Operation: MASKED, Part 18: Merida and the Giant

Chapter 18: Merida and the Giant

Sector DB Treehouse

Cheren felt a throbbing in his head as he awoke on some kind of couch, finding a rather chubby boy with yellow hair, wearing dark-green Scottish garb, watching over him. Behind him, a slim, taller boy with puffy brown hair called out, "Oi, Princess, that weird kid is awake."

Cheren shook his head awake and sat up to see that he was in a treehouse. "How many times have Ay told you not to call me that??" a familiar voice replies. Cheren looked behind to see Merida, the princess that Fergus wanted him to marry. Cheren watched as the princess stripped herself of her tight garb, making Cheren squint his eyes from what would lie underneath, but saw that she was wearing a long, dark-green cotton dress, with brown boots underneath, and her hair was very orange, puffy, and frizzy. Similar to Mrs. Drilovsky, Cheren thought. "Honestly, can't me mum fit me in that WITHOUT putting it over my normal clothes?"

"Wait a second… is this a Kids Next Door treehouse?" Cheren asked.

"Yep!" the chubby boy said, plopping down beside Cheren and wrapping an arm around him. "Welcome to the club of boys whom our dads want ta marry the princess! Ay'm Arbur MacGuffin, that's Stephen Macintosh," he pointed to the taller boy, "and that's Willie Dingwall." He pointed to a third boy in the corner, with big ears, brown boots, a grass-green garb, and he looked rather oblivious. "And of course, ya already know Merida."

Cheren snickered. "You all have some funny names!"

"'ey, we're the sons of the Lords!" Macintosh responded. "Our names are respected throughout the country! Besides, what kind of name is CHEREN, anyway?"

"Whatever." Cheren eye-rolled, still smiling. His serious look returned. "So… you're all supposed to be marrying the princess?" he asked, confused.

"Ugh, it's this stoopid tradition in our kingdom," Merida huffed as she went over to sit at another bench along one of the trees, "where the Princess of my family has ta get married to whichever of the Lord's sons wins the special tournament of her choosing; when she's 16, of course. Ay'm still 6 years away. But Ay don't want ta marry anyone! Not until Ay feel like it." Merida sighed and pinched her nasal bridge. "Ay can only hope mah own great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great granddaughter has a SIMILAR problem. And besides, they don't want ta go through with it either. Right?"

"Ew, no!" MacGuffin said.

"Yer not my type." Macintosh said with a smirk.

"Uhhhh…" Dingwall was speechless.

"Well, I don't want to marry you." Cheren said with a laugh. At the risk of becoming my best friend's long-lost distant cousin.

"Great, ye've passed the test, welcome aboard." Merida remarked sarcastically as she approached them. "Anyway, you know about the Kids Next Door, so ye must be one of us. Who ah you?"

Cheren stood up and faced her as he spoke professionally, and really fast, "My name is Cheren Uno, Numbuh 3621 and Supreme Leader of the Kids Next Door. Or at least, in my universe. I have journeyed to here from the Hyrule Dimension in search of a dangerous demon who has possessed a fellow operative. My journey led me here to the ruins of DunBroch, where I have activated and entered a Time Gate portal to travel to this time where you live, 800 years in the past."

The four operatives fell dead silence, and they stared confused and about as dumb as Dingwall looked. "…WELL-P, should we call the Moonbase and have them pick up a patient for their loony wing?" Macintosh half-joked.

"Wait a second," Cheren shook, "YOU guys have a Moonbase?"

"Of course we have a Moonbase!" Merida exclaimed. "What century do ya think this is, the Cavemen Era?? We barely had an Arctic Base back then!"

"So 2x4-technology goes back THAT far??"

"Ay don't know. I was just jokin' there. Ay dunno how far the Kids Next Door goes, but we do have a Moonbase."

"Oh." Cheren didn't think the Kids Next Door went that far. Still, he was surprised they had a Moonbase in this era. "So, where am I now?"

"You're in Sector DB. Ay'm the leader, Numbuh 1286-"

"Nice number." Cheren smirked.

"-and you claim to be, not only from the future, but another dimension entirely where YER the Supreme Leader?"

"Y-Yeah… it's a long story." Cheren replied, scratching his head sheepishly. "Anyway, about this tradition problem… maybe I can convince the Lords or whoever to, you know, let you marry whoever you want. I mean, I've been pretty persuasive in the past."

"Forget about it. It's not your problem. If Ay'm lucky, Ay can find a way through it myself." Merida said.

"Well… okay then." I probably shouldn't try to change the past, anyway. Cheren thought. He then remembered, "Oh yeah, the reason I came here. This might sound weird, but've you guys seen a white-haired girl in a mask?"

The four thought for a second (well, 3 of them did). "Ya know, Ay think me dad said 'e saw a wee lass like that walk into the forest. A few hours later, that's when these monsters and skeletons showed up! That girl isn't a friend of yours, is she? How would she get here from your time?"

Cheren thought he knew how. "She probably used her timebending to activate the Timeshift Orbs."

"Timebendin'?" Merida asked.

"Um, I'll explain later. But I think this girl had something to do with this whole war. Do you guys have some kind of temple, or other sacred structure where, I dunno, some spirit is said to live?"

"Dude, ya start to sound more and more weird by the minute." Macintosh said.

"Actually, me dad used ta tell me that DunBroch was watched over by Giants." Merida replied.

"Go ooon?" Cheren nodded, sensing they're getting on the right track.

"And that their temple exists high in the sky, above the clouds of DunBroch. They say the temple is kept levitated by DunBroch's life force and fighting spirit. And if the kingdom ever fell, the temple would collapse onto the ground."

"So basically, the temple currently exists on the GROUND, in my time."

"Why would ye reach that conclusion?" Merida questioned.

Cheren was silent for a few seconds. "Um, it's… just a thought."

"Okay…" Merida was confused about what he meant.

"Anyway, thanks for the info. I'll find a way back to the present and try to look for the temple's ruins. Then I'll be able to save the Giant." With that, Cheren was on his way to the exit.

"Wait!" Merida ran and stopped in his path. "Ay'm coming with you!"

"You are?" Cheren asked. "Ohhh." He had an idea why, remembering her little problem. "Because you want to prove to your parents that you're strong enough to make your own decisions. Right?"

"Heck nooo! But Ay'm tired of sittin' around and doin' nothin'. My parents've kept me inside ever since this war started. And even if it isn't any of my business, these monsters are a threat to children, too, so it's mah duty."

"Well, I was kinda hoping to do this mission alone."

"Ya won't make it far through here alone, so Ay'm comin' with ya."

Cheren sighed. If he knew Panini, or even her mother, well enough, there was no changing her mind. "Well, I doubt it'll even DO much. I mean, we're going to save the Giant in MY time, so that won't have much effect on the state of your country in THIS time."

