#anyway everyone's looking for Princess and it's gonna be fun when they all converge

[skyloftian-nutcase]

Breath of the Sky Ch 10 (SS meets BotW)

UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE :D :D :D

Okay okay, I'm not... entirely happy with this chapter but I'm not unhappy with it, either. It's just kind of awkwardly paced, I feel like, but if I kept going it would take a century to get this sucker out and probably even longer to read it. So here we are.

Summary: When Princess Zelda goes to the Spring of Courage to pray, accompanied by her appointed knight, a giant magical cog spitting out a goddess is the last thing she expects, but it is what she gets. Meanwhile, the Spirit Maiden Zelda is trying to figure out what the heck is happening and where her missing husband/chosen hero is.

(AO3 link)

Chapter 10: A King's Request

Something made a strange noise, pulling her from the inky darkness she'd slipped into. Light. There was light. Taking a slow, deep breath, Zelda furrowed her brow a little as the light pierced through her eyelids, casting an amber glow in front of her eyes.

Amber.

Her eyes opened in an instant. But she wasn’t drained and collapsing into Link’s arms in the Temple of Hylia. She was…

Ah. That’s right.

Zelda shifted, feeling the cotton sheet scratch her bare skin. She was a little chilly, but not uncomfortable, though she did shuffle under the heavy blankets a bit more, pushing some disheveled hair out of her face. She stretched briefly, feeling her blood flow through her body, and glanced to the other side of the bed. Link was snuggled under the blanket all the way to his nose, his fluffy dirty blonde hair barely visible. Zelda smiled, her heart full.

Last night had been magical.

Slowly, she made her way over to her husband, holding him close against her for some extra warmth. Link mumbled in his sleep, turning towards her slightly. She lightly rubbed her nose against his, giggling as he scrunched his face and sniffled in response.

And then she nearly jumped out of her skin when there was a knock at the door.

Heart racing, Zelda bolted up, looked down at her less than fit-for-company appearance, and then snatched the blanket and shoved it up to her chin. Link shivered a little, rolling away from her and taking the blanket with him.

“Link!” Zelda hissed in protest as her fluffy shield was stripped away.

There was another knock at the door. “Your Grace, Hero of—”

“J-just a minute!” Zelda said, trying to sound commanding and only succeeding in sounding like a teenager caught in the midst of breaking some kind of rule.

Looking around frantically, Zelda saw a sash in one corner of the room, her dress in another, Link’s trousers lazily hanging over the chair, and accessories scattered in multiple nooks and crannies. It was a veritable puzzle that she had to piece together. She scrambled out of the bed, face flushing as she immediately went to the window to slam the curtains closed (what time was it? She felt like she'd only just fallen asleep), and then began to gather different articles of clothing.

Link continued to snore in bed. Zelda glanced at him at one point, exasperated. How could he sleep through this?!

Zelda felt something sharp and prickly dig into her heel and she hissed, hopping on one foot for a few seconds, leading to her balance being thrown off as she unceremoniously face planted onto the floor.

Snoring continued to float lazily from the bed.

“Your Grace, Great Hero, is everything all right?” the voice called from the door. It was unfamiliar, whoever it was, and that made Zelda all the more agitated.

Groaning, she pulled herself up from the floor, now shivering. “Yep! Fine! Just another minute please!”

Her foot throbbing in pain, Zelda glared down to see that the offending object that had caused the injury was her headdress from last night. Grumbling, she grabbed the cursed item and threw it onto the chair where it was less likely to cause damage. From her vantage point, though, she could see her dress, all crumpled up by the bed where Link was wrapped up at least three times over in two different blankets, his hair sticking out like he was some freshly harvested vegetable.

Zelda hastily threw the white garment over her head, growling as it fought against her desire to wear it, pulling in odd places with different layers sticking up. This fit just fine yesterday, why was this being such a pain?!

After finally managing to at least get the garment to flow freely from her head to her toes, she padded over to the door, trying to take a calming breath and slow her frantic heart rate. She smoothed her hands over her hair—which she immediately regretted because she could feel how tangled it must have looked—and cracked the door open.

And promptly felt her heart get stolen from her chest.

There was a woman in front of her, roughly around her age, with copious amounts of thick white hair tied in a half up, half down style. Her red eyes were wide, somewhat nervous but holding a fierce determination to them, and her face was stony.

But her forehead… it bore a symbol that Zelda had only seen on one other person.

Impa.

“Who are you?” Zelda asked quietly as she slowly straightened her posture, the door opening wider of its own accord.

The woman in front of her genuflected. “Your Grace, I am Impa of the Sheikah. I come to—”

The rest of her message was lost to Zelda. Impa?! How could this be Impa?! This made no sense!

Wait. Wait. The princess… her name is Zelda. The Hero’s name is Link. This woman must be a descendant or at least of the same people as Impa, then. The name is an honoring, just as the others are.

Zelda took a steadying breath as logic helped calm her whirling thoughts. She knew she had to be right. After all, this woman bore little to no resemblance to the Impa she knew apart from her eyes and the symbol.

The current dilemma, then, was that she was genuflecting, clearly expecting a reply, and Zelda had no idea what she had said beyond her name.

Zelda felt her dress push into her neck uncomfortably, and she pulled the collar down her chest a bit, swallowing. “I’m sorry, Impa, I… I didn’t… it’s nice to meet you, but what is it that you want?”

Impa slowly glanced up at the disheveled teenager and bit her lip, her cheeks blushing slightly. She quickly looked down again, as if ashamed or timid, like she bore some secret that she didn’t want revealed. Zelda grew confused, felt her dress ride up at her neck again, and yanked it irritably.

“Your Grace, I come bearing a message – a request for an audience from the king.”

The king? What could the king want at this hour of the morning? Zelda felt pretty tired, and it was still early light out; surely this could wait?

She supposed she didn’t have much right to argue, though. The king had been nothing but accommodating, and he’d thrown the most extravagant feast in her honor that she’d ever seen, past or present. Zelda sighed, running a hand down her face. Suddenly she felt both obligated and frustrated. How much longer should this farce even go on? She’d come here to find Link. That issue had been more than resolved.

But everything that she’d learned last night…

“Very well,” she said. “I just… does he want me to come right now?”

Impa glanced up again. Zelda finally realized she would remain genuflecting unless told otherwise.

