It's nice to finally be done with this arc! Play "Horseback Ganondorf" from Twilight Princess!
Cindy threw a Fear Sphere barrage at Emma, her evasion swift as she closed in on the princess. Cindy's fist met with Emma's, but she wasn't ready to defend her stomach from Emma's boot. Guards charged out and tried to impale Emma with spears, but they were bashed dizzily by the Super Ball. Unzen landed and swiftly kicked the guards to unconsciousness. "You kids really don't know your PLACE!" Cindy screeched a Scare Scream, freezing Unzen in terror, but Emma mustered her will and threw a punch at Cindy's mouth. Unzen threw a Cinderella Bomb, and as the explosion enveloped her, he tossed the Light Arrows to his sister.
"You know, I was thinking of you when I made those bombs." Unzen said to Cindy, smirking. "How I wanted to blow you up 'til only those slippers were left behind."
"GET UP, you fools!" Cindy enforced her fearbending over the KO'ed soldiers, scaring them into waking up in zombie-like states. They struck at the kids mindlessly, Emma sniping Light Arrows to free them. Cindy conjured a Fear Bow of her own, shooting storms of arrows at once to reignite the soldiers' fear. Emma targeted the princess directly, but Cindy formed a Fear Shield to negate it. She then lunged, grabbed Emma's head, and slammed her face-first in the floor, hoping to smash her nose in to a matching size. Unzen Shaved up and kicked Cindy against the window, but when he followed for a second, Cindy dodged, grabbed his ankle, and smashed him through the window instead. Unzen used Moon Walks to save himself while Emma shot Cindy with Light Arrow, stunning and thwacking the princess further back into the ship. Unzen was able to get back in, both pursuing as Cindy ran into a corridor.
They followed her into a hall full of coffins, the princess spreading her fearbending into them. Stalhounds, Stalchicks (Cuccos), and normal Stalfos burst from the coffins, the skeletons embodied by the black and red fear as they attacked. "You can reanimate the dead?!" Emma exclaimed, she and Unzen breaking the skulls, but that did little to stop their rampage.
"Every body contains the smallest remnants of fear they felt at the moment of death. I learned to latch onto that fear and command it!" The bones piled around the kids, pricking them with their bones as their fear dug into their very nerves. "I'm no delicate princess, you fools, I'm the future Emperor of the Cortix Pirates!"
"SCISSORS!" Emma sliced through the bones with a chi sword, leaping forward to strike Cindy with the same blow. Cindy negated it with a Scare Sword, but Unzen's Super Ball would bounce from the ceiling, bonk Cindy's face, then off Emma's to the ceiling at an angle that would return to Cindy's eye. Emma would quickly follow up with a Rock punch to the gut, Cindy nearly vomiting as she tumbled backward. "That may be, Princess, but I couldn't help but notice your diet is a little unbalanced. Your diet…" Emma shaped her fingers like a fork, "is nothing compared to Emperor Augustus's!"
"?!" Cindy's pupils creased. Why would Emma suggest anything about that man?! "You… is that where… you've been hiding?!"
Kamui maneuvered his umbrella in response to Perry's sword, and at one angle shot bullets, but Perry moved his shield in the way to deflect them back at Kamui. In his stunned state, Perry quickly did the Helm Splitter, flipping above to slice Kamui's head. Kamui, putting off the pain with ease, kicked backward and sent Perry into the railing. Kamui dashed with a stab of his umbrella, but Perry rolled aside to cut his leg. Kamui flipped his other leg onto Perry, who pushed up his shield to knock Kamui off-balance, following with a surprise spin attack. Perry side-jumped and back-flipped to make distance from Kamui, but the smiling Yato tried to deny him the luxury by ambushing him from around. Perry ducked, but could feel the umbrella whip off the tips of his hair, while Kamui's right foot kicked the Gilded Sword out of Perry's hand.
Kamui leapt over him and rushed to retrieve the sword, but Perry rolled within eyesight of the sword and quickly shot his Hookshot. Kamui still managed to grab the sword and tugged it against the Hookshot, but while anticipating this, Perry had also thrown the Mirror Shield to bash and daze Kamui's head. The sword successfully returned as Perry charged Kamui with a River of Retribution. He then ran to reclaim the Mirror Shield, one of Kamui's bullets grazing him while he was able to deflect the next two. Kamui dodged them and zipped around to confuse Perry, so the youth charged strength for the Hurricane Spin. "Hm?" Kamui was confused as Perry spun into the hallway, in the process striking down several guards. He stopped to regain his senses as Kamui pursued, engaging him in a close, fast sword fight. "Are you trying to limit my mobility?"
"Gotta use the environment however you can."
Kamui Wall Kicked his way around the hall, shooting his gun from every vantage he landed to make Perry dodge or defend. This enabled Kamui to leap at him with a headbutt. Luckily, Perry was in the process of jumping backwards when he came, tumbling Perry backward with smaller damage. Kamui dashed upon landing, and when his umbrella slashed, Perry ducked and slashed upward to cut his arm. Kamui kept a firm hold on his umbrella as Perry back-flipped and sniped arrows, the Yato opening his umbrella as a shield. Perry saw the opening to Hookshot Kamui's leg, pulling himself over. Perry slashed his leg while Kamui swiped Perry's Mirror Shield. The youth rolled behind for a Parry Attack, but was deflected by the shield, allowing Kamui to kick him away.
