Termina's Final Twilight

by Foursword4

The Song of Healing

“Twilight, you fell asleep in the library again! I thought we talked about you laying off the books late at night?”

Twilight kept her eyes closed as the familiar voice continued talking, “C'mon Twi, you need to get up! Don't you remember that the Princess is supposed to be visiting Ponyville today?”

With a jolt, Twilight jumped to her feet in a panic. “You're right Spike! I completely forgot that....” her voice faded along with the dream as the strange figure that had shook her awake retreated a short distance.

The realization dawned on her - she wasn’t in her library and Spike wasn’t lecturing her. A single tear escaped the young pony’s eye as she realized she was lost and alone. Almost alone. The figure that had woken her up was the youth she met in the forest - Link. She looked at him and was met with a puzzled expression.

“Oh...I'm sorry if I startled you...I thought you were a friend of mine from back home.” said Twilight.

Link watched as the pony took notice of her surroundings.

“Where are we anyway?” She looked around and noticed they were in a small room, the mossy floor illuminated by the two lanterns on opposite walls and the light shining down from above.

She was standing on what appeared to be a flower surrounded by a shallow pool of water. On the opposite side of the room a large wooden disc was embedded in the wall.

Link motioned for her to follow him, so she walked through the shallow pool to join him. Twilight inspected the large disc and noticed it was made of wood. As Link placed both hands on the face of the disc, she realized it was bigger than he was. With a grunt, he shifted his weight to the left, and it rolled into the wall.

Surprised, Twilight said, “Oh...so that was...a door? That's an interesting mechanism, but it seems to be quite impractical judging by how difficult it is to open. Why, only a small number of creatures would be able....”

Noticing that his equestrian friend was going off on a tangent, Link rolled his eyes and continued through the opening. Moving closer to the door, Twilight inspected the grooves along the side of it. She noticed that the door was built into a large log that had been hollowed out. She heard a faint click as the door quickly started to shut.

With a shriek, Twilight dove through the opening. Landing on her stomach, she chuckled to herself, “I wonder if Rainbow Dash would have found that little stunt funny?”

She stood up and started to walk away when she felt something tug on her tail. With a quick jerk she was yanked backwards and fell to her haunches. Turning her head she laughed meekly to herself, “Now what am I supposed to do?”

Link paced back and forth thinking to himself that the strange pony he met in the woods was even stranger than he first thought. Not only could she talk, she was also quite literate. She seemed very intelligent but was fascinated by the smallest things. Although he had never seen a talking horse before, he figured it had something to do with the fact that she was a unicorn. Despite all that, there were definitely other mysteries surrounding the little mare.

Getting quite annoyed at the young pony for taking so long, he turned around and walked back down the corridor to get her. As he got closer to the bend in the tunnel, he heard a soft grunt.

Turning the corner, he saw the purple unicorn tugging at her tail. A little bit of it seemed to have been caught between the frame and the door as it slammed shut. Link couldn't control his laughter as he saw the unfortunate pony struggling.

Noticing that she had attracted unwanted attention, Twilight gave Link a serious stare. “Hahaha, very funny! Now why don't you get over here and help open this door!? It's not very easy with hooves!”

Link walked over to her and placed both hands on the door like he did before. He shifted his body slightly, opening the door just enough for Twilight to pull her tail out of the way.

Having seen what the strain had done to her tail, Twilight started to feel tears well up in her eyes.

Her sadness quickly turned to anger when she heard laughter behind her once again. “You know, why don't you get YOUR tail stuck in a door? We'll see who's laughing THEN!”

Wiping the tears from his eyes, Link turned around and pointed at his backside.

Twilight stuttered, “I know you don’t have a tail! You know what I meant!” Link patted her on the head and gave her a cheerful smile. He then continued down the hallway once again. Realizing that she wasted more than enough time, she quickly followed.