Interrupting whatever the woman was about to say, Zelda hastily waved her hand upward. “Please, get up.”

Impa obeyed, straightening and standing at eye level. It made Zelda almost take a step away. The woman’s gaze was strong, though not as stern as the Impa she’d known. But the red eyes were unique, something that undeniably reminded her of the servant and friend who had guided and protected her for millennia.

“Your Grace, I believe given the situation, it is best to take your time and prepare for the audience.”

“What situation?” Zelda questioned, growing more anxious.

Impa cleared her throat uncomfortably and folded her hands behind her back, tipping her head towards Zelda.

The confusion returned, quelling her worries. “What is it?”

“Your Grace… um, you might want to check your dress.”

“My—“ another firm tug on her collar “My dress is beautiful, I don’t know who made it, but—”

“Your Grace. Check your dress.”

Zelda blinked, bewildered. Looking down, she immediately understood.

She was wearing her dress backwards.

Her cheeks burned, and she knew they likely matched the same shade of crimson as the woman’s eyes. “Ah. Uh, right. Right. I’ll just… um, please tell the king I’ll see him after breakfast and… yes. I’ll see him later.”

Impa nodded mutely, her eyes downcast as she tried to help Zelda save face.

Link snored loudly all of a sudden behind her.

“Thanks!” Zelda yelped, slamming the door in Impa’s face.

Groaning, she turned around and leaned against the door, sliding to the floor.

Well that was a great first impression.

XXX

The morning air was sharp in his lungs as he inhaled with a hiss, dodging a blow by a hair’s breadth. The creamy white trident gleamed in the sunlight, its fiery rose highlights catching his eyes before he pushed the weapon away with his shield.

“Oh! Link, are you alright? I almost hit you!” Mipha said, withdrawing a step or two.

Link hated to admit it, but Mipha was right – she had almost landed a blow that he could usually dodge easily. He wasn’t sure if she had improved her technique so substantially in her absence or if he was that distracted.

Mipha had certainly grown in her fighting prowess, but Link would be lying if he said he wasn’t a little out of sorts.

After last night’s fiasco, he’d spent the rest of the party meandering with the champions. Mipha had kept him fairly distracted and entertained, and he’d appreciated the gesture. It had mostly worked, too, but then he’d gone to bed and the anxieties he’d started to feel came up and clutched him by the throat.

Least to say, he hadn’t slept well.

Link breathed out as evenly as possible. He’d found Mipha first thing in the morning for sparring – he needed to get the energy out, he needed to feel like he could handle this blade once more.

It seemed this wasn’t helping much.

“I’m okay,” he said with a small attempt at a reassuring smile. “Let’s go again.”

But Mipha was distracted now, her gaze somewhere over Link’s shoulder. Confused and a little concerned, he turned to see what she was watching.

Several feet away in an adjacent part of the garden stood in the Hero of Myth.

Link immediately felt his mouth go dry and his body freeze. The Hero hadn’t noticed them yet, staring off somewhere, standing in profile to them. He was wearing the white undershirt and trousers from his outfit last night, substantially more dressed down in its untucked manner. His hands traced along some bushes absentmindedly, gaze distant, face cool and collected. It reminded Link eerily of himself, and he didn’t know what to make of that.

Mipha nudged him from behind. “Link, you should go talk to him. Maybe you two can spar together? Imagine what you could learn from him!”

Link felt his world practically flip upside down. He couldn’t say no; he was too choked up to say anything. He prayed Mipha would notice that he wasn’t in the mood to speak.

Mipha at least picked up on something. His dear friend turned to face him fully, her hand resting on his shoulder, the one warmth in his entire frigid body. He felt a cold sweat start to materialize on his brow, and the hair on the back of his neck stood up. He felt like he wanted to burst out of his skin and was going to throw up.

“What’s wrong?” she asked quietly so as not to alert the Hero.

“How did you get this blade?”

The question had been nearly hissed, almost accusatory. Link had been agonizing over it all night. Had the Hero not believed the tale told by the bard? Had he doubted that Link was actually the bearer of the Spirit of the Hero? How could he tell Mipha that the person he was supposed to live up to thought he was a failure already?

He felt a sharp, agonizing sympathy for Zelda all of a sudden.

There was a sound in the garden up ahead, and Mipha and Link both returned their attention to the Hero.

He’d noticed them.

Link’s eyes locked with his, and his chest tightened so much he couldn’t breathe. He didn’t know what to do.

The Hero of Myth watched them carefully, eyes boring into Link’s soul. His face looked pale in the morning light, and then—

And then he coughed harshly, bending over and rushing somewhere out of sight. Link could still hear him, and Mipha, the healer that she was, immediately ran to his aid.

Was… was he getting ill? It sounded like it, and it made Link’s own stomach churn uncomfortably.

Uncertainty held him back, but a natural empathy urged him forward. Link walked stiffly to catch up with Mipha, who had already run to the Hero’s side, just out of sight around a bend. When the two came back into view, the Hero was on his knees dry heaving into a bush with Mipha kneeling beside him, hand on his back.

“I’m going to get you some water,” Mipha said, rising. She looked pleadingly at Link. “Please keep an eye on him.”

A pang of irritation and horror combined into a strange mixture of a dizzying headache that made him snap to attention and want to scream all at once. Instead, he jerked his head forward in a stiff nod. Mipha watched him a moment longer, the concern in her eyes familiar, but it did little to soothe his anxieties when she’d practically thrown him at the one person he wanted so desperately to avoid.

He supposed there was little point in avoiding him now. His father would tell him to face his fears, anyway.

Link swallowed bile and awkwardly stepped forward, unsure what exactly he should do. Considering the cold reception he’d gotten last night, he was certain the Hero of Myth wanted nothing to do with him. He tried not to think about that.

“S-sorry…”

The weak, hoarse word was barely audible over the Hero’s pants for air, but it cut through the tension in an instant. Link shifted weight between his feet, wondering what he should say or do.

He really couldn’t say anything. He wouldn’t dare. Not after last night.

But Hero or not, this person was clearly feeling horrible. Link… wished he was better equipped for this, but…

The Hero glanced over at him a moment, pale and sweaty and suddenly looking so small. His eyes shifted from Link’s face to the sword on his back, and then he squeezed them shut, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Goddess above…”

Link stared, completely lost. Was the Hero disgusted at the mere sight of him?

