Entryhall, Hyrule Castle, the Kingdom of Hyrule.

Zelda had finally garnered enough strength to call Link into the throne room.  She was about to raise a topic of which she was uncomfortable speaking.  She felt half crazy to be going to tell him she was in love with him, but it was true, so she could not keep pretending that she was not.  She was in the entryhall of Hyrule Castle.  In Hyrulian terms, the entryhall was the room of the castle connected to the throne room.  In the case of Hyrule Castle, the entryhall was also the main entrance from the outside.  Zelda was staring at the piano that occupied the hall.  The court pianist played on occasions when important persons, such as visiting monarchs, visited Hyrule Castle.  Its location allowed the sound to reverberate through the entire main pathway of the castle.

            Link came in from the door to the west.  "Zelda," he began hastily, "look.  I. . . I've been too assertive, okay?  It's just because I love you and want you to like me."  He crossed over to the piano.  Before Zelda could say a thing, Link said, "I bet you never knew I could do this."  He sat down on the bench in front of the piano and began playing Beethoven's Für Elise {für áy-lé-zuh}.  Perfectly.  Zelda was astounded.

            "You're right," she said.  "I never knew you could play the piano."

            "I took lessons at the Palace of Power," Link explained.  "I practice quietly, but I do practice."  He played the entire bagatelle expressively and without error.  When he had finished, Zelda clapped her hands.  "Impressed?"

            "Yeah," said Zelda.  "You didn't even have a book."

            "I have memorised several pieces.  Take this one, for example."  He began playing Mozart's Turkish March.  It was quite complicated, as the notes were quite quick and there were notes all across the keyboard.  Still, he did this piece perfectly as well.

            "Very good," Zelda said.  "How long does it take you to memorise a piece like that?"

            "I usually have to play one only three times to memorise it," Link answered.  "How about I. . ."

            "Link," interrupted Zelda, "wait, please.  I'm sorry about the way I've behaved toward you and reacted to the ways you try to express your affection for me."  She sat down next to him.  "I just don't think of love as a way to repay someone for his or her heroics.  I think of thanks in that manner, and maybe a slight monetary sum, but love is not something to be won like that."  She moved closer to him.  "Other things - those involving romance - spark affectionate responses.  I don't know how to play the piano; I don't even know how to label the keys according to letters.  I do like classical music, however."

            "Well. . . I guess I understand," Link told her.  "I'll try not to attach love to heroics so much anymore.  I enjoy playing classical music on piano.  I'm sorry about the way I've tried to attract you.  I'll try not to do it that way any more."

            "Kiss me!" said Zelda.

            "No.  Let's kiss each other!" corrected Link.

            "Okay," said Zelda.  They did so.

            * * *

            Ludwig's Warbird.

            "I hate those Thunder Kittens!" cried Ludwig.  "I also hate that Wesley Crusher and those Wondertwins!  They are bloody annoying!  Damn those Thunder Kittens.  The other Q-cubeds as well, actually."

            "Shall we outlaw nonofficial languages?" asked Morton.  "Will we make it illegal for people to speak vulgar tongues in public?  Oh, will we, 'Kooky'?"

            "No, we won't," said Ludwig.  "Not at first."

            Bowser said, "Ludwig, can you prevent the other Q-cubeds from going to Crusher's basic plane of existence?"

            "No, I cannot," Ludwig said.  "They're too powerful.  We can't subdue them."

            "Then how do we keep them from stopping us?" Bowser asked.

            "I don't know," said Ludwig.  He then began smiling maliciously.  "Wait a minute.  Maybe I do know.  Ha, ha!"

            * * *

            Throne Room, Palace of Power.

            Kevin said, "And there's another thing, Princess."

            "What's that?" Lana asked.

            "Exor and Exorius will hold 50% of the kingdom's population once readmitted.  Their population will greatly alter the average linguistic structure of VideoLand.  On those worlds, the most-spoken language is the Metroidian dialect of Portuguese - which I don't know - the second-most-spoken language is French, and the third is English.  Their stats, combined with MegaLand's most recent ones, would change our order from English, French, Spanish, Italian, German, Portuguese, Modern Latin, and Russian to French, English, Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, German, Modern Latin, and Swedish."

            "That is a significant change," agreed Lana.

            "If the trend continues the way it's been going," said Kevin, "the order could soon put English after Spanish in that order.  French is not in danger of displacement, though, not by a long shot."

            "Okay.  So, that would be French, Portuguese, Spanish, English, Italian, German, Modern Latin, and Swedish.  Anything more?"  Kevin thought.

