//------------------------------// // Chapter 5: Wake-up Call // Story: Legend of Zelda : Twilight Sparkle // by The_Artificial_Alicorn //------------------------------// Chapter 5 Wake-Up Call The frigid sea breeze sent shivers down Razorbeak's spine despite the brutal summer sun. His sword swayed slightly in its scabbard, and he shifted uncomfortably in his armor, stretching the stiffness from his wings. He had been stationed for weeks at the large stone wall that ran along the entirety of the border of the Griffin Kingdoms, and ever since the giant amber dome appeared on the horizon over the Midland Sea a few days ago, the country had been on high alert, doubling its defenses on the southern border in case of any possible threat that the strange apparition posed. He heard shouting further down the wall and was instantly on alert, and searching for the source of the disturbance. Several other griffin guards were screeching orders, their necks craned upwards and their spears at the ready. Razorbeak followed the others' gazes and was met with a terrifyingly strange sight; a large, black, geometric portal with a pulsating red ring at its center was suspended in the sky just outside the walls, as if it had appeared out of nowhere. More griffins shouted out as three large black...things, which were easily two or three times as large as the average griffin, fell from the portal, and landed on the beach below with an audible thud. The figures quickly righted themselves and skittered towards the guards' defensive positions. The alarm was sounded, loud bells rang out from towers scattered throughout the city, and the guards steeled themselves for an imminent battle. The black creatures scaled the battlements with agility that belied their size, and they demolished everyone in their way. The griffin guards thrust their razor sharp spears at the monster, who shrugged them off as if they were nothing but a nuisance. It swept the guards aside with unnaturally long arms. Trumpet-like cries emanated from the portal as huge winged beasts appeared from it, their faces nothing but gaping, circular, glowing red maws lined with rows of razor sharp teeth. They soared through the sky on tattered, bat-like wings, with long tails that ended in large, club-like growths. The flying demons descended upon the few remaining guards, trapping them under their clawed feet and shredding their bodies with their teeth, leaving nothing but a stomach-churning pulp in their wake. Razorbeak swallowed his terror and brandished his sword as one of the winged creatures landed in front of him. The bird-like creature trumpeted loudly at him, its wings flared in challenge, and he wasted no time in plunging his sword straight into the monster's gullet. The monster let out a strangled cry before collapsing, and it writhed on the ground for a few moments before finally laying still, the glow fading from its mouth. Razorbeak's victory was short-lived, however, as a black, clawed hand gripped him from behind. It smashed him onto the floor hard enough that his vision became unfocussed and blurry, before throwing him over the battlements. The griffin guard managed to flare open his wings just before he hit the ground below, and he glided for several yards before tumbling to the earth in a dazed heap. The winged black beasts were now blanketing the sky, blotting out the sun, and assaulting the port-city Razorbeak had been defending. The trumpeting cries of the monsters and the abruptly cut-off screams of terror from the doomed citizens of the captured city rang out through the air. Razorbeak's vision was fading in and out, and his body felt numb. Slowly, the bells ceased ringing, causing the world around him to settle into a disturbing silence. Before long, there was a distant, otherworldly cry of despair that sent shivers down his spine, and the sky began to darken, as if the sun were setting. He felt himself become...lighter. The world was now alit with brilliant orange and amber hues, and thick black clouds churned in the sky. The cobbled street he was lying on rumbled slightly as one of the giant black figures, with its circular mask-like face, lumbered over to the broken guard. He struggled to rise, but his body barely responded, and he collapsed back to the ground. The monster stared at him, as if it was scrutinizing his very soul. Razorbeak was not sure if the being had eyes, but if it did, they were boring into his. The intricate patterns on its mask were horribly mesmerizing, hypnotizing him into a helpless state as his body screamed at him to run away, to fight it, anything, but he was frozen. Razorbeak couldn't move a muscle in his body, but whether it was from fear or curiosity or from a broken neck, he wasn't sure. After a moment, the