Sinful Symphony (OC), Masters Need Moms (FGO), & A Taste of Power (Zelda) (Patreon)

Hi folks!

Well, I'm steadily trying to get back up to speed, so - three stories for you today! And also a poll for you guys to vote on, which I'll explain in my next post.

For now, I hope you enjoy!

-

Serenia was a calm city. Sequestered far away from the front lines of the divine/devil war, nestled safely amongst the clouds of the crystal sky, it was, in almost every way imaginable, a haven of peace and tranquillity. Here, the people lived the lives of those blessed enough to live in paradise, never fearing for food or shelter, never worried about danger or harm. It was peaceful. It was joyous. It was safe.

It was dull. Unbearably, unbelievably dull. Nothing ever changed and nothing ever happened here, and Aurina was bored out of her great godly mind. The guardian deity of the beautiful floating city had gone through the same routine, day in, day out, without any significant change, for what felt like centuries. Control the region’s weather, do a brief scan around for demon threats that never came, sit around the temple all day, and occasionally, occasionally, if she was really lucky, listen to some petitioners who wandered in asking for a bigger skyboat or something.

Was it too much to ask for some excitement? Something to break this eternal humdrum? Just a quick stroll around the city, even that would be a change, at least. Surely she wasn’t asking for much, was she?

“Goddess, I really don’t think it’s a good idea…”

Ah, but naturally, there was dissent. A goddess wasn’t supposed to just wander off, after all. There were rules and protocols about this kind of thing – most of them drawn up by…

“Lady Cora, there is a time and a place for regulation, and a time and place for… tweaking the rules. Slightly.” The goddess smiled brightly, her blue hair shimmering with inner light as she did her best to look wise and knowing. It was an image helped by her white flowing robes, her larger than life stature, even her slight divine aura, all of which emphasised her as a goddess who should be listened to.

The knight in silver armour, head of the goddess’s own personal guard, didn’t buy it for a second. “Those rules are in place for a reason, your gloriousness. Your temple is the most well defended place in the entire city – outside these walls, anything could happen! It’s just too dangerous to let you go off on your own.”

“Oh come on!” The goddess groaned and flopped backwards onto her bed, kicking her legs defiantly. The pair were having a private discussion in her luxurious bedroom, rather than out in the public rooms, so her little tantrum wasn’t going to panic any of the ordinary citizens. “What do you mean anything could happen? Nothing happens around here!” She began ticking off her fingers. “The city is protected from attack, the weather is going to be sunny all day, everyone’s fortunes are positive… Nothing’s going to break if I go for a walk around the city. Just for a little bit! It’s fine.”

But the red-headed knight wasn’t going to budge. She could be just as stubborn as her deity when she needed to be, after all. It was kind of a job requirement. “None the less, your protection is my first and foremost duty. I cannot allow you to leave the temple unguarded.”

Aurina groaned again – and then paused. Hm, wait a second… Her eyes lit up. “So I can leave if I take a guard with me?”

“Uh.” Lady Cora found herself caught flat footed against this new argument. “W-well, I suppose…”

“Perfect!” And just like that, the goddess was back up on her feet and happily skipping around the room. “Then I’ll take human form and let you escort me around the city. You can’t possibly complain if you’re the one protecting me~”

“N-now wait just a minute…!”

But it was no good. This was why stubbornness was required for the job. Once a goddess got an idea in her head, it was very hard to stop her. With a flash of light and a twirl, Aurina shed her godly guise, reducing her form to mere blue energy, before coalescing in a smaller, human shape. Honestly, she looked nearly identical, save for a little loss of height, the snuffing of her aura, and her hair no longer outright glowing, but it was enough to hide her divine nature.

“Come on then, Lady Cora – Oh, though I should probably drop the ‘Lady’ part while we’re out and about, right?” The goddess-in-human-form smiled as she hurried off towards the exit. “No time to dawdle, I don’t want to miss anything out there?”

“W-w-wait, your gloriousness…!”

Oh, today was going to be a tough day…

…

“Are you sure about this…?”

“Positive! What could go wrong?”

“They could catch us and their goddess could annihilate our existences with a flick of her pinky?”

“Okay, but, you know, aside from that, it’s a flawless plan, right?”

“Uh…” Crimson Coal wasn’t one for in depth thought. She was a drummer, after all. Her job was keeping a beat and making it loud – not dwelling on deep strategies or philosophical thought. None the less, even she thought there was something wrong with her friend’s argument. Now if only she could put her finger on what it was, exactly…

Alas, Shooting Sapphire wasn’t going to give her the chance. “Exactly! It’s perfect. We’re going to cause a riot. They’ll never see it coming.” The devious devil – a succubus, specifically – rubbed her blue hands together and giggled evilly as she imagined the discord and disorder that was about to befall this shockingly dull celestial city.

“Um… Won’t they be mad at us for it?” Crimson still sounded unconvinced, nervously brushing a white strand of her otherwise loosely ponytailed hair out of her red face. Not red from embarrassment or anything, just red. Succubi were like that – at least, outside of their human disguises.

Sho scoffed. “We’ll be gone long before they even realise what’s happening. All they’ll have is a name and a vibe – a legend in the making! Right guys?”

She looked to the other two demons in their group – also both succubi, and both purple. She hadn’t bothered to learn their names, because, uh, purple, but they did their jobs well. They were the ones with the electric guitars – and if she had her way, they’d be giving an electrifying performance tonight! With them on strings, Crimson on drums, and her on vocals, their band was unstoppable! Especially since these silly little celestians were so unprepared for their kind of music~

Sneaking into the Divine Dominion and travelling across the land incognito, pretending to be a mere human band, had been difficult – almost impossible, honestly. Ugh, the whole place was so squeaky clean and free of sin, it was unbearable! Quite frankly, if she hadn’t been banging the rest of the band, she probably would have starved by now. How was a succubus supposed to survive without a healthy supply of lust, huh?