            "Yes, as a matter of fact," said Kevin.  "Some of the lower languages are beginning to replace Spanish.  The inhabitants of the Mushroomian Empire are shifting to Italian from Spanish."

            "I hate imposing official languages and designating certain ones as vulgar.  It feels horrible.  And it's unfair to literary development."

            "The Hyrulians tend to study Portuguese and Italian more than Spanish," said Kevin.  "I think, though, that English may pick up a little more upward momentum."

            Lana said, "Somehow, we should get Portuguese and Spanish merged into Iberian."

            "The languages are similar."

            "Spanish vocabulary, but Portuguese grammar?"

            "Who knows?"

            "The Portuguese Academy of VideoLand has always been my best source of information on the Portuguese language.  While it keeps showing that Portuguese is a language separate from Spanish, the Spanish Academy of VideoLand has been diligently searching for some way to reveal that Portuguese is just a Spanish dialect."

            "The two are different in the important ways."  Lana got up.

            "Well, can't please everyone all the time, I guess," she said.  "I'm going to have the Spanish and Portuguese Academies angry with me.  I want them to merge and create Iberian.  Portuguese and Spanish will be considered major dialects of Iberian, but proper Iberian will be a blend of Portuguese grammar and Spanish vocabulary."  Zan and Jayna came up to them.  "Hello, Zan and Jayna.  What's on your minds?"

            "I don't know about this idea of merging Spanish and Portuguese," said Jayna.  "I've studied them both.  You can't just smash Spanish vocabulary and Portuguese grammar together.  That would present chaos.  Assumptions of aspects of Portuguese grammar are incompatible with aspects of Spanish vocabulary.  You'd have to change aspects of both to create the single language you called Iberian."

            "You know a lot about them?"

            "I have a master's in both, Princess."

            "Good," said Lana.  "If we just put the two academies together, they'll just bicker rather than do the job.  None of the members of the Portuguese Academy has anything above an associate in Spanish, and vice-versa with the Spanish Academy and the Portuguese language.  The requirement for either is a master's degree."

            "I see."

            "If you'll accompany me, Jayna, we'll go see if we can make some of my people unhappy."  Jayna was amused.

            "Yes, ma'am."

            * * *

            Spanish Academy, Palace of Power.

            "What?" cried Chairman Roberto de Leópoldo {rró-behr-tó dáy láy-ó-pól-dó}.  "With all due respect, Your Highness, what in the world are you talking about?"

            "Merging Portuguese and Spanish," Lana said.

            "You speak of Portuguese as though it were a separate language," de Leópoldo told her.  "It's really a Spanish dialect created when the king of Portugal resisted being assimilated into the rest of Spain by the king of Castille after the Moors had been chased out of Spain.  That's the only reason Portugal is separate from Old and New Castille, León. . ."

            "I don't need a history and geography lesson," said Lana.  "My grades in those subjects clearly state that.  Portuguese is different from Spanish."

            "I'm sorry, my Princess, but you are mistaken," said de Leópoldo.  "There are two main dialects of Spanish:  Spanish as spoken in Portugal and its former colonies, or Portuguese; and Spanish as spoken in Spain and its former colonies, or Castillio-Latin."

            Jayna said, "I have a master's degree in both Spanish and Portuguese.  I can tell you that Portuguese is definitely not a dialect of Spanish.  I have the authority to say that."

            "All right," conceded de Leópoldo.  "So Portuguese is not a dialect of Spanish.  But what does it matter?  Just abolish Portuguese."

            "I am not going to abolish Portuguese, even if MotherBrain herself constructed the dialect of that language that is spoken throughout VideoLand," Lana said evenly.  "You and the Portuguese Academy are going to merge to create Iberian.  Spanish and Portuguese will be acceptable dialects of Iberian, which will replace Spanish and Portuguese formally."

            "Those stuck-up Portuguese aren't going to concede!  That Portuguese Academy is resisting Spanish in all forms!"

            "Well, they're founded on a different language," said Jayna.  "Just be glad Princess Lana here isn't trying to create Vulgar Latin by merging French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Romanian, Galatian. . ."

            "I get your point.  We get along worse with the Romanian Academy than with anyone else.  They resisted the Roman alphabet for a long time, long after the VideoLand dialect of Russian became Romanised."

            "Yes," Lana said.  "See you later!"  She and Jayna left the office of the academy.  The entire wing was devoted to the Spanish Academy.  Down the corridor, right across from the Spanish Academy's wing, was the Portuguese Academy's wing.  Chairmen Roberto de Leópoldo and João da Paula {zhó-ahⁿh-ó dah pahw-lah} will have fun arguing, Lana mused.  At Chairman João da Paula's office, she knocked three times.  In a moment, the door was opened, and Lana and Jayna entered.

