The Equestrian Wind Mage: Season 2

by LordSiravant

Episode 12: Reclamation of Loyalty Part 2

Episode 12: Reclamation of Loyalty Part 2 – Cloudsdale Prison Tower

Ponyville, the next morning…

Ponies and monsters busily set about repairing the damage from yesterday's battle, replacing stakes and fixing the damaged sentry towers. A number of other ponies were continuing their military training, while the Darknuts toiled away in the forges above in the Palace, fashioning armor and weapons for the Equestrians. Wizzrobes wove spells and enchantments into the metal as the Darknuts hammered and beat away, adding magical defense to the armor and a few offensive spells to the weapons. Nigellas stood inside one of the towers, observing the various goings-on with a troubled expression. His mind was still on the events from yesterday, and the revelation it brought.

An Avatar of Majora, Nigellas thought to himself. Those haven't been seen since the dark times, when he freely walked Hyrule. And then one just shows up in Equestria out of nowhere! And it seems the Church is starting to come out of the shadows again…could it be? Has the time come again? Is Majora close to breaking free? And if so, why did Equestria have to be drawn into it? They don't deserve this.

Suddenly the Wizzrobe heard a noise like the howl of a trumpet and turned towards the sound. What he saw made his eyes widen. "Maulgrim!" he cried, catching the Darknut's attention below. "I think you're going to want to see this!"

Maulgrim broke off from where he was overseeing the ponies' training and climbed up the ladder. "What?" he demanded.

"See for yourself," the Wizzrobe replied, pointing towards Canterlot.

Marching down the Canterlot Mountain Pass was rank upon rank of monsters, numerous battle standards bearing the symbol of the Gerudo people fluttering in the breeze on red cloth. Blins, Darknuts, Stalkin, Lizalfos, Wizzrobes, Iron Knuckles, and countless other monsters marched in formation, their iron boots pounding the ground below them like the drums of the apocalypse. Looming over them was a green-scaled dragon with a single white horn protruding from its forehead. Over them flew hordes of batlike Vires and Anti-Fairies wreathed in blue, red, and green flames, as well as a red-scaled dragon clad in black armor.

"I recognize those dragons," Maulgrim spoke. "Argorok, Devourer of the Wind Tribe, and Aquamentus, Terror of Lake Hylia."

"Someone's leading from the front too," Nigellas observed.

Indeed someone was, a familiar red-haired figure astride a great black horse.

"Ganon," Maulgrim confirmed.

By now, everyone else had stopped what they were doing as they too saw the massive army emerging from Canterlot. Nigellas was about to order everyone to arms, but then noticed something. The monsters were not heading towards Ponyville. As they reached the base of the mountain, they turned northwards. Furrowing his brow in surprise, Nigellas said, "Where in the world are they going?"

"There is only one place northwards that would catch Ganon's attention in such a way," Maulgrim answered solemnly.

His eyes widening in realization, Nigellas breathed, "The Crystal Empire."

The Wizzrobe turned towards the towering Darknut. "What are we going to do?"

"We have two options," Maulgrim replied. "Shore up here and make safe, or ride to the Crystal Empire's aid."

Nigellas grimly contemplated this for a moment before he said, "I think we should call a meeting. Let the ponies decide."

"Agreed," Maulgrim responded, turning on his heel.

XXXXXX

Crystal Palace…

As Luna and Cadance discussed defensive strategies and war tactics with a number of monster captains and Shining Armor busied himself with recruiting and training the Crystal Ponies and refugees, Celestia sadly watched it all transpire from the balcony of the Crystal Palace, hating herself for failing her ponies in this dark hour. They were so like children, and she wanted to keep them all out of harm's way forever, but it was becoming apparent that the time had come for her children to grow up, as it were. She knew that the Crystal Empire was a week's march from Canterlot on foot, meaning they did not have much more time to steel their defenses. Having witnessed Ganon's power before, the Solar Princess could not help but wonder if the Crystal Heart would be able to hold out against him.

As she lost herself in these thoughts, a letter appearing in front of her abruptly pulled her out of them.

"Oh!" she exclaimed in surprise as she opened the scroll and read its contents.

