The sky above the armory darkened as Zelda's combined forces of Mushroom Kingdom soldiers, Hyrulean knights, and Donkey Kong's jungle warriors waited just beyond sight, crouched behind rocks and trees, their breaths shallow and tense. The air was thick with anticipation, the eerie quiet only amplifying the rising anxiety among the troops. They were so close now, the armory within reach—yet something felt off.
Zelda, mounted on her horse, sat at the front of the gathered forces, but her heart wasn't in it. The weight of leadership pressed heavily on her shoulders, and for a moment, she wondered how Peach or Link would handle this situation. Her grip on her sword hilt tightened, but not out of confidence—it was a desperate attempt to steady her shaking hand.
Beside her stood Proto Man, arms crossed over his chest, his yellow scarf fluttering behind him in the soft breeze. His visor was lowered, and he kept his gaze fixed on the armory. "Something's wrong," he muttered. His confidence and experience were palpable, and Zelda found herself hoping for guidance she didn't feel prepared to give.
Donkey Kong noticed her hesitation and walked up, his enormous presence both grounding and reassuring. He lowered his voice, speaking to her directly. "Zelda," he said in his deep, steady tone, "you don't need to carry this all by yourself. We've got your back. I've got your back."
Zelda looked up at him, her uncertainty clear in her eyes. "What if this is a mistake? What if I lead everyone into a trap?" she asked, trying to keep her voice steady, but the doubt was unmistakable.
Donkey Kong offered a gentle smile, something rare for the usually brash leader. "It's okay to be scared. Everyone's got doubts in war. But that's why you've got us here. You don't need to have all the answers—just trust us to help."
He paused, watching her closely as the troops prepared behind them. "I'll lead the charge this time," he said firmly. "You stay back and direct us. We'll figure it out together, like we always do."
Zelda felt a surge of relief at his words. She wasn't ready to lead from the front, not yet, but Donkey Kong's unwavering confidence in her—despite her doubts—gave her the strength to nod. "Thank you," she whispered, trying to mask her anxiety with determination.
At that moment, Link appeared from the shadows, silent as ever, his face illuminated by the soft light of the setting sun. His stride was purposeful, his expression serious as he approached the group.
"Link," Zelda said, her voice steadier now, "what did you find?"
Link nodded his greeting to Zelda and Donkey Kong, then addressed the group. "The armory is lightly guarded," he said in his usual calm, confident tone. "I counted only a few moblins patrolling the perimeter. No signs of reinforcements or heavier resistance."
Zelda furrowed her brow, her lips pressing into a thin line. Lightly guarded? That didn't make sense. Ganondorf's armory should have been fortified, especially considering how vital it was to his war efforts. She glanced at Proto Man, who was already eyeing the landscape with suspicion.
"Too easy," Proto Man said, voicing what they were all thinking. "They're practically inviting us in. I don't like it."
Donkey Kong grunted in agreement, pounding his fist into his palm. "Yeah," he said, his voice low and gruff, "but we can't afford to let this chance slip away. If we hit them fast and hard, we can take out their weapons before they even realize we're there."
Zelda hesitated, glancing at Donkey Kong for reassurance. He gave her a confident nod, stepping forward to take charge. She exhaled slowly, feeling a weight lift off her shoulders. "Prepare the troops," she ordered, grateful to have him leading the charge. "We strike now before they have a chance to fortify."
Donkey Kong cracked his knuckles, stepping up to lead the attack. "Alright, everyone, let's move out!" he bellowed, his voice full of authority. Zelda stayed back, watching as her soldiers began to mobilize, and a flicker of relief passed through her. Donkey Kong's presence gave her the room she needed to direct the battle without having to be at the front.
The combined forces surged forward with a mighty roar, their war cries echoing across the battlefield. Donkey Kong thundered ahead, his powerful strides shaking the ground beneath him. Behind him, Zelda's soldiers rushed forward, swords drawn, shields raised, confidence growing as they neared the lightly guarded armory.