But it’d all be worth it. So worth it. All this travel and toil, all these weeks of hiding her chest and tail, all Crimson’s silly worries and, y’know, the purples in general, it was all for this.

They’d finally. Finally. Get to play without any competition.

Imagine it! No other metal bands trying to steal the stage! No glaring upstart bands trying to play over them! They were going to have a whole entire stage to themselves! Hahahaha!

Oh yeah, back home in the Demon Drifts, every sinner and their mother, and their granddaughter, was in a band. Or that’s definitely how it felt! And everyone was competing with everyone else to play to an audience – with the audience, often, trying to play back. Completely ridiculous.

Okay maybe it wasn’t that band away from Rockonia, Sho and Crimson’s home city… But the blue demon hadn’t been willing to risk it. No, she knew one place where there absolutely, positively, definitively would not be any competition.

And now, here they were in Serenia. Ready to rock. Finding a venue had been so easy, it was incredible. She’d just strutted up to the front desk and they’d given her the biggest set without her even needing to get her tits out! Man, were all celestials just like this? It was weird!

But yeah. Soon. Soon, the music of Slut Bash was going to wash over these people’s ears, and they’d never be the same! There had to be some fans of metal music here in the city somewhere, right? Right…?

…

“Lady… Aurina… Please… Don’t run so… fast…!” Lady Cora was exhausted. Running around after a flighty goddess was a trying task at the best of times, and she’d been at it for a good part of the day by now. Worse, she hadn’t exactly had time to divest herself of her silver armour before this little excursion began, so she’d been lugging it around over half the city by now. By this point, she was desperate for a place to sit down and rest, even if it wasn’t for long.

The goddess at least looked understanding as she noticed the sweat on her guard’s brow. “Sorry, sorry! It’s just so exciting to be out in the city for once! Everything’s so interesting out here... Oooh, maybe we should stop for some Ambrosia coffee, you know they almost never deliver to the Temple…”

“S-sure…” Cora gasped, stumbling a little. “As long as we get to sit down while you drink it…”

“Oh! Hmm…” Aurina bit her lip and looked around. “If you really need to rest for a bit then maybe… Oh! Look! A music hall! How about we head in there for a bit? You can get your breath back, and we can listen to whoever’s playing.”

“Suits me…” The knight managed a half hearted shrug, following her goddess towards the hall. It seemed like a harmless enough exercise. She didn’t recognise the name of the performers on the posters by the door though. ‘Slubish’ or something? They must have been new…

…

“Oooh, looks like we’ve got quite a crowd~” Sho’s delight was obvious, even through her human disguise. The stadium – music hall – whatever – was packed! She could see a good mix of humans and celestials out there, the later members pretty obvious with their glowing wings. Those guys probably wouldn’t be fans of what she and her band had prepared, but, eh, some of the humans might like it, and that was good enough.

With a grin sharp enough to slice bread, the disguised demon singer strode forward and grabbed the mic stand. “Hey everyone! It’s great to see so many faces out there in the audience! I hope you enjoy the show – trust me, things are about to get spicy in here!”

There was a smattering of polite applause. Not the wild hollering and cheers she was hoping for, but eh, it’d do.

“Alright, let’s get this party started! We are Slut Bash, and this next song is called – Give In~”

Down in the audience, a certain blue haired totally-not-a-goddess had found a seat right up near the front, with her tired redhaired protector slumped on the bench next to her. She’d waited quite patiently as the band set up, but now, with the build up beginning, she was starting to get excited. “What an interesting name! Is it always this exciting, Lady Cora?”

The knight was barely paying attention, of course, still trying to get her breath back as the lights dimmed. “I couldn’t say, Lady Aurina,” she sighed. Then she blinked. “Though that name is a little…”

Before she could finish that thought, the electric twang of the guitars on stage rang out, and both women stiffened, the sound somehow shooting straight through their ears and into their brains. It was a strange feeling, tingling and… almost pleasant, somehow, cutting through their thoughts like a knife through butter.

And then the singing began – the woman at the front of the band grabbing the mic and practically throttling it as her words, half melodic, half pure volume, crashed out through the theatre.

“Sin!

Sin!

I am Sin I am the perfect pleasure

Why don’t you let me in

And in my revels you can treasure!”

The words were rough, and loud, and vulgar in a real, physical way that defied description. Both women, and indeed everyone in the audience, felt a sticky kind of wrongness as they buzzed through their heads. Though, it didn’t feel bad, exactly…

“M… My Lady…” Cora gasped, biting her lip to try and clear her thoughts. “This is… most peculiar…”

“Shhh…” But Aurina wasn’t listening to her – her eyes locked on the stage, a look of wonder on her face. “I’m trying to hear…”

“Just one taste – sweetness.

Be mine now – completeness!”

The rhythm changed, swinging from quick and sharp to heavy and blunt, drumming each lyric in even harder. It was a touch that Sho was particularly proud of, and she couldn’t help but raise her voice even higher, even louder as she bathed in the audience’s attention. She’d put her heart and soul into every note, and she was going to make sure these silly celestials knew it!

“Feel me rising Feel me writhing Feel me TAKE CON-TROL!

All other senses other reason other’s GUNNA FALL!

No Escape now. No Retreat.

Your sanity I cast in Defeat!”