Princess Celestia,

I am writing this message to warn you that the situation has grown far more dire than we initially believed. Ganon is not our only enemy here, nor is he the worst. Ponyville was recently attacked, and we successfully repelled the invaders. However, afterwards, we learned that another battle was waged in the Palace above, against an enemy far more terrible than Ganon and those of our people that are forced to serve him. And young Scootaloo and her friends, along with Discord, were the only ones who dared to confront it. They fought an avatar of his likeness, and against all odds, successfully defeated it. The dang kids even got their Cutie Marks for it, but that's a much grimmer prospect than it initially sounds.

In our world of Hyrule, there exists a force of evil responsible for the deaths of billions and the utter reshaping of our world. He was the first evil to walk our earth, and from his power came all the demons that plagued us afterwards. Thousands of years ago, he was sealed in the Dark World, but he vowed that this would not be the last we saw of him.

Majora, our counterpart to your world's Krastos, has somehow found Equestria.

I do not know how or if Ganon connects with all this, but I feel it's possible that the Dark Lord may be the puppet and distraction this time around, and while we've been focusing on him, Majora's servants, for they are many, move in the shadows, spreading across Equestria and the lands beyond it, recruiting and converting those who are discontent with your rule with promises of power. If this is the case, then it means that the Church of Majora has already established a foothold in this world, a power base from which to operate. This church will not only serve as a gathering place for Majora worshippers, but also as a gateway for the dark god's spawn to enter this realm. It is likely that Majora has begun marshaling an army right under our noses. When they will attack, I know not, but after Ganon is defeated, it is imperative that you find and destroy this new branch of the Church before Majora can cause the same damage to this world as he did ours.

Now, back to the kids. The Cutie Marks they got…Princess, they got Hylian Shields. They all made a vow to fight against Majora, and in doing so, they've caught the attention of our Goddesses. They now have a part to play in the future, whatever that may bring.

Warn everyone you can. The Church of Majora must not be allowed to gain strength here, or else they will unleash a horror so great that Equestria will be plunged into chaos and darkness forever.

-Nigellas

P.S., talk to your sister. She might know a little about this.

By the time Celestia finished the letter, her heart had quite literally dropped into the pit of her stomach. How could she have let all of this transpire right under her nose? And little Scootaloo had been alone with this horror for who knows how long…did Vaati know? Luna had mentioned encountering an evil presence in the dream world, and a second one had been eluding her for some time. Were these two entities affiliated? There was so much that Celestia didn't know, and she hated it.

And another thing utterly baffled her. If Majora was anything like Krastos had been according to her mother's own account, why would anyone even worship something so dreadful and destructive? Even the Serpent's Children refrained from worshipping him, as even one worshipper would have revived him, which would have meant the death of the Children and the near-instantaneous destruction of Equestria. No one, not even the most vile beings in this world, wanted Krastos back.

Perhaps it was because Majora was still alive, and that his body had not been used to shape the world afterwards. Apparently it had already come to exist before he began to threaten it. But were their end goals the same? Did Majora want to reduce Equis back to the primordial void? But if he did, who would be insane enough to worship the being who sought their own destruction? What did Majora even want with Equestria?

And this Church of his…how was she going to deal with it? Nobody had any idea where it was, or how well-defended it was. If it was indeed the main base of operations for Majora's forces to strike at Equestria, then it was likely to be difficult to locate and even more difficult to destroy.

Right now, though, she had to remind herself that Ganon was the most pressing threat here. It was his army that was approaching the Crystal Empire, and it seemed that Majora and his servants planned to lay low until the dark god felt the time was right. Did Ganon know of this? She somehow doubted it. He had never made any mention of Majora, and he seemed to be the arrogant sort that would rather fancy himself a god than worship one.

And the revelation of Ganon's true nature also served to complicate matters. Now that she knew he was essentially suffering the same affliction as Luna had when she had become Nightmare Moon, she was not sure what to think. Was there a possible way to save the true Ganondorf from the influence of Demise? But if there was, what would become of him? His people were no more, exterminated by the Hylians as a result of actions that were not entirely his own. Luna had even said Ganondorf was so tired of his existence that he just wanted to die. Would it be cruel to grant him life if Demise was purged from his body?

