//------------------------------//
// Chapter 12: Down the Well in search of Truth. 
// Story: Harmony of Heroes: Ultimate Multiverse Explorers [Parallel Quest] 
// by Cyrus Colter 
//------------------------------//

After a good night’s rest, the four heroes were ready to continue their adventure. Rota left the Saibamen to the Kokiri and, under the goodbyes of the latter, she, Sweetie, Marko and Link left the village and forest. They found Epona where they left her the previous day and, after giving her some pets, Link climbed on her, followed by Sweetie Belle, who sat on her rump, while the siblings, as usual, flew close by.

Navi reminded them that they should return to the Temple of Time so Link could return to the past to search for whatever was hidden at the bottom of the well in Kakariko village, so they journeyed toward Hyrule Castle Town. Upon reaching it, the area immediately darkened, reminding them of the state of the town.

They left Epona before the broken drawbridge and traversed the moat to enter the town. When they saw that the ReDeads were back everywhere, Link had the idea of using the Sun's Song, which had for effect to stun all the ReDeads, and Sweetie Belle took the occasion to kill all of them rapidly, opening the path to the Temple of Time.

They entered the building, Sweetie and the Bage siblings amazed that, despite everything going on, the inside was still pristine. Not a trace of dust, rubble or overgrowth could be seen on the wall and checkerboard floor. The stones that were the key to Hyrule’s Sacred Realm were present on the pedestal.

Sweetie, Rota and Marko could all feel the divine presence that protected this place. But this led to the question of why the immediate area around the building was free of ReDeads, whereas they seemed to infest the town beyond.

Leaving that to be answered later (if ever), they also saw a large pedestal emblazoned with the symbol of the Triforce, like the one in front of the Forest Temple.

When they passed the still open doors leading to the Sacred Realm where the Master Sword's pedestal was, they found Sheik waiting for them.

"You destroyed the wicked creatures that haunted the temple and awakened the Sage..." he began. "But there are other Sages who need your help. In order to awaken all the other Sages, you must become even more powerful. You must travel over mountains... under water... and even through time..."

Link nodded as Navi said "We were just about to place the Master Sword back in the pedestal like you said. We have something to do in the past."

Sheik nodded. "In order for you to return here quickly, I will teach you this song... The song to return to the Temple of Time... The Prelude of Light..."

Link and Sheik then both took their instrument, and the Sheikah teached the Hylian the song. As they played the song, a light appeared above them, bathing the room in its warmth.

"As long as you hold the Ocarina of Time and the Master Sword, you hold Time itself in your hands..." then said Sheik once they were done. "Now, if you wish to return to your original time, place the Master Sword in the Pedestal of Time. But remember what I said."

“Whether or not we can come is dependent on the will of the Goddesses, we know,” Rota said while nodding. She then placed a hand to her chin in thought. “Although, I think I have a way to at least make sure we’re not misunderstood. I doubt just holding onto him will do… Maybe the Song of Time mixed with my Instant Transmission? It is capable of moving the user through time, under the right circumstances. Or we could try the Song of Time while holding on to him…”

Sheik repeated Rota's gesture as he thought about it. "Going in his clothes wouldn't work. Navi would return to the past with Link because she also slept seven years with him, but that wasn't the case for the three of you." He then looked back at the Saiyan. "As for the Song of Time... It can let you go to the past, but it would depend on the Goddess of Time, as you have clearly ascertained. Maybe she will let you follow Link, or maybe she won't. You can't be certain."

“I figured the Song of Time was more like a way to contact the Goddess for help. Glad to hear that is the case,” Rota said in reply. “Mmh... Now I wonder if it can be used to call Gods of Time in other universes," she thought aloud before she looked at Sheik. "At least, we can try to use the song now and see if the Goddess of Time will let us go to the past with Link. If she doesn't..."

“Then we’ll wait here or see if we can clear out the ReDeads,” Marko said when Rota paused.

