LEGEND OF ZELDA TIME LOOPS: Twin Beginnings and Farewells

Disclaimer: For the last time, I do not own the Legend of Time. Literally, the last time. I'm not going to say it again. I'm serious...

27.1 - (wildrook)

When one suffers from migraines, it usually feels like the afflicted is split in two.

From what Ganondorf has seen, the splitting headache is more literal when the Sorceress that was moving to beat him convulsed and abruptly split into two people at once.

"Ow..." the blue-haired woman muttered, getting up. "What happened?" She then looked around and nearly tripped on herself. "Cia? But...I saw her die..." She then flinched as she looked around, recognizing the area. "How is this possible? Wait...she didn't. If this is where I think it is, then...where's the King of Evil?"

"Right behind you," Ganondorf replied, catching her by surprise. "Really, this is not what I expected when an opponent shows up. It's like looking at my Mothers' fusions in reverse."

"GANON!" the blue-haired woman yelled. "I don't know how this is possible, but if you're responsible for this..."

The dark-skinned woman then woke up...almost shaking her head. "This is not what I expected when I decided to face the King of Evil..." she muttered. When she focused on the room, she took a good look at the other woman in shock. "Lana? But...that's impossible..."

"Cia..." Lana muttered. "Look, now's not the time. Right now, we're facing off against Ganondorf..."

"That's the part that confuses me the most," Cia growled. "How can we be separate again? I DIED in your arms the last time we met!"

Lana flinched. "That's what I'm trying to prevent, Cia!"

Ganondorf just looked at the two bickering women as he processed the information, but he was looking annoyed as they took their attention off of him and onto each other, looking ready to fight with a tome and a morning star, respectively.

It was at this point that he made himself known by increasing his killing intent...causing the two sorceresses to turn back to the man before he unleashed one of his blasts.

"If you two are QUITE finished," Ganondorf said, looking annoyed, "I'm pretty sure you're wanting an explanation as to why you two are back where we had our epic fight. And yes, I distinctly remember you two being one when we fought. The only thing I can say is that no, neither she nor I are responsible for this."

Lana glared at the Dark Lord. As outright livid as she was, the lighter half of the Sorceress was waiting for him to explain himself.

The darker half, however, was more skeptical. "As much as we are capable of ripping holes in space and time," she said, "if you really aren't responsible for...this...then how do we know you're telling the truth?"

Ganondorf gave her a stare. "You know my reputation," he said. "You two came here with the intent to stop my reign. When you two split, your chances of even fighting me had diminished because you two can't work well together. If I wanted to kill you both, I'd have done it the moment you started bickering."

After a few moments, Cia backed down. "Fair enough," she said. "Looks like we'll have our discussion later, Lana."

Lana gave a concerned glance, but steeled herself. "As long as it doesn't involve the takeover of Hyrule," she muttered.

"Make yourselves comfortable," Ganondorf said, before seating himself on his throne. "In order to explain the situation, it all starts with this tree known as Yggdrasil..."

Several minutes later, Cia and Lana were confused as they tried to take this all in, Ganondorf finishing his tale as he looked at the sun.

"And that's why we're stuck in a series of Time Loops," Ganondorf replied, "as well as why I'm no longer bearing the Curse of Demise that would have affected the woman's judgment. It's shocking, I'll admit, but you can confirm this with Link and Zelda."

"It's affected Link as well?!" Lana and Cia asked simultaneously.

"Before you jump to conclusions, remember that I said that the Admins chose the Triforce as the Anchor. Oh, and murdering the Princess of Hyrule would only drive Link AWAY from you, Cia."

Cia felt a glare from Lana as she gave Ganondorf a mortified look.

"You're the one who came to me with that line of thought before. There have been a few times I've just played MATCHMAKER involving you two...or three..."

There was a blush from the both of them as footsteps can be heard revealing a green tunic-wearing hero, a Shiekiah with a giant knife, and the Princess, all three of which bore similar looks of shock, before the green warrior stepped forward and smiled.

"Well, at least you two didn't kill each other, or Ganondorf," Link said, walking up to them. Ganondorf snorted.

Zelda held back, still wary of Cia, but relaxed when Link approached them. She and Impa followed along behind.

Impa turned to look towards Ganondorf, frowning. "I thought it was impossible for both halves to Loop, as they share one soul."

"So did I," the male Gerudo replied. "I half-expected Cia to be another Waltz."

"Your Majesty," Lana said, bowing as Cia just looked at Link. "How did you..."

"That's another talk for another time," Zelda said. "Right now...you two have just recently Awakened?"

Cia gave out a nod. "I take it that we're the only ones to wake up with a splitting headache?" she asked Zelda.

"If it was the case, there'd be MORE of me and Zelda running around," Link replied. "Especially with the whole 'Past Life' thing."

"That, I would believe." She then looked at Lana, then at herself...then back at Link, the King of Evil's words ringing in her head. "He's not going to be insightful every Loop, is he?"

"Well, if he's given you two the Welcome to the Multiverse Speech already, yes, you two got off lucky." He then looked at Lana. "Feeling alright, Lana?"