"If you were able to get here, maybe this temple has a way of going through time."

Cheren sighed again. "Fine, you can come with me. Though I have a strong feeling you won't like the future."

"Ay'm anticipating it. But first, Ah can't leave without meh bow."

"Your bow?"

"Yes. Ah'm one of the Kids Next Door's best archers. When this war started, me mum took me bow and hid it in the armory. Oh, and a sword wouldn't be bad either."

"But I already have both!" Cheren said, holding up his sword and bow. "I don't really see the point in having extras."

"Well, ya won't be using them, Ay will. Now let's go. Me parents probably 'ave guards watchin' the place, so watch yer step." Cheren sighed and followed the Scottish girl as she walked ahead.

"Okaaay! We'll just stay 'ere and guard the place!" MacGuffin called. "Sigh… when're they gonna invent videogames?…"

DunBroch Castle

Cheren and Merida peeked out of a secret compartment in the wall above the bed in Merida's room. After making sure the room was clear, they crept in and shut the entrance. Afterwards, they snuck over to the door and opened it just a crack to see two guards patrolling the hall. "Well, they're not givin' us much ta hide behind." Merida whispered.

"Don't worry." Cheren said, getting his bow ready. "A few guards like this, it'll be easy." He took aim at the first guard and…

"No!" Merida whispered, pulling his arrow down. "Ay don't want ta kill them. Besides, if they scream, the whole castle will be on lookout. Ya've got to be stealtheh."

"Oh, all right." Cheren pouted. He looked up at the wooden beams across the ceiling, which had Hidden Leaf symbols on them. "Okay, I have an idea." The two pulled back in as Cheren slipped on the headband and morphed into a ninja.

"Aaah!" Merida fell back in shock.

"Oh yeah… uhh, I can do that." Cheren replied in his gruff ninja voice. "You'll get used to it. Anyway, stay close." (Play the "Eldin Eruption" theme from Zelda: Skyward Sword.)

Cheren hopped to the wooden beams and flipped above them while the guards weren't looking. He crept above the spot where the guards would approach each other, and then turned back around. Cheren quietly dropped down and cupped his hands over the first guard's mouth and nose, and he failed to shake away before he fainted. Afterwards, Cheren snuck up behind the second guard and performed the same action to knock him out, silently.

With both guards unconscious, Merida was able to sneak over undetected. They approached the stairway and crouched behind the railing to peer over at the dining room below. They crawled their way down the staircase for a better look. There were two soldiers standing guard at both sides of the exit, and one more larger guard walking back and forth in the middle of the room, with one of his turning points being by the stairs.

When the guard stopped by the stairs and turned around, Cheren and Merida quickly but quietly crawled out and hid behind him to avoid being spotted by the two at the exit, even though they were further away, while also not getting caught by the large guard himself. He stopped to turn around beside the door to the kitchen, so Cheren and Merida quickly crawled away while he was turning, going in the kitchen undetected.

When they got in, they saw another large warrior searching through a cabinet, and they quickly crawled under the table to avoid being spotted. The guard turned and approached the table, beginning to chop up some vegetables, though didn't seem to notice the two. They noticed the door to the armory was locked, and the guard had the key around his waist. When he turned back to grab more stuff from the cabinet, Cheren crawled out and quietly swiped the key. He crawled back under the table to wait for the guard to walk away from the door. When he walked to the other side of the room to get something, Cheren and Merida hurried to the door, unlocked it, and crept inside.

"Any idea why the armory is inside the kitchen?" Cheren asked.

"It's their favorite place, I guess." Merida said as she went to take a bow hung up on the wall. "Ahh, me good ol' bow. What would Ay do without ya?" she smiled. "And Ay'll just take this, too." She grabbed a sword.

Merida got the sword and bow! With these weapons, the DunBroch Princess will be able to fight and defend herself! 'Course, you already have both, but you know what they say: two heads are better than one!

"Well, I'm sure those'll come in handy." Cheren remarked sarcastically. "So, where now?"

"We get out of here, duh." With that, Cheren and Merida snuck their way through the kitchen and returned to the audience room. The guard in the center was thankfully turned around, so Cheren and Merida were able to sneak by and hide between the stone pillar and the fence that divides the audience stands. They peeked out at the two door guards, looking for a way to take them both out silently. They noticed the shelves above each guard, with an empty pot directly above them. The shelves were both held up by a rope, so Cheren and Merida took aim at their own rope with their arrows. They released and cut the ropes, and the pots fell and perfectly caught the guards' heads.

The two made muffled sounds as they tried to look around, giving Cheren and Merida the perfect time to run by them and sneak out the front door. (End song.)

Downtown

"Well, I'm glad we didn't spend too long in there." Cheren said as he and Merida walked together in the town.

"We never had very good security. It's why the others are always able to sneak over in the treehouse."

"But if you're the princess, aren't you worried about being out in the open?"

"Noo. Me mum always makes me wear the tight-dress when we go out, so I look like a 'proper princess.' They never see what Ay really look like." Merida smirked.

"I think you look a lot better in these clothes." Cheren smiled. "But don't take that the wrong way, you just are."

"Ah know. Now, where is this portal ya were tellin' me about?"

They stopped in the center of the town and looked around. "This is where I came in." Cheren said. "Maybe it has its own time limit."

"Wouldn't that mean yer trapped here?"

"I hope not." Cheren said, worried. "But if Majora used those orbs to come here, and bring his demons along… I would think it took him awhile to attack the Giant and wake up the dead. So he should have a way to get back to our own time. Not to mention he should've left a way for his demons to return. Like, maybe some Time Dust. …Unless… he didn't really care about them."

"Yer goin' too fast." Merida stated, shaking her head. "Who is Majora? What is Time Dust?"

"Oh, Majora is the one who's behind all this. He's a demon, and Time Dust is the stuff that timebenders leave when they… timebend."

"And timebending is…?"

"The ability to manipulate time at will."

"Yer people are very strange."

"Yes we are. Anyway, Majora is sort of using my friend to destroy the world, so I'm tryin' to stop him."

"But if Majora could travel back in time, why couldn't he just destroy the world here, where ya couldn't reach him?"

"Probably because if this world was already destroyed, he would have no reason to come here. Ergo, nonexistence. Apparently, destroying the Giant would've been a safe change to the timestream. Like going reeeeeally far back in time to prevent your brother's genes from existing."

"Well, yer people must be pretty informed on the subject."

"Heh, it's basic stuff. Anyway… since the portal isn't here, we'll have to find another way. Know any place we could search for clues on how to get to the temple?"

"Well, we could ask the old witch if she has anythin'."

"The old witch?"

"There's a witch that lives in the forest nearby. Ay've never seen her, but I heard people go to her fer magical charms."

"Sounds familiar. Still, it's a good place to start. Where's the forest?"

