Legend Of Zelda Fan Fiction / Mega Man Fan Fiction ❯ Gatecrash ❯ Epilogue ( Chapter 62 )

Epilogue

Link's boots pressed down into the spongy sand below them, displacing it. The tiny ocean-soaked pebbles resisted against his foot, forcing him to use more muscle than usual to push against the wooden boat. The slick surface was helpful though, as it provided less traction for the ship to rail against as he grunted with each heave of the craft Salty sea air sprayed against Link's face as he breathed in the breezy scent. He stopped pushing at the edge of the world, the neutral zone where water and land mingled.

He wiped his hot and moist brow, half-heated from the sun and half from the grunt work, and took a moment to look at the vast infinite landscape in front of him. The ocean waves slurped against the shores, like saliva from a giant mouth, eager to swallow him in. And he was about to let it.

His adventures and incidents through his own world, and Mega Man's, had shown him that the peace in Hyrule was precarious at best. Ganondorf was still out there, evil was still out there. And it would never rest. Even if the goddesses hadn't made a mistake, allowing the keeper of power infinitesimal time, another malevolent force would rear its ugly head and bring chaos on the order of the kingdom. There was always some price to pay for peace, and living under the constant threat of evil was the debt to be paid. The people of Hyrule were worried what would happen next, what would be the next threat. And, in truth, Link was the same way.

But if evil would never rest, then neither would he. He would never stop his vigilance over the safety of the kingdom he'd grown a new appreciation for. He'd seen how easily it could all be wiped out with just a flick of the wrist, and he couldn't let that happen by his own inactivity. Just because there were no looming perils to the kingdom didn't mean he couldn't prepare for them. And preparation meant venturing beyond the borders of Hyrule.

He wasn't about to stay there, stuck in his ways and the traditions of the people. The culture that didn't change was a culture that wouldn't last very long. Though he would never say it to their faces, the lands and people of the kingdom were holding him back, constricting him, preventing him from self-actualization. The bordered land had become constrictive, and he realized he had learned all he could from the country. Even he felt, in some small part, guilty of their traditionalist views, and his reaction to learning the legacy of his past and his future had shown him that if he was going to learn anymore, he would have to explore new lands and new ideas. He was not ready for the dangers Hyrule was about to face. He had to seek enlightenment and perspective, and as much as he hated to leave Hyrule, he would find no answers in it. If Mega Man had taught him anything, there were more people and things out there in the world than grains of sand on this beach.

Before he gave one more irrevocable push of the boat into the waves he did a mental check, making sure he had remembered everything he would need. A month's worth of food and supplies was stored in a compartment in the bottom of the craft, stocked to the maximum space allowable. If there was a leak, they would likely be ruined, but room was limited on a sailboat meant for one person. He wasn't very concerned though. It was built sturdy with wood from the mysterious forest. At the stern was a rudder he could manipulate with one hand from the main deck, well, the only deck, while he could control the sail with the other. The center of the boat had a pole stuck around a strong, solid base that flew one big sail decorated with the ancient scribe for wind. It was already flapping in the airstream, excited to get out into the open space.

Link turned around and looked back behind him at Hyrule Castle. Somehow, over the mountains and desert, he could still see the country's citadel in shadow, the hub of Hyrule, the ever-seeing eye looking out at all the sections it governed. The tall lookout spire in the middle was the most noticeable. Zelda was probably looking out from it right now, like a sailor's wife at the lighthouse. He mentally said goodbye to her one last time and shoved his boat into the water, quickly jumping in.

Zelda was at the tallest spire of the castle, looking out into the direction of the sea from the balcony, alone and solitary. Her long blond hair trailed behind her, played with in the fingers of the wind, the same wind that was carrying Link away from her. She stared motionless, her face unsmiling, with her hands at her sides, stuck like a statue at the apex of the castle.

She kept telling herself that Link did what he had to do. And that he was doing it for the good of the country. The same country she'd sworn to uphold as well. It was inevitable that their lives were separated by their roles, but connected by the powers of the Triforce, beyond anything they could comprehend. But all that philosophical thinking was the furthest thing from her mind at this point. All she could think about was Link. And that maybe, she should have told him how she felt before she left. But she lacked Link's mark of the Triforce to tell him, and her own had won out.