"A little disoriented, but I'm fine," she replied, almost blushing. "Although...it is strange to see you taking notes with Ganondorf."

"It takes a little getting used to," Impa replied. "More-so than being both athletic and plump in different eras. Although...this brings up more questions."

Ganondorf gave Impa a glance, but knew what she was talking about. "Yeah, I did tell them about that issue," he said, looking at the gauntlet with a familiar triangle shape. "I think this may have something to do with it."

Zelda looked at her own Triforce Piece as she looked at the two. "Why is it that whenever all three pieces are active," she said, "a massive headache occurs?" Both Lana and Cia cringed at that, the latter resisting the urge to snark.

27.2 - (DrTempo)

21.12 cont.

Naruto chuckled as he returned from his training trip. It wasn't like he needed to take these training trips anymore, but it was nostalgic, and gave visiting Loopers a chance to develop outside of his shadow. As he looked around, he spotted the visiting Looper this Loop, his new teammate and friend, Saria of Kokiri Forest. He was curious to see how she had changed since he'd last seen her two years ago.

She had definitely blossomed, shooting up in height until she was almost as tall as he was. Her hair had gotten longer, now falling towards the middle of her back, but she had it tied into a single ponytail, similar in style to the twin ponytails Tsunade usually wore. Speaking of Tsunade, Saria's relation to her was rather obvious, given some of the... other... ways Saria had " blossomed".

Naruto quickly shook off those thoughts, and raised his hand to wave to her. As beautiful as Saria had become, she didn't compare to Hinata, at least in Naruto's somewhat biased opinion. Though it did appear that she was having some trouble with some "admirers".

Saria spotted him, and Naruto could see the relief in her eyes. She smiled brightly at the amorous men (and one woman) who were talking to her and obviously excused herself, before heading over towards Naruto. The group glared at him briefly, at least until they recognized who he was, then they quickly shuffled off, trying to look nonchalant.

"Hey, Naruto, how have things been?" Saria asked as she threw her arms around him and gave him a hug. He returned the hug, and then stepped back, observing her more now that she was closer. She was wearing a battle-dress that was obviously modeled on the forest outfit she wore in her home Loop, though padded and armored and "ninjaified", with several hidden pockets he could see, and probably a few more he couldn't.

"I'm doing great. How are you?"

Saria smiled. "I've been doing pretty well. I've been mastering the stealth tactics Ganondorf-sensei... that still sounds just weird...taught me way back when I started as a a Genin, and honing my skill with the Mokuton."

Naruto chuckled, then glanced at the few stragglers who were still hanging around. "So, how long have you had admirers?"

"A while, really. I am very unused to it."

As the two of them strolled through the village, Naruto nodded towards a nearby training ground, then said, "Let's see what you have learned, shall we?"

Saria nodded, and the two of them walked over into the empty field. Naruto turned after they reached the small tree near the center of the grounds, and pulled a small silver bell out of a pocket on his outfit. "Remember the Bell Test? You have to do that, only, you can only use tricks that could fit in your own Loop."

"So, mainly Taijutsu and weapons?" Saria frowned thoughtfully, then grinned. "Fine by me."

The two paused thoughtfully, then blurred into motion

Saria ducked underneath a powerful spinning kick from Naruto, planting her hands on the ground before levering herself up into an inverted kick of her own. Naruto swayed to the side, allowing her foot to pass by his face, then hammered an open palm into her sternum, sending her skidding back.

Her hands swept across the ground, grabbing hold of the Deku Staff that had been knocked from her hands earlier, and she used it to lever herself upright, spinning the staff around once she was standing and sinking into a basic bojutsu stance. She swept the staff from left to right, then back again, before she pushed herself forward into a charge, stabbing with her staff like a spear. Naruto drifted backwards, casually slipping around her attacks, going so far as to bend dramatically at the waist to allow one powerful strike to fly overhead. Exactly what she was waiting for.

Saria released her grip on her staff, while her off hand drifted to a small pouch sewn into the side of her dress. Luckily, the ability to keep large objects in small spaces was definitely native to Hyrule, and so pulling a longsword out of her pouch was definitely within the rules. Naruto let out a loud yelp as Saria's somewhat wild swing slashed across his belt, almost nicking the thread holding the single bell, before he vanished in a poof of smoke with a kawarimi. Saria frowned, allowing her connection to the forest to fill her, and she quickly dashed after the impression of where she felt Naruto.

Nauto was dusted his clothes off as Saria took a long drink of water from her canteen. "Not bad, Saria. Pulling that sword out was a good trick, I didn't expect you to know how to use one."

Saria lowered her bottle and smirked. "I'm full of surprises, Naruto. I figured knowing how to use weapons similar to what Link uses would be a good idea."

Naruto chuckled, then scratched his chin. "True, true. Now, let's do this test again, but this time...No holding back, Saria. Show me what you can really do in a fight! Show me your way of the ninja!" As he spoke, his chakra began to spiral out, forming a maelstrom around him.

Rather than quailing, like she might have when she first entered this new life, Saria simply entered a fighting stance. "You asked for it, Naruto. Let's go!"

