//------------------------------// // Chapter 4: Where we came in? // Story: Legend of Zelda: Twilight's Moonfall // by Darkened Paradise //------------------------------// Chapter 4: Where we came in? Dawn of the First Day 72 Hours Remain When Twilight opened her eyes, she found herself in a dark, dank, dimly lit room. The tick-tock of a clock and sounds of rushing water echoed in her ears, and it was all disorienting. “Welcome back.” Twilight flinched, suddenly awake and alert as she looked to and from, her leafy head shaking with her movements. The sight of the mask sales-zebra, Muuzaji, nearly made her jump out of her skin. “What? Who? How? Where!?” she stammered, unable to comprehend what she was seeing. “Um, Twilight?” asked Blink, making herself known by emerging from Twilight’s flowery head. “What…what did you do?” “I, I don’t-“Twilight started, trying to make sense of what she was seeing. “Music works in mysterious ways, does it not?” Muuzaji asked, chuckling at the confused maredragora’s expression. “This way please.” “Wait, what do you mean-?” Twilight started, but was immediately cut off at the sight of a large pipe organ suddenly appearing before her eyes. “When did that get there? That wasn’t there before!” “Oh? Before? Are you quite sure?” the enigmatic zebra asked, his every present smile still there. “This has always been here.” “No it wasn’t! That only showed up when you…brought it to my attention…?” Twilight trailed off, unable fathom a way of explaining what just happened. Muuzaji merely giggled at Twilight’s befuddled expression, and sat himself at the keyboard. “As I have promised, since you have a way to restore yourself, I will show you the method. Now, listen closely, and follow along.” Taking a deep breath, the zebra began to tap the keys, producing a low, resonating, melody. The tone was somber, yet at the same time uplifting. When Muuzaji gestured, she produced the same saxophone from before, and repeated the melody note per note. As the final note trailed off the instrument, Twilight gasped as she found herself staring at a black void, devoid of all detail save for the dirt covered ground littered with fallen brown, red and gold leaves. Taking a cautious step, she found herself as a unicorn once more! Before she could celebrate, she heard the sound of ruffling leaves from behind her. Turning, she found a large flower, bigger than any she had seen. Cautiously, she prodded the flower with her hoof, only for it to suddenly spit out a large mass at her face. As she panicked, she heard a familiar giggle in her ear. Taking a deep breath, she raised her hooves to her face and gently pushed whatever was on her face off of her, and blinked in confusion as she found a tiny giggling maredragora filly in her hooves. “Who…?” Twilight started, a bit confused. “I’m you, silly!” the tiny being announced happily. “Wait, how is that even possible?” Twilight asked, setting the tiny creature down. “Are you-?” “You!” the tiny filly announced, smiling at Twilight’s lack of comprehension. “Or, at least you were me for a little while.” “Wait,” Twilight said slowly, realizing what she meant. “I-!” The little maredragora smiled sadly at Twilight, just as the two heard another rustling behind them. Turning her head, Twilight saw a little changeling hiding in the leaves, nervously sticking its head out to look at them. Swallowing her uncertainty, Twilight approached the little changeling, who squeaked back, hiding back in the leaves. “Hello?” Twilight asked, walking to the shivering plant, closely followed by the maredragora filly. Taking a deep breath, she moved the bush aside, revealing a terrified looking changeling. It looked up in fear, but then bowed its head in resignation. “You,” the unicorn started, “you are me too, aren’t you?” The changeling only chittered in response, as if waiting for something. Twilight shook her head slightly, before walking over to the tiny changeling and pulling it into an embrace. “I don’t hate you,” Twilight said to the tiny changeling. When it looked up in confusion, she continued, “Sure, I may not like what Chrysalis did to me, but that is far from, your fault. If anything, Chrysalis hurt both of us.” Petting the small changeling behind its ears, she continued, “You are me and I am you. That’s all there is to it.” “See?” the tiny maredragora said, worming into the hug with the changeling. “I told you she’d still accept you!” Twilight smiled as she closed her eyes, feeling a warm light envelop them. “Twilight…?” she heard Blink ask nearby. When she opened her eyes, she found herself before the Muuzaji, his ever-present grin still on his face, with Blink floating nearby. Blinking, she looked down at herself, and found herself back in