The boss room was almost exactly as Link remembered it.
It was the same square shape, with the same large hollow that took up most of the floor. Water filled this hole, coming only an inch or so below the wide stone walkways that surrounded it on all sides. Occasional platforms dotted the water, placed in a symmetrical pattern. A wooden band was bolted to the slimy stone walls, and large metal spikes protruded from it—they looked dangerous, but were blunt and relatively harmless. They could leave a nasty bruise, however.
The only thing that had really changed about the room was it’s size. It was now so vast—it was nearly the size of Castle Town Square.
The gilded door slammed shut behind the group, making them jump and jolt forwards into the room. The ponies split into clear groups—Lyra and Bon Bon in one, Octavia and Saria in another, and Vinyl by herself.
Link bit back a sigh, eyeing the divided groups. They were standing as far apart from each other as they could get, shooting one another suspicious looks, as if they expected the others to randomly turn and attack them.
The teamwork they’d had earlier had vanished completely. Link had no idea of how to get them to work together again.
He glanced away from the divided ponies, trotting over to the pool in the center of the room. The water was deep and clear, and Link could see straight to the bottom—
“What the?” He gasped, jolting backwards.
“What?” Epona asked, galloping over. “What is it?”
Though they tried to hide it, the others were obviously interested, and glanced over in Link’s direction.
He pointed a hoof into the water. Even though he didn’t touch the surface, tiny ripples flickered across the pristine, blue-tinted depths, as if the liquid was responding to him being close to it.
At the bottom of the pool was Ruto.
The Zora princess was thrashing desperately, back pressed up against the rough stone wall. She was kicking furiously at something circling her—something that was too small for Link to see. The most he could was that it was red. Why was she so afraid of it?
“What the heck is she doing?” Saria asked. Link jumped slightly—he hadn’t heard her approach.
Ruto twisted at an odd angle, kicking off the wall and soaring for the surface of the water—only to be yanked backwards by some invisible force.
She slammed roughly into the bottom of the pool, her face contorting in pain. The blurry, small red object began spiraling faster, and she folded her hooves over her face in a fruitless attempt to protect herself.
Without warning, Ruto was suddenly thrust upwards, and the group jerked backwards as the surface of the water exploded. Link blinked furiously, trying to clear his vision—but it was hard with the heavy downpour of waves beating at them from all sides.
A massive, thick tentacle of water appeared. It was faintly iridescent, it’s side pulsing with an energy that Link knew wasn’t friendly. Ruto was clutched in it’s grip, the tip of her muzzle barely above water, limbs trapped against her sides.
“L-link!” She gasped, voice high-pitched with fear. She tried to say more, but her words dissolved into bubbles as she was sucked back beneath the surface, forced to the bottom of the pool.
More tentacles appeared, crawling from the surface of the water and waving in the air, as if taunting the group to dare and attack them.
The battle had begun.
“Okay, first things first.” Link stepped back from the pool, keeping a wary eye on the nearest limbs. He didn’t remember this particular boss being that bad…
“Avoid the—”
Without waiting for him to finish the sentence, Vinyl gave a loud war cry, dashing for one of Morpha’s limbs. It easily dodged her wild sword strike, slipping behind her and winding around her hind legs.
Almost before she’d seen what was happening, it jerked her backwards, dragging her back end into the water.
“HELP!” She screamed, hooves scrabbling uselessly against the stone walkway.
“—tentacles.” Link finished his sentence with a sigh, dashing to the Unicorn’s rescue. Epona followed.
She grabbed Vinyl’s front hooves, barely keeping the pony above the surface of the agitated water. Link brought out his sword, slashing at the water surrounding Vinyl’s submerged body.
His blade met with tension, tearing through it like it was the flesh of a Torch Slug. The liquid slackened, and Vinyl flew free, crashing into Epona.
“Listen to me!” Link shouted, hoping the others could hear him. Bon Bon was next to him, having gotten separated from Lyra, who was now grouped with Octavia, Saria, and Darunia. The four were trapped on the other side of the room, dodging blows from Morpha’s other tentacles.
“We have to make a plan!” Link continued. “Avoid the tentacles, spikes, and watch out for the red, orb-shaped amoeba that will come up eventually!”
“DID YOU GET ALL OF THAT?” Epona bellowed, making Link flinch and cover his ears. Through the wall of translucent, waving limbs, Link thought he could see a nod or two from the other side.