As they approached the gate, Donkey Kong swung a massive fist, smashing it open with a thunderous crash. His warriors followed closely behind, pouring into the armory's courtyard. The first wave of moblins fell easily to the onslaught—overwhelmed by the sheer force of the surprise attack. Donkey Kong tossed them aside as though they were nothing more than twigs, his strength clearing a path for the troops behind him.
Zelda, initially hanging back, felt a surge of courage. She spurred her horse forward, deciding to join the front lines with her forces. She dismounted near the armory entrance, sword drawn, and moved to support her troops. Mushroom Kingdom soldiers engaged the remaining guards, their swords clashing with the moblins' crude weapons. Hyrulean knights slashed through enemy lines with practiced precision, moving as a disciplined unit. Each enemy that fell bolstered the troops' morale.
Link darted forward, his sword a blur as it cut through the air. He swiftly dispatched a pair of moblins guarding the armory's main entrance. With a flick of his wrist, he motioned for more soldiers to follow, and together they charged inside.
"Keep pressing forward!" Donkey Kong bellowed, smashing through another moblin. He glanced around, expecting reinforcements to arrive, but none came. The air, despite the battle, felt too still.
Proto Man moved behind the main group, his arm cannon aimed and ready. His visor scanned the armory, waiting for signs of heavier resistance, but all he saw were the few remaining enemies being swiftly cut down by the advancing forces. He frowned. "This doesn't feel right," he muttered, but he kept his weapon trained on the perimeter, ready for anything.
Inside the armory, Link and his knights encountered only minimal resistance. They tore through crates of weapons, disabling what they could, gathering any useful supplies. The moblins inside fell with ease, and for a brief moment, the heroes felt the thrill of victory.
"We've got them!" one of the knights called out, his voice tinged with excitement as the last moblin in his path was struck down. He raised his sword high in triumph.
Zelda watched from the edge of the armory, her heart pounding, torn between relief and doubt. They were winning—too easily. Her eyes swept across the battlefield, taking in the sight of the armory being quickly overrun. Her troops moved swiftly, cutting through the scattered defenses like a knife through butter.
And then, just as they seemed on the verge of complete victory, Zelda felt it—a strange stillness. Her heart sank. Something was wrong.
Proto Man, who had stayed behind to scan for trouble, lowered his visor slightly, his instincts kicking in. "This was too easy," he murmured, lowering his arm cannon as he surveyed the now-quiet battlefield. "I don't like this at all."
Link, his instincts always sharp, froze suddenly. He turned his gaze skyward, his heart sinking as he saw a familiar figure hovering above them. Kamek, Bowser's right-hand Magikoopa, floated in the air, surrounded by a cadre of other Magikoopas. And with them was something even stranger—an egg-shaped device, its surface gleaming with unfamiliar technology.
"Kamek!" Link shouted, drawing his sword once again. "It's a trap!"
Kamek cackled from above, his voice ringing with sinister glee. "Fools! Did you really think we'd leave our precious armory unguarded?" He waved his wand, and the Magikoopas followed suit. The air crackled with magic as beams of light shot down from the sky, slamming into the ground around the troops.
The egg-shaped devices hummed to life, pulsating with an unnatural energy. 'What the—!' Donkey Kong started, but before he could finish, a burst of light slammed into the ground, sending his troops sprawling. The devices zigzagged through the air, their erratic flight patterns making them impossible to track. Proto Man fired a volley from his arm cannon, but the blast ricocheted off the nearest device's smooth surface.
"They're deflecting our attacks!" he shouted over the chaos.
"We can't hit them!" Donkey Kong roared as another blast struck him, searing his arm. He staggered back, biting back a cry of pain, but refused to retreat. Around them, soldiers struggled to regroup, but the energy pulses came too fast, overwhelming Zelda's forces.
Donkey Kong roared in pain as one of the blasts struck his arm, burning his fur. He staggered back, clutching the wound, but he refused to retreat. "Link!" he bellowed, his voice desperate. "Get Zelda out of here! Now!"