Could this morning get any worse?

“Maybe you’ll have better luck than me,” the Hero muttered, his tone deep and dark and biting. Link flinched at the remark, and the one part of his brain that wasn’t just screaming really registered the words.

The response scraped out of him before he could stop it. “What?”

Oh goddess. Oh goddess. What did I just do, shut up shut up SHUT UP—

The Hero rose, wiping his mouth with his sleeve and facing him. He looked… incredibly tired. Placing a hand on Link’s shoulder, he squeezed it for a moment, some strange expression of empathy and worry and pity and guilt at war on his face, eyes constantly flicking from Link to the Master Sword, and then the Hero stepped away, letting his hand fall.

“I’m sorry,” he said again, walking away, leaving Link reeling in the garden alone.

What... what?

Link stood there for one, two, five minutes. And then he heard Mipha approaching.

Overwhelmed and confused, he ran back into the castle before anyone could find him. He...

He needed to talk to Zelda.

XXX

Zelda had come back to an empty bedroom after washing up, eating something, and putting on her knight attire. Though it worried her that Link was already up and about without her even knowing where he’d gone, she had still promised to meet up with the king to discuss… whatever it was he needed.

This was her last day of politely going along with this charade, however. Link was better. There was literally no reason for them to stay here anymore. They… they needed to go home.

Her mind whispered words that had been spoken last night. Legends of a calamity coming over and over again. She shook her head violently.

Maybe Link had been right. Maybe it was a different problem and they attributed it to Demise.

But it wasn’t just that, was it?

The king. The princess. They’re our family. We built this place.

She wanted to stay and learn more. She really did. But they’d just disappeared in the midst of a destructive accident back home. People had to be worrying by now.

Sighing, she clenched her fists and determinedly left the room, allowing the servant Impa to guide her to the main area where the king would be waiting for her. Following a Sheikah named Impa to her destination was so bizarrely familiar and out of place all at the same time that her world was spinning.

How could things be so different and so similar all at the same time? How could things be so astounding and amazing and magical and horrifying all at once? How could this place elate her and terrify her? It was like discovering the Surface all over again. At least here she had Link… but she desperately missed Impa now.

Zelda entered the same room as last night’s festivities, the one where she’d originally met the king. He stood on the ground level awaiting her, his face serious.

Zelda watched him warily. This… didn’t look good.

“Your Grace,” he acknowledged with a deep bow as the doors closed behind her, leaving them alone. “I hope you enjoyed all Hyrule had to offer you last night.”

Zelda lingered a little too long on what had transpired last night, and a blush colored her cheeks. She cleared her throat, shaking the thoughts and feelings away. “It… it was amazing. I appreciate the effort of showing us what Hyrule grows into.”

And she truly did appreciate it. Truly. But… she had a feeling that wasn’t what this meeting was about.

“Your Grace,” the king started slowly. “I… understand that traditions vary, that legends change depending on who speaks them. We did the best we could to maintain our history over the years, but I… cannot help but think that the story we gave you last night was not quite correct.”

Zelda raised her eyebrows in surprise. Had... someone actually figured out that she truly had no idea what the hell was going on? Had the king realized that, despite her past, she was still just a knight from Skyloft? Could she finally put her past behind her?

“I… do not understand the nature of your war against the Calamity,” the king explained. “Only that you and your Hero won it. However… the words spoken of its impending return are true. A prophecy was made many years ago, while my daughter was still a child. The Calamity will come.”

There was such a finality to those words. It wasn’t a matter of if the demon king would return, but when. Zelda felt the bottom drop out of her stomach as the cold, hard realization slammed into her.

Demise was still alive.

Golden Three. How was he still alive?! How was that possible?!

Was… was the king about to ask what she thought he was about to ask?

“Hyrule needs your help, Your Grace,” King Rhoam said finally. “…Zelda needs your help.”

Her mind immediately snapped back to the prayer last night.

“Goddess Hylia, I pray you give me the strength to protect my people.”

Oh. Oh, no. What… what were they expecting of her?

“My daughter is destined to seal away the Calamity, as you once did,” the king continued, unaware of Zelda’s internal crisis. “But she… she has been… having difficulty accessing her powers. She is the key to everything, and if she fails, Hyrule will fall. I… I beg of Your Grace. Please. Help my daughter fulfill her destiny. Help her defeat the Calamity as you once did.”

What?

She… he… he wanted her to be the princess’ guide? But—but she—this was—

What was she supposed to do? Was there a seal keeping Demise at bay? Where was the Triforce?

How had he survived?!

She had no plan here, she had no knowledge, nothing. Despite the confusion, despite the fear and the wonder and the chaos of her adventure, her memories had helped her at least know what she’d needed to do. She’d had a plan in place.

She knew nothing here.

“Where is he?” she asked. “And where’s the Triforce?”

The king’s expression turned to surprise and confusion. “Your Grace?”

“Where is he sealed?” Zelda asked slowly, hating everything about this. She couldn’t believe this was happening. She’d thought the war was over.

She heard Link’s screams in her mind. She felt her soul being ripped out of her body.

Shaking her head subtly, she pressed on, trying to keep her voice even. “Is the seal weakening? What about the Triforce?”

Was this the true reason Link had been thrown into the future? Was this some other plan Hylia—she had put together and she just hadn’t unlocked the memory yet? She… she’d sworn it was over!

“We don’t know where he is,” the king answered, shaking his head. “And the Triforce… the Triforce is an item of myth. I understand it must have been present during your time as the legends state, but… we no longer know of its location, if it even still exists.”

Zelda felt her blood freeze. She had sacrificed everything to protect the Triforce and it… was gone?!

“The ancient Hero of ten thousand years past was able to defeat the Calamity with the assistance of the divine beasts and the princess’ divine power,” King Rhoam spoke. “The Triforce was not used then, either.”

“No!” Zelda suddenly snapped, losing her mind and her composure. “Don’t you understand?! It’s not about sealing, it’s about killing – you can’t kill him without the Triforce!”

Her words echoed in the room, screaming in her mind. Brokenly, she said, “How can it be gone?”

This… this was a nightmare.

So this was what it all amounted to? Everything she and Link had fought for had been lost?

No, she argued back defiantly, closing her eyes and shielding her face with her hands. No. It isn’t all lost. Just look at everything around you! Look at the kingdom they made, despite all the odds!