"Great Forest Rampart!" Saria's voice echoed through the battle-worn clearing, as a thickly grown batch of trees surged out of the ground in a half-circle in front of her, blocking the Rasengans being wielded by Naruto and two of his clones. As the trees were reduced to sawdust, Saria Replaced herself with one of the large chucks, swinging the Deku Staff into Naruto's chest. That copy of Naruto exploded like a bomb, but Saria had already Replaced herself again, this time with a chunk a bit further into the woods.

Quickly, she held out her hand, and crafted a crude bow of wood, with a vine string. Despite its crude appearance, it was a powerful tool, as evidenced by the arrow that pierced clean through the other clone of Naruto.

"What's with you and attacking my belt?!" Naruto yelped as he jumped away from where his clone had just been shot in the waist.

"That's where you are keeping my bell." Saria responded, sinking into the ground as she did so and melding with the roots of a nearby tree. Time to see if she could get her Walking Tree Technique to work in battle conditions.

Much later, the two shinobi were again charging at each other, when two broadswords appeared out of nowhere, and slammed in the ground between the two combatants. Both Naruto and Saria jumped backward, glancing at the tree the swords had flown in from.

"That is enough, Naruto. I think Saria's proven her skill."

Ganondorf teleported in, a smirk on his face. "Saria, your skills have improved greatly. You have learned stealth, combat, and the ninja arts. You've proven to be a good student... Your skills are perfect for what Sasuke has apparently cooked up."

Saria blinked at her enemy-turned-teacher, and looked surprised. "What has he been up to?"

Ganondorf shrugged. "When he pretended to defect to Orochimaru, I anticipated he'd backstab the snake eventually. But, it looks like he's chosen to make things interesting."

Ganondorf then removed a wrapped package. He pulled open the paper, revealling Tobi's mask with the symbol of the Uchiha clan marked on it. "Apparently, Sasuke decided to steal the Zetsu from 'Madara', and, according to the note that came with this, he's left you his own test. You are to use your skills alone to find the Zetsu he's hidden around the world, and take them out."

Saria sighed. "A game of hide and seek? Guess Sasuke's curious about my skills. I'm in."

"...never again. I'll just walk instead." Saria grumbled slightly as she walked up the beach from the ocean's edge, wringing out her hair as she did so.

"Hey, it was good water-walking practice. And how was I supposed to know that there weather controlling pirates in these waters?"

Saria gave him a flat look. "Says the man who can sense a fly landing a kilometer away?" Spending time on a team with Naruto had led to him growing on her a bit, and made it much easier for her to open up and joke with him. As fun loving as the Kokiri had been, it had been a different, child-like view of fun. Not that Naruto wasn't childish when the mood struck him.

Naruto shrugged under Saria's stare. "Well, maybe. But I'm purposefully not paying attention to all of that, so that these Zetsu's can be a surprise.

Saria huffed, then nodded, before turning to march up the beach some more. She paused briefly to stab a nearby palm tree with a Mokuton-crafted wooden spear, before moving on. Naruto scratched his head as he watched a Zetsu clone unfuse with the palm tree and slump to the ground, the wooden spear still stabbed into him. "You know... I don't think that really should have worked..."

Saria entered a Rain Country teahouse, disguised as a civilian. She closed the door behind her, and carefully wrung out her hair. Rain was one of the perils of keeping her hair as long as it was. One of the servers came forward, and silently directed her towards one of their empty tables. She smiled and nodded, then sat down and lifted up her menu. Under the pretext of deciding what to drink, she began looking around out of the corner of her eyes. The brightness of the tea house was a sharp contrast to the gloom and rain outside, which probably explained the many people that were in the building. She spotted an older, grey-haired man with a young blonde female, which she recognized as Naruto's feminine transformation. Obviously, they wanted to see how she would handle a Zetsu in a more civilized setting. Focusing with her Mokuton abilities, she reached out to through the building. Some short plants were dotted around in the corners, there was an improperly-trimmed bonsai in one of the offices above the shop, and a couple of the tables were obviously new, given the stronger than usual echo of life that still remained in the wood. Then she felt it, the signature of something plant-like, yet not. It was surprisingly near, and after she followed it, she located her target, well disguised in a brown cloak. It shouldn't need it, given the Zetsu's ability to change their shape. Saria frowned briefly, wondering if Sasuke was deliberately giving her a handicap here, before shrugging it off.

She reviewed her options, making and discarding ideas on how to take out the target without being noticed, and soon came up with an idea. She sighed, shook her head and stood up, walking a somewhat circuitous route towards the door, brushing past the chair of the Zetsu clone as she did so. As she reached the door, she focused her chakra, which she had subtly infused into the chair, and caused a spike of wood to stab out and into the Zetsu's heart. She felt the not-quite-a-plant's chakra fade, and withdrew the spike, before stepping quickly out of the teahouse. As she stepped into the rain, she allowed a few of her tears to fall for the death of the Zetsu.