A return to the faster beat, pulsing, throbbing through the listeners. A dark, sinister energy was building, crackling between every lyric. The red-haired knight could feel something eating away at her, dancing in through her ears and dancing along every nerve like electricity. Something that was trying to pull at her… seduce her… change her…

She forced herself to close her eyes, wrenching her gaze away from the lead singer with pure force of will. “Lady Aurina!” She yelled – her voice little more than a whisper above the song. “Something’s wrong! We have to leave, now!”

But her goddess wasn’t paying any attention – her eyes still locked on the stage, a strange red glow starting to shine around her pupils as her grin grew wider and wider…

“Lust! Lust! Lust!

I know you wanna give in!

Thrust! Thrust! Thrust!

It’s time to let your sins win!”

Unaware of the rising commotion in the audience, Sho was drinking it all in. Honestly, she’d never gotten this far in the song before – normally the lead singer for the next band would have clubbed her with the backup mic stand by now. Which did mean she wasn’t actually sure how well this part held together outside of practice, but OH WELL! The only way to find out was to give it her all and keep barrelling on through! They hadn’t thrown her out yet, at least. That was a good sign.

“Take what you want Take what you need It’s time to set desires Freeeeee!

Don’t ever stop Don’t ever stall It’s time that you became Meeeeee!

Sin! Sin! I AM YOUR PERFECT PLEASURE!

SIN! SIN! SIN! DROWN YOUR SOUL IN ME FOREVER!”

This was wrong. Cora knew that, could feel an unfamiliar darkness assailing her very soul. This music, it was some kind of attack, an evil assault against the forces of the righteous! She knew she was in great danger – but that meant nothing compared to the knowledge that Lady Aurina, the goddess herself, was in danger at her side.

Just trying to save herself wouldn’t have been enough – she wouldn’t have been able to break the song’s hold over her for her own sake. But for her goddess? That was another matter. The twin flames of duty and loyalty ignited in her heart, repelling the seeping corruption, and pushing her to her feet. Desperately, she grabbed for her lady’s hand.

“Lady Aurina, quickly!” She pulled the goddess to her feet. “We have to get out of here, now, before it’s too late!”

But her heart sank as Aurina turned to face her, and she saw her worst nightmares had come to pass. The serene goddess’s eyes were no longer that familiar, crystal shade of blue. Instead, vibrant red light shone where her eyes should have been, a twisted, knowing smirk spreading over darkening lips.

“Get out? But we just got here~” As Cora watched, she could see her Lady’s skin darkening – turning from pale pink to deep, dark red. The colour spread through her frame quickly, and wherever it went, the goddess’s body blossomed. The skin of her arms and legs turned smooth and hairless. Her nails long and sharp. Her ears taking points, her teeth turning to fangs… And her white robes straining, and then bursting apart, white fabric literally burning to ash as it split apart, torn asunder by Aurina’s suddenly swelling chest and ass.

In a matter of moments, the human form of Cora’s goddess was gone – and in her place stood an incredibly stacked red-skinned succubus.

And before the knight could express her shock, or call for help, or even utter so much as a word of surprise, the demon was on her, her dark lips wrapped around the knight’s own, clawed hands tearing the redhead’s silver armour away as though it were no more than tissue paper

“And besides,” her demonic assailant purred into her ear as her hands drew the dutiful woman to moan wantonly. “I prefer to Give In instead~”

That was when Cora felt something new slide up between her legs – her Lady’s firm, spaded tail – and her moans turned into lust filled screams that were quickly swallowed by Aurina’s returning lips, as the devoted knight’s skin began to take on a pleasing shade of blue, and her body began to morph to match her Mistress’s delights…

And with that, the orgy breaking out around them began in earnest.

…

As the song came to an end, Shooting Saphire breathed a sigh of relief. They’d done it! They’d actually played out a whole song! And they hadn’t even been booed or anything! These celestials may be dull, but clearly they had better taste in music than she’d been expecting. Slut Bash was a success!

“Thank you everyone!” She cheered, arms raised up over her head as she grinned out at the audience. “Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed! Now, our next song is called-”

“Uh. Sho?” Behind her, Crimson coughed. Annoyed, the lead singer looked over her shoulder. “I don’t think they’re listening.”

Huh? Confused, the (disguised) blue skinned demon turned back around to look out at the audience, and- Woah! What the hecking hell?! Where did all this come from?

She’d been expecting to see seats filled with Celestials, but there were none in sight. Instead, the music hall was filled to the brim with demons – succubi, specifically. All around, as far as she could see, it was bouncing tits, smacking asses, and more lewd sex acts than she could shake a tail at.

“Um. When did they get here?” She pointed out towards the orgy, as if that were needed. Apparently she’d been so lost in singing she hadn’t noticed their entire audience get switched out. Wow.

But Crimson shook her head with a shrug. “I think they were always here? Y’know? But hey, I think they really liked our music, just like you said.”

Sho blinked. Wait, she couldn’t mean… Oh boy. “Oh. Uh. Hm.” She looked around again. Yep. Still a big demon orgy. “Maybe we should get out of here…”

But before Slut Bash could beat a wise and hasty retreat, a shooting blur from the audience leaped up and landed right in the middle of the band. “What? Leave? No way! I love your music! You’ve gotta play more!”

The four demons each stepped back, shocked by the sudden pressure of the new arrival’s demonic power. With wide eyes, they recognised what could only be the presence of a Demonic High Lord – the most powerful kind of demon in existence. She was a succubus, just like them, though her red skin was darker, and her glowing eyes shone brighter than any of theirs, her blue hair also filled with some kind of inner light. In her clawed left hand she held a chain – one that, when Sho’s eyes followed it, led off back to a submissive looking blue skinned succubus with red hair who was looking up at them from the audience with delighted devotion.

