//------------------------------//
// Chapter 21: The Demon King Ganon 
// Story: Harmony of Heroes: Ultimate Multiverse Explorers 
// by Lucar 
//------------------------------//

The beast was looming before the heroes under the darkness of the clouds, his features barely visible, only his glowing eyes which glared at them with pure malice.

Then, with a roar, Ganon charged at them through the ruins.

Sweetie Belle met his swords with hers, but Ganon's strength was such that he easily knocked them out of the way despite the filly using her ten beam swords at once, five for each of Ganon's swords. She still sent one of her swords to slash at Ganon's torso, but to her shock, it didn't have any effect.

The two heroes then quickly avoided another attack from Ganon, Link rolling to the beast's hooves before he slashed at them, only for the Master Sword to not have any effect either. He then had to run away as Ganon attempted to crush him under his hoof. Meanwhile, Sweetie Belle continuously attacked Ganon, but each of her attacks were met with failure to hurt the Demon King.

Had the Triforce of Power given this beast total invincibility? How was that fair? Why could the Triforce of Courage and Triforce of Wisdom not do the same?

"Link! Sweetie Belle!" they heard Zelda shout to gain their attention. "The head and the tail! Try to hit the head and the tail!"

Sweetie Belle looked at the head, then at the tail, seeing that the tail didn't seem to be as solid as the rest of the body. "Of course! Thank you Zelda! Link! Try to use the light arrow on his head!"

Zelda then said, "There's magic in this fire that is stopping me from traversing even with Farore's Wind! Sorry I can't help more!"

Link nodded to both Sweetie Belle and Zelda, jumped back to avoid a swing of Ganon's left sword, and took his bow before firing a light arrow right on the crystal that was part of the crown on Ganon's forehead. It had the effect of stunning the beast, and Sweetie Belle took the occasion to savagely attack both the tail and the head until he recovered only two seconds later and spun with his swords, knocking Sweetie Belle's swords away and forcing the filly to fly out of range.

Ganon then glared at Link and suddenly jumped toward him, smashing the ground. Link avoided him with a roll, ensuring that he was behind Ganon, and quickly attacked the tail once before he ran away to not be hit by the counterattack. But then, Ganon raised his swords, covered them in electricity, and with a vertical swing, sent the electricity at Link in the form of a disk that he barely avoided by jumping to the side.

Sweetie Belle gained back Ganon's attention by ramming his head and planting her ten swords in it. This didn't kill it, far from it, but this angered Ganon to the point that he roared, swung his sword erratically to force Sweetie Belle away, and charged some form of dark energy into his mouth before firing a huge and powerful beam at her. Sweetie Belle avoided it with a teleport, and Ganon just ended up destroying the ruins of the castle even more.

Link took the occasion to attack Ganon's tail again before he had to avoid a backward kick followed by a swing of the swords. Ganon then turned back to face Sweetie Belle as she fired beams at his head and suddenly charged at her at a speed surprising for his size. When the filly got out of the way, he stopped his charge and, instead, followed her while continuously swinging his swords. Sweetie Belle did her best to avoid them while attacking back, ensuring to keep Ganon's attention on her so Link could creep again behind the beast and attack the tail. But then, Ganon suddenly turned around while slashing at the approaching Link, and the Hero of Time had to shield himself only to be knocked away by the hit. Ganon then breathed a ball of fire that went after Link. When Sweetie Belle took the occasion to attack the tail, she was then slapped by said tail, sending her away.

Link used the Mirror Shield to deflect the ball of fire back at Ganon before running toward him. He avoided a slash attack and rolled between Ganon's leg before immediately attacking the tail. When Ganon turned around and attacked him again, Link then rolled away, took his bow, and fired a light arrow, only for the Demon King to lower his head to avoid it before he used a sword as a shield to deflect several beams fired by Sweetie Belle.

With a roar, Ganon jumped toward Sweetie Belle and slashed, then jumped back toward Link who had begun to run and almost crushed him, the Hylian barely rolling out of the way. Link then jumped as Ganon did a slash and used one of the swords to reach the head.

Hitting the head with the Master Sword was the most effective against Ganon. It even stunned the beast to the point of making him kneel, causing the wall of fire to disappear, and Link took the occasion to attack the head again, joined by Sweetie Belle while Zelda entered the arena before the fire returned.

Ganon got up, roared, and sent several disks of electricity at the heroes and at Zelda before he jumped toward the princess who used Farore's Wind to teleport away behind him, and she quickly attacked the tail with bursts of magic before teleporting again.