“How are we supposed to get over there?” The corridor had opened up into a giant tree with a couple earthen pillars rising from the floor below. In front of both the boy and the pony was a pit with a door on the other side. Twilight noticed that it would be difficult to climb down and back up the ledge on the other side; jumping the distance wasn’t possible either. Twilight didn’t plan on jumping however.

Twilight started to imagine herself on the opposite side of the room as she felt magical power swell up in her horn. She closed her eyes when the room began to blur after finishing the spell. Opening her eyes again, she expected to see the door in front of her but was disappointed when she noticed it was only a few inches closer than before.

Twilight looked around in confusion as she realized her spell did not work. She repeated the spell a few more times but it had no effect. “This is very strange...my magic doesn’t seem to be working at all.”

Concerned about her magic, she tried to think of another way across. She looked at Link who was busy reaching behind his shield. He pulled out a brass tool, his hookshot, and showed it to her. She examined it, but the tool was foreign to her - much like everything else.

“I have never seen anything like that before...what is it?” asked Twilight. The boy pointed at her, and then tugged at his waist. “Is something wrong with my waist?” Twilight did her best to look behind her to see if something was wrong, finding it difficult to do so.

Link sighed, and grabbed her front hoof. He brought it to his waist, and then pointed at the other front hoof. “Oh, you want me to grab hold of you?” Link nodded, with a smile. Still as confused as ever, Twilight lifted herself onto her back legs and wrapped her front hooves around Link. “I still have no idea where you're go-OHHH!”

The sudden movement almost caused Twilight to lose her grip as she went soaring through the air. Squeezing Link's waist as hard as she could, she found herself screaming at the top of her lungs.

She felt a pat on her back as she continued to shriek. Opening her eyes, she noticed that they had touched ground. “Wh-wh-what just happened Link?”

Link brushed Twilight's hooves from his waist, and held out the brass tool again. He pointed it at the branch of a nearby tree and squeezed the handle. A loud ping rung through Twilight's ears as the pointed end of the tool shot out and hit the tree branch.

Link was immediately flung along the same exact path, until the tool reached the end of the chain. Link pulled himself up onto the tree branch, and looked back at Twilight. “Wow! Is that some kind of grappling hook?”

Link nodded, and released another shot onto a branch above Twilight this time. She backed away as Link detached the hook from the branch, and fell to the ground below.

“That is incredible! I have never seen anything like it before! The technology around here is fascinating...maybe I can borrow it and show the Princess? Ohhhh! We might even find a way to make something like this in Equestria!”

Link rolled his eyes as the pony expressed her fascination. He opened the door that was in front of him, expecting that the pony would notice the door opening and follow. He started to get frustrated as she was still lost in amazement. He got behind her and gave her a shove. Amazed that Twilight was not phased in the slightest, he pushed harder as she slowly began to walk.

Soaring through the air was pure bliss to Twilight. This hook-shot mechanism allowed her to feel the wind rush through her mane. “Is this how Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash feel as they glide through the sky?” she thought. “I wonder how hard it is to make? I must ask Link to borrow it sometime. Maybe I can disassemble it and try to figure out how it works...” She suddenly noticed a hand waving in her face.

As the hand moved out of view, she noticed a disgruntled Link staring at her. “Oh...sorry. I guess I got caught in the moment. Again.” She blushed as Link sighed.

He turned around and walked down the dark tunnel ahead. Wishing there were more pits to cross with the hook-shot, Twilight eagerly followed.

As the two walked through the dark tunnel, she decided to speak her mind. “Link, I've been meaning to ask. It seems pretty obvious to me by now but you don’t talk much. Is there a reason why you choose not to?” The boy glanced at the curious mare, and slowly shook his head.

Twilight lowered her ears, realizing that she probably shouldn't have asked. “Oh...I'm sorry for bringing it up.”

Link smiled softly before focusing on the path ahead. Hoping that he wasn’t bothered by her question, Twilight followed.