“B-but, but!” Somewhat desperate and entirely in over her head, Shooting Sapphire scrambled to find a way out of this bizarre situation. She couldn’t refuse the orders of a High Lord, of course. But… “But what about the Goddess? She’s going to be pissed!”

The demon Lord just grinned, her pure white fangs glinting in the low light. “No need to worry about that. In fact…” She drifted forward, her free hand coming up to stroke Sho’s cheek. “I think this whole city needs to hear your songs. Every last resident. Won’t that be fun?”

Oh. Well. Shit. There was no way she could refuse. “I guess we’re your girls…” They were so screwed.

Aurina smiled, already pulling her pet Cora up onto the stage so she could join in on the fun that was about to break loose. She wasn’t sure how much of her new attitude was her now deeply demonic nature, and how much of it was her true self, breaking through to the surface. Really, it didn’t matter either way – she would be enjoying herself regardless.

One thing was certain, though. Serenia was going to be a lot more interesting from now on~

-

Singularities – bubbles in the timestream where reality had gone off course. Anything could happen within them, from an evil Jeanne D’Arc summoning an army full of dragons to burn down France, to Camelot invading the Middle East during the crusades, or America being invaded by fairies. They were dangerous, unstable, and, if left unattended, could wipe out all of human history before it ever happened. Thus, whenever one was detected, it needed to be dealt with, and quickly.

This duty had fallen to the organization of Chaldea, by virtue of their incredible equipment designed specifically for the purpose of dealing with singularities, by acknowledgement of their seemingly infinite ability to summon Servants – reborn copies of humanity’s greatest heroes – to fight at their side… And by dint of the fact that there was simply no one else left to handle the problem. Time travel disasters could be something of a bitch like that.

None the less, Chaldea remained optimistic that, if they continued their work and resolved all of the singularities that had diverted history’s course, while settling any newcomers that popped up along the way so that they didn’t make things worse, humanity’s place on earth would be properly restored. At the very least, it would be an entertaining adventure to go one while the world ended, and it wasn’t like they had anything better to do.

Thus, when a new singularity was found, Chaldea had gotten rolling like a well-oiled machine. Dr Roman oversaw, Da Vinci prepped, Mash equipped, and humanity’s final Master wandered the halls as they worked out which Servants they would take on this mission. This was an important decision – each hero of the past had their own skills and specialities that could prove crucial if chosen well, or completely useless if not. Success very much depended on bringing the right Servant for the job.

And this next job was going to be tricky. They knew almost nothing. Most singularities at least gave them some basic info – location, timeframe, that kind of thing. But this one was smaller than most, preventing their scans from getting the normal spread of readings. They were going in pretty much blind. So, knowing that, who would be best to take? Emiya? Hercules? This was a vital call, and it had to be made very carefully. The entire mission could hinge on this choice!

Bonk!

“Oh, Master. Are you alright?” A certain green/blonde haired Archer rubbed at her head as she looked down at humanity’s clumsy last hope. “I’m sorry, I didn’t see you there.”

“Ah, no worries Atalante,” the Master grinned, looking up at her. “Hey, wanna go on a mission?”

Or they could just pick whoever they literally ran into. Sure, why not? What was the worst that could happen?

…

There was something strange about the air here, was Atalante’s first thought as she landed in the singularity. It was far more… peaceful, than she was used to in these kinds of places. Normally, there was at least a touch of tension to the world, an element of danger that any experienced hero would pick up on. But here, there was nothing.

In fact, this entire place was entirely too quiet for her liking. Entering the singularity had deposited her, Master, and Mash in the middle of what said Master had recognised as an almost modern picturesque suburban town, full of square houses and picket fenced lawns. Mash had then nearly passed out in excitement at getting to see such a thing, mumbling about how she wouldn’t have minded living in one of those with her Senpai someday…

… The girl really did need to get out a bit more. Amused, Atalante had left the pair to sort themselves out and track down a leyline in order to set up any further summonings, while she headed out to scout the town and work out what was going on around here. With any luck, such a small singularity could be swiftly resolved, and they could all head home before any trouble started. All it would take is locating the source of this place…

“Help!”

The Servant’s head shot around, her pointed ears twitching. What was that? It had sounded like a child’s voice…

The sensible thing to have done would have been to alert her Master immediately, of course – but Atalante had something of a weakness on this front. She was very protective of children, and the sound of one in danger snared her attention like nothing else. If she delayed long enough to go and alert the others, then she might be too late to save them from whatever peril they had been trapped in!

It was a simple, if not sensible, decision, and the Archer quickly bolted in the direction of the cry. Fortunately, Atalante was famed for her speed, so it wouldn’t take her long to investigate. She’d be back before anyone knew she was gone.

Vaulting over a wall, she found herself in one of the many idealistic gardens attached to the houses of this strange singularity. If she wasn’t so focused on her mission, she might have noted that such seemingly basic luxury was an incredible thing to see for a hero from ancient times, when gardens like this could only belong to the wealthy or the fortunate. As it was, though, she ignored all of it – even the lovely apple trees, shockingly! – to try and locate the troubled child. She was sure that scream had come from somewhere around here…

But there was no one in sight. Not even traces that an experienced tracker like her could detect. The garden was empty. So what had made that call?

“Mom!”

Again, her ears perked up. There! This time, she was sure – the voice had come from inside the house, just beyond the back door… Which was hanging open! Aha, that explained it. How had she missed something so obvious?