But…

Impa. The countless beings in her memories. The humans who hadn’t been able to leave the Surface. They’d all died for nothing.

Zelda fell to her knees.

So this was why those legends existed. This was why Demise came back again and again and again.

But how had he survived the first time?! What could she do to stop him?!

Why was this happening?!

“I… I didn’t think it was possible to kill such a beast.”

The king’s voice was so quiet, so unsure, so frightened. Images of people hiding behind her and seeking her aid and protection seared into her mind, and a wave of protective ferocity drove her to lower her hands and open her eyes.

“Your Grace, I…” the king stammered uncertainly, looking downcast. “I have failed you. I do not know anything of the Triforce. But I… I beg of you, please… let me take the fall, but save my people. Help my daughter.”

Zelda let out a shuddering breath, and slowly rose. She didn’t know what to do. She didn’t know how to fix this.

But she wasn’t going to just leave them like this.

“I’ll help,” she said quietly. “But I need you to do something for me.”

The king’s sad eyes brightened, filled with hope and eagerness. “What does Your Grace need?”

“Send knights to the place where I appeared. A lot of them,” Zelda instructed. “And guard that area so no one can access it.”

She wasn’t making the same mistake as last time, after all. Nobody was going through the Gate of Time.

Golden Three, was… was that why? Was that the reason Demise was still here, countless millennia later?

Zelda’s head was spinning. She couldn’t wrap her mind around this anymore.

“Of course,” the king acknowledged with a nod of his head. “I’ll send my finest soldiers, as will the other leaders. You will have an army of Hylians, Zora, Gerudo, Rito, and Gorons protecting it.”

Gorons? At least she knew what Gorons were.

She supposed she’d be sticking around long enough to figure out the rest of them.

How in the world was she going to explain this to Link?

Oh, Link. She knew that between the two of them he had probably been far more eager to go home. Not to mention…

The only way to defeat Demise was with his help.

But… Zelda wasn’t quite sure how this was going to work. Her entire plan had relied on the Triforce. Link had been chosen because of his unbreakable spirit – the criteria was literally that the power and allure of the Triforce wouldn’t corrupt him. Zelda had held Demise at bay, the Master Sword had guided Link, and…

The Master Sword. That knight.

This was… a mess.

“Thank you,” Zelda muttered, her mind already a million miles away from the room, spinning and confused and so utterly lost. She had no idea how she was supposed to fix this.

I guess I can start by talking to the princess.

XXX

Link was hopelessly lost.

When he’d first awoken to an empty room, he’d wandered outside. The sight of tiny birds was enticing, and it would provide a good distraction. As amazing as last night had been, it was over, and the heavy thoughts weighing on his mind were trying to return.

So naturally he’d had to run into that knight. The new Chosen Hero. The person whose life he’d probably destroyed from his own ineptitude. That had been an entire fiasco, and he was just trying to find his way back to the little house given to him and Zelda inside this large structure. He’d thought it would be easy to find his way back – this place couldn’t be that big, right?

He’d been wrong. This place was huge. He swore it was bigger than Skyloft itself.

Sighing heavily, he leaned against a stone wall as the fires crackled on the torches. He’d been up most of the night with Zelda, and it had been, well, incredible, but also now he was exhausted, he’d already gotten so overwhelmingly stressed he’d gotten ill, and he had no idea where the heck he was.

I’ve got to be close, right? He thought desperately, his head starting to ache.

Link took a fortifying breath and started to walk again. At least he’d finally adjusted to the climate. Surface Sickness could be a pain with the lingering fatigue it often brought, but he’d been down here long enough that he’d adapted. He was sure Zelda felt the same way.

Where even was Zelda? He hadn’t seen her all morning.

A familiar anxiety tried to well its way into his mind, but he shook his head. No one here was going to hurt her; he learned that much from yesterday’s celebration.

Whispers of doubts, worries, and observations started to overwhelm him, and he shook his head again. No. He wasn’t going to think about it. He would just keep moving forward like he always did. Everything was fine.

Link felt some hope spark within him as he saw a door up ahead. That had to be it, right?

Picking up his pace, he opened the door to find himself in an unfamiliar room. White and grey tiles lined the floor and were occasionally covered with red velvet carpet. The stone walls had many bookshelves lined along them aside from multiple arched windows. A desk was in the corner, a vanity on the other wall beside a large four post bed, and a massive spiraling staircase was in front of the wall opposite of him.

Link bit his lip. This wasn’t the room provided to him, so he wouldn’t find Zelda here. But he was so tired, and he couldn’t tell what time it was, but the sun was definitely still hanging heavily, slowly crawling up into the sky. His mind was a fog, trying to hide words of curses and malice in a haze that left him feeling incapable of thinking straight. A nap would do him so good; he could find Zelda when he could actually focus.

Making his way to the bed, he promptly collapsed on top of the blanket, immediately falling asleep.

XXX

Princess Zelda scribbled some notes into her research journal and then leaned back in her seat. After the festivities earlier in the night she’d buried herself in work. She was eager to talk to their esteemed guests about the guardians and the divine beasts, and she was even more eager to learn about their era. Perhaps they knew about the divine beasts? Perhaps they were the ones who had ordered their construction? It was hard to tell – the tales spoke of their development ten thousand years ago, but there were other myths of different heroes and enemies and she didn’t know how they all fit together. Organizing it all in her journal would help.

It also gave her confidence to even approach them. Her brief interaction with Hylia last night had been exhilarating, but there was still a degree of timidity involved. As for the Hero of Myth, he was somewhat of an enigma; his gentle and soft features were unassuming and kind, but his mannerisms sometimes were contradictory. He had much more confidence and boldness in him than her appointed knight; sitting on the arm of the throne so casually with his arm draped around the goddess was quite the gesture, and everyone had commented on it. Zelda wasn’t really sure what to make of him. Still, if she’d learned anything from her experiences with her friend, it was to not judge a book by its cover.

Closing her journal, the princess stood and stretched. She’d probably take a walk around the castle a bit before heading to bed. When she exiting her study, however, she jolted to realize that it was early morning light.

Oh. Oops. No wonder I’m tired.