This made both Link and Sheik chuckle before Link moved to plant the Master Sword in the pedestal. Sweetie Belle went to sit beside him and began to sing the Song of Time just as Link planted the sword while Rota nd Marko stood nearby, Rota with two finger from her left hand pointed at her forehead while Marko held her shoulder. A blue light then surrounded the four of them and everything was plunged in light. When the light disappeared, Sweetie Belle opened her eyes and looked at Link to see if it worked.

And yes, it worked. Link now looked as tall as the Master Sword planted in the pedestal, and his Hylian Shield looked very huge on his back. He also had a more juvenile look.

Yes, it was Link when he was eleven years old. They both successfully traveled seven years back in time.

But then, why was Link looking that tall compared to her? She should be about half his size now, but to her, he still looked almost as tall as he was when he was an adult.

Looking over to where Rota and Marko last were, Sweetie saw that they looked pretty much unchanged, aside from seeming younger themselves. Rota looked over at Sweetie Belle and stared for a moment… Then.

“Pfff AHAHAHAHA! Sweetie Belle... if I were still… as old as I was before… this would not be… as funny as it is for me… I swear. HAH!” Rota managed to sputter out between laughing fits before falling to her back guffawing. Marko, meanwhile, simply gave Rota an unamused look before telling it to Sweetie Bell straight.

“Sweetie Belle, you’re 6 years old, now.”

“WHAT!?!” The filly near literally squeaked, her voice also more high pitched than before.

Link giggled at her reaction after seeing Sweetie Belle’s younger form, while Navi began to circle her as she playfully said, "I didn't think that you would become even more dangerous by going to the past. But look at you now, people and monsters will die of heart attack just by looking at you."

To this, the now six-years old filly answered with a pout, and the next instant, Navi dropped to the ground with a "Urk!" making Link and Rota laugh even more.

Sweetie Belle giggled too. "Be lucky I didn't rejuvenate all the way back to a newborn foal, or trust me, you wouldn't have lasted one second." She then looked at Link with puppy dog eyes. "Right, Link?"

Link quickly put a hand over his eyes and looked away. "Arg! Don't look at me like that!" He then dramatically put a hand on his heart. "Arg... I'm dying... The Gods will have to find someone else to defeat Ganondorf..." And he dropped on the ground with a "Bleh!"

Sweetie Belle raised her forelegs. "MWAHAHA!!! I killed the Hero of Time! Everyone will fear my cuteness! And I will rule the world as the most adorable overlord of all time!" She maintained her pose for a few seconds before dropping in laughter. “No thank you! I’m already a queen of a kingdom in another world, that’s enough for me.”

Link and Navi both laughed as they got up from the floor before the Hylian said, "Wait, you're a queen?" in shock.

"Yeah, long story. But no need to call me queen, your majesty, or whatever. I don't care about that, and I'm not ruling yet anyway. There's a regent in my place for now. And really, I'm only queen because a king gave me the title after we killed the previous ruler who had become evil."

"I would like to hear this story. Sounds interesting," Link said.

"You have no idea. I will recount it to you while we go to Kakariko Village if you wish."

“Now this I’d like to hear as well,” Rota said while Marko rolled his eyes.

Link nodded before he equipped himself with a smaller sword and a wooden shield, both of Kokiri origin.

They then left the temple, and Link smiled when he saw the not yet ruined town around. It was slightly damaged by Ganondorf's raid before he got the Master Sword, but it wasn't destroyed yet. The sky was still clear, Death Mountain didn't seem about to erupt, and Hyrule Castle was still present in all its beauty in the place of Ganondorf's Castle.

Of course, he knew that it was only a matter of time before Ganondorf came back and assaulted the town with an army of monsters and the full power of the Triforce.

When they reached the market, it was bursting with activities. People were everywhere, shopping, talking to each others, and there was even a couple who danced. Despite what happened, and what will happen, the citizens of the town still lived without care in that calm before the storm.