Don and Nezuko finished KOing all the guards in the hangar, stealing their Fire Arrows. "Watch out, Nezy!" Don pointed. "There's a ship coming! And…"
They hid behind another craft, watching as Garcia and Paula docked theirs. Not just them, but Silver surfed in on his Ice Trail, leaning against the wall for a breath. "Ay, Silver, what happened?!" Garcia asked, noticing his body full of burns. "You take a detour through the sun or something?"
"I was ambushed by the Blue Demolisher! I was able to shake her off, but it's only a matter of time before she catches onto us. And why's the ship curving like this?"
"Looked like the front part was crashed into. And I can hear fighting."
"Then let's join in, baby!" Paula playfully put a knife at her boyfriend's neck.
"Wait, G!" Johnny sniffed. "I smell… something in this room. Smells like peaches! With just a trace of… vampire."
Nezuko winced. "Hey, let's take these guys." Don whispered. "Your bending should work on that guy's skull staff, that's his main power. And I'll focus Fire Arrows on the icebender."
"Yes!" Nezuko bit her hand open as blood seeped out, her pink flames burning brighter. She pounced out and cast a fiery wave at the three opponents, Silver skiing away and trying to cool the flames.
"AAAAAH! It's hot! It's hot, G!"
"What are you talking about, this is about as hot as I am after a bad date!"
"You're telling me…" Paula said, feeling lightly sweaty.
"Hey! It's one of those kids!" Silver recognized Don, throwing icicles. Nezuko dodged while Don sniped him with Fire Arrows.
"And you look like you're running a fever!" Don remarked. Despite Johnny's pain, Garcia had him turn into The Dentist, its homing bullets locking onto Nezuko. Her flames could barely convert them to ash before they reached and wounded her, but she made sure to stop the ones heading for Don. "And I'll have you know Nezuko has a family of her own to get back to! You gonna try to take her away from them, too?"
"Hmm…" Silver couldn't deny he'd been questioning his choices since their first battle.
"Come on, baby, it's just one brat!" Paula shouted. "I'll show you how it's done! This suit's getting hot, anyway."
Nezuko, Don, and Silver were agape as six angelic wings sprouted from her back. She shed her Gigai and slashed a wave of energy from her wings, Nezuko tossing Don away while she was blasted through several walls of the ship. "I was hired to cleanse Hyrule of its demons." Silver sent ice along the floor to begin freezing Don, who grabbed a handful of Fire Arrows to stab the ice and warm himself, even if it hurt. "If I'm wrong, then show me with your own power."
"RAAAAAH!" Nezuko shot back through the ship like a comet, kicking Paula with a powerful, flaming, orange-nailed foot as she was blasted miles away from the ship. "WHOA!" Don exclaimed. "Nezuko… you grew up! Is this your Fury Form?" The pink flames danced around her like sakura petals. Though still dressed in the same clothes, Nezuko had become taller with strong legs and a busting chest. Her right shoe had come off, her arms and legs had the designs of thin branches with red and green leaves, and a white horn pierced from the right of her forehead.
As Paula soared back to the hangar, Nezuko's peach eyes and bared fangs were brimming with rage. But when she turned that face down at Don, who tensed up in fear… Nezuko instead smiled kindly at him. "Sorry about that." She picked Don up and sat him on her shoulders. "Keep focusing on the icebender!" She conjured several pink fireballs and kicked them with intense force, Paula and Garcia quick to dodge, but the flames would explode into smaller ones and backtrack to burn them (or at least Johnny in Garcia's case).
"I'll show you my power, all right!" Don remarked, landing a shot at Silver's stomach. "The power of teamwork!"
Kamui teasingly maneuvered the umbrella and shield to close any gaps Perry could have, and he could still shoot as a bonus. Perry ultimately retreated down a stairwell, or rather he jumped down to the next layer. Conveniently, there was a Hookshot target underneath the upper stairs, so he quickly hooked to it before Kamui jumped down. While searching for Perry, the boy dropped and shot the Hookshot at his head, pulling down and stabbing the shield hand. He took the treasure back and kicked off into the next hallway. He swung his sword in defense of Kamui's umbrella while shield bashing to deflect his other arm and legs. "You are faster, I'll give you that."
"That's because every battle makes me just a little faster and stronger!" Perry shot a surprise arrow at Kamui's foot, then tried a jump attack, but Kamui still kicked him away with the same foot.
"But how long do you expect to keep it up? You must've guessed light is my weakness, yet you don't even have that advantage. And my Yato genes heal any injury you dish." They engaged in another clash as Perry dealt a few cuts, but Kamui tried the Helm Splitter, which Perry blocked by raising his shield like an umbrella.