The princess had a momentary panic as she thought about whether she had any duties to attend to in the morning. When her addled mind found none, she relaxed. Perhaps she’d have time to sleep for a few hours before she was needed. Zelda walked across the bridge between the tower and her quarters and thoughtfully made her way down the spiral stairs into her room.

And then she stopped dead in her tracks as she heard soft snoring.

Her heart racing, she slowly crept towards her bed to see… to see…

Is that the Hero?!

Princess Zelda stared, completely flabbergasted. The Hero of Myth Descended from the Sky was prone on her bed, not even under the covers, not even in sleep clothes of any sort. He looked like he’d just belly flopped onto the mattress and passed out.

Zelda looked around wildly as if she should find someone else in the room. What was—why was he—what was she supposed to do?! What was happening?!

To be in her bedroom – such an action could have someone thrown in lockup, but this was the legendary Hero, this was—this was…

Zelda just stared, her brain fried. She didn’t know what to do.

The Hero continued to snore quietly, undeterred by the princess’ anxiety.

Gulping, Zelda tiptoed closer to her bed. Perhaps… he was unwell? And he just found her room? Or perhaps he had wanted to talk to her? Oh goddess, had he been up all night waiting for her?! No, that doesn’t fit, why would he be sleeping in my bed?!

Following her initial logic, she looked him over to see if he looked ill. Although there were bags under his eyes, a testament to his heavy sleeping, nothing else seemed unusual.

Shaking her head, she reached a tentative hand out and lightly tapped the young Hero on the shoulder. Nothing. Zelda gave another, more confident tap. Still nothing.

She cleared her throat. “E-excuse me.”

The snoring continued.

Starting to grow annoyed, Zelda huffed, “Excuse me.”

The Hero shifted, just a hair, and Zelda’s confidence vanished in a heartbeat. She took a startled step away, but it was for nothing. The Hero remained asleep.

Now what?!

She debated calling a guard or even her father, but she thought better of it. It wasn’t like he was doing anything too offensive, she supposed, even if it made absolutely no sense. Should she keep trying to wake him up? He clearly was exhausted.

Zelda bit her lip. She’d lost her boldness from earlier, no longer wishing to disturb him. She… she guessed he could just stay there. But where was she going to sleep?

Looking around the room and stepping away from the bed, Zelda’s gaze fell on the comfortable red chair in the center. Well… there was that.

I don’t want to sleep in a chair, she grumbled internally, and a part of her was incensed to awaken the Hero once more.

Energized, she tried again, but poking did nothing, speaking did little more than make the man occasionally twitch, and huffing in exasperation fell upon deaf ears.

Good grief, he is a heavy sleeper!

Eventually, Zelda gave up entirely. She didn’t want to bother going to one of the many guest quarters as they were nowhere near her room – and the instant she left her room she’d likely get absconded into some matter or another. She was almost too tired to care at this point.

Resigned to her fate, the princess dragged her feet to the chair, trying to get comfortable in some awkward position, and attempted to fall asleep. Her neck started to ache at the way she had it on the arm of the chair, and she felt confined in her dress, which she didn’t dare change out of while the Hero was in the room.

Well, she supposed she could grab her nightgown and change in the study, but… she didn’t feel comfortable doing so. Besides, what would that look like if a servant came in? She would be practically indecent with a married man, the Hero of Myth, her bloody ancestor in her room.

Maybe since he was her ancestor it wouldn’t look as scandalous? Or would it be even more so? She didn’t know.

Zelda sighed irritably, but then a sound caught her attention. It wasn’t gentle snores. It sounded… it sounded like a whimper.

Stiffening, she listened and heard it again. Uncurling from her chair, she glanced in the direction of the bed to see the Hero turning, his brow furrowed and his nose scrunched in what looked to be fear or worry. Was he waking up?

The Hero continued to shift, looking uncomfortable, and Zelda realized that he was still very much asleep.

A nightmare. He was having a nightmare.

Did heroes have nightmares? What could possibly scare him?

Zelda shook her head. She should know better than to ask that now. Link was spilling with anxiety at all times with the pressure he was under. She wondered if he had nightmares too.

The Hero let out a small whine. Zelda felt her chest clench. She couldn’t just watch him like this.

Rising, Zelda slowly and hesitantly walked to the bed. The Hero was on his side now, facing away from her. His body was tense and occasionally twitched, and he was subtly curling in on himself.

He looked so incredibly vulnerable. So normal. He didn’t look like a mythical hero, or the progenitor of the royal line, or the champion who triumphed over the original Calamity.

He was just a person, like Link. Like her.

Grabbing a hold of her resolve with this thought in mind, Zelda placed both hands on his arm and gave him a hard shake.

The Hero inhaled sharply through his nose, and his body froze. His breathing, initially rising to a level of gasping, was now evening out in careful, measured inhales and exhales. Though the princess couldn’t see his eyes, she could tell he was now awake.

She cleared her throat, trying not to startle him. The mild jump that shook his entire body indicated she didn’t quite succeed.

Quickly turning onto his back, the Hero’s eyes pierced into her, his face a little pale. Zelda swallowed, her nerves returning under his deep blue gaze. She had grown used to long, silent glances from Link, but his eyes somehow seemed… she didn’t know, the lighter blue made them less mysterious maybe. This Hero’s eyes were dark, like oceans that held so much in their depths that she couldn’t see. He seemed to be analyzing her for a moment, making her skin crawl, and then his eyes softened, his body easing into a more comfortable posture.

“Hi,” he said hoarsely, and his face relaxed.

Zelda blinked, not quite expecting such a simple greeting. “Um… hello. A-are you alright?”

The Hero gave a small smile, his head tilting somewhat into the pillow, and Zelda felt her heart melt as her muscles stopped clenching quite so hard. “I’m okay. Are you?”

Zelda bit her lip. “You were having a nightmare.”

His smile faded a little, and he looked away. “It happens.”

Zelda didn’t know what to say to that. She hugged herself, unsure what to do next. The Hero sighed and glanced back at her, asking, “Is this your bed?”

Her exasperation from earlier resurfaced, and she folded her arms. “Yes, actually.”

He hummed a moment and then said, “Is this your side of the bed? Do you have a side?”

Zelda blinked. What?

“There’s plenty of room.”

Zelda blinked again, horrified. What?!

The Hero smiled and stretched, closing his eyes, and then beginning to fall back asleep.

Wait a bloody second— “Um, excuse me.”