Before Ganon could decide what to do next, he was suddenly punched on the face by a giant fist-shaped magical shield from Sweetie Belle, stunning him a little, before she fired from her horn a beam made of the same light than the light arrows, stunning the Demon King more!

"Since when can you do this?!" shouted Navi while Link used the occasion to attack the tail before running away.

"Since I was finally able to get the hang of this light and holy energy and to copy it!" answered Sweetie Belle with a big smirk.

"You can copy the light of the Gods?" shouted Zelda in disbelief.

"I can copy EVERYTHING! That's the void for you! Everything that exists comes from the void, so I can use the void to do everything!" She then grinned at Ganon and fired more beams of holy light at him.

With a roar, Ganon deflected all of them with his swords while he accumulated dark energy in his mouth and fired another powerful beam at the filly who teleported out of the way. Ganon then put an arm on the way of a light arrow fired by Link before he breathed several fireballs that went after the heroes. He then did a couple of jumps, sending more fireballs after each of them, before he charged at Link who barely rolled out of the way. The Hylian then avoided the following slash and rolled between Ganon's legs to attack the tail again.

Ganon, however, really became more difficult to hit as he probably got used to his body. He was deflecting all the beams fired by Sweetie Belle unless he was in the middle of attacking Link and Zelda, and even then, he generally ended up interrupting his attacks to block the beams or move out of the way, same with the light arrows. In return, the heroes used their numbers to tag-team on him so that one of them could reach the head or the tail and attack.

Ganon fired another dark beam from his mouth while spinning, making the beam sweep the floor in hope of hitting either Link or Zelda and stop them from approaching while he used his swords to deflect Sweetie's beams. But then, Sweetie Belle materialized a shield fist from below Ganon and used it to punch his chin and close his mouth while he was still firing his beam. This resulted in an explosion of energy inside his mouth that stunned him, and Link used the occasion again to attack the tail while Sweetie Belle slashed at the head.

Ganon then fell on his knee again, weakened, and Zelda took the occasion to use her most powerful light magic on him.

"I'm using my power to hold the Evil King! You use your sword and deliver the final blow!" she exclaimed before she was left drained. Using this magic took everything she had left.

Link's Master Sword then began to glow, feeling that it was time to end the Evil.

So Link slashed at Ganon's head several time before he planted the sword in through the crystal on the forehead.

Roaring in agony, Ganon stood up and began to slash around wildly.

"Six Sages... Now!" yelled Zelda before she summoned a ball of intense light.

In the Chamber, the Sages used their power to open a vortex to the Sacred Realm.

And Ganon disappeared in it, the Sacred Realm becoming his prison.

Sweetie Belle, Link, and Zelda then found themselves in an infinite expanse of sky in all direction, somehow standing on an invisible floor.

Sweetie Belle didn't question it. With all that holy magic stuff they used, getting transported to a sky realm to have a little post-Evil-Overlord's-defeat chat wasn't a surprise, and the Gods probably had something to do with it.

"Thank you, Link... Thank you, Sweetie Belle... Thanks to you, Ganondorf has been sealed inside the Evil Realm!" began Zelda. "Thus, peace will once again reign in this world... for a time."

"Yeah..." Sweetie Belle began with a frown. "Ganondorf still has the Triforce of Power. I fear that he may eventually break the seal and escape."

"But this won't be before several centuries... I hope," Navi said.

Link sighed. "I suppose that nothing can be done about this..."

Zelda sighed too. "And all of this is my fault..."

"Why do you say that?" Link asked.

"I tried to control the Sacred Realm. I was young, and I couldn't comprehend the consequences. Ganondorf entered the Sacred Realm and took the Triforce of Power, becoming a threat that will plague Hyrule for generations. And I dragged you into it too," Zelda said as she looked at Link.

"It's alright," Sweetie Belle said. "You wanted to do what was right to stop Ganondorf from entering the Realm and taking the Triforce, and you were just a little girl. Nobody holds it against you."

"But at least, I want to make up for my mistake," said Zelda before she looked back at Link. "You must lay the Master Sword to rest and close the Door of Time... However, by doing this, the roads between times will be closed..." She then extended her hand toward him. "Link, give the ocarina to me..."

Link understood what she wanted to do. "You are going to bring me back to seven years ago."

Zelda nodded. "Even a little before, before Ganondorf could enter the Sacred Realm. You will warn my past self and my father of his threat... and all this tragedy will be avoided. And you will be able to live the life that was stolen from you."

