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needfantasticstories · 2 months

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Battle of the Sugar Water Bowl

It was a busy day at Lon Lon Ranch.

“Hyrule, honey, Time tells me you’re good with fairies.” Malon approached as Hyrule passed a bale of hay to Warrior.

“What?” Hyrule dropped the next hay bale before Warrior could grab it. Did Time tell Malon about my fairy form?

“Sorry if I startled you, dearie! I just want to ask a favor, If you’re alright with it.”

Hyrule smiled to hide his surprise. “Oh! Sure, Miss Malon.”

“The fairies haven’t come around to the sugar water all week. I like that we have so many pollinators around, but they only drink from the bowl, and I know Time is worried about the missing fairies. He says you might be a good person to ask.”

“Sure! I can check things out.”

“Thank you, sweetheart. Oh, and be careful. I got some nasty stings when I went out there last time. Best not tell Wild or Warrior. I don’t want them to find a reason to use their fire rods, and burn down the barn or something.” She laughed as she walked away.

Hyrule smiled to himself. Those two would never be allowed to live down the flaming log incident.

He found the sugar water easily enough, and the bees. To his dismay, as Malon said, no fairies flitted over the water. No glittering reflections. Only a sprawling swarm of bees gathered all around the bowl, and on every surface around it. Hyrule stood what he thought was a safe distance away, but the bees lifted from the water’s edge like a fog, their wings beating with the sound of static and their shadows fell dark on the water’s surface. The sound of their buzzing grew louder, faster, and as if on a signal they careened towards him.

“What?!” Hyrule shouted, and he ran, covering his head as the black fog gave chase.

…

“Hyrule, what’s going on?” Four called as Traveler slammed the barn door shut. Four had modified a corner of the barn into a forge, and at Hyrule’s sudden appearance he set down his hammer and quenched the glowing iron, steam rising in a pale cloud, and he came running to check Hyrule.

Hyrule gasped, “It’s… it’s the bees! They’re…” Sweat dripped down his temples, and he panted like Wolfie after a hunt. “They… they chased…”

“Bees?” Four raised one eyebrow, incredulous.

Hyrule only nodded.

“Bees?” Four asked again, both eyebrows arched, but looking slightly less skeptical.

“I think…might be...infected!”

“What? Hyrulle, they’re not monsters. How could they be infected?”

Hyrule panted as he explained, “Don’t know! …bees have…never…chased me! Why didn’t…anyone…tell me… about…the stingers!”

Hyrule showed his bracers to Four. The bodies have been smeared and scraped beyond recognition, but he could see at least eight thick stingers embedded in the leather. Thicker than any bee should have.

“Huh.” Four stripped off his blacksmith gear and pulled Hyrule by the hand to an upturned pot in another corner. “Okay, I think I have an idea. Take your fairy form, and wait for me here.” He pointed to the pot.

Hyrule did, though he realized only then how low his magic was after jumping up and down from the roof for repairs that morning. He changed, then watched in shock as Four shrank down into a crack in the ceramic. He looked for him to walk out, flat, like Legend had once shown him. How strange that two heroes can– his thought cut off as he saw a tiny, insect-sized Four climb out from the pot.

“Alright, I have an idea,” Said Four, cutting off Hyrule’s surprised stuttering. “I’ll explain later. I don’t like the idea of infected bees, so let’s hurry and see what’s going on.”

Hyrule laughed. He couldn’t help it. Four was already so tiny, so this almost made sense, somehow.

Four shoved him, and Hyrule bent over double, leaning on his knees as he laughed harder. “Sorry! But! HAHA! Four! Hehehe! Why didn’t you ever say anything?”

Four crossed his arms and glared. “Hmmm. Maybe to avoid having people laugh at me?”

“Oh come on! You know I’m not laughing at you. It’s just so surprising! Finally, there’s someone else my size!”

“Alright, Fine.” He uncrossed his arms, but he still looked a bit cross. “Let’s get this over with.”

Four shared the plan.

…

Hyrule was used to flying. He was not used to riding.

“How do you control this thing?!” he shouted over the buzz of flapping wings. The bird jerked him from side to side. He’d seen hummingbirds for the first time in other eras, but not once had he wanted to ride one.

It was Four’s turn to laugh. “I thought you knew how to fly!”

“Oh come on!” Hyrule shouted back. He felt himself slipping backward as the bird zigged and zagged. Hyrule hoped it wasn’t trying to buck him off. Either way, it was having the same effect.

“Like I said! Just lean into the direction you want to go!” Four called, looking as if he did such mind-bending feats on any normal Tuesday.

Hyrule’s wings made this difficult, using them as he always did to keep his balance, but at last he let them drop and held onto the silky feathers for dear life, and leaned forward into the thrumming, rainbow colored neck. He barely held on as his hummingbird shot forward.

Four followed, and in no time at all they arrived at the sugar water bowl.