Ganondorf, undisguised, walked up next to her, and placed his hand on her shoulder. "It's all right, Saria. As Forest Sage, I know that you have a deep connection to life. Remember, it was a Zetsu that manipulated the world to revive Kaguya in this Loop's baseline. In this case, it is like weeding a garden, and in others, there will be evil that must be slain to be stopped. We still have many targets to take care of."

Saria nodded, wiping her tears. "Doesn't make it much easier, though."

The final Zetsu was by far the easiest, compared to any of the others. In fact, it was practically gift wrapped when she arrived at the border of Spring Country. The Zetsu was slain, and tied to a tree off to one side, with sword wounds all over the slain Zetsu. A note was pinned above the corpse, saying, "Keep your games out of here, Naruto!" Naruto had to laugh at this. "Guess this target's been handled already."

Saria nodded, then focused her senses, reaching out. This had been the last Zetsu she had sensed, and so now she started attempting to track the location of just where the Zetsu were being created. Her senses expanded, feeling first the plants all around her, then those farther and farther out. Across the flowers of the country ahead of them, to hardy trees in the mountain behind, and then even further. Finally, she felt a strong signal, similar to the Zetsu she had been hunting. It felt massive, and truly old. Sasuke had to be there...

Saria's eyes were wide as Sasuke stood atop the twisted tree that he was growing the Zetsu from. "And then, I shall ascend into the heavens. I shall plant my One True Eye upon the surface of the Moon, and I shall claim it as my own. I shall ride it, as my Star of Death across the heavens, raining fire on all who oppose me with my mighty gaze!"

Naruto coughed into his hand discretely. "I don't think she gets the reference. We haven't really had a chance to go over a full 'who's who' in the Multiverse yet."

Sasuke paused, blinking, then slumped. "Aw, I forgot. Man, it's not as fun when they don't get the references I'm making."

Saria lowered her staff slightly. "So... am I supposed to be fighting you now?"

Sasuke shook his head. "No need. My test was mainly for helping you broaden your ability to use your powers. I mean, you had to have been around half the continent away when you ran that detection pulse to find me."

Hands trembling a bit, Saria just nodded, before sliding down to the ground bonelessly and flopping onto her back. Naruto chuckled again. "Oops. Forgot to ask you to tone down your chakra output. You were going at around six or seven Kage's worth there at the end of your speech."

Sasuke sighed and palmed his face. "Yet another thing I forgot."

27.3 - (wildrook)

"I take it you've met Malon," Saria said to the shared body of Lana and Cia before they decided to split into two as they hid in the Kokiri Forest.

"You must be Saria," Cia said, slightly glaring.

"Cia," Lana scolded her other half. "Sorry, she's still getting used to Link knowing more girls than we thought. I'm Lana, by the way."

Saria then sighed. "Nice to meet you two..." she muttered. "And for the record, most of us have seen Twinrova, so reversing the fusion isn't anything new."

"Dull surprise aside," Cia muttered, "I thought Malon was supposed to be the Girl Next Door type, not a Mad Scientist experimenting with Cuccos!"

Lana then coughed. "Uh, I summon Cuccos...should I be offended?" she asked Cia.

"Yours are more natural than THAT...line of thinking..."

'They could pass off as siblings,' Saria thought, then created a stump to sit on. "The mindset was a result of a Loop gone wrong for her and Ganondorf was Awake at the time. That's all we've been told...still, what in the name of the Deku did she tried to drag you into?"

"She found out we can summon Cuccos," Cia muttered. "She wanted to see if there was a summoning contract...then by impulse..."

"Gold Cucco..." Lana muttered. "I'm sticking to Argoroks for summoning from now on."

'And that's supposed to be her GOOD half?' Saria thought. "Well, you two might want to stay away from her for a few Loops...the Forest Temple's got a bit of a ghost problem, so you might hide out in there until the end of the Loop."

"Thank you so much," Lana said, bowing in front of Saria. "We'll take care of the ghosts...but thank you..."

"Hold it," Cia said, grabbing Lana. "These are the Lost Woods, remember? It's not just a name."

"I know the way by heart," Saria replied. "Just follow me...and don't get separated. There's a Skull Kid in the forest that tends to prank others...almost caused the Moon to drop in a parallel universe...ever hear of Termina?"

"We're familiar with it," Lana and Cia said at the same time, looking at each other nervously.

27.4

*Shing* Link hummed softly to himself as he sat in an easy chair, sharpening the oversized broadsword he had laid across his lap. Zelda peered in, and raised her eyebrow.

"And what, exactly, do you think you're doing?"

Link looked up, smiling. "Well, I heard that Fi is going to go out with this Fudd character, and I figured I should take the opportunity to make sure that 'wascaly' hunter knows to treat her right."

Zelda stared at him blankly, before shaking her head as she brought her hand to her forehead. "And for that, you set up a suburban living room in the entrance to Fi's chambers?" She then waved her hand. "No, never mind, I don't want to know. And it's F.L.U.D.D., not Fudd. You know, Mario's robot companion."