            "Hello!" greeted da Paula.  "Have a seat, Your Highness."  Lana sat down in the chair across the desk from him.  "How may we help you?"  Lana would have to tread much more carefully this time.  She was a good friend with da Paula.

            "Um, based on certain statistics," said Lana carefully, "I want to merge Portuguese and Spanish."

            "What do you hope to accomplish by doing this, ma'am?"

            "I hope to add some stability to our linguistic structure," said Lana.  "I felt we could do this by combining Portuguese grammar with Spanish vocabulary and alter both so that they fit into one language called Iberian."

            "I see.  If you expected me to disagree, you're in for a big surprise.  I rather like the idea.  I would be ever grateful for an end to the bickering between the two academies.  What will happen to Portuguese and Spanish, though?"

            "They'll be designated as dialects of Iberian.  You and the Spanish Academy would merge."

            "My goodness," da Paula whispered.  He said, "None of us knows Spanish."

            "Jayna will be joining the merged academies," Lana said.  "She has a master's degree in both languages."

            "That's I," Jayna said.

            Da Paula said, "Very well.  We'll do it."

            "Thank you," Lana said.

            * * *

            French Academy.

            "The structure is, indeed, different," said Jean-Paul de Bernard.  "MegaLandian French has been modified such that it may be mistaken for a dialect of a language other than French."

            "While it really is not," said MegaMan.

            "True.  MegaLandian French now pronounces every single letter.  Captain N, what is to be done?"

            "I wish I knew, sir," Kevin said.  "As always, Princess Lana is the final authority on these subjects."

            "Well, I suggest that we classify MegaLandian French as a neodialect of French," de Bernard said.  "I should consult with Chairman di Claudio to see if the inflectional qualities are similar to Italian."

            "I think there are, in some areas," said MegaMan.  The intercom buzzed.  De Bernard pressed a button on the base of his telephone.

            "Yes?"

            "There is someone to see you, sir," announced the secretary.  "His name is Wilykat."

            "Let him enter," de Bernard said.  He pressed the button once more.  "He was supposed to come with you, Captain N."

            "I know.  He is late," Kevin said.  This made him just a little upset with Wilykat.  The door opened to admit Wilykat.  "Thou art late."

            "Sorry," said Wilykat.  " 'Kit almost forgot."  Kevin's look said that they would definitely talk about this, but later.

            MegaMan asked, "Have you looked over the files on MegaLandian French?"

            "I have," said Wilykat.  "Its inflection structure is similar to that of Ancient Thunderian."

            Kevin was a little perplexed.  "And. . . Ancient Thunderian is similar to one of Earth's languages?" he asked.

            "Tygra said it was almost identical in vocabulary to the Italian language.  Several inflectional and conjugational elements are also identical between the two, he said."

            "What are your thoughts on the similarities between Ancient Thunderian and Italian?" asked de Bernard.

            "I don't have any, sir.  I haven't studied Italian enough to be well acquainted with it."

            "In that case," de Bernard said, "I shall consult di Claudio and see what he has to say."

            * * *

            Throne Room.

            Upon their arrival, Kevin asked, "Wilykat, why didn't you remember?"

            "Excuse me?" asked Wilykat.

            "You said that Wilykit almost forgot.  Yet, it was your responsibility to be there on time.  It's not like she controls you."

            "Well, I wasn't going to leave without her permission."

            "I told you when to be there, Wilykat.  You were almost ten minutes late."

            "Wilykit. . ."

            "What about her, Wilykat?"

            "She was preparing for the ceremony, and. . . well, I was compelled to help her.  By God, Kevin, she is my twin!  How can you understand that bond?"

            Far better than you know, Wilykat, Kevin said, hiding his pain well.  "All right, pal.  I understand to enough of an extent.  I forgive you.  Just try to remember these things, all right?"

            "I'll try, sir."

            "Thank you.  Now, it's. . ."  He looked at his watch.  ". . .10.55."  Zan approached the three.  "Hello, Zan!"

            "Hello, Kevin," said Zan.  "Wilykat, may I speak with you for a moment."

            Suddenly, Wilykat felt uneasy.  Zan was, after all, Jayna's big brother, and. . .  "Certainly," Wilykat replied.  Kevin nodded.  Wilykat and Zan went to another area of the room.  "What would you like to talk about, Zan?"  Wilykat did not let his unease show.

            "Wilykat, I like you.  I just want you to know that I trust you around Jayna."  That was a great relief to Wilykat.

            "You have a good sister, my friend."