Well, if the child was seeking their mother, perhaps she wasn’t needed here after all. The Servant should probably head back. Still, there was no harm in checking, just to make sure everything was alright.

Silently, Atalante crept through the garden and slipped through the door, looking around cautiously. She’d found herself in a modern era kitchen, with a cooker, a sink, and cupboards galore. It seemed the insides fit the outsides. Now, where was the child…?

“Hey mom.”

What?

The servant spun around, but despite the voice coming from right behind her, she saw nothing. What the Hades?

“What’s for dinner, mom?”

Again! But this time it was another voice, another child, speaking. Where were they coming from? What was going on?

Sensing a trap, Atalante reached for her bow, but fingers closed on empty air. Her weapon was gone.

That drew her up short. Such a thing should have been impossible – no one could have stolen her bow away without her notice. That was plain and simple truth. But just as true was the fact that somehow, someone had. And that meant she was in far, far more danger than she had realised.

It was too late for her to escape the trap she’d obliviously wandered into, though. Even as she tried to react, the kitchen back door slammed shut, trapping her inside the house. And as it did, she felt a strange, growing pressure bearing down on her.

Singularities are odd things. In some ways, they’re quite random – anything can happen within their boundaries, so long as events obey the singularity’s own rules. But even while that’s true, there is one thing that is always the case, no matter how bizarre or off the wall things become. They are very powerful confluxes – and to underestimate them is to invite your own doom.

The power behind a singularity can turn a pirate into a princess, or a Casanova into a chaste youth. It can create an ocean without end, or re-ignite the age of the gods.

Certainly, it is well within their capabilities to tame a wild servant who stumbles into their midst.

Atalante experienced a single moment of horror as she recognised what was happening – the inherent magic of the world she had found herself creeping into her spirit core, the heart of her existence as a Servant – before she suddenly found herself losing track of what she had been thinking, and her head filled with fog. Confused, the Archer looked around the kitchen that she couldn’t recall entering. Where… Where was she, again?

The answer readily popped into her head, the tone of the words not quite matching her own inner voice, but they were accepted easily in absence of any dissenting thoughts. She was in the kitchen to prepare dinner.

She blinked. Oh. That made sense. But… Wait, if that was the case, then…. Why was she dressed like this?

Ah, but the singularity had an answer for this, too. For no sooner had the fuzzy thought made it’s way through the greenish-blonde Servant’s head, than her outfit shimmered, and began to change. Her green dress, designed for speed and mobility in order to help her hunt, made of gentle fabrics and stitched by the finest seamstresses of her time, blessed by the gods themselves… faded into a simple green cotton T-shirt and blue denim skirt. A moment later and her body changed to – all signs of muscle and athleticism vanishing away, replaced with arms that would struggle to hold a load of heavy shopping, and a heavier set of child-bearing hips.

What… What was happening to her? She was… She was… She was going to be late getting this apple pie on the table at this rate!

Atalante tried to struggle, but as memories of raising her family (Family?) and caring for her children (My… Children…?) began to flood into her head, she found her will begin to crumble. Her only wish was for a world where children would be safe and happy, after all – and as childish laughter rang in her ears, she found a smile starting to spread over her own face…

Unnoticed, her body continued to change – small things, to finish up. The green colouring in her hair drained away, until all that was left of it was a single green highlight in a sea of blonde. Her animalistic ears shrank down, shifting back into those of a normal human. Then, for one last touch, as her eyes glazed fully for the last time, her chest grew out, straining her now tight T-shirt and revealing the edges of a discrete pink bra beneath her neckline.

And with that, Atalante, Princess of Arcadia and member of the Argonaughts, was gone. In her place, still giggling as a pink apron tied itself around her waist, was the lovely (if somewhat empty headed) mother of the house, Lana – who, having finally stopped with all these silly questions bouncing around in her head, bent over the oven at the waist and happily pulled out a lovely steaming apple pie, just ready for her darling kids to tuck in when they got home…

“I think I saw her go over this way, Senpai…!”

“Be careful Mash!”

… Who, if her ears did not deceive her, were just entering the garden now. What perfect timing! She couldn’t wait to spoil them absolutely rotten… As long as they behaved themselves, that is. But not to worry – she’d soon have them listening to her every word. That was what mothers were for, after all~

And sweet Mama Lana was going to be the best mother of them all. Every child under her watch would be as happy as could be. That was her dearest, fondest wish, after all – and here, in this singularity, that wish would be granted.

Maybe these places weren’t so bad after all!

-

The history of Hyrule is often thought of (by scholars of note, in eras where such scholars exist) as a cycle – or, if someone is feeling particularly pleased with themselves, as an eternally turning triangle. The theory goes that every event, every time period, every age of the ever developing nation went through fell under one of three banners, depending on which aspect of the mythical Triforce was dominant at the time.

Under the banner of Wisdom, for example, historians would typically cite great leaps in technological and scientific progress, coupled with a general low in conflict and strife. Periods where Wisdom lay in dominance were normally peaceful, happy times, where the people prospered, and the lands grew bountiful.

Unfortunately, these eras were all too often followed by the banner of Power – and with power, soon followed destruction. Tales of battle and war rose in sharp frequency, blights and droughts battered the kingdom, and darkness swallowed the skies. Monsters and beasts roamed the lands. Might made right.

And depending on how long Power remained in dominance, such an age could reduce even the mightiest of empires to dust. Etched deep into history were the falls of Hyrule, brought to its knees, its people enslaved or scattered, its legacy in ruin.