Too many questions, and not enough answers, she finally thought to herself. Only Vaati and the Elements of Harmony hold the key to solving this riddle. I must leave it in their hands and hooves.

It was then that she noticed something strange. A black cloud was steadily approaching the Empire, moving against the wind. Narrowing her eyes, Celestia used her keen vision to discover the identity of the phenomenon approaching the city.

"Changelings…"

XXXXXX

Mad Buffalo Saloon, Appleloosa…

Vaati was abruptly pulled out of his deep slumber by the telltale shrieking of one of his Eye Sentries. Groaning, Vaati turned on his side to unhappily acknowledge the creature.

"Urgh…what?"

"Good morning to you too, Vaati. First of all, I'd very much like to know why there is a swarm of Changelings sitting on the Crystal Empire's doorstep."

Vaati sat straight up as he heard Princess Celestia's voice emanating from the eyebat like a two-way radio. "Princess Celestia! You say the Changelings have arrived?"

"I don't believe I stuttered."

Vaati rolled his eyes. "In case you were wondering, yes, we did direct them to you. The Changelings were also affected by Ganon's reign, as he infested their hive with a brood of their Hyrulean counterparts, the Gohma, and he placed an Element there. We've got it back, and Chrysalis has joined our troupe, along with the zebra potion maker who lives close to Ponyville and the leader of the Diamond Dog pack that had stupidly kidnapped Rarity before. It seems we've been gathering allies rather than dungeon items on this quest of ours."

"Why did you send them here?"

"Hey, you need all the help you can get right now," Vaati reminded. "Besides, the Changelings deduced that the Crystal Heart has the power to provide them with enough food to last them indefinitely. It's self-regenerating as long as the Crystal Ponies continue to power it, right?"

"I suppose so. So how many Elements have been recovered?"

"Three," Vaati answered. "Honesty in your old castle inside the Everfree, Kindness in the Diamond Dog Mines, and Generosity in the Changeling Hive. We just learned yesterday that Loyalty's been taken to Cloudsdale, and that the pegasi there have all been captured by Wizzrobes."

"That would explain why Captain Spitfire has yet to arrive with her Wonderbolts," Celestia somberly spoke.

"Why does that matter?" Vaati asked. "They're just a stunt team."

"No, they're more than that. While they do perform stunt shows during peacetime, they also all have high-ranking positions in the Equestrian military. That's why they're so difficult to get into; you have to prove that you're military material as well as a talented flyer. Without them, training the pegasi refugees will be much more difficult and time-consuming, and time is not something the Crystal Empire has much of anymore."

Vaati furrowed his brow. "Don't tell me Ganon's already figured out you're there."

"I'm afraid he has. But Vaati…that is not all. Ganon is not the only force of evil from your world that has set its sights on Equestria."

Vaati's eyes widened in concern. "Who else from my world could possibly be involved here? Most of the other demons haven't been seen or heard from in centuries! Why would any show up now?"

"Because their master has now become interested in Equestria."

"Their master…?" Vaati repeated.

Slowly, dreadfully, realization began to creep up on him. There was only one being to whom all demon-kind answered. Only one who could unite them all under one banner as effectively as Demise had.

"No…no…! Princess…p-please tell me this isn't happening! Please tell me you're wrong! PLEASE TELL ME IT'S NOT HIM!"

There was no answer from Celestia, which only confirmed it in Vaati's mind.

"Golden Goddesses above…" Vaati whimpered as he took a shuddering breath. "Majora…freaking Majora is behind all this!"

The sorcerer gripped his head and gritted his teeth. "It's my fault! It's all my fault he found you!"

"Vaati, please calm down…"

"HOW CAN I CALM DOWN WHEN I AM RESPONSIBLE FOR EQUESTRIA CATCHING THE EYE OF MAJORA HIMSELF?!" Vaati screamed, overcome by guilt and hysteria. "HOW CAN I CALM DOWN WHEN I HAVE PUT EVERYONE ON THIS WORLD IN MORTAL DANGER?!"

"Vaati Picoru, you listen to me right now!" Celestia sternly reprimanded. "Now is not the time to panic. Scootaloo did not when she faced his wrath; you must not either."