"Just outside the east gate. Over here." Merida led him to a gate on the east side of town, another large wooden door with two eye switches on the sides.

"Not the best security measure." Cheren smirked as he readied his bow.

"A bit trickier than you think." Merida smirked, readying her bow. "This is why Ah got mah bow. Both switches need to be hit at the same time. Give er take a few milliseconds. Shouldn't be too hard." With that, she aimed at the left switch, while Cheren took the right, and both released their arrows and struck at the same time (give or take a few milliseconds). The gates opened, allowing them entry into… well, the exit.

The two of them hurried down the path that led to the forest up ahead. Along the way, a swarm of Stalkin emerged from the ground, but the two did away with them with a few quick spin attacks. "Lately, it's been pretty dangerous to open the gates," Merida said as they walked forward, "what with all the monsters."

"Ehh, they aren't really that tough. In my time, demons've gotten kinda weak."

It wasn't long before they reached the forest. Even though it was still daytime, the forest was awfully dark with no sun pouring through. "Ya might already guess, but this forest used ta be prettier before all the monsters."

"Ehh, you've seen one, you've seem 'em all basically." Cheren said, recalling all the forest areas he's been to on this journey.

"So, Cheren, what is it like in your time?"

"Ehh, nothin' special. It's almost the same as here. Although, we're a bit more high-tech. And just for the record, there's gonna be this AWESOME thing called television in the future, you will just love it."

They eventually reached what looked like a large, flat-bottomed rock covered in moss, with a small dent in the ground with stairs that revealed a wooden door. "This must be the witch's cottage!" Merida beamed as she hurried in the entrance, followed by Cheren. (Play Koume and Kotake's Theme from Zelda: Majora's Mask.)

The cottage was packed with tables of potions, and strange bear decorations. It was an interesting place to wanna try and hide, as the bear heads, claws, and figurines gave Cheren the utmost creeps. The two approached the potion-filled counter, where a strange person in black and white garb had their back turned. "Um… excuse me?" Merida spoke.

"Well, helllOOO, deeears." She twirled around, revealing her big-nosed, dark-yellow face, a red emblem on her strange hat.

Cheren gasped, recognizing the woman, and he immediately whipped out his sword and aimed at the hag's face. "WAAAIIIIIINNK!" she wailed, holding her hands up in defense.

"KOUME!!" Cheren yelled.

"Cheren, what are ye doin'??" Merida shouted.

"My parents told me about her. She and her sister are old witches that worked for Ganondorf. They were his moms, I think. Now, keep in mind, I'm Rachel's son, so you better stay back." Cheren stated with hate.

"WHO is Ganondorf??" Merida asked.

"Yes, who is Ganondorf?" Koume asked, curious but afraid. "I just sell potions in my cottage! (You can't go anywhere without some young'un pointing big, shiny daggers at you.)"

Cheren took a moment to think. When he finally got the gist, AGAIN, he looked a little sheepish. "Oh... you're the Terminan version of Koume. Eh hehehe." He grinned and nervously put his sword away.

Koume just glared at the boy before speaking, "Well, aside from being incredibly rude, what are you kids doing out here in the forest? You know about all the monsters crawling around, right?"

"Actually, we were wonderin' if ya had any way of findin' this land's temple." Merida explained.

"Temple? You mean the ancient ruin that hangs in the sky? Or so the legends say…"

"That would be the place." Cheren figured.

"My, why would a couple of young'uns be looking for this temple? You don't plan to try and SAVE this land, do you?"

"Well, I've had a fair amount of experience." Cheren said simply. "But her, I dunno."

"Heeey." Merida glared.

"But if I could guess, we'd need some kind of special song to make the temple come down, or at least make a way to let us up."

"Oh ho ho ho! It sounds like you do have experience. Unfortunately, there is no such song. The temple was kept in the heavens so that evil would not reach it easily, and there is no way up there. The only way to possibly make the ruin come down would be to ruin this kingdom. Tear it to shambles, rob all the hope from the land, and the structure will come toppling down."

"Well, we might already have a solution." Cheren said. "Believe it or not, I'm from the future. You ever hear of Timeshift Orbs?"

"Oooohhh." Koume looked fascinated. "I thought you were different, young man. It's funny actually. Just yesterday, my sister and I were hiking up the mountain, when we noticed this strange portal. Kotake tried to have a peek and ended up falling inside, and the portal closed. I don't know what could've made it. But the thing is, we actually found the portal after following some monsters."

"Hmmm. I think Kotake might be experiencing future shock." Cheren figured. "Don't worry. We'll get your sister back. Um, where did you see this portal?"

"Atop the Crone's Tooth, where the Fire Falls… uh, fall."

"The Fire Falls??" Merida looked excited. "Aww, strewth! Ay always loved climbing up the Crone's Tooth! Heh, me mum doesn't want me to because she says it's dangerous." She smirks at Cheren.

"Wait, did you just say strewth?" Cheren noticed. "I thought you were Scottish."

"Me voice actor's havin' a hard time gettin' Scottish right from Australian. It's not an easy accent, ya know."

"Um… 'kay." Cheren looked confused. He looked back at Koume and asked, "Well, can you take us to where you saw the portal? We could think of something."

"Of course I can!" Koume beams. "As long as my sister can be saved! Just don't lose your footing along the way." The fire witch waved her hands and caused a broomstick to appear out of a puff of smoke. "WHEEE heeheeheeheehee!" The kids watched as the witch shout out the window on her broom, soaring into the heavens. (End song.)

"…Not very patient, is she?" Cheren remarked.

The kids left the cottage and began the walk through the forest toward the Fire Falls, with Merida leading the way. Surprisingly, as the kids hopped stones across a rushing river, a tiny ounce of sun poked through the grey sky, making the river sparkle. "I have to say, Merida, your world isn't that bad; it's really pretty." Cheren complimented. "Even when it's ruined in the future, it has a nice aura to it." He smiled.

When they made it across the river, Merida turned to him in slight surprise. "What do you mean 'ruined'?"

"Well… this country falls into kind of a slump." Cheren only said, not wanting to worry her too much. "But if we save the Giant, it MIGHT come back to life!" he said hopefully.

Merida sighed, not liking Cheren's words at all. "Ay hope so. But at least Ay would've tried to do something about it."

The two eventually reached a tall, steep cliffside with a small waterfall pouring from above, the sun making it light orange. Cheren stared wide-eyed at the Fire Falls, and Merida gave a vibrant, excited look. "There it is!" Merida said in awe. "The Fire Falls! They say only ancient kings were brave enough ta drink from it."

"Heheh. They really know how to make a steep-" Cheren stopped himself when he noticed Merida readily climbing the steep cliffside, reaching one of the platforms and taking a sip from the falls.

"Are ya stayin' down there??" Merida shouted in a cocky tone. "It's okay! Ya look much better like an ant!"