As fierce as they had seemed to Hyrule when he was large, the insects at this size looked terrifying. A writhing dark mass of bodies covered the edge of the bowl, nearly drowning one another in their attempts to get close enough to the sugar water. The mass crawled on the wooden fence all around it too, and the branches of the trees and bushes nearby were painted in black, yellow, and red. They had stopped lapping at the precious liquid and all their multifaceted eyes turned to them. Their abdomens thrummed so loudly Four and Hyrule could hear it over the sound of their birds.

“These don’t look like normal bees,” Four said, pulling his bird to a stop when he noticed them watching. His bird chittered nervously at the scene as well, and drifted backwards as it hovered.

“What do they normally look like?” Hyrule wasn’t very familiar. Bees were a rare sight. He’d only ever seen the hives they kept in the castle gardens in passing, and a few from a distance in the other eras. They usually flew away when he came near enough to watch them.

“They’re not supposed to have a third eye, especially not a red one!”

Oh. It was smaller than their black eyes, but now Hyruel could see a third eye, disturbingly human-like but with a red pupil and yellow iris. This black-lidded eye opened sideways, like two doors closing and opening. Hyrule shivered at the eerie sight.

“So are they mimics?” Four asked, watching them.

“They’re just staring at us. What are they after?”

We can’t know unless they make a move, but we can’t take too many chances until we know what we’re up against. Change of plan. I’ll go find—” A percussive sound nearby made them freeze.

Legend’s voice carried around the corner of the barn. “Hey, Hyrule! Twilight? Four? You over here?”

“Legend, wait! Stop!” Four cried out, but the Veteran could not hear them. He was coming closer, though luckily not in view of the sugar bowl yet.

“Four! Twilight! Rulie! Wild says lunch is ready! Where are you?”

At the sound, the bees rose and made for Legend, just as they had to Hyrule. But Hyrule had been warned by Malon about the bees–or rather, the monsters that looked like bees. Legend had not.

“Stop!” Hyrule shouted. He leaned hard to intercept them. His bird hesitated a moment, but Hyrule leaned harder into it, and it shot toward the swarm with a speed he’d never imagined. It was worse than Legend’s pegasus boots! But he white-knuckled the iridescent feathers until the bird flew between the swarm and Legend.

“Hyrule! No!” Four’s tiny voice barely registered in his thoughts. The entire swarm buzzed before him, red eyes glowing.

“Oh f-” He didn’t have time to react before they zipped forward. The hummingbird squeaked, bucked him off, and darted away.

Four had planned ahead, luckily. Hyrule drew out a borrowed needle-sized sword and a thimble-like shield. The bees, or tiny monsters that looked like bees, swooped in for the attack. The first curled a gleaming black stinger under its abdomen, and flew low overhead to strike him. Hyrule dropped and dodged, and then gave chase as it continued on toward his friend. Hyrule barely managed to keep up, but as they neared the barn he landed on the bristle-covered back and sliced off both wings with the blade. Despite being so small, it felt perfectly balanced and natural in his hand. Four was full of wonders!

Hyrule flew up as it dropped down, and readied his blade for the next. He sliced easily through its wings too, flying up from behind, and the next met the same fate as he sped through them. He wished he could use Thunder, but he’d need his full form and was already low on magic. He wouldn’t have enough to change back for a few hours, even though the fight invigorated him.

Behindhim in the swarm, he could hear Four’s bird thrumming as it darted to and fro, harrying them from behind.

The next beast dropped on him from above, and the stinger lunged at him. Hyrule was caught in the it’s legs, his wings pinned, but he lodged both feet on either side of the stinger. He slammed his head into the creature’s eye, and it released him as it stopped to pad at the damage. He did not hesitate, and lifted his blade into the head as he flew up from below.

Black ooze gathered in a drop on his needle blade.

Not just mimic monsters, but infected! Anger and panic swirled in his thoughts. Twilight’s death-defying recovery, hard earned, drove Hyrule to reach Legend with more urgency.

Many, many more buzzing monsters had flown past as he fought.

“Legend!” he shrieked as loud and deep as his tiny voice could manage as he flew between the bees, overtaking one after another. They had slowed as they came around the corner of the barn, apparently calm and confident in their approach, while Hyrule used every ounce of strength he had and forged ahead of the swarm once more. He had to get there first, to tell him to run, to get the others, to stay away.

“I’ll tell him!” Four cried from overhead, “You find a way to distract them!”

Hyrule nodded. He drew deep to pull up more magic, and glowed as bright as he could.

The bees turned their red, eerie third eyes to him, and a few broke off to investigate. He swooped across the path of the swarm, cutting this way and that in their path. More and more looked to him.

“Legend!” He heard Four’s faint voice. “Get everyone inside!”

Hyrule could have smiled, then, if he wasn't so tired.

The bee-monsters sped up, and circled ahead of Hyrule.

“No! Over here!” he screamed, but he didn’t need to. The circle closed in front of him, and the bees flew over, below, and all around, cutting him off.

They began to dive.

He dodged left, avoiding one from above. He dropped, letting one sail overhead. One came from below, and he twisted to the right, and then felt the air leave his lungs.