monster turned and lurched down the street away from him, vanishing into the long shadows of the broken town, and Razorbeak never took his eyes off the spot where the monster had been standing with that hypnotic, otherworldly mask. "Hey! Take that back you...you..." Rainbow Dash started. Midna responded by lazily floating on her back and yawning loudly. "Look, I don't really have time for this, Stainbow Rash," said Midna, purposefully butchering the mare's name. "Oh really?" questioned Celestia as she advanced toward the shadow being. "And what, might I ask, do you have time for? Why are you here?" Midna grew serious for the first time that morning. "Your world is on the verge of destruction," she stated simply. "Creatures born of darkness and destruction like the ones that killed your guards are conquering the lands to the east, sapping them of life, and they won't stop until your world is reduced to a lifeless pile of rubble." The Princess was horrified. Those ruthless beasts were bound for Equestria? Towards her subjects? They were not prepared for this kind of threat, neither physically nor mentally. "Of course, this is all old hat for Link and me," Midna continued in her familiar casual attitude, throwing a shadowy arm around Link's neck, to which he rolled his eyes. "What exactly do y'all mean by that?" Applejack questioned, suspicious of the small, shadow-filly's intentions. Link sighed. "What she's saying, is that what happened in Hyrule is happening here." Excluding Midna and Link, everyone in the room collectively gasped. Celestia and Luna looked at each other, engaging in unspoken conversation, before evidently reaching the same conclusion. "Twilight," Celestia suddenly addressed the purple mare, with an uncharacteristically stern voice. "Did you bring the Elements of Harmony, as I asked?" Blinking herself out of the initial confusion of the sudden request, Twilight nodded. "Y-yes, they're right here." She withdrew the ornamental case from the saddlebag and levitated it over to the Sun Princess, who opened it with her own magic. Celestia's face blanched, which was quite the feat, considering her coat was stark-white, and she nearly dropped the case in her shock. She muttered a string of archaic curse words beneath her breath. "What's wrong, Princess? What happened?" Twilight's worry was evident in her voice. Celestia rotated the case around so that the ponies could see its contents, and they all stared in confusion and shock at what they saw. The Elements were not gone, as they had feared, but where the shaped gemstones were normally vibrant and colorful, three of them, the Elements of Loyalty, Honesty, and Kindness, were black and lifeless. The Element of Laughter was flickering and pulsing, as if fighting the blackness that was creeping from its edges, before finally giving out, and fading away to the hollow darkness that had infected the other three. "Infernus..." Luna whispered sadly. "What's going on? Why are the elements all dead and black?" Rainbow asked, panic creeping into her voice no matter how hard she tried to keep her cool, collected demeanor. "As you know," Luna began. "The Elements of Harmony contain great magical power. You six are the conduits through which that energy is released." She paused to ensure the ponies' understood what she was saying before moving on. "This power, however, is not generated by the Elements themselves. For each Element, there is a Guardian, a being who supplies the tremendous powers of Harmony to their respective Element." Luna gestured towards the case housing the Elements. "When the Guardian is cut off from the Elements, the Element they are responsible for 'dies' in a sense, becoming unusable until the Guardian is revived." It took a few seconds, but the choice of Luna's wording finally clicked in their minds. "You mean...the Guardians..." Twilight started. "They died, didn't they?" "Not necessarily," Luna responded. "The Guardians are beings of tremendous power. Most likely, they are being put into a deep sleep, and their respective Elements become dormant along with them." "So, lemme' get this straight, yer' Highnesses," Applejack interjected. "Unless somepony wakes up the Guardians, we can't use the Elements of Harmony?" "That is correct, Applejack." Luna affirmed. "That is where you six come in to the equation." "Luna, is this really-" Celestia started to ask her sister. "Yes, if there were any other way, I'd pick that alternative without a second thought," Luna curtly cut off Celestia, which shocked the others in the room, including several guards, who shifted nervously. Luna continued, "But we're out of options." "There is some other way, there must be!" This was the first time in centuries that Celestia had raised her voice like that, let