Cheren glared and smirked, throwing on his Wolf Mask and morphing into a wolf. "WAAAH!!" Merida immediately was shocked, falling on her behind. The wolf-boy doggedly began leaping up the many stones as Merida hurriedly climbed up the cliff. She reached another foothold, but gasped in fear when Cheren suddenly jumped up and tackled her on her back. The wolf growled ferociously at her face, Merida's heart racing as she stared at his drooling, jagged teeth. But at that moment, Cheren blew a raspberry in her face, and Merida looked annoyed as Cheren licked from the falls and bounced up the rest of the mountain.

Cheren watched as Merida soon climbed up, looking very annoyed at Cheren's panting, smiling wolf-face. "Is EVERYONE from your time able to change like that? And if so, are they that ANNOYING?"

Cheren pulled off his mask, getting back on only two feet. "We are unique, I'll give you that. Now, where'd that old bag land?"

"I may be a bag, but I can still hear just fine!" Cheren flinched as they looked up and found the witch hovering over a part of the forest. "Now, the spot where my sister vanished is this way. If you're bold enough to come out here, you kids better have something."

The kids hurried over to where Koume instructed, finding the witch standing in an empty area, with no grass or trees and just dirt. "This is where I last saw my sister. The portal disappeared and it hasn't shown any signs of coming back."

"Still doesn't tell us how to open it." Cheren said. "If only there was another portal device. It's how I got here."

Fi suddenly emerged from the sword. "Master, I am sensing another thirst for blood, similar from earlier. It seems your Garo Mask is required, Master."

Cheren did so and slipped on the mask, staring at Merida with his darkened, white-eyed face. "…So, aren't ya gonna change?" Merida asked, waiting for Cheren to become something weird and freaky.

"Hehe!" Cheren laughed.

"AAAH!" Merida fell over startled, grabbing onto Cheren when a Garo suddenly sprung up behind her.

"Master! You called!"

The three stared blankly at him.

The Garo stared in surprise. "What the f&^k?!" They were surrounded by fire as the Garo drew his dual blades and launched at them, but Cheren and Merida dodged to opposite sides. The Garo jumped at Cheren, but he bounced the ninja back with the Mirror Shield, knocking him to Merida, who sliced him through the middle back.

The Garo screamed as he fell to his rear, the flames dying. "Regrettable! Although, my rival, you are spectacular. I shall take my bow by opening my heart and revealing my wisdom. To return to the world of whence you came, play the ancient song that warped the time stream itself. Belief or disbelief rests with you. To die without leaving a corpse… that is the way of us Garo." The ninja randomly pulled out some material out of nowhere and fixed himself a wood-chopper. His legs straight and arms kept down, the Garo remained stiff as he jumped and dove into the chopper, and the three watched as shredded clothing and blood came out.

Fi came out from the sword again and reported, "Master, the words from the Garo has sparked an important piece from my memory. It is a song that Link once used to manipulate the flow of time: the fabled Song of Time. The song channels energy from the time around us, just as timebenders, and alternates time as the notes are played. Mystical instruments like your Spirit Flute can utilize the power of the song, but only small fractions."

"For REAL, though??" Cheren asked, excited to do anything that involves traveling time. "So let's do it!"

"Very well. I will perform the song, Master."

"Naa-noooo. Noo-naa-noooo. Noooo…." Fi sung the notes in a beautiful, otherworldly voice. She sung them again, and Cheren forgot how pretty her voice was when she sang. When they were little, Rachel used to have Fi sing them a lullaby, and they went to sleep immediately. Of course, it felt weird thinking about this; Fi was just their servant, after all; practically.

When Fi finished singing, Cheren repeated the notes using his Spirit Flute; the pipes were Yellow, Green, White, Yellow, Green, White. Doo-dooo. Doo-DOOO-dooo. Doo-do-do-DOO-DO, do-do-do-DOO-do-do-dooooo…

They faced the air ahead of them as it started to become wavy, with mini blue sparkles drifting about. They flinched in surprise when a swirling blue portal suddenly spiraled to life, luring them forward with a gentle breeze.

You learned the Song of Time! This was a sacred, ancient that enabled the Hero of Time to manipulate time's flow. If there is an area in the future or past with a Time Gate stationed, the Song of Time will activate it from the other end! And the song may have other properties, too…

Fi spoke once again, "Master, judging by the appearance of this portal, the Song of Time must have stirred the fragments of Time Dust that filled the air in this area. By that logic, I calculate a 90% chance this portal will warp us to your original time, Master."

"You'll get used to her doing that." Cheren said to Merida, who chuckled lightly.

"WAHP." Koume looked shocked. "Well, I will never understand where you've come from or how you work, young man… but if you're as reliable as you look, you'll save my sister."

"(Why do people always think that?)" Cheren said to himself.

"Well, come on." Merida said eagerly. "Let's go." She was about to step in, until Cheren grabbed her shoulder.

"Um… Merida?" Cheren held a look of worry. "Just to let you know, if you come with me… you won't like what you see."

"Oh, quit being so sentimental!" she yelled, smacking his hand. "Ay can handle whatever's in there." Without another second to waste, the Scottish princess jumped in the portal.

"Siiigh…" Still feeling worried, Cheren jumped in after her.

DunBroch Forest; 800 years later

Cheren came rolling out of the portal ('cause that's the coolest way to EXIT a portal) and stopped on his feet, looking up at Merida, whose back was turned. Cheren's worried look returned, seeing Merida overlooking the cliff. He stepped beside her, noticing the blank, emotionless stare on her face. "Merida?" Cheren overlooked the cliff, too. The forest was still there… but most of it had been withered away, it seemed. The sky was filled with gray, depressing clouds, and in the distance, Merida could see a field of ruin replaced her town of DunBroch, and her treehouse was no longer visible. The Fire Falls below her had become quiet and nearly dried, and no light reflected from its surface.

Cheren stared at her with sympathy, her green dress and frizzy hair blowing in the wind. He couldn't find a trace of emotion in her face. She must've been so traumatized on the inside. So full of hopelessness. To know that everything she ever knew or loved would fall into pieces. Cheren could almost imagine that pain… but he didn't know it for real.

Merida gave a calm, simple sigh and turned around. "Let's go. We'd better find the witch's sister." With that, she walked forward, not even sparing a second glance. Cheren wondered how she could be that calm, or maybe her operative instincts were telling her to just focus on the mission. He could see where Panini's mom gets it. Er, Thomas's mom, he means.

The portal they rolled out of was apparently attached to a Warp Gate device, with Timeshift Orbs linked to it, so this was likely how Majora's minions managed to traverse time in this area. The two of them continued through the near-wilted forest, much darker than it had been in Merida's time, as Blue Bubbles popped and aimed to gnaw on their heads. Cheren jumped in front of Merida and bounced the winged skulls back, disabling their blue fires and allowing Merida to slice them in two.

