred within just one day of Survivor. Shovel was in fact curious of any details he might have missed.

"I feel like he wanted to pull me aside just to get an overall feel of where my head was, while also wanting to have a genuine dialogue at the same time. I really felt inside that he felt bad after all that occurred between him and I. Our alliances were against each other throughout the duration of the game, and he was probably picturing what it would have been like if things were different."

"That sounds like something DK would have done. He is indeed a gamer, but he does have strong integrity. I have a large amount of respect for the man." Shovel began to feel rather upset at himself. "I believe I played a big part of the tribe being divided. I was the swing vote at the Meta Knight Tribal Council, and DK and Golden were with Meta and I voted him out. To this day it still bothers me, but I do know that if I voted with Meta, your life would have been on the line instead. ...So it is difficult for me to say that I regret it."

"I just couldn't have waited for Zelda and I to reconnect again. Throughout our adventure together, we both learned from each other in a variety of ways. Without question I would have voted for this time, had she made the final three." And that made Shield's partner feel even worse. "Now that I think about it, it doesn't make me feel good knowing I did not vote for her the first time. I felt that Marth played an overall better game than her, and Zelda and I grew closer after the first season. And what I do realize is that she is someone special. She really is special. I know Shield would love to get to know her. Even our worlds are a bit similar to each other."

"So,..." Zelda stared at the water for a moment. "-have you talked to Shadow by chance? I tried talking to him last night and... he..."

"No need to finish, Zel. I already understand what you're trying to tell me. I have tried my best to friendly around him as well, but... he's been struggling. I can see it in his face. I have been trying to get him to open up a little bit yesterday, but perhaps you and I both should check on him if he doesn't mind. We are the ones that are familiar with him the most."

She exhaled softly. The brunette even wondered why a guy like Shadow the Hedgehog was on her mind at all. In season two, he was rude, edgy, betrayed Zelda's trust multiple times, and was regarded as one of the notorious villains of the series. So,... why was Zelda showing concern for him now?

"I do not know what it is, but... I feel that... Here is how to put it: during the swap portion of a game, Shadow and I had a conversation when no one else was around. And... it involved you."

Shovel Knight popped an eyebrow under his helmet. "Me...? Have I done something to him? If so, I'd like to know so that I can go ahead and apologize to him personally."

"No, no, no." She shook her head in denial. "It was when you and Vector were out fishing. He was looking at you while wondering why you were on this season because he felt that you did not do much regarding gameplay. But that was not the only thing we discussed as there was a lot more to it. I just feel like... he has something going on inside of him."

"Well, I may not know exactly how the whole conversation played out... But I can say is that we all have our demons. I know I am flawed in many areas, and I think that Shadow is really going through it internally. ...Isn't there anyone that is actually close with him?"

"I would say Foxy, but..." Zelda's pause really only put things into perspective. "-the most positive way to describe whatever dynamic they have is that they were both just allies in an alliance. Other than that, I do not know. The only person that comes to mind is Knuckles. If there was one real friend he made in our season, it is him, and he is not here at the moment. There is nobody else he trusts himself opening up to."

"I just can not help but to feel sorry for Shadow. There is no doubt that he has been dealing with some issues personally, probably before Emperors vs Knights even started. And in this season, it is probably all coming to a head. And I know that Shadow and I do not have the best relationship, but Shovel and I are the only two that are here with him right now that originated from the same season. I did not know of our chances of getting through to him, but it was worth a shot. If nothing gets solved of it, he is going to have a hard time forming bonds with others and will end up spending much of his life alone. And I honestly believe that it is fate that not even he wants for himself."

"Do you and Knuckles talk rather often?"

The princess and the shovel warrior decided it was now or never. It was a chore itself to convince Shadow to go with the two of them. Knowing he was going to have a whole conversation with them was another thing. And Zelda very well knew that Shadow was wishing for an excuse to exit out of the situation as soon as possible.

Due to her not wanting to force him to do a certain thing, letting him go was rather appropriate. Though since he and Shovel were thankful to see him to stay for at least a few minutes, it was best to attempt to get him to listen for as long as possible. Hopefully that day, he was able to learn a little something.

"I do from time to time." The Mobian replied. "He's invited me several times to Angel Island, and it is one of the few places to find peace. Knuckles is probably the only one I can vent to. It is probably because he is one of those people that is not afraid to say what he feels like. Everybody else is just too soft to take criticism, or just think that I'm being too much of an asshole and I shouldn't say certain things."

"...Okay..." Zelda quietly scrambled her mind around for a proper follow up. "Well, what I can say in response is that it is good that you have someone you can vent your feelings to. I know Knuckles can be rather blunt at times, too."