"My parents said that self-healing still costs stamina. You'll get tired eventually!" But what did he say just now? Yato? That term sounded familiar…
"Eventually is a long time away!" Kamui crouched and lashed at Perry with greater ferocity, the boy maneuvering his blade fast as possible before Kamui grabbed his neck and hurdled him up the hall. Perry fought back the dizzying pain to block Kamui's jump attack, then went for a cut to his legs.
"And as Supreme Leader," sword met umbrella in quick succession, "I'll keep fighting no matter how long eventually is-"
"WAIT!" Kamui made the 'time out' pose. "What time is it?" He checked the clock. "Ah! The new chapter of Hunter x Hunter is out!"
"WHAT?!" Perry was baffled as Kamui sat down and read the page on his phone. "Dude, we're fighting!"
"My boy, you don't wait 10 years for Chapter 431 and not read it! Let's put our fight on hold for now."
"Ugh! Fine, manga chapters are only, like, 3 minutes, right?"
"Oh, this one seems to have an hour's worth of text."
"WHAT?!"
"See?" Kamui showed him the page. Every panel was enveloped by text bubbles with as much text crammed into them as possible.
"That's the exact opposite of what a comic book should be! Ugh, screw this, I'm thirsty." He went to check the other rooms.
Cindy formed another Fear Shield around herself, gaining a far distance up the hall as she screeched giant spheres. Emma sliced gaps through the spheres with Scissors, while otherwise resisting the terror that the insides grazed her with. Once she was close enough to the princess, "Rock, Paper…" Emma pulled back a Light Arrow and gave it a coat of Haki, "ARROW!" She pierced through the next sphere and dissipated Cindy's shield. "And SCISSORS!" Emma did a jump strike, but Cindy would endure the pain by grabbing Emma's hand. She bashed Emma repeatedly against the walls until Unzen jumped her back and Finger Pistoled her neck, though couldn't quite penetrate the fat. An irritated Cindy flung Emma upward to knock Unzen off.
"Princess! We've drifted close to Castle Town, we're about to face the castle directly!" the intercom alerted.
"Is the vampire hooked to the machine?! We'll lure Mother out by shooting her fire at the town!"
"N-No, she escaped, and-"
"AGH! Just lock onto the throne room and fire it NOW!" Cindy bolted through a door and sealed it.
"NO!" Emma and Unzen punched it open and pursued.
Perry was lucky enough to find a Red Potion to replenish his stamina. "What was that announcement?" he wondered. He heard a sound like a large shutter opening from up the hall. "Maybe I should see what that-"
Kamui lunged like a mad rabbit, but Perry faced him in time to deal a Mortal Draw. Kamui's umbrella was deterred, but his foot kicked Perry up the hall. "Stupid ads need to buffer out." He kicked his way around the walls before trying to headbutt Perry, who raised his shield. Kamui was hurt by his own reflection and fell, but took Perry off his feet with a breakdance kick. He then whipped his umbrella down on Perry's back, the pressing feeling making him spit blood. If not for the Master Sword on his back, that umbrella could've cut deeper. "You know, why haven't you drawn that sword, yet? It looks like it's itching for some action."
"Itching?" In this posture, he actually did feel the sword wriggling. Perry struck Kamui's umbrella off and flipped away. Kamui leapt and swung at Perry's left while his leg came from the right. The Gilded Sword stopped the umbrella while another sword slashed the leg.
"Uh-?!" Kamui gasped.
"AH!" The moment was too sudden for Perry to savor it. He drew the Master Sword! Its glistening white was as pretty as he imagined atop the blue-winged hilt. "Heheh…I did it…I DID IT!" Kamui tried to stab his moment of pride, but Perry dodged and cut Kamui's arm with his new sword. Raising both Master and Gilded Swords excitedly, he was fast in countering all of Kamui's swings. This proved costly against Kamui's weaponless limbs, and he would take the Yato by greater surprise with his string of diagonal Double Spin Attacks. Kamui's garb was on the verge of falling off completely with the amount of rips it suffered. He tried countering with his own spins and wound up blowing Perry through several doors. "Ow! Way to kill a guy's groove…?!"
With a light glinting off the side of his vision, Perry was awestruck to see a giant golden object shining like a condensed sun. It was shaped like Cindy's scowling head and was facing out of an open hatch, Hyrule Castle in its wake.
"Mommy, there's something shiny up there!" Gia pointed, rocking on her mom's shoulders excitedly.
"Is the princess gonna make a show for us?!" Lizu beamed.
"'Guess she's tryin' to do somethin' nice for us, with all these attacks happening." Iza smiled.
"YAR! There be gold shimmering in that hull!" a Lurelin Bokoblin pointed. "Shall we steal it, Captain?!"
"AYE! And we shall share it with all the maties here!"
Confronting Emma and Unzen in the last door to the chamber, she violently lashed them with fear-made whips and scythes at the end of them. While Emma dodged the whips and struck her mother with Paper spheres, Unzen saw the giant spring that was retracting. It was going to shoot the bomb with intense force at the castle! "Relax, fools!" Cindy smirked. "My Doomsday Star won't hurt the mortal denizens!"