"I hate to tell you this, Cheren, but I kind of prefer my world better." Merida said casually as they walked along.

Cheren wondered how she could say that like it was no big deal her country gets wasted, but decided to play along. "Yeah, we've gotten kinda downhill. I mean, I guess your place is more… natural."

"If ye call walking dead natural. Now, where do ya suppose this old bag wandered off to?"

"I hope she isn't too far; otherwise we'll have to fight our way through a whole stage."

The area around them seemed to become more grey and dusty. They were slowly leaving the forest, and coming to a field of ruin, swallowed in the greyest fog they've ever seen. "Hey, Ay think Ay know this place." Merida mentioned as they kept going. "These are the ruins of the ancient kingdom. It's where the royal family's catacombs are."

"So this place was ruined before DunBroch got ruined?"

"Aye. Ay'd imagined this place has gotten pretteh dusteh."

As they turned around another fallen structure, they stopped as they noticed a strange silhouette a few feet away, an ice-white emblem on its forehead. They exchanged curious glances and headed over, finding an identical old witch stuck halfway in the ground. "…Kotake?" Cheren bent down and asked.

"Oooohhh…" the witch moaned, moving lightly.

"Ya think the monsters did somethin'?" Merida asked.

"Maybe." Cheren stood up. "She probably needs medicine. We'll have to go back and ask Koume if she's got any."

"…Huh?" the witch's eyes opened. "No no, I sleep like this sometimes. It's good for the back." With that, Kotake helped herself out of the ground, leisurely brushing the dirt off. "Wait. You kids know my sister? Did she finally get to sending a rescue team? Lazy bag, too cheap to buy a…"

"Hehehe." Cheren chuckled. "Well, I guess we're a rescue team. But more importantly, we're trying to find the ruins of the sky temple. …You see anything like that around here?"

"Eee hee hee! Lucky for you, I happened to be doing research on that matter. I wasn't gonna wander around this wasteland doing nothing. I've been trying to find the structure for years, flying around and getting lost in a sea of clouds. But I knew it had to be somewhere above this area. When I wound up in this future time, I knew I was bound to find it on the land. But it looks like the years took their toll on this land. Too much dust. I can't even see the lake anymore. But I happened to find a few interesting things. Like this:" she reached under her sleeve and pulled out a small, glowing green ball, the size of a gumball.

Cheren took the strange ball and stared at it confusedly. "A gumball?"

"It is a Rumble Ball, young man. They're special drugs that enhance one's abilities for a short time. I found it while scouring around the old catacombs. Aside from that ball, I discovered an ancient tablet. It read that only by the power of the Giants will the lost temple be uncovered. You see, according to legend, the Giants created a special mask long ago. A mask imbued with their very strength and will. They entrusted it to the old kings of DunBroch, but their misuse of its power brought the kingdom to ruin. So the Giants removed the mask of its power, and buried it in the catacombs."

"What did the mask do?" Cheren asked, feeling this sounded very familiar. Not Majora. …?

"The mask allowed its wearer to become a Giant their self. Their enhanced size would give them the powers of a god, to stomp the earth and create earthquakes, splashing the ocean like a pool and make tsunamis. The rulers of the ancient kingdom could never have been trusted with this power. The only way to breathe new life into this mask is to implant it with Rumble Balls. But even in a short amount of time, its power can be deadly."

"But you're saying that this mask can help us find the temple?" Cheren asked.

"It might young'un. But I don't have the energy to search that junk pile for the mask." She spoke as she began to limp away. "You kids look agile enough. I can get back to my sister now, right?"

"The portal should still be open." Cheren mentioned.

"Good." She continued limping away. "I don't know why you kids want to find the temple… but if you have the Giant's Mask, be careful what ya do with it."

Cheren and Merida reached a small, cylindrical structure atop a cliff, overlooking a vast sea of gray, dusty fog. "There used ta be a lake here." Merida said. "It made this area look a little prettier. …Ay guess it got a little dry."

"Eee-yup…" Cheren still wondered how Merida could look so calm. The kids looked at the structure beside them and entered, finding the place crumpled with cobwebs and broken murals. A small stairway led a little bit downward, and there was a particular spot on the floor with a pile of small, broken pieces of the building.

"Ay think this was where the catacombs was located." Merida mentioned. "We may as well clear them out of the way."

Cheren whipped out his M.U.M.B.L.E.R. and shot a M.A.R.B.L.E. at the pile, immediately blowing it out of the way. "Easy as that."

Merida uncovered her eyes and saw that a hole was revealed in the spot where the ruins lay, with a ladder going downward. "Ay… guess that's the place."

"Looks nice." Cheren said sarcastically, not liking how dark and black the pathway looked. "Ladies first?"

"Um, you go." Merida said, slightly worried. Cheren proceeded to head down the ladder first, with Merida climbing down after him. (Play the Sandship Theme from Zelda: Skyward Sword.)

Stage 28: The Ruined Catacombs

Mission: Find the Giant's Mask somewhere in the ruins.

The two carefully climbed down the ladder, the ruin growing darker the farther they went. It was like climbing into a dirty, dusty basement that hadn't been used for ages. They didn't know where the ladder would end up, or how far, so they were very careful to watch their step. But Cheren felt more afraid of unseen spiders landing on his head, crawling to bite him before he ever noticed. Sadly, Merida's foot slipped when she tried to step to a lower handle, and she ended up falling and pushing Cheren down as they collided with the bottom. "Waaaah- uuh!"

The dust cleared up from their crash as Cheren found himself crushed under Merida's butt, her legs rested over his head. "Ummm… sorry 'bout that." She grinned sheepishly.

"This will be a regular thing for your family in the future." Cheren mumbled. The boy pushed Merida off of him and stood to brush his pants off. "Man, this place is all kinds of ugly. I want out of here ASANow."

"Ya mean 'P'?"

"Um, no, they'll say that in the future."

"Okay then…"

The two trudged forward down a narrow hall, stepping over several fallen ruins and cutting down cobwebs in the way. They passed by several piles of dust, in which Arachas, little baby scorpions, jumped out and tried to latch on them. They frantically shook the bloodsuckers off and sliced them in one hit each. A tiny web strand got caught in Cheren's nose as they passed an archway, the boy yanking the web off as his tickly nose twitched. They stepped down a short staircase into a more open room, though still rather cramped due to all the debris and piles of dust.

All of the entryways were cluttered with debris, making it seem like a dead end, but they spotted a cracked wall on one end of the room. Cheren used a M.A.R.B.L.E. to blow the wall open, revealing a large, blue cube with a strange mural of the sun shining rays over the land. Fi emerged from the Master Sword to explain the cube's purpose. "Master Cheren, I have identified this cube as a Block of Time. By performing the Song of Time, this cube would automatically transport itself to a location it was in a previous time, and come back again as requested. Data shows that, when fused with a Timeshift Orb, these cubes will warp you to different points in time."