The sound of rushing water caught Twilight's attention. As she followed Link down the musty corridor, she felt disoriented as her vision became blurred.

The walls had a weak glow to them, and she heard a somber tune creep from the door ahead. She lost complete control of her body, yet she continued down the tunnel. It was almost as if her mind was being controlled by the chords.

She woke up from her trance after realizing that they had reached the end of the hallway. The door had tightly shut behind them.

“Uh...Link? How are we supposed to return now?” Twilight was starting to become more and more worried about her decision to follow the strange youth.

He patted her head, and with a confident smile, pounded his chest. The boy’s show of confidence had moved her. She shook her head and returned his gesture with a big grin. “Alright Link...I'll trust you.” Link returned her grin with one of his own.

Twilight chuckled to herself and started to examine the room. She saw a giant water wheel ahead of her, and saw a smooth stream of water flowing alongside of it. Realizing that the wheel was powering something, she became curious as to what it could be. She crossed the bridge that spanned the flowing water, and climbed up a ramp to the next floor.

Link was by her side, though he wasn't as intrigued as she was. It became obvious that Link had been there before, which made her slightly more confident.

The water wheel was connected to a spinning pole in the center of the room. As curious as ever, Twilight examined the pole, confused about its purpose.

Link motioned for her to follow him through the wooden doorway at the top of the stairs ahead. Twilight shot him a pleading look, but Link remained unaffected. Sighing with disappointment, Twilight took one last look at the pole before heading up the stairs. Link had already gone through the door, so Twilight quickly galloped up the stairway.

“You have met a terrible fate, haven't you?”

Those familiar words hit her almost as suddenly as they had before. She wheeled around to see the salesman sitting on a stool along the far wall. In front of him was a piano-like instrument.

He calmly pressed the keys, orchestrating the mesmerizing tune that Twilight had heard previously. She approached the man, and he turned his head to the side and chuckled.

“Do you like the song? It is a song about healing...redemption. Releasing one's troubles so the soul can rest. It is a magical piece that I have composed myself. Would you like to learn it?” The unicorn felt a chill course through her body as the man spoke. It wasn't a haunting chill, but a magical chill that she only felt while reading magic books.

Curious about what the man meant by a magical song, Twilight agreed. “But...I don't have an instrument. Or know how to play one!”

The salesman turned back to his instrument and laughed. “It doesn't matter - for you at least! You are special...different than others. Your magic comes from inside yourself, not from an instrument. Come closer, and listen carefully as I play.”

Twilight accepted his offer, and stood by his side. After playing a few chords, Twilight found herself humming the soothing song to herself. She rocked her head from side to side as the song engrossed her.

Twilight slowly opened her eyes, only to find herself staring at a wall. Looking around, she noticed that the man and his instrument had vanished. The only sound she heard was the water rushing beneath her.

“That song...those words...I have never heard them before. Yet...the words sounded so familiar. How is that possible?”

Before she could ponder her thoughts a little longer, the wooden door creaked open as Link walked back through. “Oh my goodness! Link! I'm so sorry...I got...distracted again.”

Link sighed and motioned for her to follow him. Twilight quickly ran to the door, and climbed up the steps. As she neared the door, she heard the notes play through her head once more. She turned around only to see a barren floor where he once stood.

“I have to focus. Something very wrong is going on around here. I need to do what I can to stop it.”

She swore to herself that she’d help Link on his quest and crossed through the threshold into daylight.

“Oh my...the sun! It feels like it's been so long since we've seen it Link!” The little pony was so excited to finally be out in the fresh air. She pranced around in glee as Link watched.

Chuckling to himself, he looked around for anything out of the ordinary. Everything in the town was exactly as he remembered it from the last time he was there three years ago; carpenters were bustling about the tower while children ran around in excitement.

Link quickly ran into the center of the plaza and looked up into the sky. Strangely enough, he mysteriously found nothing out of the ordinary.