Link stared at her for several moments. "Oooohhh..." He then glanced down at his broadsword. After a moment, he nodded, and pushed it back into his Pocket with a flick of his wrist. He then pulled out a massively oversized screwdriver, and started sharpening the tip of that, humming once again. *Shing Shing*

Zelda sighed, then left. 'He doesn't need to know that they left for their date an hour ago.'

27.5 - (wildrook)

"There are times I wonder..." Link said, looking at Cia in question, who was still adjusting to two souls in one body.

"Wonder what?" both sides asked him.

Link gave the woman a look. "Well, I've seen you...or rather, your darker half...summon Dark Links and use the power of darkness, but then I remembered something about Lana..."

"And that would be..." Lana said, taking over the body.

"...Dark Links are small fries compared to a woman that can summon Cuccos at her beck and call."

Cia then face-palmed as soon as she took control. "Always with the Cuccos...you two helped a few out in the battlefield, you know?" she asked him.

"Yeah, but only to reunite a mother hen and her chick. And half the time, I'm hoping none of the soldiers do anything stupid to aggravate them."

Mentally, Lana and Cia were discussing something.

"What in Subrosia happened before we started Looping?" Cia asked her lighter half.

Lana then shrugged. "It's like they've turned them into a superweapon or something," she muttered.

"Well, they are pretty vicious in battle...still damages my thought of Malon being the Girl Next Door."

"On the plus side, Saria's fun to hang out with. Even if the Skull Kid tends to show up unannounced."

Walking by, Zelda had looked at Link and the Sorceress.

"Mental conversation?" Zelda asked Link, who nodded. "Huh...I wonder if they stay in one form because of you."

Both mental parts of Cia snap to attention as they see Zelda, one side nearly frowning. Cia knew that Link's not the kind for Romance, but old habits die hard.

"Nice to see you, Your Majesty," Lana said, taking control. "I'm still surprised that Hyrule's in a time of peace."

"Easy," Zelda replied. "I wasn't going to spoil the outing. I was on my way to see Impa about an influx of red balloons somewhere in the Gerudo Desert."

Link cringed and Cia had a mix of fear and disgust.

"Best case scenario is Pennywise," Link said. "Worst case...Tingle's on the warpath."

"There are very few things that disturb me," Cia said, taking control. "Besides Farm Girl's experiments, that...thing...is weirder."

"What IS Pennywise, anyways?" Lana asked them.

"Giant spider alien that takes the form of a clown with the voice of Tim Curry," Link replied. "The only difference between that and Tingle is that Pennywise's balloons don't explode in a torrent of fire. Is Ganondorf Awake?"

Zelda cringed. "Who do you think I got the message from?" she asked them. "Tingle and the Gerudo are having a civil war and he's on the losing end due to Twinrova switching sides."

"Ficus," Link muttered. "We'd better put out the flames quickly."

"Agreed," Zelda replied. Meanwhile, Cia and Lana just looked on, feeling just a little lost.

27.6 - (KrisOverStreet)

"The Chairman had a vision of Kitchen Stadium, where master chefs from across all the kingdoms would do battle to prove the superiority of their cooking!"

Ganondorf had experienced strange variant Loops before, but this one took the cake. Indeed, it took thirty-nine cakes.

"And here representing the honor of Kitchen Stadium are our Iron Chefs! Zelda is Iron Chef Hyrule! Link is Iron Chef Kokiri! Malon is Iron Chef Lonlon! And Tingle is Iron Chef Fairy!"

But Ganondorf had learned to roll with the punches in the Loops. He'd adapted swiftly to the rules of this Loop, and he'd risen rapidly through the ranks of chefs with his knowledge of Gerudo traditional cooking.

"Now entering Kitchen stadium is the challenger, Ganondorf, whose chain of Gerudo stir-fry restaurants has stolen the tongues of the kingdoms and enchanted the reviewers! And as the Chairman awaits the challenge, we all await the answer to the question: who's it going to be?"

Ganondorf stood silently for several seconds, as the producers had asked him, and then flung a flamboyant finger in the direction of the strangely dressed little man off to one side. "I want Tingle!"

The angry and dismayed looks on Zelda's and Link's faces were worth the entire Loop, for just that alone. Malon's confusion was almost as good.

"A most interesting choice! Rather than pursue the traditional contrasts between spicy Gerudo and hearty Hyrulian food, or engage in his well-known rivalry with Iron Chef Kokiri, Ganondorf has chosen Tingle! This might be because Tingle is the least experienced of the Iron Chefs and has the worst win-loss record- it could be that Ganondorf is looking for the easy win!"

Partly true, Ganondorf admitted to himself. He did want the easy win. But he also wanted a battle in which Link and Zelda could do nothing, absolutely nothing, to interfere.

"The secret ingredient is... Triforce!"

And the glowing triangles in the center of Kitchen Stadium? Ganondorf hadn't expected that at all, not one little bit... but he was not going to complain.

One hour of frantic cooking and not a little bit of magic later, the judges received the dishes.

Ganondorf had led with cinnamon toast triangles fried with a mischief enchantment, a salad of sharp chard and parsley in a Triforce-steeped power dressing, his signature stir-fry with smoky ink sauce, and rich chocolate-covered tarts enchanted to remind every judge of an inner dark fantasy. The salad didn't go over well, but the other dishes met with loud and repeated approval from the judges, and as the tarts were finished with happy sighs and chuckles of daydreaming, the dark king smiled. In. The. Bag.