her usual unicorn body “I’m, I’m back to normal?” Twilight asked herself, sitting on her rump as she gazed at her own violet hooves again. Giddiness welling inside her, she let out a small whoop as she examined herself. In the middle of her examination, she found two masks before her. One was an earthy brown color, its color and feel resembling that of soft tree bark. Moving some of the hair-like vines out of the way, a smiling face and a pair of red eyes stared back at her. Turning to the other, it resembled more of a black half mask, some green tloransparent translucent cloth behind the eye holes. Twilight received the Maredragora Mask! This mask, a remnant of the curse placed on Twilight by the Mysterious Masked Filly, can transform Twilight back into a maredragora at will! Twilight received the Changeling Mask! This mask, a remnant of the curse placed on Twilight by Chrysalis, Queen of the Changelings, can transform Twilight back into a Changeling at will! “What is this?” Twilight asked, confusion creeping into her voice. “The curse that has been placed upon you has been broken,” Muuzaji answered, his grin seemingly growing wider as he approached form the organ. “Most curious, however, is that two curses were layered upon another. Odd.” The zebra nodded to himself as he approached Twilight, before extending a hoof. “Now that I have delivered my end of the bargain, so must you do yours, do you not agree?” Twilight stared at the offered hoof, trying to remember just what he was talking about. The image of the heart shaped mask suddenly flashed in her mind, and she hung head down, in regret. “I’m sorry,” she started. “I couldn’t get your precious mask back and I-URK!?” Twilight was cut off when she suddenly found herself in the elder zebra’s hooves by her neck, and was being shaken rather violently. “YOU STUPID IDIOT!” Muuzaji screamed, as he continued to shake Twilight. “HOW COULD YOU NOT GET THE MASK BACK!? IT WAS A SIMPLE TASK! ALL YOU NEEDED TO DO WAS GRAB IT!” Not giving her a chance to answer, Muuzaji put her down and started to pace back and forth, continuing, “Now the tragedy that happened thirteen years ago will happen again! This time, there will be no here to save this land! Again!” Turning to Twilight, he was about to scream, only for Blink to swoop in and smack the enraged Zebra across the muzzle. “How about you CALM DOWN and EXPLAIN why you needed the OBVIOUSLY EVIL MASK in the FIRST PLACE!” Blink shouted, her tiny body quivering with anger. “That would have been nice to know,” Twilight agreed, coughing lightly as she got to her legs working again. “Ah! My apologies!” the older zebra said, kowtowing to the angry fairy and the winded unicorn. Twilight and Blink looked at each other, confused and somewhat concerned at how fast Muuzaji’s mood swings were. Coughing lightly, the mask sales-zebra continued, “Well, the power behind the mask is indeed malevolent but…its, it’s difficult to explain.” “Try us,” Twilight said. “Very well,” Muuzaji replied, taking a deep breath. “As you can no doubt tell, the mask that filly stole is no ordinary carnival or stage mask. Originally, or at least from what I was told, it was a monster that existed outside the realm of time, outside our very perception of reality. This monster devoured any and all beings that tried to approach it, until an adventurer had arrived in its den completely by accident. Unlike many before him, instead of trying to kill the creature, he attempted to befriend it. In his many attempts, he the adventurer made time flow for the beast with music, and the creature danced for six days in happiness. On the seventh day, the creature died, and from its remains, did the adventurer carve the mask.” “Wait, so if this mask was made from the remains of a friend, how is it evil?” Blink asked. “That’s where the details become hazy,” Muuzaji continued. “After the beast had been slain and the mask made, the adventurer from the story seemingly stopped existing. But the mask itself was used to for ancient hexing rituals, and its power was used to curse and destroy.” “Alright,” Twilight said slowly, nodding a bit. “So, if I’m understanding this, the mask has the power to change things, but whatever civilization found it decided to use for evil purposes? Am I getting this right so far?” Upon Muuzaji’s nod, she continued, “So what did you mean about the events thirteen years ago?” The old zebra sighed, and said, “Thirteen years ago, this land was nearly destroyed by one who was wearing the mask. The lands were cursed, its heroes were slain, and the people were almost wiped by the moon. But a hero had emerged, and saved everyone in only three days.” “THREE DAYS!?” Blink exclaimed. “HOW? That’s IMPOSSIBLE! DO YOU KNOW BIG EQUISS