Link took the ocarina and stared at it, then at Sweetie Belle.

"So I guess this is goodbye?" asked the filly.

"Unless you find a way to use the Song of Time and go back in time without the help of the Goddess of Time, it seems like it," answered Link with a sad smile as he gave the ocarina to Zelda.

Sweetie Belle then frowned in thought. "Actually, I may not need. If you are able to stop Ganondorf before he could enter the Sacred Realm, then this will create a split timeline, becoming a parallel universe. Then, all I will need to do is to find this universe to find you again. The hard part will be finding the right universe among the infinite parallel versions of this universe... Wait a minute..." She facehoofed. "Of coooourse! Link, bring me with you!"

"What?"

"You see, I come from an absolutely unique universe in the whole multiverse. It would be long to explain, but to put it simply, this universe doesn't even have a past or a future, it only exists in the present. No time travel unless it is to return before the time-split point from which my universe was born. I can't call past or future versions of me to join me because there is only me. Follow me until now?"

"I... think?" said Link with hesitation.

"Yes, I understand," Zelda said with a nod.

"Okay. So if I go back in time with Link, then... Darn, how to word it... Despite the time travel, I will be able to return to my universe and I will know where is his universe. I will not need to search."

"But then, you will return to your universe seven years younger," warned Zelda.

"That's no problem," said Sweetie Belle with a big grin before her age suddenly regressed until she was six years old. "I can change my age at will!"

Link and Zelda's jaw dropped before Link gave her a deadpan look. "Then why did you remain a six-years old when we got back in time?"

"Because it was fun! And it didn't change anything in the end!"

Link facepalmed, and Zelda giggled.

"And you know what this means too?" asked Sweetie Belle as she looked back and forth between Link and Zelda. "That I could bring Link back from his universe to visit you, Zelda, and vice versa!" She then frowned again, this time in annoyance. "I just need to find a way for you to communicate to me through dimensions. I really need to start to think about this if I want to keep contact with all the friends I will make in my adventures."

She was then grabbed by Zelda who hugged her and petted her in thanks (and not just because six-years old Sweetie Belle was adorable). "I am happy to hear this, Sweetie Belle. So this won't be a final goodbye."

Sweetie Belle nodded before she flew out of Zelda's arms and returned to her normal age beside Link who began to pet her too.

Zelda then began to play her lullaby with the ocarina, and the two heroes were enveloped in a blue light as they began to float before everything flashed.

"See you soon..."



They were back in the Temple of Time, in front of the Pedestal of Time. The Master Sword was already back in it, and the column of blue light disappeared.

After looking around a bit, they looked at each other, seeing that they were now seven years younger, that they were back seven years to the past. How long before Ganondorf's attack? They weren't sure.

Then, they exited the Master Sword's room, and since the gems weren't on their pedestal as Link hadn't placed them yet, the doors closed behind them.

"So you gonna warn the royal family about Ganondorf. Then what?" asked Sweetie Belle as she returned her age to normal.

"I need to verify when exactly we are. Depending of this, I may have to go help the Great Deku Tree, help the Gorons, and save Ruto inside Jabu-Jabu again. If we are early enough, then this may not be needed. Then, well... I'm not sure..." Link said with a sigh. "I guess that I will see. But I don't think that I will be able to do as Zelda said, live the life that I would have lived without all these events. I just... can't... Not after all this..."

"Yeah. Going through something like that really changes a person. I went through something similar. After going through adventures and fighting monstrous abominations, I just can't settle on a 'normal' life. Or I wouldn't be here. I guess this is up to you to find out what you will do with your life from now."

Link nodded. "So, will you return to your home now?"

"Yeah, now that it's over. I don't think that you will need me to stop Ganondorf. Without the Triforce of Power, he isn't that dangerous. And also, I have school to go," she finished with a giggle. She then hugged Link, nodded at Navi, and opened a rift. "Goodbye! See you next time!" And she passed it.



The rift dropped Sweetie Belle in her chamber in the Carousel Boutique, and she quickly saw through the window that it was night outside. Silently, she exited the building, took her Poké Balls, and let the Pokémon out to do whatever they wanted. She then verified the date on the calendar and saw that it was the night from Sunday to Monday.

Perfect timing! She didn't miss school!

And a quick check of a nearby clock let her know that it was a little over 3AM.

Well, she may as well go have a quick nap. She couldn't wait to recount her adventure to her friends.