Then, a woman spotted Sweetie Belle, and the next thing she knew, she had to escape a crowd of people wanting to snuggle her, with Link and Rota on the floor laughing as Marko simply thumped his head against a nearby wall.







Link obviously didn't have Epona at this time, so they simply walked to Kakariko Village, Sweetie Belle recounting how she became Queen of Floralia on the way. About Sectonia and her fall into madness because of a cursed mirror. Of her foalnapping and how her friends traversed many trials to save her. Of the fight against her brainwashed-self followed by the one against Sectonia to save the world.

To hear that the queen couldn't be saved from her madness was saddening, but Link knew that, despite their best efforts, not everyone could be saved, like he couldn't save the Deku Tree.

He also understood that the filly beside him really had shown only a small fraction of her powers and that the Deku Tree sprout was right, Ganondorf should be worried.

Eventually, they arrived at Kakariko Village.

Seven years ago, the village wasn't yet as big as it was in the future, having not yet taken in the citizens of Hyrule Castle Town who had escaped, although some houses were already being built. And without the threat of Death Mountain nearby, the village was as peaceful as it could be.

And of course, the well wasn't dried yet, as the heroes saw when they walked to it after losing several minutes because of Sweetie Belle being snuggled, petted, and pampered by several people on the way.

Six-years old Sweetie Belle really was too adorable for her own good. It was already at the limit when she was thirteen-years old, but now…

Thankfully, the pettings stopped when Marko started leering at anyone approaching that even looked at Sweetie Belle adoringly, letting them finally get to the well.

“Alright, you know what to do, Link,” Rota said as she gestured at the windmill.

Link nodded. “You three, wait for me here.”

As the Hylian walked away, the filly, Saiyan and human looked at the windmill as the last muttered "The poor guy..." When Link entered the building, they couldn't hear him play the Song of Storms, but they could tell when he played it as the wheel began to spin faster and faster a few seconds later. Link then quickly ran out of the building in panic under the screams of the man muffled by the sound of the rain and thunder. Meanwhile, Sweetie Belle and Rota saw the well being drained.

When Link joined them, Sweetie Belle pointed at the well. "It worked!"

“I’ll wait up here, in case anything makes it out behind your backs, and so there is a little more space. Rota, you should be able to follow them in,” Marko said.

With a chuckle, Rota followed the children down the well and traversed the tunnel that the boulder was blocking off in the future, only to quickly reach what seemed to be a dead end with a very small passage. Too small for an adult to crawl through.

"Seems like even if we had managed to come here in the future, you wouldn't have been able to continue without my help," remarked Sweetie Belle.

"One point for the kid-side," said Link to this.

“I’ll Instant transmission beside you when I can sense you’re in a large enough room,” Rota said while she leaned against the side of the tunnel.

Link then crawled through the passage, followed by Sweetie Belle who didn't need to crawl. On the other side, they then just had to jump down a small ladder to reach a corridor.

To their horror, the corridor had some dried blood covering the walls, and for a reason that was probably not good, there were chains hanging from the walls and ceiling. As for the floor, it was actually a grid.

They were so shocked that they missed Rota coming out of Instant Transmission a little ahead of them. The Saiyan woman, unlike the Hylian boy and Alicorn filly, was not very shocked to see her surroundings. Off put, to be sure, but not shocked.

“Geez. I thought a place like this would have been part of the castle, not beneath a cozy little village,” Rota said, a nervous edge entering her tone.

“What is this place?” Sweetie Belle demanded.

“If the Sheikah are like any other groups that work for their government leaders in the shadows, then these would be the local operatives…. Interrogation chambers, let’s call them,” the Saiyan said, her voice carefully controlled to keep from trembling.

Sensing she was trying to stay calm herself in order to keep them calm, Link made a decision. “Let’s get this done as quickly as possible so we can leave.”

With a confirming nod from Sweetie and Rota, the trio pushed forward, dealing with a Skulltula only to find a dead end when Navi spoke up… from next to a skeleton propped up against the back wall.