"I have to find the switch for that thing!" Unzen Moon Walked atop the bomb. "Perry?!" He saw the young hero engaged with Kamui, his Gilded and Master Swords flying at all manner of nonstop angles to counter the Yato's swings. That same scrawny boy from the race burned with the courage of a fearless hero, unbothered by any pain and fatigue in his system so long as the enemy before him was still standing. But more important than that was the shield on Perry's back. Perry couldn't use the Mirror Shield while dual-wielding both swords, so the Sheikah felt no harm in jumping down and borrowing it. "Unzen?!"
Unzen Shaved toward the open hangar with dedicated speed. He leapt out of it to give himself some distance leeway. The spring fired the Doomsday Star and… the Mirror Shield deflected it back. The condensed body of light returned into the ship with as much force as what had fired it. Upon crashing the spring's wall… it exploded.
"Oooooooo!" As the Resurrection spun and rocked from the force, a stream of light burned against some of the castle roofs, disintegrating only three unfortunate Silver Tallblins. The light spewed from the gaps in the ship as miniature suns, shaped like Cindy's visage, came swirling around them. "Prettyyyyyyy!" Gia drawled.
"MY WORD!" screamed Creeper, the queen's adviser. "Captain, you seeing this?!"
"What in the world is Cindy doing?!" Mandy glared.
Ashera smashed her sword over Ayshe's crossed daggers, the Zonai struggling to hold her back. "?!" Both saw the wave of light coming. They ducked, shut their eyes, and crossed arms over them. Gilda, Ray, and Shinobu gasped and ducked for cover, but Shinobu's bugs began buzzing frantically as their irises burned. Nezuko saw the light coming and, with Ray in hand, jumped out the hangar opening and clung the side, watching the light explode out above them. The vampire could feel the residual heat as the ray shone and waved fantastically. But after a minute of hanging on… the light faded.
"WHAT IN DIOSA PALUTENA'S NAME WAS THAT?!" Garcia screamed, the front of his pants down as he had been dowsing Johnny's flames.
"I know I asked for yellow rain, but that was a little much!" Johnny exclaimed.
"That felt like the bomb I helped make!" Paula said. "Someone must've set it off in-"
"RAAAAH!" Nezuko flew up and launched into Paula with a Rocket Burst at her feet. The dazed angel pushed and smashed Garcia against the wall, and the vampire would leap to land one final, knock-out squish!
"Ugh!" Silver uncovered his eyes. "I barely blocked that in time! That could've blinded a lot of people!"
"Shyah, no kidding!" Don climbed off Nezuko, ignoring the pain in his hurt foot and mustering the will to stand. "But you were already blind to begin with!" The boy charged and kicked off the floor with his good leg, grabbing Silver's head and bringing it down against the floor. Already sick from the excessive burns, the icebender was out cold.
Ayshe was first to wake up from the flash. She leapt with both daggers raised, and though Ashera positioned her sword in defense, the Zonai cleaved clean through the center and down the front of Ashera's armor. It snapped right off, so Ayshe dealt one final kick to the warrior's gut. Seeing Shinobu still recovering, Ray seized the chance to Lightning Kick her head and stun her. Gilda, with a high-pitched note, ordered the swarm of ghostly insects to fire at Shinobu like a beam. She felt as though her very heartstrings were stung as she passed out.
Emma and Perry carefully uncovered their eyes. Kamui was dizzy and sick from the intense light. Normally his clothes would help defend from sunlight, but Perry had ripped too many openings in them. As for Cindy… she felt as though she were recovering from sunburn, unable to draw her Fear Chi out. "Y…You… scum… I should have… never had you…"
Emma, swallowing the pain and shame in her heart, balled her fist as it glimmered splendidly from the Triforce. "First comes rock. Rock…" Perry raised both swords together and skyward. "Paper…" The Master Sword filled with light. "TRIFORCE!" Emma's chi shaped a golden triangle as she struck Cindy clear in the gut. She flew backward, at the same time Perry's, "Gilded Skyward STRIKE!" sent Kamui flying. He and Cindy spun midflight as both of their mouths slammed into each other. But with nothing else to give, they plopped on the floor. The swaying ship rocked backward as gravity slid the two down the floor. They slipped softly off the edge and plummeted to the earth. Perry and Emma shared a worried look as the former gestured her to follow. Emma hugged Perry as they jumped off, raising his sail to parachute to the field below. (End song.)
The townsfolk gathered outside the gates, looking at the scene in wonder. It seemed a crater had formed where the princess impacted. Perry and Emma patiently descended. Unzen seemed to land a short distance away, keeping the Mirror Shield and panting heavily. With a soft landing, Perry and Emma cautiously approached the crater. "AH!" They jumped back with a start as a gush of Fear Chi burst from the crater. The princess's hands clasped the surface and pulled out like a rasping predator, her dress and hair soiled to dour her image further.
"It's the princess!" a citizen exclaimed.
"Who are those kids?"