The end of such terrible times was only ever in the salvation of the third banner – the banner of Courage. These eras were typically short, and marked by the rise of men to beat the darkness back. When Hylians, Gorons, Gerudo and Zora found the courage to fight, and do the work of justice. Through great difficulty and sacrifice, peace would be restored, and the seeds planted for civilization to grow once again.

And, obviously, there would be a few people named Link and Zelda and occasionally Ganon mixed up in there somewhere. That part happened too, but historians were less interested in the particulars there. Everyone knew about those guys, so there wasn’t going to be any money in writing about them for your next paper.

But it was this theory that interested young Princess Zelda, 28th, 57th, or 483rd of her name (depending on where you started counting). As a child she had long been instructed on the legends of the Triforce, and the history of her beloved Hyrule – so when she reached adulthood, it had seemed only natural that she continue her studies into this supposed ‘triangular cycle’ to see if there was any actual truth to it.

One didn’t just assume that the royal legends you had been told as (occasionally horrifying) bedtimes stories were automatically true, after all. That just wouldn’t be scientific.

And to her scientific delight – and empathetic woe – she’d quickly found more than enough evidence to confirm that the theory was, by and large, true. Ages of prosperity, of calamity, of reconstruction, these things appeared again and again in their history, often in that very order. And, what was worse, she soon realised that the current era of prosperity was on the wane. There were signs, only just starting to appear but signs none the less, that the forces of darkness were building up for another swing at the big prize. It could only be a matter of time before another disaster struck, and the kingdom was engulfed in another conflict.

It was inevitable. It was unstoppable. There was nothing to be done – evil was on the rise, and soon it would strike. And when it did, her world would be reduced to ruins.

… Unless…

Now, Zelda was a smart girl. This was a given – her name was Zelda. And to be honest, she was feeling the weight of her legacy. Her parents had thought it nothing more than an old tradition when they’d decided to name her after one of their most famous ancestors (though which famous ancestor they’d been going for she’d never been sure of) but she knew the workings of destiny. The time had come for another turn of the cycle, and she was feeling anything but up to the task.

As Zeldas went, she didn’t feel she was anything special. Quite the opposite, in fact. She was smart, of course, but surely anyone of her education would be? She’d been taught by the best tutors in the land since childhood! And naturally she snuck out of the castle whenever she got the chance to anonymously move amongst the people of her kingdom, helping others whenever she got the chance, but that was one of the oldest family traditions out there, there was nothing special about that.

And looks wise… Maybe growing up in a building practically infested by portraits of beautiful and imposing Zeldas gone by had left her with a complex, but she really didn’t feel she fit in. Her hair had no smooth silken blonde locks – it was raven black, and it had defeated every comb that had ever tried to tame its wild tresses. She was neither imposingly tall, or comfortingly short – she just kind of hung out in the middle. Average. And as for her figure… Well, she’d been disappointed when she’d reached adulthood and found that, no, she wouldn’t be standing out here, either. Not that she was exactly flat chested or anything, but, how to put it… she wouldn’t have any trouble assuming the old hand-me-down identity of Shiek the supposedly male ninja, either. Understand?

What made it all worse was that her generation’s Link didn’t seem to have any of these problems. She’d seen him on occasion, secretly, when she’d been sneaking around on some of her trips outside the castle. He was an adventurer – not well known, but certainly well liked around the town. A man of few words, always dressed in green, and a master swordsman in the making, if what she’d seen of his skills were anything to go by. He was kind, blonde, and hoo boy he had the muscles to go with his lifestyle.

She may, ah… She may have developed quite the crush on him, if she was honest. They’d spoken, from time to time, and they’d had some fun adventures… Oh, she’d never revealed who she actually was, of course. But, well, she certainly didn’t expect him to respond in kind. There was nothing special about her, after all.

… But all of that was getting off topic! Aheh. So, yes. All the signs were there. Darkness rising. A Zelda and a Link wandering around. This age of prosperity seemed destined to fail at any moment, and with it would come death and despair untold, held back only by the wisdom of a princess, and the might of a champion.

And Zelda did not feel that she would be capable of handling her role. Not at all.

There were rumours, among the scholarly community – apocryphal texts and uncertain historical accounts – of Zeldas who hadn’t been able to fulfil their destiny. Who’d been too weak, or too stupid, or too frail to play their role. In dark academic circles, these ‘failure’ Zeldas were sometimes blamed for the worst catastrophes in Hyrule’s history. The longest eras of darkness, the greatest falls of civilization, all predicated on a Zelda being unable to do her duty.

Now, a more confident princess might have, rightly, dismissed such claims as utter horse radish – the mere act of elitist, bigoted academics looking to blame unavoidable national-level tragedy on whatever young girl was closest at the time. But Zelda was not such a confident princess, and the very thought terrified her, and spurred her into actions that she otherwise might have thought twice about.

Namely, she was looking at prevention. Stopping the forces of evil before they truly got rolling. That way, it wouldn’t matter how much of a failure she was – this generation’s turn of the cycle would pass without incident!

Of course, it wasn’t as though this kind of thing had never been tried before – and generally, it had gotten poor results. Seals never lasted forever, and banishment never worked out. Eventually, the forces of darkness returned, stronger than ever thanks to the efforts that had been used against them. There was no force greater than the Triforce of Power, after all – eventually, it would overcome everything set against it.

But that was where Zelda had her idea. The reason for all these troubles was the corruption of the Triforce of Power. So long as it remained in the hands of evil, then the darkness that threatened Hyrule could never be truly defeated. What would happen, then, if she could recover the golden power before darkness used it? Without it, the enemy would be so much weaker – and if its strength could be harnessed by the forces of light, their victory would be assured!