The Hero opened his eyes.

“This is my bed.”

The Hero stared at her. “Yes?”

Clearly, there was a miscommunication going on here. Zelda felt her cheeks blush as she grew flustered. “So I sleep in it.”

The Hero twisted, looking at the other side of the bed, glanced back at her, and pat the empty space beside him, bemused.

Was he—?! “I can’t sleep with you!”

The princess didn’t quite mean for her voice to sound like a near squeak when she said that.

The Hero looked even more confused. “Why not?”

“Why not?!” Zelda spluttered, feeling her ears redden as well. “Because—because it isn’t proper!”

“Proper for what?”

Zelda stared at him, mouth agape like a fish out of water.

The Hero furrowed his brow. “A bed’s for sleeping, after all. And there’s plenty of room for you to sleep here too.”

Zelda shut her mouth with a click on her teeth. She opened it again to protest and came up with nothing.

This was… this was ridiculous. But she was running out of both nerve and energy trying to explain how this was not okay, thank you very much.

But… he looked… so confused.

Who was this guy?! This legendary Hero of Myth from the Sky was the biggest enigma Zelda had ever met, and he…

She sighed, defeated. “At least take your boots off.”

Her heart skipped a beat at commanding a legend as if he were a normal person, and then she banished the thought. He was a normal person; she was recognizing that more and more.

And he was certainly an uncultured person. Downright feral, even. Who didn’t understand basic etiquette?!

The Hero bit his lip, looking positively brow beaten. “Sorry.”

Before Zelda could say anything, he kicked off his boots, letting them fall to the side of the bed, and then he slipped under the covers with a content sigh, closing his eyes.

Zelda stared at him. Then stared some more. Then stared some more.

What just happened? Had she just chastised the ancient Hero of Myth? Had he just apologized like a child being scolded? And was he still sleeping in her bed?!

She sighed again, exhausted. There was no arguing at this point. And she was too tired to care. And…

You know what? Screw it. He’s innocent and naïve, there’s no harm to it… it can’t be that bad.

Grabbing her nightdress, she tiptoed to her study, quickly changed clothes, and then made her way back to her room. The Hero was already snoozing. She watched him a moment more, grabbed a robe and wrapped herself in it with flustered energy, and then took a deep breath and settled onto the bed as if she were lying on a bed of charcoals in Goron City.

She did have to admit this was much more comfortable than trying to sleep in that chair, though.

With that thought in mind, Zelda turned to face away from the Hero and settled into an uneasy sleep.

[ramblesandmumblesofanerd]

Rambling Reviews: EQG - Friendship Games

After gushing about Rainbow Rocks, we return to talk about the Equestria Girls series once again. As I said in the previous review, I found the second film to have a higher quality than the original. The villains were both intimidating and fun, the songs were catchy and Sunset Shimmer went from being the villain I hated to the hero I can actually begin to like. The only weak point was the HuMain 5, who did nothing but bicker and whine until the finale where they inevitably banded together to beat the bad guys in what I have labeled the best climax of the series. So, of course, another sequel was inevitable, especially after the cliffhanger with a human version of Twilight Sparkle investigating the weird events occurring at Canterlot High School. And now the time has come to look at that sequel, known as Friendship Games. Will this film be even better than the last, or will it fail to live up to the high expectations Rainbow Rocks established? Well, as Tom Hardy once said: “Let the games begin.”

We begin once more in the human world, where Sunset Shimmer is running to Canterlot High on an early morning while sporting a new outfit. Her and the HuMain 5 meet up at the front of the school, where Rainbow Dash has brought them all together for an emergency like no other...she needs a spare guitar string.

DUN-DUN-DUUUUUN

*sigh* We’re not even five minutes into this film, and already Rainbow Dash is making an effort to get on my nerves. She sent an emergency group text to everyone in the hopes that one of them had a spare guitar string so she can perform for some fans from the Battle of the Bands. If she starts singing a reprise of Awesome As I Want To Be, I’m out of here!

Mercifully, that doesn’t happen. Instead, while the others go inside to see Rainbow’s performance, Sunset sits on the front steps to write in her magical journal from the last film. And no sooner does she write out a message to Twilight Sparkle in Equestria then a girl in a hoodie arrives by bus to investigate the mirror with her PKE Meter. Yeah, it probably has some other techno-babble name, but look at it. It’s the PKE Meter from Ghostbusters. Way to take a page from Suburban Commando, guys. But, before Sunset can discover who the girl is, she jumps onto another bus, which conveniently made a stop just minutes after the original bus dropped her off. Seriously, what is the bus schedule like in this town? And, of course, while Sunset asks who the girl was, it’s revealed that the girl was the human Twilight Sparkle, more commonly referred to as “Sci-Twi” due to her prowess in science. This is proven by her immediately dismantling her PKE Meter and using the technology inside to make a new device that totally doesn’t look like a compact mirror at all. The people who whine about these films being thinly veiled commercials will never know, Hasbro! After a half ominous half energetic title sequence, we get some backstory about what the Friendship Games are and who Canterlot High will be competing against this year, Crystal Prep’s Shadowbolts (no doubt a not so subtle reference to the Shadowbolts from Season 1 Episode 2 of the TV show). The HuMain 5 groan about how Crystal Prep has always beaten them every year, but Sunset initially scoffs at how silly the rivalry is. And just like that, Sunny has earned some brownie points from me.

Well, at least Rainbow Dash isn’t singing about how awesome she is and how she’s gonna win the Friendship Games. She instead sings about how everyone is awesome and how they’re going to win the Friendship Games. Honestly, though, this song is pretty good in spite of it’s “yay school pride” vibe. It’s a peppy, energetic song that gets everyone in the room amped up in spite of their initial melancholy. They even make a reference to Sunset’s she-demon form. Nice of them to remind Sunset about the lowest point in her life again.

But things take a strange turn as Rainbow Dash’s powers start to appear in spite of her not playing her guitar (notice how I avoid using the phrase “pony-up”). After feeding Rainbows ego for a split second, Sunset gives probably the most fitting line to describe Equestria Girls as a whole:

“It just seems so random.”

Chalk up another brownie point for Ms. Shimmer.

