Operation: MONARCH, Part 6: Gracious Queen Mandy

"GERALD!"

No, Mandy, that's your coach's name! XD

Hyrule Castle

Dammit… Who turned up the thermostat? It's so hot… What're these voices? Did they turn up the heat? Shut up, one at a time!

"Lord Mandy, the river's dried up! We can't catch any fish!"

"Lord Mandy, the desert is freezing. The clouds won't go away. We never have this many clouds!"

"Lord Mandy, there's a heat wave over Anouki Snowfield. We're sweltering."

Ugh, solve your own problems. What am I, a weather spirit? If I were, I wouldn't be so hot! Why is it so…

Mandy kicked the covers off her, unable to sleep in this awful weather. She stomped to the window and forced it open, gaping at the bizarre sight.

The sky had become a light-purple, glimmering with black stars that seemed to rain upon the world. Over the horizon, a black and purple sun bathed Hyrule in dark light. "Those are… Ztars. What are those Anti-Fairies doing?!"

"FAE-fae-fae-fae-fae-fae!" The echoing laughter drew Mandy's attention to the top of the central tower. Sivam acted as a beacon of dark light, spreading her vile essence to Hyrule's atmosphere. "Are you seeing this, Princess Mavis?! I'm back and I'm making Hyrule my personal pigsty! The Anti-Fairies will RISE from their misfortune!"

"SIVAM!" The fairy smirked as Mandy flew up the tower in a nightmare orb form, poking her head out. "How dare you commit a mutiny against me!"

"Mutiny? HAH! That ain't even close to what this is!"

"Ahem, Sivam?" Omsoc flew up and began to whisper the definition of 'mutiny.'

"Oh, I guess it is a mutiny. Either way, you've grown too soft for us, Queen Mandy, and ever since we've been free, you've done nothing but use us for your nonexistent dictatorship. So, kiss your throne good-bye 'cause MY ASS is about to kiss it!" Sivam pelted Mandy with Ztar bullets, but she withstood the attack and slashed Sivam with an axe made of Fear Chi. (Play "Master Core" from Smash 4!)

"Your magic has no effect on people who don't believe in luck. But I can easily discipline you by slicing you to pieces!" Mandy grabbed Sivam with a Fear Arm and whirled her around before stabbing the fairy into the tower's tip. The needle inconveniently fell off, allowing Sivam to pull it out, leaving her with a rotten hole. Knowing Luck Magic was ineffective, Sivam merely fired Zhurikens, and Mandy took the cuts as she chopped Sivam to pieces with Fear Blades. Sivam's pieces morphed into Zhards and stabbed at Mandy simultaneously, but those parts morphed into Fear Chi and divided, dodging the attack.

Sivam is made of Dark Chi, so she can bypass my Logia defenses. I'll need to be wary of how I transform. Mandy watched as Sivam reformed and quickly smashed the fairy between Fear Hammers, but Sivam poofed and launched a giant Zhard. The Zhard barely grazed Mandy's hip, and the queen retaliated by forming Fear Spheres around Sivam and compressing them at the center. Sivam pushed them off with a Protego, and she formed spikes on the black shield. Mandy did the same with her Nightmare Orb, both forces crashing each other repeatedly. The orbs collided and drilled against each other, until Sivam pierced Mandy's defense with a sharper spike.

Mandy flew back with a wound in her shoulder. Sivam cast a beam to the sky, and the Black Sun became even hotter as Mandy began to sweat. "Misfortune exists even in the weather, bitch! Even if you don't believe in luck, a day that's too hot, too cold, or too windy is ALWAYS an inconvenience!"

Mandy assaulted her with a storm of Fear Spheres, Sivam using a Ztar Shield to block them. The shield inflated by absorbing the spheres, and Sivam launched it at Mandy as it exploded. Mandy evaded and grasped Sivam in two giant Fear Hands, squeezing the fairy like a sponge. Sivam erected black crystals from her body and escaped, only for Mandy to MUNCH and shatter them in giant teeth belonging to a demon's head, conjured by Mandy's chi. The queen gasped when a cyclone of Ztars snuck up behind her, flying to escape the prickly vacuum. Seeing Sivam reforming herself, Mandy flew opposite of her from the tornado and unleashing a deafening Fear Scream, powerful enough to blow Sivam into the cyclone.