Vaati's heart stopped at that last sentence. "What did you just say?"

Celestia sighed. "Majora apparently attempted to turn your daughter against you. But when she refused to be swayed, he tried to kill her. From what I was told, young Scootaloo and her friends were instrumental in defeating an avatar of Majora's likeness."

"HE WENT AFTER SCOOTALOO?!" Vaati cried, throwing himself out of bed.

"What are you doing?"

"Going back to Ponyville!" Vaati answered as he hurriedly clothed himself. "I have to see her!"

"Vaati, the other Elements are still out there! And Ganon's forces are marching on the Crystal Empire as we speak! You must focus on your objective!"

"This is my daughter we're talking about, Celestia! I can't just leave her be, not after knowing what happened to her after I left! I should have been there, Princess! She had to defend herself because I wasn't there to protect her!"

"Scootaloo is alright, Vaati, I swear it. She was not harmed in any way, and Maulgrim and Nigellas are taking good care of her. I understand that you are worried and fear for her, but I assure you she is doing well. But right now, the most important thing is to regain the Elements of Harmony, for without them, we have no hope of defeating Ganon, let alone preparing for whatever Majora has in store for us."

"I know!" Vaati snapped, rubbing his face. "I know. It's just…it's hard, is all. If I hadn't sent that Eye Sentry to you, I would have had no idea what had happened to her. What if something worse had happened, and I never knew until I returned home? What if I were to come back to Ponyville, triumphant in victory, only to learn that I had to bury my little girl because I couldn't protect her?"

Vaati could not stop his voice from breaking as he spoke, nor could he fight back the tears that spilled from his eyes. "I…I never expected I would feel such things, but…I love that little girl. I see myself in her when I was that impressionable age. I meant to offer her the protection I never received from the evils of the world, a-and I failed. Even if she got out alright in the end, do you have any idea how much that hurts?"

After a few moments, Celestia finally spoke, and her disembodied voice betrayed her emotions as she softly replied, "Yes, I do."

Vaati wiped his eyes and sniffed as Celestia continued, "Banishing Luna to the moon when she fell under the influence of Nightmare Moon was the hardest thing I have ever done, and doing so almost destroyed me. I am still plagued by guilt whenever I think about it because I realize now that I could have stopped it, had I bothered to open my eyes and see the signs. I was too overcome by the people's adoration to notice how they were shunning my little sister, and that knowledge weighed on my conscience forever afterwards. That was the only time I was truly angered by my subjects, to the point that I contemplated putting some of the more troublesome offenders to death."

Vaati blinked in surprise. "I didn't even think you were capable of that."

"I had just lost my sister. The only family I had, all because they refused to acknowledge her as my equal. Would you not have been similarly incensed? Our bond was more than just sisterhood; we were two halves of the same coin. One completed the other; without my other half, I felt incomplete. I felt that for a thousand years. Do not think you alone feel this kind of pain. Be thankful that she is safe and waiting eagerly for your return, and do not worry about what could have happened."

Vaati sighed heavily. "Safe for now. But for how long? If Majora is active in Equestria, then he is active in Hyrule, which means that his seal is weakening, and he and his servants are readying for his return. Prophesy ordains that the ensuing war will be Hyrule's last, whether by victory or annihilation. And now Equestria's going to be drawn into it. You think this war with Ganon is bad? Majora has an entire world's worth of demons far worse than the monsters that serve him and me under his thrall. And that's not including his countless worshippers and any other forces of darkness that may rally under the banner of the Dark World. I fear that Majora may also attempt to recruit old enemies of Equestria as part of his plans against this world. It will be a war of apocalyptic scale. Millions are going to die, and it is too late to do anything about it other than ready ourselves for a fight that will determine the fate of Equestria and Hyrule."

Vaati turned away from the Eye Sentry. "It's hard to admit this, but…I'm scared, Celestia. I fear that I may lose everything and everyone I care about, all because I allowed the evils of my world to find Equestria."

"Vaati…it does not matter whether or not you are responsible for the events that have transpired. You came here and built a new life for yourself. You made strong friendships with the ponies of this world, took in a young filly who was suffering and began raising her as your own, and even protected Equestria from multiple dangers and even helped reform most of them. Now the time has come for you to defend everything you have come to love. And know that everypony in Equestria will stand with you, regardless of the danger. No matter what may come, the bonds of true friendship can never be broken."