Anyways, in order to keep up appearance, Vice-Principal Luna assigns Sunset Shimmer with the task of keeping the HuMain 5’s magic under control, but that is easier said than done. Sunny already feels the stress of not knowing how the magic works due to it’s sudden evolution, and writes a worried message to the Equestrian Twilight hoping for a reply soon.

Meanwhile, at the sparkliest of Preparatory Schools, Sci-Twi sings an obligatory Disney Princess song while on her way to the principal’s office. This is probably one of the few songs I’m not overly interested in, but it does help reinforce that this Twilight is socially awkward and intelligent. So intelligent, in fact, that she feels that sticking around at Crystal Prep would only be a hinderance, which is why she has sent the principal an application for an independant study program. Speaking of the principal, Ms. Cinch here asks Sci-Twi to participate in the Friendship Games in order to basically show off her most gifted student like a prized pony...and yes, I realized that I just made a terrible joke. When Sci-Twi shows reluctance, Cinch basically extorts her by saying if Sci-Twi fails to participate and win the games, he application to the independant study program will be denied. Sci-Twi begrudgingly agrees which gives way to the movie introducing the most obnoxious if not underdeveloped characters I’ve seen in these films; The Shadowbolts. There’s Sour Sweet, who is essentially Two-Face, Indigo Zap, a loud, over competitive girl, Sunny Flare who...does nothing, Sugar Coat who is so blunt you could use her as a bludgeoning weapon, and Lemon Zest, who gets a brownie point for her taste in music.

As the Showdowbolts get off their bus at Canterlot High, Sci-Twi picks up a signal from inside and sets off to find the source...kinda like Yami Bakura and his Millennium Ring. Inevitably, every student inside mistakes her for the Equestrian Twilight, even Flash Sentry, who I swear has become the lost puppy looking for his master ever since Rainbow Rocks. Look how dejected the guy is whenever Sci-Twi brushes him aside, he looks so crushed. Even Derpy Hooves...oh, sorry, Ditzy Do...what?! That’s wrong too? Well, what am I supposed to call her?

...I hate PC Parents.

Anyways, after Derpy makes an obligatory cameo to cheer Flash up, Sci-Twi converges on the location of the magic, which is just Rarity gushing about all the pointless clothes she made for the Games. No sooner does she say making clothes makes her feel alive then her magic springs up only for Sci-Twi’s device to steal it. Not realizing what Sci-Twi has done or that she is not the Equestrian Princess, the HuMain 5, Sunset and even Principal Celestia greet her like everyone else has only for Cinch to drag her away minutes later. And then the first film rears it’s ugly head for a brief moment like a phantom as Pinkie becomes a Deus Ex Machina device in order to explain what the audience already knows about Sci-Twi, to which Principal Celestia gives the best response.

“...Nevermind.”

While the HuMain 5 wonder about Sci-Twi, Sunset tries to use the mirror to Equestria, only for Sci-Twi’s Millennium Compact Mirror to steal her magic through the portal. Before Sunset can confront her, Sci-Twi leaves with her classmates, leaving Sunset to investigate the mirror. To her sheer horror, she realizes that the portal (which is now supposed to be open all the time) is dead. Nothing can get in, nothing can get out. Including Princess Twilight.

So, realizing she has to take matters into her own hands, Sunset goes to confront Twilight who is still using her device to locate more magic. Before she can get any information, however, the Shadowbolts intervene, but Pinkie manages to snag Sci-Twi and have her help in livening up the dull party in the gymnasium. As Pinkie’s tactics work, she starts to show her powers like the others, and the device goes nuts again, not devouring the magic but also ripping open the very fabric of the universe until Sci-Twi snaps it shut. What was that quote from Sunset again? “It just seems so random.”

Ahh, I’m going to get so much use out of that line now.

Principal Cinch immediately kills the party and pretty much reiterates that she will be the lukewarm bad guy for the movie, basically saying that “Canterlot sucks and Crystal Prep rules. Nany-nany-boo-boo, stick your head in doo doo.” Ok, she didn’t say that specifically, but she might as well have.

What follows is a montage of events with the song AcaDeca paying over. It’s actually a fun segment with both of the teams talking smack to one another as the events unfold. We even get cute moments like Flash Sentry and Bon Bon somehow failing to make a cake and instead making...Sprinkled Bread? Speaking of cake, check out the Mona Lisa cake that was of course made by Pinkie. Don’t ask how she did it, it’s Pinkie Pie. Logic does not comply. So, the two teams compete in the Academic Decathlon segment of the Friendship Games until Sunset and Sci-Twi are the last two standing, each representing their schools. Of course. And while Sunset fails to score the point, the HuMain 5 and their classmates congratulate her for getting so far because friendship.

After she wins the AcaDeca, Sci-Twi meets Fluttershy, who shows off all of her animal friends while Twilight gives her dog Spike some air. Oh, I forgot to mention him, didn’t I? Yeah, up until this point, Spike’s presence in the film has been pretty lukewarm. Why do I say “up until this point”? Because after Sci-Twi, once again, steals more magic and rips more holes in the universe, Spike somehow gains the ability to talk.

“It just seems so random.”

In either case, after more extorting from Cinch, the HuMain 5 discover what the friendship games has in store next: a tricross rally, with archery, roller skating and motocross. Yes, motocross. In high school. Before anyone starts freaking out, I actually did the research; this is an actual thing, especially back in the 70’s-80’s. It’s not exactly common due to how expensive it is, but it is a thing nonetheless. A very overkill sort of thing. And guess who shares my opinion?

Ahh, Sunset. One more brownie point for the bacon hair.

So, the rally begins with the always bipolar Sour Sweet berating Sci-Twi for being an unathletic wuss. Gee, it’s almost like she wasn’t supposed to be in this competition. One could say that she is being forced to participate. Regardless, Applejack helps her out, but reveals her pony powers in the process. You know the drill by now, the machine goes haywire, sucks in the magic and more portals open up, only this time something comes out. Straight out of a hentai, a giant plant monster starts to attack the girls during the motocross segment, forcing Rainbow to show off her powers again and help whoever the monster captures. This catches Cinch’s attention, and she covertly watches what unfolds next.