The Anti-Fairy suffered from her own Ztars, quickly dispelling the tornado, but Sivam was suddenly batted around by the wings of Mandy's Nightmare Bat form. The bat grew talons and grabbed Sivam, diving towards the grounds around the castle and dragging the fairy against the dirt. It was then Mandy noticed something odd. "Wait a minute… this is the castle moat. Where's all the water?!"

"No dip, dumbass!" Sivam retorted. "Figuratively! Uh, I mean, literally… Figurally? Look, all the rivers dried up! Also, the desert's freezing, the mountains are melting, it's catastrophe all over! Hell, Smaug is burning the Great Forest right now!"

"I should've known he'd be involved. You're both receiving the punishment of a lifetime!" Mandy ripped Sivam in half by her legs, but the queen was hit by Shooting Ztars from the heavens. The Anti-Fairy reformed and blasted Mandy into the cliff with a Bad Luck Beam. Mandy became a Demon Drill and fought against the beam, directly striking Sivam as the fairy stood firmly and endured. Seeing the drill was ineffective, Mandy slipped away and beheaded Sivam with a Scare Saw, but the fairy reformed once more and assaulted Mandy with a hundred Zhards from countless directions. They flew and poofed like bullets, Mandy acting quickly to mold her Logia body in shapes that would evade them. Several Zhards got lucky cuts.

"It's no use, No Nose Hoe! I draw my power from peoples' misfortune. With my Black Ztar Sky bad-luckin' the whole country, it's a bad luck buffet! It's what you call a… para-mutual relationship or… somethin'."

"Gonna be a paramedic one soon enough!"

"Yeah, how?! First, you gotta cool down the mountain and warm up the desert, otherwise my Ztar Storm ain't gonna Ztop. Sorry, Man, but you outta luck."

"You may feed off their misfortune, Sivam, but I feed off more than just their fear. Last night, I could feel their gratitude coursing through me, and now I'll turn it into power. How lucky you are to be the guinea pig for my new form!"

Mandy's dark aura became a blackish gold. The gold took the form of an elegant gown over her body, and angelic wings grew along her arms: the feathers were like crystals sharp enough to slice metal. Her horn-shaped hair grew longer and glimmered like a sun. "I have become the Gracious Queen. Now, I shall punish you, Ungrateful Princess!"

Mandy slashed an 'X' over Sivam's body, the fairy screaming in agony. Mandy followed with consecutive slashes, Sivam blocking with a Protego, but she gasped as the bladed wings quickly cut through. Sivam broke the shield herself and flew away, throwing the resulted Zhards at Mandy. The queen swiftly cut them with her wings and threw her own Gratitude Feathers, Sivam taking a few hits as she took to the sky. Mandy's wings streaked the sky as she pursued, forming a crystalline drill and homing in on Sivam. The fairy poofed behind her, throwing Ztars at Mandy's back, but the queen quickly dove below and directly up Sivam's dress.

Sivam scattered everywhere, and Mandy sought to grab her Ztar Rod. However, pain began coursing through her body, for tiny Zhards were piercing her skin from all around. She encased herself in a Fear Sphere to blot out the Zhards, but Sivam was able to reform and reclaim her wand. The fairy embedded her own wings with Zhards and clashed with Mandy's. Feathers of misfortune and gratitude intertwined until the two beauties were at a stalemate. Mandy took a breath and unleashed a Scream, which Sivam countered with a Bad Luck Beam. The two chis mixed into a single core before ultimately exploding. Sivam was blown several miles away while Mandy plummeted into a castle garden.