Vaati took a deep breath as Celestia's words sunk in. "Your words give me hope. I just hope you realize the gravity of what you're promising."

"Equestria's age of peace is coming to a close. I do not like it, but even I now realize that my ponies must learn to protect themselves, rather than completely rely on my sister and I and the Elements of Harmony to fight their battles for them."

"Finally realizing you can't coddle the children forever, eh?" Vaati spoke, attempting to make light of the situation.

"I guess I am," Celestia replied. "The morning is almost spent, Vaati. I suggest you hurry onwards to Cloudsdale. Spitfire and her team will prove invaluable in the defense of the Crystal Empire. See that they arrive before Ganon does."

"We'll do all we can, Celestia."

"Thank you, Vaati. I have the utmost faith in you all. Good luck."

Vaati was about to dismiss the Sentries, but a final word from Celestia stopped him.

"Vaati…you will see her again. I promise."

Vaati's heart constricted as he thought of Scootaloo and how sorely he missed her. "Goodbye, Princess."

Immediately after Vaati dismissed the Eye Sentry, he heard his bedroom door open.

"Vaati? What's going on? I heard you yelling," Twilight sleepily asked, a concerned look forcing its way past her half-lidded eyes.

Vaati sighed deeply as he turned to look towards his first and closest friend. "Wake up the others," he solemnly spoke. "There is something I must tell them."

XXXXXX

Ten minutes later, downstairs…

As everyone, groggy and irritated, sat around the card table they had been using for their meetings during their time in Appleloosa, Vaati cleared his throat, unsure of how to begin. Only Applejack didn't look overly tired, being used to waking up early. "What's this all about, dear?" Rarity asked. "You look like you've seen a ghost! Is something wrong?"

"I…recently talked with Princess Celestia," Vaati began. "And she provided me with a great deal of news concerning Equestria, both good and bad."

"Give us the good news first," Rainbow immediately replied.

"Well, the good news is that the Changelings have reached the Crystal Empire and have been permitted entry."

Chrysalis was silent for a moment before she replied, "My hive confirms this."

"Unfortunately, the bad news heavily outweighs the good," Vaati continued grimly. "So I'll start with the least of it. Ganon has discovered that the Princesses are hiding in the Crystal Empire, and his armies are marching on it as we speak."

"What?!" Twilight gasped, all weariness leaving her.

"How is that the least of the bad news?!" Rainbow exclaimed.

"Because Ganon is not the only evil force of Hyrule that has gained an interest in Equestria, nor is he the greatest."

Everyone went perfectly silent at this.

"W-who…who could actually be worse than Ganon?" Pinkie whimpered in shock.

Vaati waved his hand over the table as he muttered a spell. "Aquas scryosa."

Suddenly a veil of water pooled over the table's surface, but was contained to the very center of the table. Everyone looked at the round puddle of water as images began to ripple across its surface. There was fire, moving shadows, and faces terrible and dark dancing between the flames.

"Not long after the Golden Goddesses created Hyrule and the Triforce," Vaati narrated, "a primordial terror tore a great hole in the earth, opening a portal between the World of Light and the Realm of Darkness."

As he spoke, the image of fire shifted to a scene of a flaming crack ripping open the serene landscape of Hyrule, issuing forth multitudes of horrific demons. The scene shifted to the terrible monsters laying waste to all the cities and villages they came across. Men fought and died in vain as their women and children were heartlessly cut down behind them.

"The armies of the Dark World had come for one purpose; to destroy the world of Hyrule and claim the Triforce for themselves. Leading these vile hordes was their conquering god, the dark force that had sired all their foul race: Majora."

As Vaati uttered that fearful name, a shadow overtook the image as a deep, dark voice began to laugh.

As the images flickered and rippled, the laughter increased in volume and hysteria, until a clear image burst forth from the chaotic ripples, the owner's mad, echoing cackle reaching its bone-chilling crescendo. A towering mass of violet tentacles with two thin, almost skeletal arms that could easily fit a full-grown dragon in the palms of its hands. And from this amorphous, hideous shape came a heart-shaped head with two long horns growing from the top and four more running down each side of its face. Two large, unblinking eyes burned like hot coals and pierced the very souls of all who looked upon the visage of Hyrule's ultimate enemy.