Restoration of the full Triforce… It was a bold plan. And had she been anyone other than Zelda, an almost impossible one. As princess she had access to resources and knowledge that no other could hope to gather… But more than that, the girl was just plain damn intelligent. Despite her low confidence, she really was one of the sharpest tacks that Hyrule had ever produced – the mark of the Triforce of Wisdom had appeared on the back of her hand before her fifth birthday. With access to the power that gave her, along with her own ruthless intellect, even the most puzzling of magical conundrums had eventually fallen to her wits.

Which wasn’t to say that it had been a simple matter, no. Actual research materials on the Triforce itself were rare things indeed. Few had ever been given the chance to study it, and even fewer had left notes. Despite the fact that the princess was one of three people in the entire world who could examine a piece of the divine artefact whenever she pleased, she still had to consult other studies for their information and insights. That meant digging through the archives – literally, in many cases, requiring travels to ancient ruins or long forgotten dungeons hunting for rare manuscripts.

Sometimes it even meant hiring Link to track down the most dangerous of items, which he always managed, often returning with new magical weapons and an interesting story. Occasionally, she’d even been required to hire him as her bodyguard for some of her more difficult excursions, which had been very interesting…

And it had borne results! At last, at long last, the ritual was ready. Zelda could now claim to be the foremost expert on the Triforce, not only in her own time, but across the entire history of Hyrule. Its secrets, such as they were, belonged to her, and her alone. And with them, she was ready to attempt the unthinkable – to free the Triforce of Power from Ganon’s grip.

Deep in the depths of Hyrule Castle, in an area that the princess has sequestered for herself as a private study, her work began. It was something only she could do, and that she had to do alone. Hours and hours were spent chanting and weaving spells. Over the course of weeks and months, the cold stone walls of the basement were replaced by golden embroidered magic, converting the entire base level of the castle into a gigantic magical rune circle. The air around the town grew thick with mana, and unseasonable lightning storms became a frequent occurrence.

Handling this much power was dangerous, but Zelda was careful. Every step she took was checked, checked, and quintuple checked again just to be safe. Every line of magic she drew was practiced a thousand times before she added it to the growing weave. This was a work that, ordinarily, she would have liked to have spent years crafting, perhaps even a lifetime…

… But she didn’t have that long. If she wanted to protect her people from the coming evil, she had to work quickly. She didn’t have years, she had- well, to be honest, she didn’t know. It could happen any day now. Some cycles had been devastating explicitly because of their sudden nature.

Which was why she was so relieved when her preparations were finally complete! At last! The pieces were all in place, the final spells had taken hold. She was ready to make the attempt. And she’d likely only get the one shot.

It was with trepidation, then, that she approached the centre of her ritual, where she knelt and took a breath. This was it. Her chance. If she could do this, she wouldn’t just be saving her kingdom – she could, theoretically, be putting an end to the cycle for good. At the very least, she’d be striking a fierce blow against the forces of evil.

And if she failed, then… Then…

… Well, no need to dwell on that. She just couldn’t fail, that was all.

Silence settled over the room. The time had come. The magic was ready. All that was left… was her.

Zelda closed her eyes, her hands clasped, and began to pray.

Golden light flared around her, the room consumed in a dazzling glow. The earth beneath her groaned and rumbled. In the sky over the Castle, clouds gathered, and lightning flashed. The world trembled as her spell went to work.

And in the centre of it all, carefully, oh so carefully, Zelda reached out… And grasped her target. The Triforce of Power. Vulnerable, while Ganondorf slept, all she had to do was wrap her magic around it and pull… Now!

A pulse ran through the land, the populace of Castle Town panicking as light shone up from beneath the cobblestones of their streets, running out from the centre of the kingdom, out to the farthest reaches. Bolts of lightning struck the tallest towers, and fire glowed at the top of Death Mountain, as a great spell worked itself across the world…

Then it all stopped – and Zelda’s room plunged into darkness.

The silence that followed was terrifying to her. Was that it? Had she failed? All this work, all this time and effort, everything she’d tried come to naught? Worse, could it be that she herself may have awoken Ganon with her ill-conceived attempt to stop him? Oh Nayru, what had she done?!?

Her panic lasted for an entire heart-stopping second – and a smart girl like Zelda could come up with a lot of worst-case scenarios in a second – before light returned in glorious bounty, a shimmering golden triangle appearing in the air before her. The sight brought her up short – her fear immediately forgotten as her eyes traced the divine relic with awe and wonder. There was no trace of darkness or corruption on its frame.

The Triforce of Power had been purified at last.

Now, Zelda was a prim and proper girl, having been raised with a healthy does of court etiquette installed in her from an early age… But one would think she could be forgiven for raising her arms over her head and cheering with unadulterated joy in this moment of triumph. It was a fairly once in a lifetime event, after all. And even if it was a holy relic, hugging the giant golden triangle wasn’t that big a breach of decorum. Besides, there wasn’t anyone else there to see!

But this was big. Huge! Once Zelda had calmed down again, her mind was immediately whirling, trying to work out how her success would change things. To be honest, she’d become so obsessed with her task, with reaching this moment, that she’d never once considered what would happen afterwards. It had seemed too much to hope for to spend her time thinking about a future that might never come to pass.

Well now she didn’t have a choice. The Triforce was here, shining in her face – and she needed to work out what to do with it. Would it need a new host? A new bearer? Someone who could be trusted with the incredible might of unlimited power? Ah, now that was a difficult call. Obviously, the relic couldn’t be left unguarded, but true power was a seductive thing. Who out there could bear that burden without being corrupted by it? Who could she choose to take this responsibility on?