We’ll come up with a better plan once we’re together in one group again.
The water in the pool roiled, coursing up and swallowing the path behind both groups. It forced them to run up the sides of the room—it was that or be consumed by the tsunami behind.
A tentacle burst from the water in front of Link, slamming into the wall and forming a barricaded in front of them.
Link bit back a curse. He didn’t know if they could dodge this one.
“On your right!” Darunia gave a mighty leap, soaring from the back of the group to the front. He rolled himself into a ball, crashing forwards, and his rocky shell burst through the congealed water.
The tentacle began to reform almost instantly, pulling it’s spilled matter from the floor. But the others were already through, leaving it behind.
Almost simultaneously, both groups skidded to a stop in corners at the back of the room. The water behind them ebbed, slinking back into the pool.
Tentacles crept from the liquid, slinking reluctantly from safety. Link still had no idea why Morpha chose to expose itself—his only guess was that it had some sort of sight organism in the amoeba, and it needed to reorient itself with the positions of the other ponies.
Two pulsating red orbs appeared, drifting slowly up the tentacles—one near Link, the other on the opposite side of the room from its twin.
“There’s two of them?” Link yelped.
Bon Bon readied the hookshot, aiming for the one nearest to them. But before she could fire it, the amoeba was knocked from the protection of its watery shell—by the boomerang.
The astonished eyes of everyone tracked the weapon’s curving path. Octavia caught it, looking equally astonished as she watched the defenseless Morpha bounce over the ground.
Epona recovered from the shock first, taking advantage of the orb’s vulnerability. She leapt forwards, slamming her front hooves down on it and crushing it against the floor.
It flattened, bunching up and sliding out from beneath her feet. It staggered back towards the water, either dazed or injured by the Earth Pony’s attack.
The other orb escaped, traveling back down it’s tentacle to safety.
Morpha renewed it’s attacks.
Two tentacles surged from the water, driving the groups from the corners. It shoved them into each other, forcing them from two to one. Eerily similar to the groups, the two limbs joined together, forming one long band of water that fenced them in.
It tightened, forcing them against the wall. They crowded together as closely as the could, crammed between the water and the spikes.
The waves were too tall to jump over—Link recognized that at a glance. It was a clever move on Morpha’s part. The space was too crowded for anyone to use their weapons, and they were stuck jostling and bumping into one another.
How can we get out?
“Link!” The stallion in question jumped as his name was called. He glanced down, lifting a foreleg in surprise—Saria was crouched beneath him, hiding from the stumbling hooves of others larger than her. “I have an idea.”
“What is it?” Link asked, raising an eyebrow.
“I need you to buck me into the air.” Link began to laugh, but then frowned when he realized she was serious.
“Don’t be ridiculous.” He said, grunting slightly as he shoved against Darunia’s bulk, which was getting pushing against him. There was no way he could toss her up like that—he had no space, for one.
“Please.” Saria begged. “We’ll get the others to clear a space. Just trust me.”
Link realized, with some shock, that he didn’t particularly want to trust her. She’d spent a better part of their time traveling up to the boss room moping around simply because he’d defended Ruto, refusing to speak to him. After that kind of childish behavior, he had no faith in any kind of plan she would come up with at the moment.
But…he had no other ideas.
“Fine.” He agreed, against his better judgment. Saria’s face broke into a relieved grin.
“GUYS!” She called, shoving against the others around him. “Move please! We need just a little bit of space!”
The tentacle tightened further, making the space smaller. With some grumbling, Lyra perched on Bon Bon’s back, Octavia clung to Epona, and Vinyl clambered on top of Darunia. This, miraculously, gave Link and Saria the space they needed.
“On three.” Saria crept out from underneath him, preparing herself.
“One…” Link counted. “Tw—”
“THREE!” Saria yelled, leaping onto his back.
Link gave a startled yelp, his instincts taking over and launching her high into the air—much higher than he would’ve if she’d gone at the agreed time.
He had to admit it, she was clever.
Saria soared through the air, curling into a ball to avoid the ceiling, barely clearing the top of the pulsating, translucent wall. She landed roughly on the other side, limbs splayed out on the ground, and gave a cry of pain. But she staggered to her feet and pulled out the slingshot, blasting a hole straight through the wall behind her—a hole that all too quickly began to close.
“Link!” She called, blasting it open again.
Link realized what she wanted. He leapt forwards, tucking his limbs tight against his body, and slid cleanly through the tiny space.