"Countless millions died in the war that ensued, the first war in Hyrule's history, and the landscape forever changed by the volumes of magical power both sides brought to bear against one another. At the height of Majora's terrible glory and power, he was opposed by two other gods; his younger brother and sister, Onigami and Hylia."

The image shifted from Majora's horrific visage to the faces of the two Guardian Gods. Onigami stood tall with silver armor, white hair, and fierce war paint, hefting a mighty double-helix sword which he used to devastating effect against the demon hordes. At his side was Hylia, her beauty unmatched and the light of her blessing too much for the forces of darkness to bear. Golden pauldrons protected her shoulders, under which she wore a brilliant white flowing gown. She sang and played a tune on a golden harp, bolstering her allies and weakening her foes with her aura.

"Under the guidance of the God of War and the Goddess of Peace, the people of Hyrule rallied and began driving the hosts of Majora back, until the three gods stood alone in the final battle. Majora's forces were beaten back, but Majora would not permit victory so long as he stood."

The pool of water rippled as a new image came forth, showing the three opposing deities facing each other down on the fields of Hyrule, their respective armies waiting a safe distance behind their patron deities. Onigami wielded his double-helix blade, and Hylia her harp and a Bow of Light. Gripped in Majora's mighty claws was a massive black trident with a red jewel inserted into the shaft just beneath the three prongs; the Trident of Power. Majora pointed towards his opposing siblings as though he was speaking to them, but his words went unheard. With a flash of lightning, the three gods clashed, the sky burning red, blue, and gold as the power of the gods clashed against one another. Majora channeled lightning through his Trident and struck at his enemies, but Hylia protected herself and her brother with a shield of light energy. Onigami would send blue discs of energy from his sword at Majora, who countered repeatedly with the Trident, sometimes responding by throwing it like a boomerang. This was always deflected back into the dark god's hands without causing any damage to his foes. Fiery beams of energy burst forth from his eyes, and these Onigami failed to defend himself against. Hylia moved to aid him, but Majora raised his hands, ripping whole mountains from the earth and enveloping them with foul magic before hurling them at the Guardian Gods. Hylia's shield was not strong enough to repel the massive rocks, and Hylia was knocked off-balance by the assault. Majora slammed his fists into the earth, a fissure spider-webbing from the point of impact towards his downed foes. But Hylia's grace and feminine fragility were deceptive, and she rose from the rubble with her Bow of Light trained on Majora, and she struck him with a shaft of golden light, staggering the God of Evil. Hylia took the chance to help Onigami to his feet as Majora began to recover, and thrust her hand out, healing the earth beneath them. Majora bellowed in rage, preparing to attack again, but he was struck again by Hylia's Arrows of Light, which was then joined by Onigami's power discs. Majora slowly buckled under the combined assault, but as his last throw of the dice, he unleashed a massive wave of fire that scorched the land for miles around. Hylia and Onigami could not defend against this in time, and both took the full brunt of the attack. But Majora's power was spent, and though it seemed Onigami too was down for the count, Hylia was able to rise to her feet.

"Majora was ultimately defeated, and was imprisoned by Hylia within the Pyramid of Power, deep inside his own Dark World," Vaati continued as the scrying pool showed Majora being forced inside a massive pyramid of yellow stone and locked in ethereal chains as two heavy doors slid shut, sealing him within. "Onigami was mortally wounded in the battle, but Hylia preserved his essence by confining him to a mortal body to be reincarnated in times of need, just as she would later be. However, Majora vowed that he would return, and that if he could not destroy Hyrule, he would corrupt it and purge the light of the Goddesses from the earth."

With another wave of his hand, the water evaporated, pulling everyone out of their mesmerized state. All of them bore varying looks of shock, horror, and confusion on their faces. "Since then, those who are loyal to him have mostly remained underground," Vaati finished. "He has a church dedicated to his worship that draws recruits in with promises of power, vengeance, and deliverance from what Majora views as false idols."