"Mommy!" Gia bounced. "That's the girl!"
"That IS Emma!"
"Isn't that one of the kids who stopped that criminal?" Fyer asked, looking through a pair of googly-eyed binoculars.
"Oi! It be the lassie who got that Bananahead!" one of the Lurelin pirates pointed.
"TREASON!" Cindy whipped a finger at the two. "You will NOT be spared! I will not accept this treatment! Not from the Hero of Time OR my own daughter!"
"Hero of Time?!" Gia's dad gasped.
"Daughter?" Lizu repeated. "Who's she callin' a daughter?"
"That… girl?" a man whispered, the civilians stirring in conversation.
"-the princess's daughter?" a woman finished.
"This kingdom is mine! I will decide how it's run! And I decide we don't NEED demons, anymore!" The citizens gasped. "You heard about what happened on Earth, right? You know what demons have done to us for millennia, right?! All they care about is rising above mortals and feeding on our despair, that's why they kissed up to Mother! That's what fed her image! But Mother's running dry, and I won't let myself be sapped by these lackadaisical vermin! I'll rise as my own Queen of Fear! One whom demons will beg for mercy!"
"The demons I've seen just wanted to live here happily!" Emma argued. "They weren't 'sapping' anything from you, and you had no right to kill them!"
The citizens reeled back with louder gasps. "It's all an act, you idiot! If Ganon returns one day, they'll flip the switch! Who's to say some of them didn't go to Earth to side with the bad demons there? I'm doing a favor to Hyrule, I'm doing what Zelda would've done! And that's why you're unworthy of that Triforce!"
They were so full of gasps that the citizens almost puffed like balloons! Fyer decided to put some of that air into inflating an Oocca balloon! "I don't know what Zelda would've done, but I know what I'm doing!" Emma pointed her right hand, glimmering a brilliant gold. "I'm putting a stop to Hyrule's evils!"
"I never should've let that man in my castle! I should've tried harder to find you! I should've scoured and burned every corner of the cosmos to MAKE YOU MINE!"
"SO SHOULD I."
A black and red cloud of nightmares descended from the castle. It bore the shape of Queen Mandy's head, her scowl and frown reflecting the queen's anger. Even Cindy felt a chill in her spine as the jaw of the cloud stretched open. The queen loomed within her own maw. "I should've done better, Cindy… I should have taught you better."
"You wanted me to find my own independence! That's why you gave me a division and let me sail on my own! And I was doing exactly what you raised me to do before you devolved into this softhearted queen!"
"And you should've learned the same lesson. But somewhere along the way… I went wrong… and drove you to treat your own child this way. I guess the only thing I can do… is unbirth you and try again."
The sudden proposal had the kids reel back in confusion and disgust. But their horror would alleviate as Mandy's thigh area opened into a gaping, sharp-toothed, beastly mouth. Cindy finally seemed to freeze up as an elongated, tongue-like claw lashed from the mouth. "NOOOO!" The claw seized Cindy's leg, her nails tearing as she was dragged across the pavement. "NO! NO! NYAAAAAAAAAHHHH…" With a final flick, Cindy flew into the void of the maw, which sealed in an explosive clack.
As the cloud softly dispersed and the queen took her stance upon the earth… Perry and Emma were petrified. They were almost forever stuck with their horror-struck expressions, for that image would never leave their eyes. But with the queen approaching them, Emma blinked and shook back to normal. She approached the queen with courage. "Um…hello…Grandmother…"
"…" Mandy stared at her blankly. Her gaze drew to the Triforce mark on her hand. "So, it chose you. I suppose you have the divine right to the throne of Hyrule."
Her words were caught by the nearing citizens, their murmurs growing. The sudden attention and ultimatum made Emma freeze up in anxiety. She heard her friends finally land and run to her side. Mandy glanced and recognized Don and Gilda. "And now that I get a good look at you, you were at the climax of the Dead Man's Race."
"Hm? Oh." Emma smiled and blushed. "Yeah, I guess… you would've been watching that, too, huh?"
"Hm…" Mandy turned toward the civilians. "WHAT ARE YOU ALL STANDING AROUND FOR?! Get back to your business PRONTO!"
"YES, QUEEN MANDY!" The crowd piled back into town.
"You, too, kid." Emma gasped. "You have people to see… right?"
"I…um…but what about…"
"What about what? You can't just learn you're a princess out of nowhere and accept it like that. Get out of here. Sleep this whole business off and think about it. People work better with a sound mind. And tell that fool Augustus… we're even now."
"Y…Yes." Emma bowed. "Thank you, Queen Mandy."
"…" Mandy sprouted bat wings and flew back to her castle. Emma was warmed as her cousins and friends returned to her side, patting her back. But she felt there was one missing. She looked… and saw Unzen almost shadowed in the night's darkness. Emma calmly approached her brother. "Hey… I'll help you cover for your dad. We'll tell him you planned this whole thing to expose Cindy for being behind the demon hunts."
"…Just tell him the truth. I don't care."
"Well… I'll try to stick up for you. I hope we can be friends, too."