“Hey. I think I can hear the spirit of this skeleton… talking…” the fairy said. “‘Find the Eye of Truth,’ he keeps saying… over and over…”

Creepiness aside, Link crossed his arms as he gave thought to the spirit’s words. Rota, scratching her head, voiced a thought aloud.

“OK so that confirms that what we’re looking for is an object of some kind. Maybe a lens or magnifying glass that can see through illusions?” The Saiyan pondered aloud.

“That’s what it seems to be,” Navi agreed.

"Of course! It's obvious!" shouted Sweetie Belle. "And if this is like with the Forest Temple, then this means that this place will be full of illusions and invisible stuff, and we will need this object to reveal them! Like..." She pointed at the wall behind the skeleton. "This wall! Now I'm sure that it's an illusion, or at least part of it!"

Having the same conclusion, Link approached the wall and attempted to touch it with his hand, only for the hand to pass through it as if the wall didn't exist. With a nod to Sweetie Belle, he then passed the wall, followed by the others.

The next part of this seemingly new dungeon was pretty much in the same style than the previous hallway, only the floor was made of stone bricks instead of being a grid. It really looked like a real dungeon, including chains hanging from wooden planks against the walls. Just in front of the entrance was a small pit filled with water coming from two small streams at the left and right. And a big Green Bubble passed before it and followed the right stream before disappearing around a corner.

Sweetie Belle looked at the water. "If this place is as filled with illusions as we think, then I propose that we walk in the water. Like this, we won't risk falling into a pit."

“Agreed. In the water, we’ll at least be able to see the pitfalls before we fall into them,” Rota concurred. “But, now, which way do we go? Left or right?”

In the end, they randomly chose right. Following the stream, they followed the same path than the Green Bubble they saw earlier and rounded a corner to the left. Not minding the green Bubble further in front of them, they continued to follow the stream, passed beside a grid without door behind which a Like Like (a cylindrical yellowish gooish monster that could eat objects like shields) could be seen, and rounded another corner to the left where Sweetie Belle finally killed the Green Bubble with a beam while passing in front of a scary picture that apparently said "Danger below".

Link threw a Deku Nut under the picture, and the nut fell through the floor, revealing it to be a pit hidden by an illusion. Meaning that they did well to walk in the water. There really were hidden pits in this dungeon.

Not minding a small passage where Link would have to crawl through, they then reached the origin of the stream, or streams as it also seemed to be the origin of the other stream, meaning that they would have also ended up here if they had taken the left.

So this place had formed a square.

The water was coming out of the mouth of a weird statue head in the wall, and a Triforce symbol with a blue center could be seen under the water.

Link immediately understood what he had to do as he took the ocarina and began to play a song. Then, as if by magic, water stopped to come out of the mouth of the statue, and the water present in the room began to drain, including in the small pit below the statue.

"What was that song?" asked the filly.

"Zelda's Lullaby," answered Link. "It's actually a song transmitted in the Royal Family that Zelda taught me. As you saw, it activates mechanisms and opens paths. So it seems that the King participated in hiding this place."

Sweetie Belle and Rota nodded in understanding.

If the water drained here, then it meant that the water in the pit at the entrance was also drained, certainly allowing them to reach an important room. So they returned to the entrance, this time by the left path, passing beside another small pit with metal grating above it. They hesitated to see what was beyond that pit, but they decided to see first what was in the pit in front of the entrance, so they continued. They also saw a door that didn't seem to be able to be opened from this side, unless they had to walk on a switch to open it.

Back at the entrance, they jumped in the now empty pit and found a small chest containing bombs as well as a small passage, again. They went through it, killed another Skulltula, climbed some vines, and passed a metallic door.

Before she even saw the room properly, Rota was on high alert, her every instinct telling her to keep her guard up. Turning to face the room in full, the group found themselves gobsmacked at the new room.