When he landed, he spun around, turning and slashing straight through the wall. The tentacle fell to the ground, melting into harmless water that trickled into the pool.
“Thanks!” Link said, shooting Saria a grin, completely forgetting his earlier hesitation. Saria paused for a second, then smiled back, and Link could feel part of the ice between them thawing away.
Those who had been trapped spread out, gathering around Link with expectant looks.
Oh, finally. He resisted an eye roll. Now they want a plan.
“We need to work together.” He said, raising an eyebrow. “Does everyone get that now?”
There was a general chorus of nods.
“Okay. Plan—split up into two groups, one with Bon Bon, the other with Octavia. That way each group has someone who can make Morpha vulnerable.”
“Morpha?” Darunia echoed.
“The squishy red orbs.” Link clarified. “They’re both part of the same consciousness…I think. Anyway, that’s Morpha. The boss. You two.” He turned to Bon Bon and Octavia. “When the orbs come up, aim for the one nearest to you. Everyone else, once the orb is defenseless, attack. Got it?”
This time around, the nods were more firm and universal.
“Speaking of orbs,” Epona warned, “here they come now!”
The two amoeba appeared again, floating up their respective tentacles. Bon Bon and Octavia—by some miracle—aimed for opposite ones, forcing them from the safety of the water. Vinyl dashed for the one Octavia had pulled, sinking the Kokiri sword into it with a satisfying squish. Darunia lunged for the other one, slamming his massive hooves down on it and crushing it completely flat.
Maybe we can still work together. Link thought, a tremor of hope running through him.
Saria dashed for the one Darunia had attacked, sliding under him and bucking it with all her might. The injured orbs bounced away, sinking back into the pool of water.
“Take that!” She yelled, bringing a smile to Link’s face.
“Great job, everyone!” He praised, much more hopeful than before. “Now that’s what I’m talking about!” The group flushed with pride.
“Okay.” Link said. The phase where Morpha would take its turn to attack was quickly approaching. “Now, we—”
A tentacle leapt from the water, slamming into the midst of the group. Link bit back a curse, scattering with the others.
Too late. We’ll form a plan on the run.
“Wait!” Vinyl cried, skidding to a stop. “It’s got Octavia!” Link started, whirling around, his hooves slipping slightly from his sudden reversal in movement.
The tentacle hadn’t retreated back to the pool yet, still pinning the Earth pony against the wall. Octavia struggled and kicked, straining to keep her muzzle above the water.
“H-help—!” She gasped, but her cry was cut off in a splutter as she was sucked into the body of the congealed limb.
She moved slowly along it’s length—so slowly, in fact, that Link felt as if Morpha was playing with them. Octavia’s eyes were wide with panic, and her limbs seemed to be frozen against her body, cheeks bulging with the last breath she’d been able to take.
Oh, right. The realization struck Link like a lightning bolt. If she gets suck beneath the water, she’ll drown.
Instinct took over, and he leapt forwards, swinging his sword towards the tentacle. The water shimmered strangely, and a patch of iridescence formed where Link’s blade would make contact.
The Biggoron’s sword clattered uselessly against the limb, skating over the surface as if it were ice. Link collided sharply with it next, falling to the ground, dazed.
“Ow.” He groaned, staggering to his feet. He attempted another blow, but the water solidified again, and the sword was turned aside. Octavia continued her slow descent, face beginning to tint red.
Desperation overtook Link, and he drove towards the tentacle again—but this time with the flat of the blade.
It worked. He shattered through the hard exterior, slamming into Octavia, and the Earth Pony was flung from the tentacle’s grip.
Link’s world turned to a rush of bubbles and spinning platforms, then water enveloped his limbs. He was sinking into the main pool of water—as soon as he’d entered it’s clutches, Morpha’s limb had sucked him below.
Under the water, it was freezing cold.
Link’s teeth chattered incessantly, gaze darting around the shadowy corners of the pool—and that’s when he realized his mouth and eyes were the only parts of him that could move. His limbs were completely immobilized by the sentient liquid, and his hooves were still clenched around his sword, frozen in place.
From the corner of his eye, Link could see Ruto trapped in a corner, flattened against a wall. He tried to turn his head towards her, but his neck was affected like the rest of his body.
The water around him tightened somehow, forcing the sharp edge of his sword towards his body. Link gritted his teeth, straining against the pressure, but the blade continued to steadily inch closer.