Above the immense clock tower in front of him, all he saw was the morning sun shining brightly onto the town. Pondering what to do next, he noticed Twilight standing by a pool of water. Two children were standing in front of her, eyes wide with wonder.

“...il from the land of Equestria! It is very far away from your town!” The kids gasped and started to poke her side and horn. “H-hey! Stop that! It's very rude to...hey! Ouch, cut it out!”

Link saw the trouble his friend was in. He rushed to her side and picked up a child that had found a way onto her back. The little girl was tugging at the unicorn's horn, and refused to let go.

Twilight sent a soft jolt of magic through her horn, which pricked the child's hand long enough for her to escape.

The child wrestled with Link, and bit his arm. With a shout of pain, Link dropped the child to the ground, holding up his hand in agony.

“MOMMY MOMMY! THAT MEAN TALKING HORSE OVER THERE SHOCKED ME!” A young lady standing by a market stall looked up at her daughter. The child continued to shout and pointed towards Twilight's direction.

Agitated by the rude behavior, Twilight shouted, “For your information, I am NOT a HORSE, I'm a...MMMPPHHHH!” Link quickly slapped his hand over Twilight's mouth, and started to drag her out of sight.

Struggling to keep the aggravated pony's mouth closed, he lifted his hand after rounding a corner.

“What's the big idea? Why did you push me away? Ugh! That little kid was such a brat! Young fillies in Equestria NEVER pull on a unicorns horn like that...it's so degrading!” Link rolled his eyes as his four legged partner continued to vent.

After she took a deep breath, Link pointed at her, and then held up his index finger to his mouth.
“You want me to be quiet? What for? You can't talk here, so wouldn't it be helpful if I did the talking?”

Link slapped his forehead, and then clasped his hands together. He gave her an innocent look, almost as if he was begging. “Ugh...fine. If you think it's for the best, I'll keep quiet.”

Link smiled and gave her a pat on the head. Twilight raised her hoof and pushed it away. “For the record, I'm not a pet.” Link put his hand behind his head and laughed nervously.

Twilight rolled her eyes and said, “Where are we anyway? I've been following you because you seemed to know where we were going. However, I haven’t the slightest clue. Would you kindly find a way to explain?”

Link noticed the agitation in her voice, so he quickly looked around for a way to explain to the pony. Something caught his eye, and he motioned for Twilight to follow him.

“The annual Carnival of Time! Come join in the festivities as the races of Termina celebrate the harmony between nature and time!”

“The Carnival of Time? That sounds like a lot of fun! But...how is this important to us? I thought we came here because that odd salesman told us about an evil demon?” Link realized his partner was still confused, so he thought of a way to explain.

Looking at the poster, he pointed at the date printed on the corner. “That is in three days from today, isn't it?” Link nodded, then proceeded to scan the market.

He held out both of his hands, and pointed at the ground as he walked off. “Stay? Are you kidding me? Ugh...if he tells me to roll over, I swear I will make him regret it.”

Twilight observed the bustling crowd as they frantically prepared for the Carnival of Time. “This reminds me of the Summer Sun Celebration. A festival to honor the ruler of the land. The last Summer Sun Celebration marked the return of Nightmare Moon...and Link seems to be incredibly worried about the Carnival of Time...I wonder what happened before to make him so worried?”

Twilight saw Link approaching her with a book in his hand. Her eyes lit up to finally see something familiar in this foreign land. She grabbed the book and started to flip through the pages. Link blocked her sight with his hand, and motioned for her to follow him.

“But...but...don't you want me to read this? It looks really interesting and I would love to read some of it now!” Link tapped his wrist, then motioned for her once again. “Ugh...fine. I guess I can read it later...if I must.” Twilight let out an agitated sigh and followed the youth as he pressed through the crowd towards the back of the clock tower.

*Song of Healing lyrics written by ColdFlameZero