The queen gasped for breath as her radiant form began to falter. A squad of Anti-Fairies swooped down and blasted Ztars at her. "BACK, you foul fairies!" Creeper shouted, blasting lasers from an Ancient Bazooka. "Traitors, every one of you!" He then rushed up to the queen and said, "Captain, this is probably a bad time to tell you, but the Anti-Fairies have gone rogue." Mandy shot him a deadly glare. "Eh, in other news, you're looking radiant this morning."

"What are the other commanders doing?!"

"Azula was already sent to handle Smaug, and Cortez's ships are rescuing people on shores and islands due to the hurricanes. The others are doing everything to capture the fairies, and the Divine Beasts are being used to manage the chaotic climates."

"Then it's time for them to prove their worth, it seems. If I can destroy Sivam's Ztar Rod, that'll completely derail the fairies' power."

"Can ya really? In the story, it took Mavis everything she had to shatter that wand."

"And I have more. Sivam is forcing misfortune to plague the kingdom, and then she feeds off the misfortune that others experience. We're alike in that sense, because I do the same. Creeper, summon the Newzrobes and tell them to bring all their cameras. I want the entire world to see this!" (End song.)

Eastern coast

"Wassup, Hyruleans! Live from Vah Ruta's big booty, it's Ludy Juny the Zora Star!" Vah Ruta's gigantic hoofs shook the earth on its way to the ocean. "These fairies are more annoyin' than Deku Flies." The beast swat fairies away with its trunk and bashed them by thrusting its rear back. Juny was mimicking the actions in her control room, standing on a glowing pad. "Say, homebuds, does this Divine Beast make me look fat?"

"NOT AT ALL, Miss Juny!" cheered her fanclub.

"BOOYEAH! Now let's fill up the fishbowl!" Vah Ruta squat its legs and took a terrific leap into the ocean. "They may've dried up all the rivers and lakes, but no way they can dry the whole ocean. I'm giving this water back to the people!" The Divine Beast's hoofs sucked in the salty water with vents. The elephant was immune to the raging waves, and the inside was filtering the salt and turning it into fresh water. Afterwards, the trunk aimed at Ploymus Mountain where Zora's Domain was stationed.

A great gush of water flew over the mountain and filled the East Reservoir Lake. This allowed the waterfalls to begin flowing again, filling Zora's Domain and allowing water to flow down Zora's River.

Hebra Mountains

"I sure hope this helps." Quinn said as he flew Vah Medoh over the melting mountain. "Vah Medoh can manipulate the temperature of the air, so I'm sure it can restore the weather to the mountains." The mechanical eagle stirred clouds into being with its fans, and by willing the air to become cold, snow fell from the clouds.

Death Mountain

Vah Rudania's tail acted as a fire extinguisher, spraying the edges of the lava and hardening them to stone. "THERE. I SAVED THE HORSE STABLE." Gollin said.

"Yes, but that village down THERE is in danger!" his Lizalfos aid shouted.

"OOPS. NO WORRIES, WE CAN MAKE IT." As Rudania stomped in the intended direction, it bent the flowing lava back up the hill and sprayed smoke to solidify it.

Near the Great Forest

Riju was using Vah Naboris to discharge lightning to the sky and quell the storm. The Kokiri and Koroks were able to flee from the burning forest and cross the field without fear of lightning. "Juny, this is Riju, do you read me?" the chief asked via the beast's intercom device. "I know you're busy with Zora's Domain, but I need you to bring some water to the forest—AAAAAH!" a powerful force rammed the side of the Divine Beast.

"These vermin have no place in our new world." Smaug hissed, peering at Riju through an opening. "They'll go extinct, as will you."

Smaug readied to blow fire into the beast, but was struck in the head by a large flaming cannonball. "I think YOU'RE due for extinction, Slug!" The dragon faced a Fire Division airship, Azula perched on the top as her hair blew in the wind. "Though I can't stand these forest brats either, Mandy's people are important to her, and I'll protect them, too!"