Then Tingle brought forth his dishes: a crisp citrus soup that glowed with an inner light; spun-sugar clouds of light pinks and blues; small bowls of plain gelato to offset the main dish of mild low-fat pork chili (the smell of which made Ganondorf turn green), and simple vanilla crisps. Except for the chili, Tingle's creations had practically no mass whatever, never mind food value. And, interestingly, after the first sip of the soup starter the judges remained absolutely silent for the entire tasting.

So, as Ganondorf and Tingle stood to either side of the Chairman, the Gerudo lord couldn't suppress a triumphant chuckle.

"So who takes it? Whose cuisine reigns supreme?"

Here it comes...

"Iron Chef Tingle!"

WHAT?!

"Let's go to the judges! It was a split decision, with Darunia and Midna enjoying the stouter fare of Ganondorf, but Pumm and Sahasrahla preferred Tingle's fairy cuisine for the lighter, more energetic feeling it gave them! The Chairman broke the tie, giving a rare victory to Iron Chef Fairy! Your champion for the day, Tingle!"

Dumbledore looked at the replacement Potions teacher spread out on the couch in his office. "So, you want me to Obliviate the whole loop, then?"

"No," Ganondorf moaned. "I can deal with everything up to that point, but the sight of Tingle's victory dance haunts my dreams at night..." The giant warlock shuddered in horror with the momentary recollection.

27.7

Link Awoke from the telepathic prodding of an Unawake Princess Zelda. He sat up, rubbing sleep out of his eyes, and spotted his uncle standing by the door.

"Stay here, Link. I'll be back in the morning." With that, his uncle headed out the door. Two seconds later, Link was out the door as well. Thirty seconds after that, Link was walking back in, his uncle unconscious on his shoulder, courtesy of a sleep spell to the back. After depositing his uncle into his bed, Link quickly scrawled out a note.

-Off to save princess. Taking sword and shield. Will uphold honor of knights.-

Link wasn't particularly close to his uncle, a product of the fact that he often only got to see him for a few moments at the beginning of a Loop before he would go off and die if Link didn't intervene, but he had memories of his uncle raising him, and he wasn't about to let him die pointlessly. Sometimes, his uncle would revive following the wish on the Triforce, or he would have managed to survive his wounds and crawl home to recuperate, but Link wasn't going to take that chance. He paused on his way out the door, then quickly wrote down a postscript before dashing out to go break Zelda out of prison and use a blessed sword to go stab Agahnim in the face.

-Dried meat in cupboard for breakfast. Will bring some bread home for lunch.-

27.8

Link breathed in deeply, savoring the sweet, spring air of Hyrule. He had spent the last Loop in the depths of Aperture Labs, where the air tasted mechanical and stale, with faint hints of sour smells he didn't want to contemplate. He was enjoying the freedom he had here, even if the puzzles that the mechanical boss had confronted him with had been fairly challenging.

He had just come within view of his destination, Zora's Domain, when he heard a distant thud, and someone shouting. Focusing his ears, he strained and caught the last portion of the distant shout.

"...and stay out!"

Link's eyes widened as he caught sight of a small speck in the sky, flying away from Zora's Domain, and he quickly spurred Epona off the path. Moments later, the speck swelled into a large dark figure, which smashed into the road several feet ahead of where Link had been riding, and bounced and skidded down the path, straight past Link, ending up in a small trench about a dozen feet back.

Turning back to the Zora's Domain, Link popped out a spyglass, and focused on the summit. He could just make out the form of Ruto, waving that massive shark-sword of hers overhead. That answered the question of who the other Ping he had sensed was. Link then turned back towards the fallen figure.

Ganondorf, in the meantime, had pulled himself out of the dirt and started to brush himself off. He caught sight of Link just as he was turning back around, pausing, then glancing back up at Zora's Domain. Before Link could speak, Ganondorf quickly raised his hands, framing Zora's Domain between them and tracing them around.

"...a 57 degree arc, and, she must of used the stalagmites as aiming. But then... the dust cloud, of course." And then Ganondorf started to cry.

Link's eyebrows raised, as he stepped forward to... he wasn't quite sure what he was going to do, but to do something. Then, Ganondorf pumped his fists into the air.

"Brilliant! She is simply brilliant!" He stepped forward, grabbing Link's shoulders and shaking him slightly. "She not only managed to do a perfect Arcing Villain Ejection, with the requisite retort, but she also managed to aim me to drop straight next to the principle hero for disposal!" Ganondorf laughed loudly, pulling Link into a choking hug. "Oh, I hope it was on purpose, rather than simple coincidence. Either way, Ruto is going to be a fine Hero if I have anything to say about it." Ganondorf then released Link and warped away, leaving Link sprawled dizzily on the ground.

27.9 - (DrTempo)

"What."