"So we'll just find a Timeshift Orb." Cheren figured, looking at the piles of dust. Cheren changed into his wolf form and began to dig around the piles, which were oddly thick for just being dust (or ash). Arachas leapt out in some of them, but the wolf-boy was able to bite and tear them away. He was eventually able to find the Timeshift Orb in the dust, and he reverted to human and carried it to the Time Block. When he tossed the orb at the block, both began to brim as the orb sunk into the block. The block continued to glow a light blue, so Cheren and Merida stood before it as Cheren played the Song of Time.

The block seemed to react to the song as a bright beam of blue light erupted from it. The operatives shut their eyes, caught in the blue beam, and when it died down, they saw that the ruin was a lot more clean now. It was obvious they had been transported back to the past. A couple of Beamos had spawned in the areas where some of the dust was. Cheren approached the first one and used his Mirror Shield to deflect its beam at the Beamos behind it, and afterwards take out the first Beamos itself.

The narrow hallway on the left side of the room was free of debris, so they were able to pass through. It was a slightly bigger room, with two pillars stationed around the middle, and two fierce-looking knight statues, with a flat, stamp-like bottom, a sword, a shield, and emblems on their front and back, floating around the room.

Fi came out to give info on this monster. "Target locked: Death Armos. Designed as a temple guard in ancient days, this Armos is programmed to stomp anyone that approaches. The emblems on its front and back channel its life force, and it will only be destroyed if both are damaged. Unfortunately, a single emblem will heal itself after a few seconds if the other is not dealt with."

"Guess this is another test of our teamwork." Cheren exchanged a smirk with Merida. The two walked in as Merida hurried behind the first Armos, but the creature spotted her, flew above, and tried to smash down, but Merida rolled back. Cheren shot the Armos from behind while it recovered, but when Merida tried to shoot the front emblem, she had to dodge when the second Armos tried to smash her. The first Armos was able to recover as a result, and Merida backed up as both were trying to crush her. Cheren ran behind the first one and shot it again. "Hurry up, shoot it!" Merida hastily grabbed her bow and shot its front, making the Death Armos explode. She ran from the second one as Cheren shot its behind, allowing Merida to shoot the front and destroy it.

The bars blocking the archway opened, and the two passed another hall to a relatively small room with a huge, wooden wheel on the wall at one end, and a smaller wheel on the floor a few feet in front of it. The giant wheel had a sword slot on its left side and a ball-shaped slot on the right, and there were also openings in the wall on both sides. The smaller wheel also had a sword-shaped slot on its side, and Cheren curiously stuck his sword in and walked around to turn the wheel. As a result, the bigger wheel was apparently turning with it. Cheren had Merida switch places with him as she stuck her sword in the smaller wheel and turned it so the sword slot was at the bottom of the bigger wheel. Cheren stuck his sword in the big wheel's slot as Merida turned it beside the right opening. Cheren saw there was only a Time Block, so he had Merida turn him beside the left end, where he hopped off into a short hallway.

The hall led to a small room with an altar, with a Timeshift Orb seated in the middle. Cheren took the orb and brought it to the previous room, but couldn't get it to the Time Block by usual means. He remembered the ball slot on the other side of the wheel and had Merida turn it so it'd be beside him. Cheren set the ball in its slot, and Merida turned the wheel again to get the sword slot beside him. Cheren stuck his sword in as Merida turned him to be beside the Time Block, where she then turned so Cheren could get the orb. Cheren fused the Time Orb with the Time Block, then used the Hookshot to pull Merida to him. Cheren blew the Song of Time and had the block transport them to the future.

The minute they returned to Cheren's regular time, they could see the distinct differences between the clean, relatively polished ruin in Merida's time, and the ugly, crumbled ruins in Cheren's time. The turn wheel was rotted and likely used up of its function, and several debris were fallen and stacked to serve as platforms to the parallel pathway, where the Timeshift Orb was found. Of course, it wasn't far for a Pirate Sail to reach, but they decided to use these stepping stones anyway, since the ruins went through all the trouble of ruining their selves for them.

The room with the altar was now decrepit, and the wall beyond the orb's resting spot had a gaping crack. Cheren used a M.A.R.B.L.E. to blow the wall open, revealing a slightly wider hallway with coffins leaning along the walls. As they stepped forward, the coffins' lids suddenly fell open, and zombified corpses slumped out, their faces totally lifeless. They were Redeads, probably the scariest enemies in all of Zelda. As they faced the first one with determined looks, they let out a blood-hurdling scream, and the operatives froze with utter terror and fright. They don't know what, but a sensation overcame them that prevented them from moving for a few seconds. When they were mobile again, the zombies unleashed another scream, and they couldn't get away before Redeads took them from behind and began to choke them.

Cheren desperately tried to pull the Redead's hands away, the zombie's grip surprisingly strong as it clutched tight to Cheren's neck. He was able to yank it off, whipping his sword out as he dealt blows against the Redead, eventually knocking it out, and then slaying the Redead choking Merida. The rest of the Redeads ran at the operatives, but Cheren and Merida swung their blades quickly and knocked them down. They quickly hurried down the hall and turned left at an intersection, then turned right another corridor, and then left before they reached a dead end.

The coffin at the end fell open to reveal a Stalfos, and the warrior's bones formed to life and faced Cheren with a fierce look, wielding dual swords. Cheren raised his shield as the skeleton rapidly banged his swords against it, and Merida ran to strike it from behind. The Stalfos spun around and used both his swords to defend from the two operatives, struggling to strike them on either side. Cheren rolled behind him while Merida rolled in front, and both sliced him upward in a perfect half, making his bones fall. They saw the coffin had a secret room behind it, cutting through the open casket to find a Timeshift Orb.

Cheren carried the orb across the other side of the corridor, but as he did, several Skulltula dropped down and tried to take the orb back. Cheren looked at them in fear, but couldn't defend himself while holding the orb, so Merida had to take them out herself. Cheren looked impressed as Merida flipped every giant spider upside-down and stabbed it in its belly, screaming fiercely with each stab. Merida looked like a true warrior, and Cheren couldn't help but think how beautiful she looked the way she fought. This must be where her descendants get it. …Eww, gross, Cheren shouldn't think that! She's 800 years old in his time! Well, it could be the traits of PANINI he thinks are beautiful… yeah, that. Wait, this was Thomas's ancestor. GROSSER!!

The kids reached the end of the hallway, where a Skulltula was seated on a web, completely blocking the small archway. Merida tried to hit the giant spider, but it didn't budge from its web at all. Cheren was able to set the Timeshift Orb safely down, and helped as he tried to use M.A.R.B.L.E.s, Fire Arrows, and Slag's body, but the spider was apparently well-armored. And there wasn't enough room to cut the web with the Bananarang. However, the two noticed a secret room on their right with a Time Block, and Cheren proceeded to toss the orb inside. He played the Song of Time, and the two were transported to the past.

