//------------------------------// // Despair // Story: Legend of Zelda: Wielders of Harmony Part II: The Pony of Hyrule // by Scriblits Talo //------------------------------// “They saw the face of death in that desperate night. It was as the sun kissed the horizon that they would depart, that she would depart from this world.”- DJ Pon3,The Legend of Link At that moment, the moment in which our heroes entered the well, the last of Equestria succumbed to the storm.  So that from one border to the next, and even tumbling into the sea, Equestria was covered by not just eternal night, but by the churning clouds of a malignant storm. As the last of Equestria succumbed to darkness, darkness not even the stars could touch, Luna mourned her sister. She despaired, kneeling beside her sister's bed, she reached her hoof out to stroke Celestia’s lambent mane. “The memory of you torrents despite the night around me.  You… You were always so bright, and… “ Tears brimmed in her eyes. “I… I can't sister.  I can't do this alone…  I had a dream.”  She chuckled, a painful chuckle, there was a madness to it, her laughter was not a cackle, but it was crying. “ I… I can’t do anything … I tried to help… to do something, and yet… I try to call out to them in their dreams… Like I tried to call out to you… and they don't hear me.  It's like this black tide, a shadow, has covered all of Equestrea’s dreams. Oneírōn has always been a place of truths… many lies and flights of fancy don't get me wrong, but … It always seemed to point to some greater truth… but that's all gone now…all ponies see in their dreams anymore are the lies, their greatest fears, and fulfillment of their greatest greed… Sister…I can't do anything…they don't hear me, see me…. You couldn't see me. Vinyl Scratch opened her eyes and stretched yawning.  She wiped at her eyes with her hooves, and smacked her lips, in hopes of dispelling that sour sleep taste. She shook herself before attempting to stand. She was numb, tired in the way that only too much sleep could provide. She glanced at Link who was likewise beginning to stir. Her thoughts were cut off as just then- BANG! The library doors shot open, and none other than a ragged and bloodied (bits of monster guts still hanging from her mane) Octavia stood panting as she held them open. In a moment Octavia was on top of her beloved roommate whimpering, sobbing into her mane. “It worked!  You're awake, alive, I'm so happy!” she bawled. Link watched in utter confusion. “Wha… what happened, what's this all about…and where did all these feathers come from… why am I wet? Octaviea removed her face from her friend's mane... And looked to link, a look of remorse crossing her face. “Epona,... she's gone, I'm sorry.” It took a moment for Octaviea to get her wits about her, and when she did, or at least as she somewhat managed to regain her composure she asked that Link and Vinyl find everyone so that once she had showered she could share her story. Link for a moment in his utter confusion looked as if he wanted to argue, to have a million questions answered right there in that moment, but nodded in obligation when Octaviea responded with a stern look that could melt a forest. Epona, no Navi, it was definitely a Navi thought.  Navi was surprised to find that upon approaching the door she was not afraid, even in considering what lay beyond. She looked to Octavia. “Ready?” Everything they had been through so far, their courageous crawl through that disprit well, had led to this moment. Octavia nodded, there was a look in her eyes, determination. “Breach!”  Epona swung around knocking the door out of its mount, revealing a room that was… Empty, the room was empty. It took some time for Octavia to shower, steam churned as she pushed her water heater further than perhaps it had ever had to go before to cleanse her coat of the awful muck from that well.  The sun, which had first kissed the horizon as she exited the well, was teetering on the edge of its noonday peek and threatening to teeter into the after as she began to dry. She thought a little, of Epona, of an old friend, and, of the dire state of Equestria; but set all this aside in the showers' warm embrace. There was commotion in Ponyville, in fact in most of Equestria that morning as the populace awoke to the horrors of having slept for several months on end, and as for the rest of Equestria the gathering of dark clouds and forces of darkness.  Only in Ponyville were the skies clear and bright, and the streets free of monsters and shadow. As for Vinyl and Link, their mission was pretty straightforward, despite the long night their friends were mostly where they had left them. Link and Vinyl having gathered who they could, and the complement that they had gathered, composed of Darunia, Ruto, Saria, and - Bon Bon met Twilight in the map room of her Crystal Castle. “It's Dark!” remarked Saria in startled surprise.  And so it was, the map which had once shown all of Equestria as it had been, a land of radiant light and magic, and harmony was now dark.  A shadow covered the cartograph in the form of malignant clouds, tendrils of a fogged miasma tumbled off onto the floor.  Only Ponyville stood, a radiant light against the dark. Twilight nodded wordlessly.  The group waited for Octavia in stunned silence. “There is one hope… I can't quite believe it myself, but I did find some pony… She’s a stranger in this land… but she could see me… it was like there was this light… this force of magic.  An alien magic but powerful nonetheless, protecting her. I think I was able to guide her to something that calls out to me, a truth in the darkness… There may be hope… but as ill as fate has been…as unkind… They've taken the castle… luckily no pony was hurt, although I doubt I can keep them out of this chamber for much longer. As if in response, a banging could be heard, a resounding retaliation against Luna's meager barrier. … oh sister I love you.” She buried her face into her sister's mane and wept. “If only I could awaken you.” she sobbed.