Ruto looked utterly shocked. Saria had been the Hero of Time this Loop, and had just met up with her. Saria looked like she had during the time after Naruto had returned his training trip during Saria's first Loop (not that Ruto was aware, though she did recognize the ninja stylings of Saria's dress).

"How...what..."

Saria chuckled. "Surprised how I changed since we last met?"

Saria giggled and spun around. She was in the grown up form she had had at the end of her Loop with Naruto, rather than her usual child-like Kokiri form. Her long hair spun around her, kept together in braids, and she struck a pose, while Ruto just huffed jealously. "How the heck are you better looking than me?"

"Genetics."

"That doesn't mean anything!"

Saria laughed as Ruto fumed. "If it helps, Sheik acted the same way."

Ruto growled a bit more, then finally laughed. "Well, I guess it is a little funny." She then clapped her hands. "Shall we get through this dungeon? I love this place..."

One dungeon later, as Morpha died with a whimper, Saria had to disagree with Ruto.

The Water Temple sucked.

27.10

"You call that a Spin Attack! Tuck your elbows in! You need rotation! ROTATION!"

Link huffed and puffed, and wished really hard that that the Deku Tree could have assigned him a regular fairy, rather than this tall man wearing green, with a pair of paper wings taped to his back.

Hidden in a nearby tree, Navi and Saria giggled as they shared a bowl if popcorn and watched Link run his non-Looping counterpart into the ground.

Scrying from a distant stone chamber, Ganondorf and his non-Looping counterpart did the same.

27.11

A Fond Farewell

The party had been going on for over a week. Everyone was celebrating the defeat of the Dark God Malladeus, especially because everyone felt they had had a hand in it. Apparently, in this Loop, the Lokomo had died out long ago, leaving the land defenseless against Malladeus' return. Luckily, all of the Hyrulean Loopers had been Awake, so they had been able to come up with a plan, based off of Link and Navi's recent experiences in Reveria. They had travelled the land, gathering the wishes and good will of the various races of Hyrule, while Ganondorf and Vaati had stepped up to oppose Malladeus directly. Once all of the good thoughts of the land were gathered, they had unleashed them on Malladeus, blowing him away completely in a climactic aerial battle above Hyrule Plains. Half the nations had been watching the sky when it happened, and they got to see the white lights of their hopes, their prayers, actually rise to join the final strike.

Link, Zelda, and Ganondorf were seated up against one of the walls of the castle, looking down and out at the party, which resembled a large carnival more than anything. Groups had gathered in Hyrule Field, setting up tents and booths, bringing food and drink and laughter. Link reached over and took another drink of his ever-full mug of cold Lon-Lon Milk, sighing in contentment as he watched Navi battling a Zora Swordsman (Finsman?) and dancing literal circles around him, while Midna stood off to the side, taking wagers.

"That was a good battle."

Ganondorf chuckled and raised his mug in a toast. "Indeed. Just enough of a challenge to work up a sweat, but not with any of the existential terror some battles might bring."

Zelda sighed. "Seriously, getting a makeover is not that scary."

Ganondorf and Link looked at each other, then back at Zelda and they both just shook their heads. She let out a huff and flopped backwards. "Fine, be that way."

After a moment, all three of them were laughing lightly. Overhead, several rockets shot across the sky from inside the city, bursting into a brilliant firework display, with a couple of trick fireworks bursting to form the shape of the Triforce, of the Hylian Crest, the face of a Goron, and more. Link and Ganondorf laid backwards, joining Zelda in watching the fireworks bursting overhead.

"...um, excuse us?"

The three glanced up, almost as one, to see Lana and Cia standing on the path along the wall a short ways down, looking somewhat nervous as they watching Ganondorf.

Zelda sat up and gestured for them to take a seat next to the group. "Yes, what is it?"

The pair approached and sat down, glancing at each other occasionally, before Cia gave a loud huff. "Oh, this is stupid. We don't even..." She cut herself off, scowling, before turning to stare at the three pseudo-Anchors. "How do you do it?"

The three of them looked at each other, then back at Cia. "Do what?" Link asked for all of them.

"The Loops. It's..." she trailed off.

Lana piped in. "When I first...split...from Cia, I kept myself going with the thought that 'once this is all over, I can go and live with Link and be happy'. Even when I, when I realized that I wouldn't, I still had the thought that I could settle down when it is all over. Cia, she..."

"I can speak for myself," Cia snapped. "I knew that once I won, I could rule and be happy. But there is no ending now! We just keep going, and it never stops. How can you keep going, when After never comes?"

The three Loopers were silent for a long moment, before Zelda reached up to point down at the party. "Do you see that man, the heavyset one with the too-small armor?" Lana and Cia peered out, before nodding. "His name is Greyault, and the Goron lady next to him is Pyrin. Those two always seem to get together, whatever the Loop may be. They both live their lives, with their unconventional romance, never thinking about the dangers that may lurk for them, the hardships." Zelda turned to face the two guardians of time, her face pensive. "For me, personally, it is the little things, getting to see the marks that I and others have left on the world. You know my hobbies, matchmaking, after a fashion. It isn't just for finding new forms to wear, but because it gives me the chance to truly see the ripples my life can leave, the After, as you say, and what comes beyond even that."