It bit into the side of his leg, tearing a long gash in his tunic and leggings. A trickle of blood clouded the water, accompanied by throbbing pain. In his peripheral, Ruto gasped, looking horrified.
Without warning, a loud splash and a rush of bubbles filled Link’s vision. Lyra appeared, wrapped in a field of orange that pushed the water back.
She encased the both orbs in her force field, performing something that looked rather like a spin attack—but with her hammer. Both amoeba were hit, flying backwards from the force.
The pressure around Link vanished, and he took a deep breath, biting his lip as water rushing into the gouge on his leg.
Lyra’s force field shattered, and she kicked off the bottom of the pool, grabbing Link’s foreleg as the currents tried to rip her away.
A rush of golden-tinted bubbles poured from her horn, and the force blasted them both upwards, rocketing them out of the water.
The crashed roughly onto the stone platform, teeth chattering, Lyra gasping for air.
“T-thanks.” Link choked out, managed to fit the words between violent shudders. He winced as his bleeding leg gave a twinge—without the icy water surrounding it, the full force of the pain was rushing in.
Lyra opened her mouth to respond, but was cut off—quite literally—by a massive tentacle slamming into the wall right behind her. She leapt to her feet with a yelp of terror, staggering backwards.
The orbs reappeared, pulsing in a way that made Link think they were—it was?—angry. He staggered to his feet, biting his tongue to keep back the strangled cry of pain that tried to force it’s way from his throat.
Bon Bon and Octavia both aimed for the same amoeba, and their weapons collided, clattering uselessly to the ground.
“Hey!” Bon Bon gave an uncharacteristic scowl. “You made me miss!”
“Well, it’s not my fault that you’re a terrible shot.” Octavia sniffed. Her provocation surprised Link.
So much for teamwork. He stifled a groan.
“Don’t talk to my friend like that!” Lyra joined the argument.
“Don’t talk to my sister like that!” Vinyl snapped, siding in next to Octavia.
“Dash it all, I’m your half sister.” Octavia groaned.
“Not a time for your picky musician perfection!” Vinyl hissed, face twisted in an uncharacteristic expression of anger. Octavia recoiled from her, fear briefly flashing across her face.
“FOCUS ON THE FIGHT!” Bon Bon yelled, facehoofing.
In almost ironic contrast to her words, a tentacle from Morpha caught them off-guard, sweeping the whole argument into the water. Well...most of the argument, that is.
In the split second of time before she was hit, Lyra disappeared in a flash of golden light, reappearing next to Link. He jumped back, giving a yelp of alarm.
“You can teleport?” He asked.
“Bon Bon!” Lyra cried, seemingly not hearing him. She reached out a hoof to the settling water, eyes wide with panic.
“We have to find some way to help them.” Link quickly recovered from his shock, wracking his brain for a plan. “Or else…they’ll drown down there.”
“Not on my watch.” Lyra growled, digging her hooves into the ground. She reared onto her hind legs, and a steady hum permeated through the air as golden light built on her horn.
“Lyra…?” Link said, stepping back.
Lyra slammed her front hooves down, sending a shock wave rippling across the room. The pool exploded, spitting it’s entire contents into the air.
The force of the explosion sent Lyra flying backwards, and ducked down, barely avoiding the spikes before she hit the wall. Water rained down, icy waves washing over the ponies still standing. The orbs hit the ceiling, falling to the ground, defenseless.
Link took the chance, impaling the nearest amoeba. He embedded his sword into the wooden band the spikes protruded from, trapping Morpha in the air.
The orb sputtered, deflating into a dried-out, black husk.
Darunia slammed his body into the other orb, crushing it between his side and the wall. The metal spikes snapped like twigs against his rocky shell, falling to the ground with metallic clatters. Both amoeba shriveled into husks, vanishing in twin puffs of black ash.
Those who had been swept into the water fell roughly to the ground, soaking wet and gasping for air. The remaining liquid dried up, vanishing into thin air.
Morpha was defeated.
Ruto appeared over the edge of the pool, trying to climb onto solid ground. Her eyes were wide with some unknown emotion, and she was gasping...but not from lack of air.
Link limped over to her, sticking out a foreleg and helping her over the edge. She collapsed to the ground, curling into the smallest ball she could manage.
Link slowly knelt next to her, wincing in pain.