"Tuh…"
"Or we could have a sparring match later. You can beat me up! But I'll hit back, too!"
"You're such a dork."
"Hehe!"
"It's hard to afford a good day off around here." Perry sighed. "Unzen, think you can get me hooked up with your H.Q.? So we can call GKND?"
"You sure you don't wanna show everybody the Hero of Time first?"
"Haha…it's very tempting…very… but I wanna show my friends first! Though I wouldn't mind finding a place to crash first." He stared at Cindy's crater. "Metaphorically."
"There's a horse stable that way, I think." Emma pointed. "Should be a nice place."
The Boogey Pirates collected the other Demon Slayers and had them imprisoned. But Perry and co. made a note to warn them about Kamui, to keep him somewhere farther away and under sunlight. Even then, they held onto the fear of him escaping…
THE NEW PRINCESS OF HYRULE REVEALED?! On one shocking night, our own Princess Cindy has been revealed as the culprit behind the demon murders! But even more shocking was that she was foiled by, not only the alleged new Hero of Time, but by a girl who Cindy announced as her own daughter! Even the Triforce was said to be in her grasp! Our fair world has experienced a month of darkness, but has a new hope dawned on us?! Princess Cindy's cohorts were arrested and the queen's guards are now questioning them for any other conspirers…
"I guess the whole world knows now." Gilda said, reading the paper the following day. "That's not gonna be good for privacy… huh?"
"…" Emma was in contemplation as she read the paper with heavy eyes. "Hey." Ray put a hand on her shoulder. "It doesn't matter what they think. You should still live how you want to."
"I know. But I'm not sure… how I want to, anymore. I'm still not sure…" Emma stared at her Triforce, "if it's my feelings… or someone else's…"
"So… what do you want to do?" Don asked.
"Well… I want to keep being a hunter… but it makes me happy… to bring people hope like this. Perry… how does it feel to you?"
"M-Me?" Perry blinked when the pressure was on him. "How's what feel?"
"Being a KND operative. Your whole job is to help people, right? All over your world."
"It is. And it makes me really happy, too. No matter how stressful the job gets… I'll never forget how happy Leila was when we freed her. Or Mack when he realized we all had his back. Everyone else has their special memories, too."
"Hm…" Emma smiled. "Then I decided."
Ace Ventura
"Captain Augustus… I'm leaving the Marzipan Pirates."
"What?!" Yamato gasped.
"Sigh…" Augustus sank back in his throne. "Leaving, huh?"
"I decided… I'm gonna join the Hyrule Kids Next Door. This journey made me realize… I really love my homeworld. I loved bringing Gia and Lizu back together. I was glad to bring an end to Cindy's crimes. And the KND lets people go on expeditions, too, don't they? I could keep having adventures, even on other worlds. I could probably even see my family more if I'm in there."
"You were never right for this crew, anyway."
The captain's brash statement struck a chord in Emma. "Augustus!" his wife yelled.
"Just look at her, Tressa. That pure face, sunny hair, kind heart… you don't belong with a crowd of dirty, thieving pirates. Our whole gig is finding more loot to steal and territories to conquer. Heck, you're a princess, so we should take you hostage and make Mandy surrender some territory."
"Captain…" Emma could feel his underlying intentions, yet wasn't sure what to say.
"Go on then. Get out of here. What's an Emperor even do when one of their crewmen wants to leave? Do I take some life force? An arm or something? I don't know. But before you go, take this." He pulled out a paper plane from his hat and tossed it to Emma. "Some guy left it for me a while back, it's a letter or something."
Emma unraveled it. It was a map of what Emma recognized as Kokiri Forest. An "XX" was marked there. "Hey! You said you didn't know my dad!"
"I lied, kid. Pirate."
"Heh…haha! Thank you, Captain!" Emma spun and raced out the cabin-
To a festival thrown by almost the entire crew! The words Good Luck, Emma! waved on a flag, sunny confetti fluttered, and there were tables of cakes, cookies, and foods gathered, or stolen, by the pirates from their adventures. As Emma looked on in shock, she heard someone approach. "Yeah." Yamato said. "We had a slight feeling this would happen, so… just in case."
"WAAAAAAH!" Gabi cried. "I can't believe Emma's leaving! Who will be my Top Cabin Girl rival now?!"
"I wanted to go beat up Jason's crew with you, girl!" Jack Fizzuras cried. "Sunny Fist vs. Sunny Hair, who would miss that?!"
"Her hair was like a million carrots!" Carrot cried. "And her eyes were the kale! Garchu!"
"It looked so tastyyyyyy!" Kale sobbed.
Emma's friends, old and new, treasured their last party with the Marzipan band. Ayshe tested her dagger skills with Commander Kohaku, but the Stone Tribe warrior was too quick to contend with. Nezuko shrunk down to Nel's age and played a fun game of tag, Tressa giggling at the children. Nezuko's age-changing power actually reminded her of the old Nel's power. Tomu, the portly Imuchakk teen, sat on Don while he did pushups, building up his strength for the trials ahead. Ray was sparring with Tama's daughter, Taka, her crafty Shadow Clone and Substitution Jutsus irritating the karate student. Gilda told Commander Amanda about her battle with Shinobu, the witch ruffling her hair while saying, "Your mom's gonna be sad that she missed that!"