After Rainbow Dash deals with the monster while Sunset wins the motocross segment, thus tying the score with Crystal Prep. Sunset doesn’t give a care about the score though, as she snaps Sci-Twi’s Millennium Compact Mirror shut and basically snaps at her. All throughout this film, Sunset has been trying to contain and understand this magic, and then Sci-Twi tampers with things she doesn’t understand to the point where people almost got hurt or worse. This is the straw on the camel’s back for Sunset, and she lashes out against Sci-Twi, almost to the point where you feel like the original Sunset starts to leak out. So, after Sunset gives her a tongue lashing, Sci-Twi leaves and the wheels in Cinch’s head start to turn.

And then, Principal Celestia talks to Cinch and has probably the best idea in this entire film; cancel the games and call it a tie between the schools. Cinch, being a sensible adult responsible for the well being of the children attending her school, accepts the terms of this deal, and they all lived happily ever...oh, who am I kidding, of course Cinch refuses to take such a deal, as it would “tarnish her reputation”.

Thus, the students meet up for the final event, but Cinch pulls Sci-Twi aside to propose a crazy idea: Unleash The Magic. Yes, through a song, Cinch and the Shadowbolts tell Sci-Twi to fight fire with fire and use the magic that she has collected against the Wondercolts. Sci-Twi, having been abused by Cinch, her classmates and Sunset, gives into peer pressure and opens her device.

What follows is that climax I teased in the last review.

Twilight goes through what looks like a terrifying transformation, reaching out to whoever can listen to her pleas for help before being enveloped and corrupted by the raw magic. Much like Sunset She-Demon, Twilight becomes drunk on power and becomes...Midnight Sparkle.

*crickets chirp* Don’t look at me, I didn’t name her.

Midnight then proceeds to rip holes in the fabric of reality while cackling like a madwoman while Sunset, the HuMain 5 and even the Shadowbolts try to save the students who fall through the cracks. Sunset tries to snap Midnight out of her madness, but it’s no good. So, Sunset grabs the discarded compact mirror in order to absorb more magic from her friends in order to become… Seraph Shimmer. *more crickets chirp* Ok, that time I did name her. After Seraphim seals the cracks, the two demigods proceed to have a Dragonball style showdown, which Seraph inevitably wins when Spike momentarily distracts Midnight with those big puppy dog eyes. But, victory isn’t immediate, as Seraph doesn’t straight up blast Midnight. Rather, for a brief moment, she and Midnight are sealed into a white void where Seraph tries once more to convince Midnight that there is a different way to learn about magic, a way that is far less lonely than the path she travels now. Sci-Twi takes Sunset’s hand, and the two revert to their human forms, the crisis now averted.

Cinch, who hid after causing this in the first place, demands that Canterlot High must forfeit the Friendship Games for their use of magic or she will contact the school board. Everyone, even her own students and staff, call her out on her lies and blatant disregard for student safety, but invite her to tell the school board all about the magical flying girls, the portals to different dimensions and the talking dog. Cinch, having finally been backed into a corner, silently walks away and has never been seen since.

So, it’s time for the obligatory wrap-up, with both teams winning the Friendship Games...somehow, and Sci-Twi wanting to transfer to Canterlot High rather than go through with her independent study application. Sunset and the HuMain 5 wholeheartedly accept Sci-Twi as a new friend...just when the mirror portal decides to work again. Yup, the Equestrian Twilight finally makes an appearance at the last thirty seconds of the film right before the credits to basically give a reason as to why the portal died besides Sci-Twi stealing magic, and it’s a funny if not cute thirty seconds.

And with that, Friendship Games comes to a close with a cute slideshow. So,how was this film? Well, obviously it’s quite a good film, and in some ways I suppose it is better than Rainbow Rocks, but I feel like Friendship Games cannot surpass it’s predecessor. Now, like I said, it is a good film. The songs are all catchy, some of the characters are written a lot better than before, the climax was certainly just as epic if not more so than before and the film was very entertaining overall. There’s even this self-aware air about Friendship Games, as if the writers knew what the adult fanbase was upset about and decided to throw them a bone for their troubles. But, there are just certain aspects of the film that keep me from liking it more than I actually do.

For starters, let’s talk about the magic. I’m sure you folks are wondering how the magic works in this world, and even if you’re not I’m gonna tell you. According to Sunset Shimmer, at the end of the film, the magic now works only when the HuMain 5 show their Elemental nature (i.e. Applejack being honest, Pinkie Pie spreading cheer, etc.). To quote Sunset, “it seems so random” after we clearly established in Rainbow Rocks that the magic works with instruments. Then again, in the original film the girls didn’t do anything and yet they were able to do that deus ex machina attack. This may sound like a nitpick, and I will admit it kinda is, but I’m just asking for some consistency in these films.

Also, let’s talk about the Shadowbolts. These ladies were probably the least threatening “villains” since Sunset, forcing Cinch to carry to weight and being the driving force of evil and even that doesn’t work all the time. I don’t know, maybe I just prefer it when the villains are Equestrian creatures masquerading as humans who know more about magic than Sunset and the Equestrian Twilight, but sometimes changes are necessary in order to keep things interesting, otherwise these films would be a tad formulaic in its structure.

Although, maybe it was a tad late for the structure in the first place, as the plot line of Twilight stealing the magic became a tad repetitive. She tracks magic down, encounters a member of the HuMain 5, they show an attribute of themselves that reveals their magic, Sci-Twi steals it and causes weird things to happen, rinse and repeat.

Look, I’m not saying Friendship Games is bad. I’m honestly grasping at straws trying to find things to genuinely complain about rather than just sounding very nitpicky. If anything, I appreciate that this film took the risk of introducing an all human cast, minus Sunset Shimmer  and Spike, of course, and have the villains be humans rather than an obligatory Equestrian villain. Also, cutting Sunset off from the portal was honestly a nice touch, allowing Sunset to prove that she could handle this situation without Princess Twilight using the power of Deus Ex Machina to save the day from her human counterpart. But for some reason, I cannot like this film more than Rainbow Rocks. Maybe it’s because of the lack of character the Shadowbolts are given, maybe it’s the inconsistencies in the overall plot across the films, maybe it’s the repetitive structure of the story, I don’t know.

What I do know is this; Friendship Games is another great entry in the Equestria Girls series, and I would watch it again if I wanted to, in spite of my love-hate relationship with the film. It may not be as personally gratifying as Rainbow Rocks, but it is certainly is an improvement over the first film. I know that is not saying much, but it’s the best I can say for this film. In any case, that’s three films down, one more to go.

In the meantime, never stop rambling, TM