“You okay?” He asked, his voice soft. Ruto’s breath hitched, and she began to quietly cry. Link wrapped his forelegs around her neck, pulling her up into a hug. She buried her face in his tunic, trembling.
The others sorted themselves out, slowly gathering around Link. The air was thick with tension…or was that pity? Even Saria looked uncomfortable, as if she didn’t know what to feel.
The Zora eventually managed to regain control over herself, pulling back from Link and wiping tears from her eyes.
“Feeling better?” Link asked, uncomfortably aware of how loud his voice seemed in the sudden silence of the room. Ruto took a deep, shaky breath, nodding slightly. Link gave her a sympathetic squeeze, then stood up, forcing back a wince.
“How’s everyone doing?” He turned his question to Epona, gently pulling Ruto to her feet. The princess leaned heavily on him, eyes fixed on the ground.
“Um…we seem good.” Epona glanced over the group. “A few bruises here and there, and we all look pretty shaken, but I don’t think there are very many major injuries.”
“Except for Link’s.” Saria cut in, trotting over to him.
“Hm?” Link glanced down. His tunic and leggings were ripped, stained with dripping crimson. “Oh yeah—that. Don’t worry. I’m fine.”
Saria’s only answer was a disdainful snort, and she pulled a roll of clean bandages from her inventory, beginning to wind them around his leg.
“I’m out of elixirs.” She explained. “So I have to resort to traditional methods.”
“All right, what’s next?” Epona asked. “The door’s still locked…”
“Well, if my suspicions are correct, then…” Link pulled away from Saria’s grip, trotting over to the edge of the pool. The Kokiri gave an indignant snort, following him and continuing her process.
“Yep!” Link pointed a hoof at a swirl of blue light that was now glowing on the bottom of the empty pool. “We just need to step into that.”
Saria tied off the bandage, and he immediately leapt down, trying to avoid putting weight on his injured leg. To his surprise, Ruto followed almost instantly afterwards, staggering a little as she hit the ground.
Epona came down next, then turned and lifted Saria to their level. Darunia dropped down, barely able to squeeze between the platforms. The Ponyvillians followed, sliding in around those who were already squeezed in.
They all—somehow—managed to pile into the portal, and the world vanished in a rush of sparkling blue.
When the scenery reformed, it wasn't at all what Link was expecting. The group had reappeared on a tall, island-sized rock, high above the dry lakebed below.
Oh. Link realized. We’re standing on top of the Water Temple.
“Huh.” He said. “I didn’t think we’d teleport here.”
“Well, where did you think you’d teleport to?”
This time, it was only Darunia and Ruto who jumped at Sheik’s voice ringing out behind them.
“Where were you when we first arrived?” Link asked, turning to face him. “You usually show up when we first get to a place, but you were mysteriously absent.”
“It was not my place to interfere at that time.” Sheik replied, plucking a chord on his harp.
Ruto backed away from the new pony, clutching Link in fear.
“Hey.” Link glanced at her, surprised. “Don’t worry. He’s on our side.”
Sheik stepped closer, lowering himself into a bow before Ruto.
“Hello, princess.” He said. “I sense this must be a very…strange experience for you.”
Ruto didn’t respond. Her gaze was fixed on the ground, and she was blinking hard.
“You don’t need to be so afraid anymore.” Sheik’s voice was quiet, but it rang out in the silence that had settled over them.
There was a second where no one dared to say anything. Ruto blinked harder, retreating further behind Link.
“Odd.” Sheik drew back, his voice somewhat amused. “Even with reassurance, your heart still races. You have no need to fear.”Ruto glanced up, looking startled and confused.
“We should now turn to the next song.” Sheik moved from Ruto to Link. “Time…time is nothing more than a river.”
“Does he do this every time?” Lyra said in a loud whisper. Epona shushed her.
“It flows, unstoppable, bringing with it changes that make people you once knew seem like strangers.” Sheik continued as if he hadn’t heard Lyra’s interruption. “With this river, childish minds will turn to noble ambition, and young love will become deep affection…the clear surface of the water reflects growth…
Now. Listen to the Serenade of Water, and reflect upon yourself.”
The song was delicate, made even more so by the harp’s crystalline sound. Link lifted the ocarina to his lips to join in the song of slow, boundless notes…and the manner of the group changed.
The last shreds of icy tension still lingering faded away, replaced by deep calm. The world disappeared once again, replaced by a backdrop of rich, saturated blue...much darker than the kind that had appeared in the temple.