Smaug spat a meteor at the airship and destroyed it in one blow. Azula jumped off and flew with Rocket Boost, flying around Smaug while charging lightning. The dragon covered his weak spot and blew fire at her, Azula nimbly evading. Smaug screeched when a sword stabbed him in the right eye: it was Riju's Scimitar of the Seven, which she then called back with Magnesis. In Smaug's distraction, Azula managed to strike his weak spot with a powerful jolt of lightning. "Aww, does this mean you forgive me?" Azula teased.

"Not even a little." Riju retorted. "As far as I care, you're as bad as this dragon."

Hyrule Castle (Play "Galeem" from Smash Ultimate!)

The citizens of the ruined Castle Town could only watch as Mandy and Sivam's battle lit up the sky. Mandy's Gracious Spheres were blocked by Sivam's Protego, and afterwards the shield broke into Zhurikens, circling Mandy in attempt to saw her. The queen compressed her fear-made body to a single string and slipped out, remaining in a wormlike form to dodge Sivam's upcoming Ztars. Mandy mostly reformed, but her wings were divided like crystalline wires, stretching to wrap around the fairy. Mandy squeezed, blackness seeping out of Sivam's form, but the fairy willed a Ztar Storm to rain down and force her to release.

On the castle grounds, Fire Troops were shooting Anti-Fairies with Ancient Rifles, with Creeper locked in a skirmish with Omsoc. Bazooka vs. magic wand, the two advisers were almost at equal skill. "Isn't it a chore working for that pathetic mortal?" Omsoc asked. "Why don't you just shove a resignation form down her throat and come work for Sivam? You'll get all the most disgusting cooking and Sanzu baths a demon could ask-" Omsoc was shot in the eye. "OW! MY MONOCLE!"

"Thousands of years ago, I was cursed into a life of eternal servitude." Creeper explained. "The Boogeyman cursed me to be his slave, and the only escape was if he transferred his authority to someone else. And Mandy was the little devil scary enough to force that authority out of his grasp. And ever since, serving Lord Mandy has been TRUE BLISS!" Creeper charged a Powuh Shot and fired a massive blue beam that swallowed the bottom left of Omsoc's body.

"Ouchie! That's going to need a few stitches."

Several Loftwings flew into the area with equipment strapped to them: Wizzrobes and Rito had begun recording the scuffle with news cameras. "Live from Hyrule Castle Town, it seems that our queen and captain Mandy is in a duel with Sivam, the Anti-Fairy responsible for our current catastrophe. For those unaware, Queen Mandy had recently recruited the Anti-Fairies with the hopes of turning them to good, but with great misfortune, Mandy's kindness has not reached them."

"HAH! Turn me to good?!" Sivam snorted. "What kind of bullshit lie did you tell them?!"

"Did you know that forms of psychic bending can be carried through electronic waves? A psychicbender can choke someone through a live TV, and my Scare Stare can quiver the hearts of millions." With that, Mandy flew to the first camera and shot her Grim Glare.

Millions of Hyruleans watching the news were immediately entranced, not by fear, but by kindness. They were forced to remember all the kind deeds done by Mandy and her crew: helping Rito children take flight, helping Kokiri not fear bugs, helping young Gorons not fear lava. Although she first presented herself as a wicked ruler, she committed all these kind deeds and asked for nothing in return. Even now, they felt selfish in saying this, but their hearts compelled them to:

"THANK YOU, Queen Mandy! Please, help us, one more time!" cried a Hylian woman.

"Please, beat her, Your Majesty!" Dosey pled. "You're a great flyer! Teach me how to fly some more!"

"Thank you for letting me have friends!" a Lizalfos shouted, accompanied by his Zora friends. "Please, smash that ugly fairy!"

The queen felt their praise and pleas from all corners. She could see the tiny, sparkling Gratitude Crystals flowing in the air like breaming streaks. It felt like breathing the world's oxygen after being trapped underwater for hours. Not only did her wings grow, but two more appeared, and they altered between blue and gold colors. "How ugly." Sivam scoffed. "Parasitus!" Thorns grew from her wand and, fast as bullets, latched onto 20 different Anti-Fairies. The fairies cried as their bodies were absorbed into Sivam: her dress extended as black points grew on the end, and her bat wings glimmered like Ztars.