"Having a trait such as being able to say whatever is on one's mind can be a beneficial trait to have." Shovel acknowledged, but he found a downside to that. "However, there were times where Knuckles did not really think about what he said before he said it. His blow up after you were eliminated, cost him some social points with the rest of the cast. I do not know what you think of it, but despite your alliance being put in danger at that point, Foxy, Bonnie, and Freddy all handled the situation better. They were both aware that they were still playing the game with us while being aware that they were on the opposite side of the fence."

"Freddy and I never talked to each other that often, I don't recall saying more than five words to Bonnie, and Foxy? You could say that he had potential, but I've known him for less than ten days in the game. And with this season, I didn't strategically see eye to eye with him."

Neither Shovel nor Zelda were on the villains team, so they were unable to form an overall opinion of that situation.

Still, if there was anything Shadow might have had against Foxy, Zelda felt that he had to give the man a chance. "Foxy was rather blunt at times as well. I think the difference was that Foxy knew how to speak his mind, while being respectful at the same time. I believe that is why he has a cult following of his own in the Survivor community. He was also not afraid to make moves such as blindsiding his own ally in Bonnie, while still maintaining a friendly demeanor. I do have a level of respect for him because of that."

"I agree." Shovel nodded. "And to add to what Zelda is saying is that as much as you don't like being judged for who you are, it does go both ways. Being what you call a 'nice person' does not make someone like me or Zelda or... Peach any less of a strong-minded individual. That is exactly how people are when you take mistake one's kindness for a weakness."

That might have been a low-key response from Shovel Knight regarding to what Shadow really thought about him returning to the game to play for a second time.

"It is not fair to put someone in a box solely based off first impressions. I do believe it is possible to speak your mind, while being a decent person simultaneously." Zelda opinionated. "I can take criticism, Shovel can take criticism, Foxy can take criticism, but we still have to be humble and still true to our core. Everybody is different from each other. You just need to learn to put yourself into other peoples' shoes. That does go for the both of us as well. Shovel and I have been thinking about you, Shadow. From what we can gather, we have a strong feeling that there are some issues you have inside. I apologize for whatever it is that you are going through, and I want you to know that we are here to help you. Regardless of what you may think of us, we really do care about you. Ridley has even told me that he has been trying to get through to you as well. I do not know what everyone else thinks of you, but everyone does have their flaws somewhere."

"We do not view you to be a bad person, Shadow." said the knight. "Just give some folks a chance, just how others are giving you a chance. You do not have to like everybody, but there are people in the world that do not mind hearing whatever it is you have to say. And maybe if you do find those people, you may start to feel like your feelings are being validated. Hopefully, that'll help you out in the long run."

"..." Shadow simply sat in the hammock for a long while as his eyes continued to shift from one former castaway to the next.

Following a long pause, he sighed and stared down at the ground. "Hopefully opening up does not mean I'm getting all soft inside..."

"It does not." Zelda shook his head, forming a small grin at the bit of progress she and her friend just made with him. "It is okay to be vulnerable. Everybody has their own story to share. You have yours."

Shadow heaved out a long sigh. There was a lot of thinking he had to do. "I don't know why, but... I think I need to get back with Knuckles as soon as possible. There is much I need to talk about with him. Maybe Foxy and I need to have a conversation. Ridley can perhaps be some sort of mediator or something in case we end up getting into an argument. I dunno, just thinking on my feet here. But I would have never expected to learn anything from Zelda and Shovel Knight of all people."

Was he finally making some progress?

But anyway, back to Zelda. Anything else she wanted to say to wrap her Ponderosa video up?

And yeah, she did manage to catch a couple fish today, much to her delight.

Shovel caught a couple himself. "We're going to have a good lunch as we fire these up on the grill."

"I am coming out of this competition being stronger than I ever was before. And in a way, maybe it will make be an even stronger ruler. Hyrule needs someone that can lead it in the right direction. And due to me being able to have a level of patience, it is why I have learned to have a level head regardless of the situation that I am in. It is why I chose to take part of this in the beginning. When you have the opportunity to really show what you are made of, it really is worth it as you learn even more about yourself... I know for certain that I can not wait to get back home."

The conversation with Shadow was the scene I scrapped from Shovel's chapter so I can put it into this one. I knew Zelda was going home right after him, and all three of them come from the same season. So that explains Shovel's Ponderosa being a little shorter.

But both of them did a good job handling him. Hopefully Shadow took something out of that conversation to heart. And for those that see Zelda as the best character of this season, perhaps give her some love on my poll. There's still some time left after all.

Next time, it'll finally be time to start the finale.