Six spidery legs gripped his head and arms. It shifted, leaning forward, and something slammed low on his back. The pressure made it hard to breathe. Hyrule realized he could not scream, and gasped. No air came. They were falling. The pressure in his back throbbed, and grew warm. The monster clung to him as they fell, and as the bee monsters rose up and away the tree trunks slipped closer and closer into his periphery, he knew he was falling, dragged down, and he knew with a calm surety that he was going to die.

A shadow passed over him, and time seemed to stop. A hummingbird dove near sword-sharp beak almost in reach, the iridescent feathers gleaming.

Delicate claws reached and locked around his chest, and he jerked to a stop, and it felt like fire roared in his back. The weight on his back dropped away, scraping Hyrule’s arms and wings, but the pressure on his back was suddenly gone, leaving only coldness in its place. A stinging, prickling sensation radiated out of his back, and then a heat like fire followed. Then nothing.

The sky was a beautiful shade of blue. The smell of horses and hay were rich in the air. One bug net, then another, arced on either side of him, but Hyrule didn’t feel afraid. He knew them. Sky and Twilight. A third. Wind’s, he thought as his head dropped back, too heavy to carry.

He was lying on hot, wet skin.The pressure on his back grew into a throbbing ache. His wings felt twisted and bruised.

“Rulie!”

Legend! Hyrule wanted to see him, to make sure he was safe. But Hyrule couldn’t move, couldn’t open his eyes. Cold creeped into his hands and chest, running down his arms.

“Rulie! You have to turn back!” Legend’s booming tenor voice pounded in Hyrule’s head like an army of drums.

He arched his back, but the pressure switched to pain, and he cried out. He could feel sharp agony like a blade in his back, and his muscles spasmed. He shivered, and though he tried to relax, the shivering and swelling pain didn’t stop.

“No! He can’t change back yet!” Four’s reasonably-loud voice said from nearby. “He won’t have enough magic for healing if he does. He needs a potion! Keep him warm for now.”

“Time!” the voice boomed again, but then the air was rushing over his body, threatening to roll him off those hot hands, “Time!” The hands closed, and he wondered if they might crush him. He didn’t like being held in this state.

But the world darkened. He felt so cold. Cold filled his dreams. Winter nights without fire. Rain and chill. Fever. Cold dungeons. Ganon taunting him in the dim castle. The shadow! It was reflecting him, beating him. He stabbed it and his own side bled. Visions of Hyrule under tyranny again, but it was Shadow. He was chasing a monster, almost had him, and then he was the monster, chasing down a villager. Ganon. Ganon was in his blood. He couldn't get him out! There was fear on Dawn’s face when he broke open the lock on her cell. There was fear on Aurora’s face when she woke up to find a stranger, and all he could do was stare. But he wasn’t…

“I should have…”

“Ha! He’s awake! What is it, Rulie?” Legend’s voice was excited.

“I should have said…”

“Don’t worry, you don’t need to say anything, Traveler. Just rest.”

Four. Spoilsport. Hyrule tried to think. He had to tell the princesses something. He was so comfortable, lying on something soft and cool, though his back ached feverishly.

He tried to remember. The princesses! “I should have said hello to them first.”

“What? To the bees?” Twilight’s deep voice rumbled.

“Haha!” Time’s deep, rich laugh made Hyrule smile, it was large but not too loud. Comfortable. He could hear the others sigh or laugh, a tension in the air all around breaking like a spell. “I think he’s going to be okay. Alright, let’s give him some space to rest.”

Feet thundered away. Hyrule struggled, but managed to open his eyes at last.

“Rulie, you idiot!” Legend’s face filled the space above him, a familiar giant. One fat tear hung from his friend’s giant-sized nose. It dropped, and splashed beside him.

“Hey, gross. Oh, Vet, don’t go near the bees, okay?”

Legend shook his head. “You know what? Fine.” Legend laughed and wiped his face. “But no more chasing bees, at least not without me. And especially not if they’re infected monsters. Deal?” Legend pulled his head away.

Hyrule struggled to track him, but found he’d laid down on a bed nearby. He looked around himself. He’d been placed on a small pillow set on the bedside table in the larger spare bedroom room at Lon Lon. “Mmm hmm. Deal. Did the fairies come back?"

"Yeah, they did, Rulie. They did."

"Huh. Good. Goodnight.” Hyrule couldn’t keep his eyes open any longer.

“‘Night, Rulie. Get better quickly.”

Someone even bigger than Legend moved on his other side.

“Is he going to be okay?”

Hyrule loved the deep rumble of Twilight's voice. Like a force of nature, like thunder in a storm, but safe. Wolfie.

“Din, I hope so. His whole back was just… it was spreading everywhere and just…”

“I know. But he’s fought shadows before. He’ll be okay.”

In the silence that followed, Hyrule drifted to sleep once more, and he dreamed of fairies.

#febuwhump #febuwhumpday9 #linked universe #lu hyrule #lu four #tw bees #tw injury #skipwrites

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