alone at her sister. Luna furrowed her brows in irritation. "You know quite well that there isn't, Sister." "What if they are attacked by one of those beasts? What will you think of your decision then?" Celestia questioned, her stance growing aggressive. Without missing a beat, Luna retorted, "I would know that it was the only alternative to cowering in fear as our country is systemically invaded and destroyed without us taking action when we had the chance." Princess Celestia was silent. She had known, deep down, that her sister had been right, but she didn't want to accept the fact that they were about to put her personal student, the closest thing she'd had to a daughter, in a potentially life-threatening situation. Even when Celestia had sent Twilight and her friends on their many adventures, there was never as much mortal danger as this. Eventually, she sighed in resignation. "I understand, Luna. I just..." "You wish the best for your student. Trust me, I know that, and it doesn't make it any easier for me to do this," Luna placed a reassuring hoof on her older sister. "Erm, with all due respect, your Majesties," said Twilight, who, along with the others in the room, had been awkwardly silent during the argument. "What exactly are you going to ask of us?" There was a murmur of agreement throughout the gathered ponies, except for Link and Midna, who were simply observing quietly. "I'm afraid I must ask you all to travel to the domains of each guardian and awaken them, or defend them from whatever foul forces are attempting to subdue them." "I'm in." Rainbow Dash instantly stepped forward. "So am Ah," said Applejack as she, too, stepped forward. "If somepony messes with the bull, they'd better be ready ta' get the horns." "Hold on now, girls, we've never faced anything like this before!" Twilight objected. "Of course we have!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed as she somehow appeared upside-down in the center of Twilight's field of vision. She crashed to the ground, before bouncing up as if nothing had happened. "We freed Princess Luna from Nightmare Moon, we imprisoned Discord, reformed Discord, and fended off a changeling invasion! How different could this be?" she said while bouncing in circles around Twilight. "This is completely different!" Twilight insisted. "We've all seen what those monsters are capable of, and we're not prepared to fight something like that!" Her eyes drifted to the large crimson stain still all too present on the white tiles, and she involuntarily shuddered. "That's why I'm coming with you." Her attention was drawn to Link, who had stepped forward to stand beside Applejack and Rainbow Dash. Pinkie Pie bounded over to him and tackled him with a giant hug. "Yay! A new friend to go on world-saving adventures with!" "Can't...breathe..." Link wheezed after several seconds, before Pinkie released him, a sheepish grin on her face. Her antics elicited laughter from everypony else in the room, which she and Link soon joined, lightening the atmosphere considerably, despite the circumstances. Celestia was the first to speak after the little outburst of mirth. "I'm sure you would all like to embark on this quest, but keep in mind that Twilight is right. These foes are unlike anything you have ever faced before. However, if you decide to go, I will not stop you." Nopony spoke - Celestia's words weighed heavily on all of them - before Link broke the silence. "Either way, I'm going. I'm the only one here with any semblance of experience with this, so you can't change my mind." "Link," Celestia started. "You do understand that this doesn't have to be your fight." "I do, but I'm still going to go." Link's decision couldn't be swayed. "Hey, if somepony from another dimension is willing to go, then I'm definitely in on this!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, hovering in the air by his side. "And if you're going," Rarity, who'd been silent until then, started in a regal accent as she stepped forward. "-then so are we," Twilight finished as she, Applejack, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie joined her friends (the latter via her characteristic bouncy gait.) "I'm going too." Midna appeared above Link's head. "After all, it's my plane of existence that whoever's doing this is using to screw over those Guardians." Epona cleared her throat uncertainly. "Um, I guess I'll come too, then." She trotted up to the crowd of friends. Celestia smiled a sad, but hopeful smile. "Thank you all. We would go do it ourselves-" she gestured to herself and Luna. "-but we cannot leave Equestria when it needs us most. The citizens must be prepared to defend against this new menace, and they need guidance to do so." "We understand," Twilight said with a