IS!?” Unperturbed, Muuzaji merely shrugged and said, “I am only repeating what I know. Supposedly, the hero of thirteen years past had arrived, and saved everyone three days’ time. I agree, it is almost impossible for a single hero, no matter how skilled, to travel all across Equiss, save its people, undo the curse placed on them, and prevent the moon from falling in only three days, but that is how the story goes." “So, what now? Twilight asked, her mind still processing all of the information given to her. “The moon is back, the mask is back, but the hero isn’t. What are we supposed to do?” The zebra and the fairy said nothing. “But the Hero of the legend hasn’t reappeared,” Twilight said slowly, mulling over her thoughts. After a few short minutes of hard thought, she exclaimed, “I get it! All we have to do now is FIND the Hero, right?” The zebra and the fairy said nothing, but Muuzaji did rub his snout in small aggravation. “Sure, Twilight,” Blink drawled, hovering slowly around the unicorn’s head, before resting on the tip of her horn. “So I guess the first thing we’ll need to do is search the six areas that Masked Filly was talking about, right?” “Right!” Twilight said, nodding to herself. “I guess we can first start at the…um…” “We can start with the Great Rainforest,” Blink said. “It’s the closest to area to Ponyville.” “Great!” Twilight said, heading out. As she moved to the door, Muuzaji called out, “Wait! It’s dangerous for you to go alone!” “But I have Blink?” Twilight said, turning around to look at the eccentric Zebra. “That’s not what I meant,” Muuzaji said, rifling through his pack. “Here,” he said, offering. Twilight a satchel. “It’s of no charge, seeing as you are doing this to help me retrieve the mask.” [Twilight received A Weapon Satchel! What’s inside? Open it and find out!] Twilight took the satchel curiously, noting the faded sword and shield emblems on the side. Opening it, she pulled out a long spear that was too large for the bag. “Wait, why are you giving me a weapon? I thought we were just going to look for the Hero?” “You will need to defend yourself out there,” Muuzaji said. “There are wild monsters and all sorts of otherworldly creatures that are resistant to a unicorn’s telekinesis.” “There’s not only that, but all of them won’t hesitate to attack you,” Blink followed up. At Twilight’s horrified expression, she continued, “What? That’s how things work in this here. I really don’t know what kind of world you lived in, but whatever you knew over there probably won’t be helpful anymore. I’m not saying to just completely forget it, but you’ll need to differentiate them.” “But, but, but, I don’t, I mean, I-“ Twilight started to stammer, only to suddenly freeze as an unknown, yet oddly familiar presence entered her mind. ‘You need not worry,’ a voice in her mind said. ‘I will teach you how to fight, how to survive. You are Princess Zelda’s chosen Knight; you are not allowed to fall here.’ “-light?” Blink’s voice echoed. “You okay?” Twilight shook her head quickly, regaining her senses. “I’m fine, I’m fine,” she said slowly, shivering a bit as the unknown presence left her. Looking at the spear again, she sighed and said, “There’s really no other choice?” “Sadly, none,” Muuzaji said, shaking his head. “Tis the life of the adventurer, after all.” “But if it helps,” Blink said, hovering over Twilight’s ear. “Think about it this way. It’s either you or them.” “That surprisingly doesn’t help,” Twilight deadpanned. Strapping the spear to her back, she continued, “Well, no point in just standing around and wasting time. Let’s go.” Twilight pushed against the door of the clock tower and entered Ponyville proper once more. To her surprise, the city was not a mess of debris, destruction and devastation. The citizens were all abuzz with activity, preparing for some big event known at the…Carnival of Time? Twilight stood there, jaw dropped at the sight. “Twilight,” Blink said slowly, “What did you do?” “I-I-I-,” Twilight stammered, her mind threatening to break. She ran over across town, taking in all the sights and sounds of the town, noting that everything was exactly the same the first time she had come to town as a maredragora. Looking up, the moon was still present, but instead of it being dangerously close where its own gravity should have leveled a few houses (at the very least), it was further back in the sky. “Hurry it up! We're gonna late for the Festival at this rate, Blitz!" “YEAH!” “C'mon keep it moving! We've almost got this!” “YEAH!” “Hey, Snow? Do us a favor and stop that, will ya?” “YEAH!” “Err…” “YEAH!” “…I’m just going to lea-“ “YEAH!" "WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON IN THIS WORLD!?" Twilight screamed "...yeah?"