"Going from pirates to KND." Gilda twirled. "I wonder how different it'll feel?"
"I mean, we'll still be living in wooden structures, having adventures, and stopping evil in its tracks." Don shrugged.
"Wait, you mean… you guys want to, too?" Emma asked.
"Come on, Emma, you can't join without your best sector!"
"Hahaha! Of course not, what was I thinking?"
"I'd like to join as well." Ayshe smiled. "Ever since leaving the temple, it's felt refreshing. I want to see more of Hyrule… and other worlds."
"I might like it, too." Ray said. "What about you, Nezuko?"
"Already… spirit op. But I hope… I can see you some more."
"Hehe!" Ray patted the little vampire's head.
"It's a promise then!" Emma raised her Triforce fist skyward. "To the Kids Next Door!"
Hyrule Moonbase
Unzen escorted Emma's crew to the Supreme Leader's office. "I'm guessing the GKND picked Perry up by now?" Emma asked.
"Yeah, they did. He said he would keep some of the 'personal' details of the report to himself. And he said to come visit later, so he could surprise his family."
"Here's to that!"
The band of six entered the office. "Numbuh Never. I brought the cadets."
"Thanks, Unzen!" He was a boy about Emma and Ray's age, wearing a light-tan vest with a blue tie over his white shirt and tan khakis. He was handsome and approachable with blue eyes and white hair, albeit mildly unkempt. "You must be Emma!" He extended a hand, which Emma politely took and shook. "You can call me Norman."
"Hehe! Is it because you look like a 'normal' guy?"
"I guess so!" Normal chuckled. "Hmm…" He looked at Emma's hand. "You really do have the Triforce. So, are you really…?"
"I am. I don't want any special treatment; I'm not even a 'princess' right now. But I would like it if we could establish our own sector, me and my friends here. We'll call it… Sector Tri! And I'll be Numbuh Tri!"
"That's still kind of flaunting your Triforce status." Don commented.
"I love it!" Gilda beamed. "It reminds me of Miss Kagari's old codename, Numbuh Try!"
"Haha, I'll try to arrange it!" Norman laughed, Unzen rolling his eyes. "So, would you like to start training tomorrow? Though I'm guessing you're already pretty trained."
"How about two days from now? We have some appointments. But, is it possible to call an assembly now?"
"A KND assembly? What for?"
"I'd…I'd like to share my story with everyone. About why I was born and… why Princess Cindy branded the Zoldycks as criminals."
"You do?" Ray gasped, the others sharing his shock and worry. "Why? Are you comfortable with that?"
"I'm not really. But I don't want to be ashamed and hide it. Some of them might judge me, but I still think they should know."
"That's very brave of you." Ayshe smiled. "Maybe… I should do the sa—agh!" A paper spitwad had bounced around the office and hit her uncovered eye. "I STILL HATE YOU!" she yelled at a smirking Unzen.
"Heheh." Norman smiled. "If that's what you want, I'll call one right away. But I have a good feeling about you, Emma. You'll fit in great here."
"Thanks!"
The assembly was called, and the stands were flowing with intrigue when they saw the alleged new "princess" present. Emma was anxious, but focused as she told her story, about her father's forced arrangement with Cindy, how he took Emma and dropped her at his aunt's, and how the Zoldycks became criminalized as punishment. She also told them how the Triforce appeared after her birth…
"I didn't ask for the Triforce…" Emma showed them the back of her hand, "but it chose me. I know how important it is to this world, so I promise to honor it the best I can. I don't want to be thought of as a princess. Just think of me as a friend… and ask me for help when you need it. I promise to be the best friend I can be!"
Not many of them could clear their expression of shock, not just about the truth of Emma's birth, but her direct willingness to share this story. Nonetheless, they felt the truth, conviction, and heart in her words, so Emma was rewarded with applause. With her past out in the open, the operatives would either view Emma with support or scorn, but it was a past she chose to accept. Now she had more room in her heart to welcome a nicer future.
Kokiri Forest
They returned to the Land of Ocarina as Emma entered the forest alone. The Kokiri children waved at Emma delightedly, almost confusing her as one of their own with her orange hair. It made Emma think of the legendary Kokiri, Peter Pan, said to have learned to fly and found a way to the Dream Realm paradise of Never Land. Of course, that story was dated way back when the Hyruleans lived on Earth.
Emma walked to the Great Deku Tree that was marked on her map. She climbed the tree, tickling him when she touched his 'stache. Through the autumn leaves, Emma reached the top of the tree. There was a picnic blanket with two baskets and juice cartons. A man with a fluttering white adventurer's gape, green robes and headband, and tall, spiked black hair with green tints gazed at the twilight. "…" Emma crawled onto the blanket and reached in the basket. She bit into a pink-bunned burger with blue meat. "Mmmmmm!"
