"Hmm," said Link, prodding her swollen stomach. It was hard to tell whether she was exactly the same size or not. She didn't feel lighter than the first time, but with the size she was now would she even notice if she'd lost a pound or two? The only way to determine whether repeated swaps would average them out or turn them both into blimps would be to try it, and that was way too risky. Midna was right — she had to choose. That left only one practical option.
"Ok, Midna. Let's swap back."
"Good choice." she replied. "Try to let me down gently this time. When a butt that big hits the floor, it hurts!"
Link knelt on the ground, letting her belly spill onto her bare, tree-like thighs. Midna came closer, and they kissed passionately once again. Link smiled, wishing she'd had the courage to do that earlier, as she waited for her blimp-like body to deflate. And waited. And waited.
Panicking, she began to pat herself down all over searching for any sign of a change. Finally, something caught her eye as she brought a hand up to her face. A patch of skin on her forearm had turned jet black. She watched the darkness spread up her arm. Familiar tattoos, faintly glowing in the dim light of Link's house, etched themselves into her skin.
Midna stepped back, letting Link see that she was experiencing a similar change. Her strange black-and-grey coloration was rapidly fading to the pale tan of Hylian skin. The whites of her eyes were actually white, and her red irises changed to a piercing blue. Even her hair was different: the fiery orange dulled to match Link's dirty blonde.
As the changed completed, she hovered in front of the mirror and examined herself from a few different angles. Link blushed a little when she looked at her. Midna had never looked more like a small, naked woman. Remembering that she'd been naked since the day they met didn't help matters. The border of her two skin tones had always reminded Link of clothing, and seeing her without them was… interesting.
Putting such thoughts out of her head, Link turned her gaze down at herself. Every inch of her skin had taken on the imp's previous piebald pattern. Her arms and left leg were pitch-black while her right leg was pale grey. Desperate to know more, she struggled to her feet and took a few unsteady steps over to the mirror.
She wasn't surprised to see red eyes staring back at her. Bright orange hair framed the mask-like darkness around her eyes and forehead, and lighter skin spread down across her chubby cheeks and double chin before vanishing into her cleavage. Lifting her skirt indecently revealed her stomach was the same colour. Taking things one step farther, she hefted her huge gut to expose her crotch and thighs. The stark contrast of her white thong against her black skin was far more fetching than she was comfortable with.
Link shuddered and let her flab fall back into place. "One step forward, two steps back."
Wordlessly, Midna drifted to Link's shoulder. Too small for a proper hug, she wrapped her arms around one of Link's. Her prehensile hair wound its way around the heroine's back, her large "hand" resting on the outside of Link's thigh. Link flinched at the contact, but soon settled into Midna's embrace.
Link eventually broke their mutual silence. "Maybe this is for the best."
"Huh?" said Midna. "Didn't we agree you can't fight like this?"
"I meant learning this now." Link replied. "Imagine what could have happened if we'd tried this in the middle of another monster-infested old temple. Relying on magic we know nothing about —" She shook her head. "It's a good thing this happened here where we're safe. Where we can take the time to figure things out."
"That had better not be your way of saying we should stay here and make out." chided Midna.
"And what if it is?" asked Link. "Seriously," she continued, cutting off Midna's miffed response, "We need to know how this works before doing anything dangerous. That means either experimenting or finding someone who knows what that gem was.
"You're right. I can't fight as I am now. I'm slow, I'm weak, and I have no endurance. I'm trapped in the body of a woman that hasn't worked a day in her life, and I don't even know if it's possible to whip her into shape. Part of me wants to give up, let Zant regroup, and make the most of the time we have left. But thinking of everyone I'd let down by doing that — you, Zelda, and the people of both our worlds — I can't let that happen."
"That's the Link I know and love!" said Midna. "So what's the plan?"
Sat Jul 18 19:35:57 2015