Ganondorf spoke next, as Zelda lapsed into silence. "I crave victory. To set a goal and accomplish it, from conquering nations, to raising a child, to being the greatest chef in the land. Due to the Loops' nature, I cannot erect monuments to my triumphs, nor have my name, mine and not some other wearing my face, sung in ballad and song through the ages. Yet I have found a form of immortality in training, in taking those paltry few who claim the title of villain and making something worthy of them, in taking those heroes that oppose them and honing them into something better, even if they never recognize it." He turned to stare straight at them. "I do these things because Now is my moment. When time winds up again, and I once again begin in a new life, I will set my sights on a new victory to achieve under the light of a new day."

The group then turned to Link, who was staring down at his hand. He then turned to the rest, and sighed.

"Hup hup hiyah." He stated in a flat voice. Zelda groaned, while Ganondorf manifested a blade of dark flame and swung at Link's head. Link blocked it with a mirror bright shield, grinning. "I've gone through the motions in many Loops, taking the path of the hero because it was easier than trying to settle down. It was Navi and Midna who made it a goal to keep disrupting me and forcing me into the most boring roles they could find, to slow down, in their words."

Link leaned back, laying his head against the roots of the bush behind him. "I think, the only words of wisdom I have are, don't try and just focus on one thing, to the exclusion of everything else. Malon and Navi both went down that road for a while, as did I, and even Ganondorf, though he won't admit it." Link blocked a fireball on his shield, before continuing, "There isn't just a single thing that can keep your focus, your drive, forever. It's true, it is a truly scary thing to realize, that we have eternity stretched before us. Perhaps in truth. Even if Time is fixed and allowed to flow on its proper course, would any of us truly cease, living that single lifetime and then just dying and moving on?"

Cia and Lana both paused, as the three sitting in front of them seemed to swell, almost, becoming something more, though nothing actually physically shifted about them. Link broke the silence.

"In the end, the greatest advice I have is find joy. Find it in the small things." He smiled as he spied a small white mask, floating around and pestering an obviously flustered Happy Mask Salesman. D, trying to get his 'cousins' to wake up and talk to him. "Hold onto it while you have it." Impa and Vaati were sitting in a ring around a fire, with several soldiers and mercenaries, laughing and drinking while they shared stories of battle and adventure. "Treasure the memories, but don't lose yourself dwelling on them." Saria was sitting on a stump, playing her ocarina, while Ruto and Fi danced around her, several onlookers crying silently at the beautiful sight. "Though our time might be unlimited, every moment we have here, now, is precious, and made more precious by the fact we know we won't see it again." Malon was riding the version of Epona out across the field, under the light of the rising moon. "Never spend a single instant on something that you won't enjoy."

*CRUNCH* *sniff* "That's simply beautiful."

The Loopers jumped, while Link flailed wildly, as the bush he had been leaning against shifted and popped upward, revealing a narrow stairway and a slightly hunched, white-bearded man.

"Librari?!" Zelda looked shocked. "It's been a long time."

The old man nodded his head. "Hmm, yes. I got bored waiting for the hero to finally come down, so I decided to peek out. I've about run out of books to read, anyway."

Link stood, brushing himself off. "Huh, I guess I haven't gone looking for those hideaways as often any more."

Librari waved a hand. "It's alright. Albus lent me a copy of his library, so I've had plenty to keep me busy these last hundred Loops or so."

The group was silent, but before they could process this, Librari turned to Zelda. "And I thank you for the album of pictures. I've found that they always bring a smile to my face, especially the picture of your companions trying to ride those cactuses."

Zelda's smile froze, then she carefully stepped away from the group, before turning to dash off, with Link and Ganondorf following with twin cries of "You said you burned them!" echoing after them. Librari chuckled, before emerging fully from the hole, and making his way down towards the grand party. Behind him, Lana and Cia sat, leaning against each other, both of them thinking about the future, and enjoying the chance to just be there in the moment.

THE END

27.1 - Now introducing the Twins of Time: Cia and Lana!

27.2 - Saria has been working out!

27.3 - Malon wants that Summoning Hula Hoop!

27.4 - Don't take that tone with me, young lady. Go straight to your sheath and think about what you've done.

27.5 - For a fairy-obssessed middle aged man, Tingle can be a fearsome general. Having pockets full of Rupees really helps.

27.6 - Fortunately, thanks to certain Loops, what has been seen can be unseen.

27.7 - Link's To-Do List: 1) Chop some wood for the fireplace. 2) Defeat the source of all evil. 3) Fix the squeaky wheel on the cart.

27.8 - Great Teacher Ganondorf hones the powers of heroes and villains alike.

27.9 - Ruto has a bit of a different take on swimming levels.

27.10 - Link is just so hard on himself.

27.11 - A final farewell bash.

And yes, this is it for me. It has been a good run, but I find myself drifting away from the Infinite Loops, so I figured I would give this a clean break. I hope you have enjoyed this. Future Legend of Zelda snippets, and maybe a few reruns, will be found through the more general Nintendo Loops.