Fortunately – or, well, unfortunately, really – that choice had already been made for her. The Triforce had a will of its own, after all. It was attracted to power – and right now, the woman who’d just cast a spell that had the entire kingdom shaken to its foundation was seeming pretty powerful.

“Wha-?!” A startled gasp was all that Zelda managed to get out when the Triforce suddenly shot towards her, before it vanished in a shower of sparks – and the mark on her left hand began to glow. Steadily, the top triangle of the Triforce symbol began to fill in – while, previously, she’d only held the one on the bottom left, Wisdom. But now that mark was starting to fade…

C… Could it be? Was the Triforce of Power overwriting her Triforce of Wisdom, somehow? Was that possible? Nothing like this had ever happened before!

It was clearly happening now, though – and that discovery was coming with consequences. Her skin was darkening around the mark, turning from a pale peach to milky chocolate, and spreading outwards from there. As she watched, her eyes widening all the while, the colour washed up her arm like a wave, flowing out into the rest of her body.

The colour wasn’t the only change, either! No, though it was certainly the most eye-catching, Zelda’s sharp senses soon noticed a shift in the toning of her arm. Her muscles had never been a particular point of pride for the princess – she was a thinker, not a fighter. But now… Now, it looked like she’d been pumping iron for years, with the size of those muscles… On her left side, at least.

And the changes were only growing more extreme as they continued, now sweeping her clothes into the mix as well. The fine fabrics that made up her regal purple dress unspooled around her, reweaving themselves into much thinner, much more revealing silks that clung around her chest and waist, leaving everything else exposed. In fact, they barely even covered that much, practically falling off her willowy frame before she grabbed them with a gasp, completely bewildered by what was going on.

The ill-fitting nature of her new clothes wasn’t to last, though, as the wave of dark colour spread into her chest – and with it, can a stunning surge of growth. The princess couldn’t help but squeak as her modest breasts suddenly swelled into an incredibly well-nourished pair of melons, now almost stretching her silken top to breaking point. And then a similar growth spurt hit her again when the wave reached her hips, inflating her behind to trembling proportions.

By the time she’d recovered, the shift was almost over. Her legs had taken on the same tanned tone as the rest of her, with fine, firm muscles along her calves, and silken slippers on her feet. Reaching up to touch her face, she could feel that her features had changed too, if only slightly – her eyebrows growing thicker, her lips fuller. And, as she pulled that hand back, she caught a lock of raven black hair and drew it into her field of vision. It turned a fiery red right before her eyes.

Dazed, her brain came to the only conclusion that fit the facts. Somehow, through the magic of the Triforce… she had become a Gerudo.

Was it possible? Well, of course it was – the Triforce was the ultimate power. With it, anything and everything was within the realms of possibility. But then, why? Could… Could it be because the Triforce of Power had belonged to Ganondorf for so long? It had been in his grip for millennia. And there were records, ancient and almost unreadable, that said that, once upon a time, the king of evil had come from the Gerudo tribe…

Had being in his possession for so long marked it, somehow? Left a trace? If so, then she had to… She… She had to…

Ah…

Zelda’s eyes dulled for a moment, and her head spun as the wisdom mark on her hand flickered. Suddenly, she felt so… So hazy…

The dazed gerudo princess stumbled forwards, falling to her knees as the two marks on her hand vied for dominance. There was something that she should have been doing, she knew, but she just couldn’t think what. Or… think at all, really.

Ironically, she was suffering from a problem that she would have been the best person to identify not a few moments beforehand. In essence, her brain was starting to struggle with withdrawal. Princess Zelda had always been a smart woman, yes – but she’d also been the bearer of the power of Wisdom since early childhood, and that power had flowed through the corridors of her thoughts for many, many years. And now that something was interrupting that power’s flow…

Her thoughts struggled, and crashed together, annihilating themselves in a flash of stupidity. Perfectly captured memories crumbled and vanished, deprived of that golden power. Her wits, normally razor sharp, dulled to rock-hard bluntness as the light retreated. Slowly, the towering majesty of her intellect tilted, and then toppled.

And as the light of Wisdom finally winked out for good, driven from her body by Power’s occupation and left to find a new bearer of its own, the great wise princess’s intelligence plummeted like a stone into a bottomless lake. Leaving her kneeling in the remnants of her greatest achievement, her body morphed, and her head utterly hollow.

It was some time before life returned to the gerudo’s eyes. Eventually, she blinked, the haze breaking slightly, though there would always be a dull glint to her gaze. Slowly, she looked around, wondering where she was.

The room was very fancy, lined with shiny gold and weird statue things. Huh. Weird. What was she doin’ here? The thick headed woman shook her head and got to her feet. She couldn’t remember. Actually, she couldn’t remember much of anything, except…

Oooh, except a cute little Hylian Voe~ Nice muscles. Strong sword arm. The gerudo licked her lips at the thought. Yeah, maybe she could ask him these silly questions like, y’know, who she was and what she was doing in this dingy old castle.

Or maybe she’d just skip right to bedding him. Whatever she felt like when she found him. Now, if only she could remember how to speak Hylian… Oh well. She was pretty sure she could get her meaning across! And she definitely knew which option she was hoping for right at the moment~

Smiling a somewhat stupid smile, the new bearer of the Triforce of Power wandered out of the room, and off into the dungeons of Hyrule Castle. And as she did so, another bright, peaceful day dawned on the Kingdom of Hyrule. Overall, things hadn’t gone entirely to plan… But it had worked out alright in the end, hadn’t it?

Zelda wasn’t going to complain, anyway!