Mandy furiously whipped her with all four wings, Sivam blocking with her own wings. Mandy ceased and tried to Scream, but Sivam surprised her with a Ztar Beam, sending her miles across the field. The fairy poofed beneath Mandy and tried to shoot, but the queen instinctively whacked her away with a wing. Mandy molded six Fear Spheres that flew gently around Sivam. The fairy was confused, until the spheres started beeping, and she didn't escape before they exploded with condensed screams. Sivam was dizzied, and Mandy drilled through her body and reduced her to darkness.

The queen seized the abandoned Ztar Rod, but the wand suddenly stabbed at her, Mandy reactively molding her Logia body in defense. She struggled to restrain the rod as she tried to snap it, but a severed hand took the wand and flew over to one of the cameras, where Sivam reformed. "I can't believe you idiots are supporting this wannabe queen. All she cares about is using people, including you."

Mandy sliced her head clean off, Sivam becoming darkness. "As I speak, she's feeding off your emotions." Mandy realized multiple Sivam clones were speaking into each camera. "She only acted all kind because she wanted your loyalty. As soon as she gets rid of me and the other Emperors, she won't give a shit about any of you."

Mandy destroyed all the copies with Fear Spheres. "Isn't that right, Your Majesty?" A gigantic Sivam poofed behind her, smirking at the feeble-looking queen. "Your subjects are all but tools to you."

"SILENCE!" Mandy sliced her up the middle. "That's right… I'm using them. No matter how strong I am, I'm forced to rely on other peoples' emotions. It was easy to feed off their fear, but relying on their gratitude was dreadful. Because it made me realize… I need their feelings to be strong!" Tears leaked. "I need people to praise me, to thank me! Their feelings give me the strength to fight! And that's why… I…"

She faced a camera with tearing eyes, as if facing all the people of Hyrule. "I'm so thankful for you all, people of Hyrule! Thank you for lending me your power!"

To Sivam's astonishment, Mandy's form grew even bigger, her Logia body absorbing every ounce of gratitude from the atmosphere. Her form could be mistaken as that of Goddess Hylia. Mandy looked down at Sivam as though she were a child, looking up at her parent in fear after doing something bad. And like any parent, Mandy smacked her so hard that she flew all the way above the Great Forest. The queen swiftly whooshed after her, grabbing Sivam in two wings and holding her horizontal as she spanked her mercilessly.

Nearby, Smaug and Azula had taken their fight to the ground when they saw the two royals above. "Is that… Mandy?! What has become of her—AAAH!" Smaug cried when his weak point was struck.

"This is the power befitting a supreme ruler, Smaug!" Azula declared, blocking another fire blast. "This kind of power only belongs to people like Mandy, who have the strength and passion to conquer anyone!"

"BLARRH! We will never kneel to that weakling! Sivam and I will rule Hyrule forever!"

Sivam escaped and rained Ztar in the sky upon Mandy, but they were all ripped into Zhards by her heavenly wings. Sivam cast a spiked Protego and rammed the queen, but Mandy hugged and squeezed it with all six wings before it utterly shattered. Sivam desperately formed a thousand giant Ztars that rained thousands more Ztars upon her, but Mandy unleashed a Scream that engulfed the entire country, destroying all Ztars and nearly ridding Sivam of her hearing.

"How…How can you be this strong?! All this gratitude is false… it's BULLSHIT! The Hyruleans can't love you this much!"

"You're Mavis's opposite, so you don't believe in the power of emotions. But I know for a fact: Fear is what moves the world. It's what inspires people to not fall behind, to make them repay favors to others. Fear is everything. I AM EVERYTHING!" Her incredible chi was rising to its very peak. Sivam was practically frozen by her own fear, for Mandy was truly unstoppable. "And you, Sivam… I have one thing to say to you." Her eyes glimmered, and Sivam knew the Grim Glare was about to trap her in the endless nightmare. Mandy loomed closer and closer, but that dreadful feeling vanished as soon as she said, "I'm sorry." (End song.)