But maybe that was a good thing, maybe she should have kept it to herself. It wasn't proper for a princess to associate romantically with anything other than royal blood. People would talk. Authority would give way to gossip, and it would be impossible to get anything done, because no one would respect you enough to do it for you. The crown was useless if people undermined what it stood for. So maybe it was better for everyone that Link ventured out into unfamiliar territory, intent on protecting Hyrule. Maybe it was better it was separate, and that would give her time to shut up her heart.

Her role given to her by the powers that be was so frustrating. It was like having a map, and then having it being taken away when you got to the destination, and everything suddenly becomes unfamiliar. You were never quite sure what to do when everything was done. When evil was defeated, what were you supposed to do after? How do you prepare for the next coming? What do you do? Let your role sit idle? Remain stagnant? What did the goddesses intend for them to do after all was said and done? Their plan was obvious - prepare for the next generation - but there was never any direction on how to execute it.

The legends always told them what happened with Link's connection to Zelda, but never said a word about Link's relationship with Zelda. Especially after peace had returned. That was the funny thing. They never told how the legendary hero was supposed to come about. Or about how he was connected to the bloodlines of the past. He certainly could not have been randomly chosen, the associations were too obvious to be so. What was it that made the link to the past?

Maybe the goddesses wanted to leave that for them to figure out. After it ended, their lives were up to them, how to continue the legacy. Maybe there was no guide. And maybe that was for the best.

"I have the apple you wanted, Dr. Light," Roll said, announcing her presence.

Dr. Light was arm-deep in the computer console of the transporter, performing some major surgery on it.

"Oh, thank you, Roll. Can you just set it on the table there?" he nodded to where he wanted the fruit placed. Roll did so and stood back, watching Dr. Light dip his face into the box, trying to see the components in darkness.

"This'll just take a moment," he mumbled, concentrating wholly on his project, two tools in each hand. "It's almost ready to test. Oh," he said suddenly, "I've set out the parts I needed to take off your battle upgrades. After I'm done with this, we can start on that. Shouldn't take too much time. It's always less time to downgrade than to upgrade."

Roll nodded in thanks.

Dr. Light looked back at her. "Are you sure you still want to go through with it?"

"Yes," Roll said simply. "All the time, I always wondered why Mega Man wanted to fight alone. Why he always went alone, when he could have had help from people like me. But now I realize why he does it. It's the same reason I had. He doesn't want to see people suffer."

Dr. Light nodded in understanding. Roll was fulfilling the wishes of her brother by staying out of the line of fire. "Very well."

Moments later, Mega Man opened the door to the lab and came down the ramp, dressed in his familiar armor. "Hi," he greeted. "I heard you were about to give the transporter its first alpha test. I didn't want to miss it."

Dr. Light pulled his wrists out and closed up the panel on the console. "Didn't want to miss it? Or wanted to make sure nothing weird came through."

"Well, that too," he confessed.

Roll gave him a sarcastic smirk from her position leaning up against the table with her arms crossed. Rock stood beside her, watching the center of the portal.

Dr. Light kneeled down to the control box. "Here we go," he said excitedly. The thrumming of the machine brought to life reverberated against the metal walls. A brief flash of electricity flared against the metal circle and the black and gold shimmer appeared like a window screen.

"Readouts normal," Dr. Light said, glancing between the beautiful swelling surface and the computer monitor scrolling through lines of text. "I/O nominal... power output good, network flow good..." His eyes moved back and forth rapidly. "What th'?" he suddenly said.

Roll and Mega Man jumped out of the lazy poses and looked at Dr. Light for answers.

He looked up at the portal. "Something's coming through!"

The three of them all looked at the vortex, which suddenly pulsated like a heartbeat, ready to spit out something. A man bounded out of the curtain, wearing red overalls and a blue shirt, topped with a cap. He was very stout, and had a big bushy mustache. With a flourish he landed on his stubby legs and held his arms up.

"It's-a me! Mario!"

"OH NO!"

THE END