Link's eyes locked with Zelda's, but she shook her head fiercely, determination burning in her gaze. "I'm not leaving!" she shouted over the chaos. "We fight together!"
The battlefield erupted into chaos as the Magikoopas unleashed more magic, summoning strange and monstrous creatures from their wands. Mechanical monstrosities powered by Robotnik's twisted technology emerged from the smoke, their glowing eyes scanning the battlefield as they charged at the soldiers.
Proto Man fired his arm cannon at one of the egg-shaped machines, but the blast merely bounced off its surface, doing no damage. "These things are too fast!" he growled, frustration creeping into his voice. "We can't bring them down like this!"
More and more enemies appeared from the Magikoopas' wands, their numbers seemingly endless. Zelda's forces began to scatter, unable to keep up with the relentless onslaught.
"Fall back!" Zelda commanded, her voice cutting through the noise of battle. "Fall back to the ridge!"
Link's sword flashed in the fading light as he cut down the moblins attempting to block their retreat, but the enemy numbers seemed to swell with every step backward. "Keep moving!" he called over his shoulder, but his voice was drowned out by the thunder of collapsing debris and the screams of the wounded.
Behind him, Donkey Kong roared, swinging a fallen tree trunk like a club, scattering enemies with each swing, but even his immense strength seemed a small match against the relentless advance. "Go! I'll hold them off!" he bellowed, wincing as pain shot through his burned arm.
Proto Man was the last to retreat, his arm cannon glowing red as he unleashed blast after blast. But the machines kept coming, their numbers seemingly endless, and for every one that fell, two more took its place. His visor flickered with frustration as he gritted his teeth, realizing they were outmatched.
As the forces finally reached the safety of the ridge, Zelda turned to survey the battlefield below. Kamek's forces were still advancing, but for now, they had gained some distance.
Zelda's heart sank as she surveyed the battlefield from the ridge, her eyes lingering on the smoking ruins of the armory. What had moments ago seemed like the key to victory was now a site of devastation. Her forces, once so full of hope, were now scattered, weakened, and in disarray. The losses were overwhelming—more than she had ever imagined.
The cries of the wounded and the smell of smoke filled the air, mingling with the bitter taste of defeat. Zelda's shoulders slumped as the weight of the failure settled in. She had led them into this, and now they were barely holding on. Soldiers staggered up the ridge, battered and broken, their faces pale with exhaustion and fear. Some wouldn't make it. Others carried the wounded, their gazes hollow and distant.
There was no triumph in this retreat—only the grim realization that they had miscalculated. They had walked straight into a trap, and now they were paying the price.
"This was a trap," Zelda said softly, her voice wavering as she fought to keep her composure. She looked around at the survivors, their eyes filled with doubt and despair. "We were fools to think we could take the armory so easily."
Donkey Kong, still nursing his wounded arm, limped toward her. His usual bravado was gone, replaced by grim silence. Proto Man approached as well, sparks flickering from a crack in his armor, his visor downcast. He wasn't in danger of shutting down, but the damage was clear, and the exhaustion showed in his posture. No one had anything encouraging to say.
The retreating forces gathered in small groups, quiet murmurs of disbelief spreading among them. Their morale had been shattered. Zelda could see it in their slouched postures and the way some stared blankly at the ground. For the first time since the war began, doubt clawed at her heart—doubt that they could win this fight at all.
Zelda clenched her jaw, but not in determination—there was nothing to be proud of in this moment. There was no rousing speech she could give to rally the troops. They had been beaten, and it showed. Her hands trembled as she watched the remnants of her army, knowing they would need time to recover, and worse, knowing that more enemies awaited them.
"This war... it's far from over," she muttered, almost to herself. But the words rang hollow.
Around her, the surviving soldiers regrouped, but their movements were slow, weighed down by defeat. No one dared to speak of the next battle. The defeat here had left a scar, one that wouldn't heal quickly.
And as Zelda looked out over the battlefield one last time, she couldn't help but wonder how many more scars they could endure before they broke completely.