"W…What?!" Sivam gasped.

"I used your people to establish my rule over this world. I'm sorry. You and the other pirates are my crew, my team. Not my tools. I'm sorry if I didn't give you enough respect."

Sivam… She…She couldn't comprehend it. Why was Mandy apologizing?! After Sivam was the one causing havoc? Was she crazy? No, this must be a trick. But those eyes were so genuine, and the way Mandy looked at her like a forgiving mother… Sivam choked. Sivam stuttered. Sivam's heart was racing. She didn't know whether to believe her or—wait a minute, of course she should attack her! She was her enemy, she used her, but Mandy apologized for using her—but—she—use—Sivam—Mandy—

"AAAAAAAAAaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!" Sivam cried, shrunk, and fell toward the earth.

Smaug was slightly affected by Mandy's Scream, but stayed strong as he breathed an endless stream of fire at Azula. "You're afraid too, Smaug." Azula smirked, her sapphire flames easily overpowering his breath. "You were the most feared monster in ancient Hyrule, but now you're a fossil. You're ancient. A memory. You need our crew to make yourself feared again, because without us, you're NOTHING!"

Azula asserted her Conqueror's Haki over him, but Smaug was not deterred. He would keep blowing, but Azula's fire was stronger nonetheless, forcing all the heat back down Smaug's throat. His lungs grew weaker, his will was steadily shrinking from both the Haki and Mandy's Fear Chi. When Sivam finally landed, he cried beside her. "AAAAAAAHHHH!"

Mandy set foot beside Azula, as both Sivam and Smaug bowed so hard they cracked the ground. "WE'RE SORRY! Please forgive us! Please have mercy!"

Mandy zapped down to normal size and smiled, patting Sivam's head. "Of course I forgive you, Sivam. Now, clean up your mess."

"Y-Yes, Miss." Sivam weakly raised her wand and dispelled the Black Ztar Sky, returning the beautiful morning to Hyrule.

"Good, Sivam. But I'm afraid I'll have to ground you. And I'm taking your toy." Mandy casually took the Ztar Rod and snapped it in two. "About a month should suffice. Then I'll fix it up and give it back."

Seconds later, thousands of Anti-Fairies began dropping like flies, for the source of their flight and magic was disabled. Suddenly, a terrific rain washed over the Great Forest: Vah Ruta was putting out all the fire. "Now, how 'bout we put this embarrassing incident behind us and fix the kingdom?"

From afar, the moment was observed by Cheren and Bisky. "Sigh… This was an unexpected delay, but at least the forest wasn't destroyed." Bisky said. "Let's hide until they leave."

"If you say so. Heh…" Cheren couldn't help but feel proud of his aunt. "Well done, Mandy. Mom would be proud."

Adnaw, the dimwitted Anti-Fairy landed on his head. Cheren casually brushed her off.

Three days later

A festival was held in Castle Town, honoring Mandy's victory. The Gorons carved a statue representing the beautiful Gracious Queen. Mandy rewarded medals of honor to the Divine Beast pilots, along with blue sashes with Triforce symbols. "For their valiant efforts in stopping the Anti-Fairy Revolution, I hereby declare Riju, Gollin, Quinn, and Juny the new Hyrulean Champions—and the ranks of 'Champion' in the Boogey Pirates! They will protect our world with the Divine Beasts and continue honoring our great kingdom."

"THANK YOU, QUEEN MANDY!" the Champions chorused.

"Enjoy the feast and the festivities, but don't rest for too long. I fear we will need our Champions to protect us again. I… have received this." The queen presented a letter, with the symbol of an "F" with wings.

"What's that?!" Koko exclaimed.

"This is a declaration of war from the Sky God Pirates. The same scum who stole the Santa Hylia, a treasured relic of Hyrule. Mark my words, we will crush Skaios' crew and take what is rightfully ours. And I, Queen Mandy, will lead you to VICTORY!"

"THANK YOU, QUEEN MANDY!"

Hyrule Castle

"I should've known the Sky Gods would stage an attack against us." Cortez said.