Frankly, ‘room’ seemed to be too civilized of a descriptor for this space, more fittingly describable as the den of a bloodthirsty creature, judging by the bones littering the ground, as well as ‘decorating’ the walls. In four spaces in the room, there were long, gangly, pale arms ending in hooked hands and covered in blood stretched toward the ceiling.

As mentioned, Den of a Bloodthirsty Creature. But what put off the heroes most was… where was the creature itself?

Rota put her hand above her head, palm facing up. Energy gathered into the shape of a disc, before the Saiyan hurled it at one of the arms, cutting it in half in an attempt to draw out the creature. But that did nothing of the sort, as a new hand grew to replace the severed one.

“Looks like one of us will have to bait it out, then,” Sweetie Belle observed.

Link sighed. "I'll do it."

The boy then approached one of the arms and, faster than he could blink, the arm grabbed his head, and a horrifying pale creature came out of the ground beside him.

The nightmarish creature looked like a fat zombie without legs, with small pink arms without hands, and with a long neck with a lipless bald head that showed to all its dentition, and like the arms coming out of the floor, its body was covered in bloodstains.

Rota, more out of fear than anything, blasted it with an energy disc powerful enough to go straight through the creature’s neck… and the wall for a good mile behind it before it eventually dissipated. The creature’s head fell to the ground as green blood began oozing from the creature’s neck in spite of the burns sealing its wound shut. The dead body fell lifelessly to the ground, along with the arms, its head rolling away from the small impact.

Sweetie Belle got goosebumps as she looked at the corpse of the monster. "I have seen some really creepy stuff in my adventures, but that thing easily reaches the top five. What a horrible monster."

“You said it best,” Rota agreed.

"That was a Dead Hand," informed Navi. "Probably one of the most terrifying monsters that can be found. Thankfully, they are very rare."

"Yeah, thankfully. Are you alright, Link?" the filly asked the boy.

"Yeah, the hand barely hurt. Thanks for the save," Link answered as he nodded at Rota. Then, he opened the chest, finding in it some purple object with a lens with the drawing of an eye on it. "This must be what we’re looking for, a lens that reveals the truth." He immediately tested it, seeing that it worked as he was able to see an invisible chest in the room. He could even see through the chest, seeing that it contained a golden rupee (worth two hundreds rupees). "I already love this object."

"So, we have the Lens of Truth. That means that we can now see through the illusions. Should we continue to explore this dungeon with it?" Rota inquired.

Link nodded, albeit hesitantly. "There may be other useful treasures."

So, with the help of the lens, they continued their exploration of the place and indeed found some more treasures, although none as important as the lens itself. Thanks to the lens, they could see the fake walls and floor, discovering a secret room. They also explored the secondary passages they had spotted earlier but hadn't minded. Sweetie Belle also flew into one of the pits previously hidden by the fake floor to see where they led and discovered another floor with a pit filled with green poisonous water and several paths.

In the lower floor was a map of the dungeon, and in a small secret room behind bars, they found the compass. They also found some keys here and there that let them reach other treasures. However, they ended up having to fight more monsters including ReDeads, Wallmasters, Gibdos (mummy monsters), the Like Like they had seen earlier, some Fire Keeses (bat monsters in fire), and even a Beamos (a statue with a rotating eye that fired a beam that Link could only destroy with a bomb). By the same occasion, Sweetie Belle and Rota discovered the existence of Bomb Flowers, which were plants with bomb-looking fruits that could explode, so they could be used as replacement bombs to save real bombs.

By the time they left the well, they were richer by some rupees, some more ammunition like Deku Nuts for Link, and even a spare Hylian Shield in case a Like Like manages to eat his current one. Link also got a fairy that he put in one of his bottles.

Sweetie Belle wondered about the moral of trapping a fairy in a bottle, but apparently, it was okay. If Link was knocked out, the fairy would come out of the bottle to heal him, saving his life.

With the lens in their possession, the trio met back up with Marko on the surface and the group returned to the Temple of Time to return to the future, also making sure to fill Marko in on what he missed down in the well.

"Rota! If those flowers are explosive, don't juggle them!"