"Like it? All that's from New Galaxia. That's a basic Seem Burger." (pronounced "CM")
Emma swallowed. "Heh…I'm not confident enough to hunt there, yet."
Her father's golden-brown eyes met her emerald eyes, showing Emma his smile for the second time. "Boy, if you knew how many times I got lost there!"
"Hahahaha!" They shared a laugh for the first time. "So… how'd you decide on 'Emma'?"
"Oh, it just came to me. It's not based on anything special."
"Gee, I feel so special." Emma blushed.
"Hahaha! Well, if you want something special," Gon reached under his robe and handed her a book, "I have this."
"'Journey to the New World'…" The cover depicted an image of the Time Gate and the great portal within. She glanced down at the author, "Don Freecss?"
"Our ancestor. 300 years ago, he was the first Hyrulean to lead an expedition to New Galaxia. Most of the things he saw are probably well-known to the KND by now, but I thought it'd be good for inspiration."
"But his name is Don!" Emma gaped. "Is my best friend actually my ancestor who somehow travels to the past in the future?!"
"Uhhhh…" Gon blinked, bewildered by the wild conclusion. "I don't know."
Both shared another laugh! "…So, Emma… are you happy?"
"Hm?"
"After everything you learned and been through, are you… happy with the life you have?"
"Of course I am. I wouldn't change anything about it. …Okay, definitely a few things, but you get the point." Emma blushed.
"Haha, yeah, no one likes everything that happens. But I'm glad you had fun. And I'm glad you met the Zoldycks. More than the Triforce, I wanted you to meet your family… and find friends you can count on. So, I hope you don't stop here. I hope you keep having fun adventures."
"What about you? Now that all this Cindy business is done, are you gonna come back to Killua and your son? Unzen's had a really hard time because of all this."
"Yeah… I owe it to them. A little break from adventures wouldn't hurt. But someday… I'm sure I'll get the urge to go out again. I wonder if you'll try to find me then."
"Nah." Emma brushed the idea off and turned away. "Hm?" There was a twinkle in the corner of her eye. There was something thin and golden… some sort of sword-sized needle stuck into a higher branch of the tree. The hilt of it was a frog. "Dad, what's that?"
"That?" Gon looked. "I dunno. It's just been there. Tried to pull it out, but it was pretty wedged."
Emma curiously approached the needle. She put her Triforce hand around it, giving a good tug… and it pulled loose. The needle burst into particles of light that flew into her. "Whoa!" Gon gasped. "I…I wonder what that was."
The Frog Knight has awakened. Five more have yet to awaken.
"Uhhh…hopefully nothing bad." Emma closed her hand. "Well, shall we get going? A picnic's no fun without friends and family to share it with!"
"That's my girl!" Gon ruffled her hair. "I'm starting to get splinters in my butt, anyway."
Emma and Gon enjoyed a great dinner with the Zoldyck Family and Aunt Mito at the Markerina Milk Bar. Unzen had a very dour time when his father told them about his son's new job: scrubbing all the floors in the Land of Ocarina, Spirit Tracks, and Twilight Continent every night until further notice. Emma expressed her genuine sympathies, but concluded with an, "…Oh well!" Gon seemed to have an even worse time as Mito shared all his embarrassing and shameful stories from childhood, like when he broke the roof trying out Killua's skateboard. As for Lexi, she was excited to hopefully introduce Ray to his cousins on Earth; it was almost Christmas, so this year was bound to be the best, yet!
The following day, Emma would travel to Earth and surprise Perry's family… which included his cousins from Sector V. "Awe, look at 'er, Cherry, she 'as those Fulbright eyes and hair!" Panini tugged at Emma's spikes as she blushed. "And just feel them muscles, she could snap ya like a twig, Perry. She's your cousin alright."
"Honey, I don't think you're on the right train of logic." Cheren said.
"Oi KNEW she was my cousin!" Jason grinned, planting a hand on Emma's head and lighting it up. "Only we have hair this sunny!"
"She's technically PERRY'S cousin, not ours!" Laruta shouted. "And your hair's not sunny at all!"
"So, you're a Haki master, huh?" Christina smirked. "Punch me as hard as you can in the nose!"
"I-I'm not that good at it, yet… and I wouldn't do that, anyway!"
"So, the Triforce is, like, in your skin or something?" Frasmine studied the mark. "That feels kind of unhealthy."
"It's not like that, you blockhead," Jasmine retorted, "it's obviously in her chi paths!"
"What does it do?" Mason asked.
"I don't think it really does anything." Emma said. "Though my Observation felt a little heightened… and I can also talk to Zelda."
"Wow, cool!" Cheren praised. "Reminds me when I talked to Link!"
"You had somethin' completely different for that." Panini reminded.
The family would get lost in conversation, leaving Emma laughing along. She was flabbergasted by how massive Perry's family was, and to think Jason and some of his crew were part of it as well. To think her original wish was to find her father… and now she was part of a much greater family. Emma would return to Hyrule with renewed happiness. She would do her best for her family and all her new friends.