"That letter was sent by our spy." Azula replied. "Li'l Despair was ordered to persuade Skaios to attack us, and sabotage them in the process. With the Divine Beasts, she's very confident she can win. Hm, she must really want that spaceship."

"After this incident, is keeping the Anti-Fairies around really a wise idea?" Rā's al Ghūl asked. "Just before that incident, those two kids in Cindy's crew went rogue. Mandy really has become a laughingstock."

"YOU'RE the only laughingstock here! You couldn't even catch those runaway corpses! Besides, from the sound of it, they were probably KND operatives all along."

"Most likely Spirit Operatives." Cortez assumed. "Like the scurvy group Bellum and I captured. We'll search 'em down and skewer them, we will. Yohohohoho!"

Near Rito Village

After fleeing the Hebra Mountains, Sector Hinobi were able to seek refuge at Rito Stable. Having changed into Hyrulean uniforms to blend with the environment, they viewed up at the cleared sky with a sense of ease and comfort. "I guess whatever was happening is over now." Five deduced.

"It doesn't make things any better for us." Zahra said. "You think Mitch is okay?"

"I hope." Bergy replied. "I still can't believe he did that…"

"You're going to be a diversion?!" Haneesh whisper-shouted, the teammates hiding behind a boulder.

"There's no way we can take on a pro like Gaz. The best we can do is try to get away from her. She won't care for newbs like you, but she can't resist chasing me."

"But we can't leave you to fend her off on your own!" Five argued.

"If we try to escape together, she'll never let us leave her sight. We'll just have to part ways for now. Just relax, I'm Mitch Williams! I'm ready for whatever she's—GAAAAH!" Their boulder was shattered by the knight's sword.

"That's a coward's way to fight, kids!"

"Yeah, well is that the best you can do, you second-rate gamer?!" Mitch taunted as he began to surf about the snow on a digital shield.

"You wanna say that to my face, pretty boy?" Gaz controlled the mech in attempt to chase him.

"Old ladies shouldn't play videogames! I know babies that can pilot better than that!"

"You're asking for it now, Mitch! I'm taking you down once and for all!"

The others watched as the robot chased Mitch without a care for his teammates. "She really is easy to provoke." Five noted.

"Don't worry, guys, he's Mitch Williams!" Haneesh assured. "He's probably getting all grumpy trying to find us right now."

"Even if he is… was it a good idea to come here?" Zahra wondered. "I feel like… we just walked into something big. I'm not sure if I can handle it."

Five held her hand in comfort. "We'll be fine." He said with an assuring smile. "By now, all the KNDs will know about this. And that means Miko will find out we've gone missing. When she gets here, the pirates won't know what hit them!"

"Hm hm!" Zahra was almost envious with how much faith he was placing in Miko. Still, charging recklessly into Emperor territory is just the kind of thing Miko would do, and it was even somewhat worrying. "I just hope she's careful!"

That night; Bathing Quarters

"Ahhhh…" After a long day's work of serving the kingdom, Mandy was always welcomed by the warmth of her tub.

"You did a great job, Mandy." Science Zelda said, washing Twilight Zelda's back.

"You've grown into a wise queen." Sheik said, washing Sky Zelda's hair.

"And you're so strong, too!" Minish Zelda cheered, washing Tetra's toes.

"Yeah yeah, just turn down your spirit lights."

"Um… Mandy?" Azula asked, in the bath as well. "Who are you talking to?"

"She's been hallucinating a lot lately." Cindy replied.

"So, Hilda, what's your favorite animal?" Mandy asked the Negative.

"Bullbos, of course."

"I'm much more fond of moths." Minish Zelda followed.

"In my era, there was this girl named Agitha." Twi-Zelda replied. "You would've loved her."

"I'm sure she has a reincarnation in this era." Science Zelda said. "Mandy, you oughta look for her."

"Eh, I might."

Their conversation rambled on, much to Azula and Cindy's disbelief. If she was gonna be this noisy, they would make sure to take baths at different times from now on.