In this time, the Skulltulas were simple, tiny Walltulas, and Cheren sliced the ones on the web in one, simple hit. The hall ahead was protected by numerous security lasers, coming from either side to prevent Cheren from slipping through with the Mirror Shield. When the two stepped through the first laser, they saw metal bars seal the other side of the hall, and when they retreated, it reopened. The two decided to return to the future via Time Block, and the Skulltula that blocked the archway was no longer there.

The security lasers were also gone in that time, allowing them to pass by the hall with no problems. They arrived at a room where a set of three platforms led up to a door on their right, but the door was sealed with metal bars. There was another hall ahead of them, which turned a left corner to show a wider hall with many dusty floor panels, and a Timeshift Orb at the other end. Cheren and Merida exchanged worried glances, feeling suspicious about those panels, but shrugged as Cheren took the first step. Immediately, that panel crumpled to dust, and Merida grabbed and pulled him up quickly before Cheren fell into a pit of spikes.

They looked again at these crumpled panels. There was a particular row of panels that was lighter gray than the others. Cheren stepped on the first of these, but it crumbled anyway, and Cheren jumped back up quickly before the spikes were shown. However, that panel lasted slightly longer, so it led him to believe they were still a little stable. Cheren slipped on the Kateenian Mask and morphed to his shorter sized form, not really terrifying Merida, who thought this form was cute. Cheren hopped across the broken spot and was able to walk across the stable path of panels, light enough so they don't fall. He kept a close eye on the light-gray path, having to make several turns as the path went.

He managed to reach the safe foothold where the Time Orb was rested. His tiny Kateenian body struggled to lift the heavy orb above him, and when he began to cross the path again, the extra weight from the orb caused the panels to crumble after a second. Cheren had to quickly hurry back, moving as quick as he could with the heavy orb, and carefully so as not to stray off into the spikes. Since the last panel was already broken, Cheren quickly tossed the orb to the safe ground before jumping over himself.

Cheren changed back to human and carried the orb a lot easier as they returned to the room with the three platforms. There was a Time Block on the right of the platforms, so Cheren tossed the orb inside and played the Song of Time. They were transported to that room in the past, much cleaner, but the metal gate was still blocking the way above. They saw they were on the other side of the security lasers. Cheren glanced to the metal gate above and got an idea, and decided to pass through the security beam. The metal gate sealed him from the room, but Merida saw the gate above the platforms open. She nodded to Cheren, who smirked and nodded back as he hurried to the Time Block past the hall and warped to the future. He ran back through the hall, now free of security (and thankfully THAT metal gate had apparently crumbled away), and jumped in the other Time Block.

He re-met with Merida in that room in the past, and the two smiled as the gate above was now open. They climbed onto the tall platform stairs and reached the hallway. There were many Redeads lined up along both sides of the hall, emitting their creepy, otherworldly moans. The two were afraid to go forward, not sure they could take on that many zombies. Thankfully, Fi appeared just then for some advice. "Master, I have analyzed the Redeads' functions… limited as they may be. But it appears many of these zombies were ecstatic dancers back in their day. Embarrassed to show their movements to the souls of the living, but in the presence of someone from the dead, they would be tempted to dance. Your Garo Mask may qualify in misleading them of your death, Master."

"Hmm…" curious about this, Cheren slipped on the Garo Mask, and before their eyes, the Redeads began to break out in dance, and a disco ball lowered from the ceiling as well. Cheren and Merida stared silly at how ridiculous the Redead looked, the zombies boogying away like '80's people at a disco club. The two easily made their way through the hall with the zombies too distracted to attack. At the end of the corridor, they found a door with a skull head guarding the passage. Cheren knew he had to become Captain Slag, so just to be safe, he cut down all the dancing Redeads in that area (even though he didn't want to).

He then turned into Captain Slag and spoke to the skull. The skull brimmed with a ghostly blue as it spoke in an eerie tone. "Ooooh… you don't look very agile… but if you dance well, I'll let you pass."

The disco ball appeared once more, and three Redeads appeared as Cheren began to dance with them. "Yaw-yawn." The left Redead moved his body in a wavy fashion, which Cheren tried to imitate, but his chubbier metal body was saying otherwise. The zombie on his right bent over like rubber and shook his bottom, which Cheren embarrassingly tried to imitate. The middle zombie fell backward, his feet still on the ground as he was bent in a yoga style, and when Cheren tried to imitate, he merely fell back on his back. They both stood straight back up as the three zombies finished off by twisting their own bodies. Cheren gripped his stomach and tried to twist his body, but it didn't fair too well at all as the zombies vanished.

"Aaaah… well, you tried." With that, the door opened.

Cheren pulled his mask off and took this time to catch his breath. He glanced over at Merida, and saw the girl's face completely red, her hands over her mouth as she struggled desperately to hold in laughter. "…Go on." Cheren said disbelievingly.

"PFFFFTTHAAAAH HA HA HA HA HA HAAAAAA!" the Scottish girl exploded with uncontrollable laughter, falling on her back and rolling around. Cheren shook his head in annoyance, waiting patiently for the girl to finish her laughter. He was used to this sort of thing. A close friend did it all the time. And the Scottish accent was just the same. "Ahhh ha ha! Ahh ha! Ooohhh…" Merida was beginning to calm down, standing to wipe a tear from her eye. "Ay, that's gonna last a while."

"Right." Cheren knew that was true. "Are you done?"

"Aye." She said, a happy smile still on her face. "Let's go."

They passed through the door and appeared in a small, wide room with a blue, armored monster, twice as tall as them. The Eyegore opened its big, bulbous blue eye and began to shoot blue lasers. The operatives rolled to the side and avoided as Cheren shot the eye with an arrow. Its eye began to water for a few seconds, but it was able to recover quickly. The Eyegore stomped over and slammed the ground, attempting to knock boulders at the kids, but they avoided as Cheren had Fi examine it.

"Target locked: Eyegore. An armored monster used to guard small areas, this beast attacks with a quick-recovering eye. In the brief moment its eye is disabled, the mouth on its rear side opens. The inside of this beast is weak and fragile, so a strong enough force will be able to vanquish it."

"A M.A.R.B.L.E. should do the trick." Cheren said with a glare as he attempted to shoot the eye up close. But the moment Cheren stepped up, the Eyegore sent him flying against the wall with great force. Cheren decided to shoot the Eyegore from a safe distance, then tried to run behind to shoot a M.A.R.B.L.E. in his butt- er, mouth. However, the mouth shut quickly as the Eyegore smacked Cheren away. The Eyegore then approached Merida, and the Scottish girl looked as Cheren nodded to her. Merida shot the monster in the eye with an arrow, and Cheren, already behind it, shot a M.A.R.B.L.E. into its butt-mouth, exploding the monster from the inside.