            "I know, Wilykat.  Do you love her?"

            "Yes."

            "Do you love Wilykit or my sister more?"

            "Wilykit."

            "That's good.  From what I understand, concerning twins, we Exorians have beliefs similar to those of you Thunderians."  The elevator doors opened.  Lana and Jayna emerged.  "Jayna, could you come over here, please?"

            "Go ahead," Lana said.  Jayna nodded to both and went to join Zan and Wilykat as Lana went to Kevin.  "Hello, Kevin."

            "Hi, Princess," Kevin said.  "How did it go?"

            "Rather well, actually," said Lana.  "Better than I had expected."

            "Wilykit's bro was late."

            "I hope you weren't hard on him, Kevin."

            "Well. . . I tried."

            "What does that mean?"

            "I was perturbed.  If I hurt him in any way, I didn't mean to.  I was just embarrassed slightly, that's all."  She took his hand.

            "Did you yell?"

            "No.  I'd never yell at him, Lana.  That's Wilykit's responsibility."  Lana smiled from amusement.

            "Okay.  Kevin, we said that in number of speakers, the lingual progression will be French, English, Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, German, Modern Latin, and Swedish."

            "Yes."

            "What about the widespread progression?"

            "Is Chemistra to become a member world?"

            "Yes.  I have concluded that Nuclesís is not as bad as Ludwig."

            "All right.  The widespread lingual progression will be English, Italian, French, Portuguese, and Spanish, with Italian, French, and Portuguese the most growing.  That's counting MegaLandian as a French dialect.  French and Italian are really hopping.  Last month was when German and Spanish became heavily displaced."

            "I see," Lana said.  "Could you find Wilykit?"

            "Sure, Princess."  He tapped his communicator.  "Computer, where is Wilykit?"

            "Hereditary Lord Kit Astutus vân Wily is in the process of transporting to your present location," said the computer.  A second later, Wilykit arrived.

            "Hello, Princess and Kevin," said Wilykit.  "How are you?"

            "We are very well," Kevin replied.  "And you?"

            "Doing reasonably good, thanks."

            "So, who's in command of the Thunder Cats now?" asked Kevin.

            "Wilykat and I, jointly," Wilykit told him.  "I didn't have to give him equal position; I just wanted to.  I also knew he'd beg if I didn't, so I wanted to avoid that.  So, when're you two going to get married?"

            Kevin smiled and queried, "What makes you ask?"

            "Just a notion I had."  Lana suddenly felt something - a powerful, relentless force - invade her mind.  She screamed out loud and fainted.

            * * *

            Ludwig's Warbird.

            "Perfect," Ludwig said.  "I have cloaked my link to Princess Lana.  Not even Wilykit will find it!"

            "How are you so sure?" Bowser inquired.

            "Because it's so, Dad.  If I marry into Lana's family, I'll become autonomous king of all VideoLand!"

            "Why not just snap a finger?" asked Roy.  "Zap. . . VideoLand's yours."

            "THAT WOULD BE TOO EASY!!!" cried Ludwig.  "I require satisfaction.  By manipulating some things, I will have a satisfying challenge; however, if I just did what you described, I wouldn't be satisfied because there would be no challenge.  Do you understand?"

            "I think so."

            "If I get Lana to marry me or at least give me her kingdom, one third of the galaxy will be mine.  I'll invade the Romulan and Klingon Empires to take all the ship building materials that I can.  I can use my powers subtly to gain success, true."

            "Excuse me, sir," said Mouser.  "I have something that you should know."

            "What is it?" asked Ludwig, going over to Mouser.

            "You should test the effects of lithium super-Thundrainide on Thunderians.  It may give us a favourable result."  The nature of Mouser's smile told Ludwig that he darned well better try it.

            "Very well.  Create the substance."  Mouser complied with pleasure.

            * * *

            Palace of Power.

            Quicksilver said, "She's okay.  I don't understand what happened here.  I don't know the cause."

            "Find it, Quick," said Captain N.

            "She's awakening."  Lana's eyes opened, and she sat up.

            "Wh-. . . what happened?" she asked.

            "You screamed and fell unconscious," Kevin said.  "Quicksilver says you're okay, but he doesn't understand the cause."

            "Nor do we," said Wilykat.

            "Your telepathy picked up nothing?"

            Wilykit said, "No.  We should have at least felt something from Her Highness."

            "I'll bet my dog that Ludwig's got a hand in this," Kevin said.  "Can you read Lana?"

            "Yeah, I can now.  She seems normal now.  Just. . . something unidentified is somewhere, sneaking along the thin boundaries between her conscious and subconscious."

            "It could be. . ."