smile. Luna nodded. "I am glad to hear as much, and I am sure you all must be tired from the events of this morning." Twilight blinked in surprise. She had forgotten it was still only about eight in the morning. All at once, the fatigue hit her, and she felt dead on her hooves. Judging by the posture of the others, they felt the same way. Even Pinkie, with her seemingly infinite energy reserves, was sedate and yawning. Luna continued, saying, "Rooms have been prepared for you, and breakfast will be available whenever you awake. Rest well, my little ponies, for you have a long adventure ahead of you." Fluttershy closed the door of her room and immediately collapsed onto the bed, sobbing and shivering in a cold sweat, and letting loose the shock, fear and trauma she had experienced while witnessing the death of Emerald Gaze. For the first time in a long time, Fluttershy wasn't merely frightened or nervous, but completely and utterly terrified. "Fluttershy?" Rainbow Dash's voice didn't even startle Fluttershy. In fact, she welcomed the presence of her friend, the warming comfort of knowing that she wasn't alone. "Fluttershy, what's wrong?" Rainbow asked tenderly, as she sat on her haunches next to the bed, dipping her head so that she was eye-level with the shattered pegasus. Fluttershy instantly gripped Rainbow in a tight hug that rivaled Pinkie's in intensity, taking the rainbow-maned flier by surprise. "I-It was...that m-monster...Emerald G...the blood...it was awful..." Fluttershy managed to splutter in between gasps and sobs as tears streamed down her face. Rainbow Dash's expression softened and she placed her hooves reassuringly around Fluttershy, returning the embrace as much for herself as for Fluttershy. Although she would never admit it, that event had truly horrified her. It took all of Rainbow's willpower not to break down at that moment like Fluttershy was right now. It took even more to put up the air of confidence she had become so accustomed to exuding, and she couldn't even begin to fathom how Fluttershy was able to keep her composure for all this time. "It's all right, Flutters. We're safe. Nothing's going to hurt us," Rainbow cooed soothingly. "Everything's going to be fine." For several minutes, they simply sat in silence, just remedying the trauma with the strength of each other's presence. Fluttershy pulled away from the embrace, a sheepish expression on her tear-stained face. Fluttershy's terror was gone, overshadowed by a much more powerful emotion: hope. Everything was going to be okay. She had amazing friends, who would gladly go to Tartarus and back in order to help her, and each other, and there was nothing in the world that could tear them apart. "Th-thank you Rainbow…" she said softly. "…for always being there for me." Rainbow Dash smiled. She, too, once more felt as if she was ready to take on any challenges that awaited them. "That's what friends are for." She stood up to leave, but before she walked out the door she gave one more concerned glance at her foalhood friend. "I'll be fine, Rainbow," Fluttershy answered the unspoken question in Dash's eyes. "See you in a few hours." Rainbow nodded, still unconvinced. "Alright. But, if you need somepony to be there for you-" "I'll just ask you...thank you, Rainbow," Fluttershy said drowsily before laying down, asleep seconds after her head hit the pillow. Rainbow Dash smiled, happy to see her friend back to her normal self, before exiting into the hall, and softly closing the door behind her. "Will she be okay?" Rainbow jumped at the sound of Link's voice, and turned to see him standing beside the doorframe with a neutral expression on his face "Yeah," Rainbow replied, glancing absently at the closed door to Fluttershy's room. "She seemed pretty shook up, though." Link nodded, thinking for a moment. "She could end up being a liability, are you absolutely sure she'll be able to handle herself if something like this happens again?" Rainbow glared at Link, taking an aggressive stance. "Hey! Fluttershy might be a bit timid, but she can hold her own if she needs to!" she retorted in a low voice. "If you say so," Link said, unconvinced. He leaned in close, his expression dark and his voice low and serious. "But remember: you'll encounter beasts that have no remorse, no mercy. They will not hesitate to rip you to shreds simply because you got too close. Death, despair and destruction will become a way of life. You will never be the same again. You have taken on the fate of the world, and once you have, there is no turning back." And with that, Link abruptly turned away, plodding down the corridor before rounding the corner and disappearing from sight, leaving Rainbow Dash standing in the hallway, with no company but her own thoughts.