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And They All Lived "Happily" Ever After.

Greetings, fellow soldiers.

[The feed opens up to a view from the very edge of the bridge. Slim legs dangling over the edge, at the very precipice of everything.

It's a nice day today. The water's sparkling. A light breeze has small waves kicking up on it's surface, barely distinguishable from the quality of the video format. Even so- it's pretty.]

It's been a while since our last game. I'm sure most of you are busy with the flurry of activity this month has sparked, however- indulge me for a few minutes.

Consider it a question, more than a game.

What would a 'happy ending' look like, to you?

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[They appreciate her respect of their boundaries, as always.

And as always, her story hits home. Months ago, if she'd told them this, they'd have no MERCY. But today is another day, where they've woken up. Stared at the ceiling for hours and wondered why they're still even here.

Chara is not one for weakness. But they can recognize the look on her face as the very same feeling they feel, day after day.]

...Would you like to hear a story, Hilda?

[It was weakness that led Hilda astray. The call of the golden Triforce was too strong for her to ignore, not when it promised so damn much. But it was strength of the others that brought her back.

She still believes, in quieter moments, that she should not have been shown such kindness after her retched acts.]

A story? I suppose I wouldn't mind hearing one.

[She's not the only one.

However, Chara has one thing going for them. They are quite the narrator, and their voice is silky smooth as they begin their tale, regaling it with all the flair and drama that they've always had.]

Once upon a time, two races ruled over Earth: humans and monsters. One day...war broke out between the two races.

And after a long battle...the humans were victorious.

[Chara couldn't sound anymore bitter about that statement if they tried.]

They sealed the monsters- or what was left of them, not that there were many- Underground with a magic spell.

Edited 2016-06-20 10:40 (UTC)

[Hilda listens, finding touches of similarity between this story and her own world. No war had actually broken out between the monsters that roamed Lorule and the humans that remained - mostly because of fear, though. There was no way to win.

At least there hadn't been before the Triforce was reformed. Maybe now--...

No. Even if Hilda was back home, she wouldn't do such a thing.

She says nothing, simply giving a nod of understanding that she was paying attention to Chara's words.]

Many years later, and humanity forgot about the race they'd left to die. Mount Ebott, one of the only remaining entry points to the Underground itself, had become a place of superstition. Any traveler on it's surface would simply...disappear, without a trace.

To certain people, such superstitions sound- appealing. And so a child walked up that mountain, and fell into the Underground. They found the monsters trapped there, and they decided to set them free.

With all the best intentions that come with youth and naivety, however...I'm sure you can imagine how that story ends.

That long in seclusion... they likely had grown comfortable in their life, or at the very least complacent with it.

I can't imagine such an idea would have gone over well.

...I forget sometimes.

[She's never lived like they have.]

They were hardly against it. Living Underground; being forced to, rather, it's an unpleasant experience. Lack of resources, lack of light, people dying, all over...

No. The monsters weren't in the slightest bit against the concept of freedom.

Even with a lack of opposition, the idea could still be met with concern and worry. How will they fight? Will the survive? Can they survive? If the status quo is changed, what becomes the new norm, and who enforces it?

These are all questions I have faced when dealing with the possibility of making Lorule better than it was. It was wanted, yes, but concerns still arose over how it would be handled.

... regardless this is your story, so I'm certain you have an answer I haven't considered yet.

[...It's moments like these where Chara sees in her the princess that she was brought up to be. Asking questions that, if pressed further about the matter, they'd have to admit they didn't think about before. Hadn't considered.

They doubt they're the only one, however. Most monsters wouldn't think along those lines either. Hadn't.]

I wonder if the general populace of Lorule would share those concerns.

Either way, we'll never know how monsters viewed it. The plan was a failure, the only two children of the Royal Family dead within the same night, and the Underground transitioned from a place of peace to one of war. Once again the humans had taken everything from them. Every human who fell down that mountain from there on would die.

Freedom became synonymous for "hype" over the destruction of humanity.

When half your population turns timid and hides behind masks, and the other half become literal, violent monsters, it's difficult to know what their thoughts on reconstruction would truly be.

[A harsh reality, but that was what Lorule had become.]

... a different sort of monster, for the record.

[Since they were talking about a very similar subject but there was a decided difference between Lorule's monsters and the Underground's.]

I can understand where the fanaticism would come from after that, though. War is often born of great loss.

I like to think of people who do things like that as 'human'.

[A harsh reality, but that was life.]

Mm. True, I suppose. It's a shame... there wasn't meant to be any loss.

But that's what happens when plans go awry, as I'm sure you understand.

That is one way of looking at it, yes.

And I do understand. We... we were lucky. In the end the only immediate loss was that of my adviser who betrayed all of us for his own end goals. That does nothing to account for the lives lost simply as a result of the degradation of Lorule itself, but there was absolutely nothing that could be done about that.

Your story, however... a cautionary tale about how the best of intentions can easily lead to the suffering of others.

[Haha.

My life is a cautionary tale.]

I tried.

[Regardless of their intentions at the time, or their intentions now, they did try. Unfortunately for everyone involved, it wasn't their effort that counted, in the end.

They were never in control.]

...Have a good afternoon, Hilda.

You--...

[Hilda is cut off by Chara's departing words, and it leaves the former royal stunned for a moment before she can finally find her voice again.

There's a bow of her head, conceding to whatever Chara needed to do to help themselves after divulging so much.]

Yes. You as well...

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And They All Lived "Happily" Ever After.

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