            "No.  Please, Kevin, no suppositions."

            "Right," said Wilykat.  "A nontelepath cannot make safe guesses about telepathy."

            "Very well.  Who could it be?"

            "It could be Ludwig," said Wilykit.

            Kevin snapped, "I was going to say that!"

            "Sorry, Kev."

            "Did someone say my name?" asked Ludwig's voice.  He popped into existence.  "Hello!  Do you know that Italian will be the principal language of my empire?"

            "What empire?" asked Kevin.

            "Why, you are obviously of the mistaken opinion that there shall be no Third Koopulan Empire."

            "It's a fact, deluded reptile!"

            "That's what you think!  Lana!!"  Lana shuddered.  "Give me your kingdom, or you will face the consequences!"

            "She never will," said Wilykit.  "She'll never hand her kingdom over to you.  Right, Princess?"

            "Well, ah. . . I don't want to," said Lana.  "But is it worth getting hurt over this?"

            Unable to believe his ears, Kevin demanded, "WHAT?!?  Princess, don't hand him a third of the galaxy!"

            "Well. . . Kevin, he's going to keep fighting until he gets it.  We can avoid a lot of trouble by giving in."

            "WHAT!!!  Lana!  Are you crazy?"

            "No, I'm not crazy.  I just don't want anyone hurt over this."

            "God help you, Lana!" Wilykat said.  "Beat it, Prince Ludwig, before Wilykit and I escort you to a warp to Metroid."  Ludwig let out an evil laugh.

            "You and your sister cannot threaten me!" Ludwig said.

            "Ha, ha," said Wilykit.  "Good-bye, my enemy.  You're returning home, like it or not!"

            "Oh, come now," Ludwig said.  "You really hurt me.  That's all right, though."  He snapped his fingers.  A crystalline substance appeared.  It immediately weakened the Thunder Kittens, reducing their strength to that of a human.  "Lithium super-Thundrainide, a compound with such a molecular structure that it cannot be produced synthetically.  The lithium in the compound is radioactive with a half-life of five decades.  With my malevolent powers, I can adjust the rate of decay to an infinitesimal amount to further weaken you Thunder Kittens.  A rate of decay twice as slow would interfere with Thunderians' disease-prevention systems, the most remarkable in the universe - except, of course, that it would not effect those systems in Wilykats."

            "How in the world did you find out, you rat?" Wilykit demanded.

            "Why, how perceptive!  A certain rat called Mouser did his homework," Ludwig said.  "He discovered the amazing permanently bonding ability of super-Thundrainide.  It can act as a metal or nonmetal.  As a nonmetal, it can bind with any representative metal nearly permanently.  With the radioactive lithium - necessary for weakening you this much - the only way the reaction can work is through hypersynthesis.  This stuff can't harm life-forms other than Thunderians, unless I do something.  Just feel lucky your other Thunder Cat pals aren't here!"

            "Take this!" snapped Kevin.  He drew his Zapper and blasted at Ludwig, who averted the beam.

            "Tsk, tsk," said Ludwig.  "Control thyself, Kev."  The evil one snapped his fingers and froze Kevin in time.  "The Q-niverse shall be mine!"  He turned to Lana.  "Now, give me the Kingdom of VideoLand, Princess!  I don't have all day!"

            Simon Belmont drew his whip, Kid Icarus his bow.  "Not if we have anything to do with it!" Simon said.

            "Please!"  Ludwig proceeded to freeze those two as well.  "Your kingdom, Lana!"

            "Don't believe you'll win so easily, Ludwig!" Jayna said.  "Zan?"  She held her left fist up.  Zan did so with his right one.

            They both commanded, "Wondertwin powers, activate!"  They brought their held-up fists together, activating their transformation energies, which Ludwig was absorbing.

            "Wait!" said Jayna.  "Our energy is being stolen!"

            Ludwig said, "Good for you.  By whom?"

            "By you!"

            "Right first time!  You are very good!  In fact, I could actually use someone of your IQ.  Or of the Wilytwins', in fact."  He snapped his fingers.  "Ha!  Now, your powers are hindered by the presence of super-Thundrainium.  Therefore, I return your transformation energy to you.  Like it'll help!"

            "You are among the most detestable people we've ever met!"

            "Ah!  Wes is in his home universe of creation.  I can now lock him out of the Q-niverse!"  The Wilytwins and the Wondertwins realised the horror of what he could do with Wesley out of the way and them unable to use their Q-cubed powers.  He snapped his fingers; they knew he had done it.  The universe was now entirely helpless at Ludwig's mercy.  "Now is the hour of my victory!  Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha,. . .!"