With the monster defeated, the kids watched as a large chest appeared in the center. Merida questioned how the chest magically spawned like that, but Cheren waved it off saying, "It's a thing that happens." He then proceeded to open the chest, going through another display of golden lights. Cheren was tired of this, but for Merida, it was actually new. Cheren bent over and retrieved the item, and the lights went out as Cheren held up a gray stone mask, designed like a Mayan artifact.

You got the Giant's Mask! This mask is imbued with the power of the Giants. Right now, it's useless, but when imbued with a Rumble Ball, you'll feel ultimate power as you tower over your enemies! >: D

(End song.)

Back above the catacombs' entrance

The kids climbed their way out of the catacombs, now in Cheren's time, and overlooked the vast field of dusty fog. Cheren stared at the stone mask in his hands, wondering what to do next. "So what'm I supposed to do with it?"

"How should Ay know? The old hag says the will of the Giants would reveal the temple… or something. She must've meant the mask, right?"

"I guess it means I'll have to put it on." Cheren figured. "But will I really become giant if I wear it?"

"Ya become whatever those other masks are."

"Heheh. Well, here it goes." Cheren pulled out the glowing green Rumble Ball and shoved it into the inside of the mask. Cheren nervously slipped the mask on his face, his eyes shut tight as he anticipated a painful transformation. But once the mask was on his face, nothing happened, and his eyes opened with confusion. "OOOGH." Finally, Cheren felt a painful sensation in his body, feeling random parts of his body become wavy and swollen, sinking up and down. Suddenly, his right shoulder puffed like a water balloon, the huge amount of blood flowing to his hand to make it swollen. He looked down as his red rubber shoes suddenly puffed in size, his feet feeling extremely heavy.

Merida fearfully backed away as Cheren's belly turned bulbous, and his left hand, and later the rest of his arms, grew incredibly big and muscular. The rest of his body, and his clothes, soon began to stretch to stretch to an equal proportion, and Merida gaped in amazement as Cheren grew and grew and grew. Cheren was feeling more sick to his ever-expanding stomach as his body reached to incredible heights. Finally, the growing came to a halt. Cheren reopened his eyes, which hurt from the swelling, and the endless mist and the vast land of DunBroch became very tiny to his view. Cheren could see for miles, but everything looked to be short, simple meters at his height. "WHOOOAA." Cheren was still trying to comprehend what just happened. "THIS IS SOO WEEEIRRD." Cheren stepped his left foot back just a tiny bit.

"AAAH!" Merida's eyes widened as the sole of Cheren's massive shoe loomed over her, and she ran back just as his foot missed her by a few inches, causing her to fall as it quaked the ground. "ARE YE TRYIN' TA SQUISH ME LIKE AN ANT?!?!"

"UMM, SORRY." Cheren spoke in his deep, booming voice. He looked down by his shoe, and Merida did look like a teeny tiny ant. "I'M TRYING TO GET USED TO THIS FORM." It's true that Cheren never imagined being so enormous. He's only been shrunken a couple times, so being giant felt very different.

"IF YE STEP ON MEH, AY WILL HAUNT YER WEE SOUL TO THE ENDS OF TIIIME." she screamed very fiercely.

"OKAY, OKAY. HEHEH… EVERYTHING LOOKS SO TINY FROM UP HERE. BUT I STILL CAN'T SEE THE TEMPLE FOR SOME REASON. AND YOU'D THINK AT A HEIGHT LIKE THIS, I COULD SEE ANYTHING."

"Too bad it has ta be so foggeh here." Merida complained. "If yer GOD-sized now, can't ya just BLOW it all away?"

"HMMM… WELL, THE MASK KINDA BLOCKS MY BREATH. …BUT ALTHOUGH…" Cheren reached behind and pulled out his sword, the gargantuan piece of metal making an earsplitting ringing sound as it was unsheathed. Cheren squatted down, his sword arm stretched out as he faced the tiny, foggy landscape with a fierce expression, his sword seeming several miles long. "YAAAAAAAHH!" Cheren unleashed a spin attack with the greatest force he's ever given. His incredible size and mass made him look like a tremendous tornado, the force of his spin blowing a powerful wind across the land. The trees were blowing like they were in a storm, and Merida clutched tight to the ground, not wanting to be blown away by Cheren's tremendous wind.

The force of the wind was able to blow away the grey fog covering the landscape, and as Cheren slowed to a halt, Merida stared with surprise. The gigantic Uno child held his head dizzily, trying to keep his ground, for moving a single inch at his size would crush Merida under his shoe. When he regained composure, the fog was long gone, and a vast, ruined structure lay in its place.

Merida crawled forward and asked, "Is THAT the Heavenly Ruin?"

"WHATEVER ABOUT THAT PLACE YOU CONSIDER HEAVENLY." Cheren said, sheathing his blade.

"Hasn't been very looked-after, I'll give ye that. Shrink back down so we can go in already."

"ARE YOU KIDDING? I'M HUGE!" Cheren exclaimed, now full of excitement. "I CAN JUST STOMP THAT PLACE, AND THE MONSTERS WOULD NEVER SURVIVE!" he yelled as he stomped his feet, quaking the earth. "THE PLACE IS ALREADY RUINED ANYWAY, SO I CAN JUST STEP OVER ALL THE DUNGEON STUFF, AND WE'LL BE GOOD TO GO! HA HA—" However, his moment of victory came to an end when the power suddenly wore off. Cheren's arms and legs shrunk back to their regular scrawny size, as did the rest of his body as he found himself hundreds of feet above the ground. "Aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh!..."

Merida watched as her downsized friend fell fast toward the earth, getting to her feet and running below him with her arms held out, only to be smashed under his body.

Cheren and Merida dizzily recovered, finding the Uno boy seated atop the Scottish lass, with his feet rested on her frizzy head. "Ugh! Would ye get OFF meh?" she demanded, standing and forcing Cheren off of her. "Honestleh. Boys like you are gonna terrorize my family for generations."

"Pssh, you don't know the HALF of it." Cheren mumbled, standing and brushing himself off. The two operatives stood along the edge of the cliff and overlooked the dusty, ruined structure. Even with all of the gloomy fog gone, the place still looked sad to look at. "Well, I guess we should get in there."

"Ay really don't want to." Merida replied, not impressed by the look of the temple.

"Ladies first." Cheren humbly bowed, gesturing her to go forward.

Merida shot him a glare and grabbed the cliff ledge, carefully climbing downward as Cheren followed. "Even if we're in your time, ya think our country can still win the war?"

"I would hope so. Otherwise, you might not have a movie."

"Ay hope." Merida kept climbing down, these worrying thoughts still in her head. However, that last statement made her confused. "Wait, what?"