"I'm not gonna deny that was the freakiest, but also the most epic thing I've ever seen," Rainbow admitted, "but what's this got to do with anything? Why the history lesson?"

"Because you all need to know what we are truly up against," Vaati answered. "Ganon is just the prelude, a warmup, if you will. The worst is yet to come."

Twilight's eyes widened. "Vaati…are you saying…?"

"Yes," Vaati confirmed for her. "Majora has discovered Equestria, and on the eve of his return, no less. Scootaloo…" Vaati took a deep breath to keep himself calm. "Scootaloo was forced to confront one of his Avatars all on her own."

The Mane Six and Zecora all gasped. "Oh my goodness!" Fluttershy exclaimed. "Is she alright?"

"Celestia says she is," Vaati answered heavily. "But…I can't believe it until I see her again. I have no idea how emotionally damaged she could be, and being away from her after knowing what happened gnaws at me. But it is through this that it was revealed that the Church of Majora has gained a foothold in Equestria."

"You mean to tell me that…thing, whatever it was, is about to get free?!" Chrysalis demanded. "I've never seen power of that magnitude in my life! If Ganon was capable of defeating the Elements of Harmony, imagine what this beast can do!"

"Why do you think Majora is so feared?!" Vaati snapped. "Hylia implied a number of times to her people that Majora sought to destroy the Triforce, not use it, and in doing so, the world would have slowly withered and died without its light and the connection to the Goddesses it gave."

"Would the Triforce have granted such a wish, if that were the case?" Twilight asked, remembering the holy artifact's purpose from what she had read.

Vaati shook his head. "No; he would have simply crushed it in his hands like tissue paper. He has the power to do so; the Elements of Harmony would fare no better. At least, they wouldn't on their own."

Applejack leaned back in her seat, overcome by this news. "So…what does this mean fer us?" she hoarsely asked.

"It means," Vaati responded, "that when Majora's forces strike, we will have to find a way to seek Hyrule's help. If we fall under attack, it stands to reason that Hyrule will be similarly besieged as well. An alliance between worlds against a common enemy."

"But…why?" Fluttershy timidly asked. "W-why would he threaten Equestria? What did w-we ever do to him?"

"Do not forget that Majora's heart is blacker than the deepest night," Vaati replied. "He delights in causing suffering and turning friends and nations against one another. This world is so pure, friendly, and full of warmth, all of which Majora hates with a burning passion. If anything, he's here to warp it all into a reflection of his own twisted nature because its existence alone angers and disgusts him. He also sees the Princesses as false idols, and he will stop at nothing to turn the people against them and strike them down for all to see."

There was a long period of silence before someone finally spoke up. "The Diamond Dogs will stand against him," Rover vowed.

"If Majora is truly a more dire threat than Ganon," Chrysalis said, "my Changelings will maintain our alliance with Equestria after Ganon is dealt with."

"I was hoping you would," Vaati replied with a knowing smirk. "Considering that the Lord of the Gohma, Iemanis, and by extension all Gohma, are under Majora's thrall…"

Chrysalis's eyes flashed with hatred of the beasts that had sought to devour her race. "Iemanis…I will remember that name."

"With that out of the way, I'd say we've dilly-dallied here long enough," Vaati said with finality. "We need to hurry and get to Cloudsdale so we can get the next Element. Ganon's on his way to the Crystal Empire, so we need to work fast."

"Can we have breakfast before we go?" Pinkie eagerly asked, the idea of food managing to cheer her up some.

The rest of the Mane Six shared a chuckle at this.

XXXXXX

Tenochtitlan Valley, the Equestrian Church of Majora…

"You have done well to bring me these fresh recruits, Disciple. Majora will be pleased with your services."

King Sombra stood at the altar of the newly-converted church as he addressed the hooded pony kneeling at the foot of the stairs. At the hooded one's side was a unicorn mare with a lavender coat, violet mane and tail with a sky-blue streak running through them, and a Cutie Mark depicting a star underneath two blue wisps of magic. The unhooded mare looked uncertain of her surroundings, but did her best to hide it. Not that Sombra was fooled.

"And who is this mare standing beside you?" Sombra demanded.

The hooded pony rose to their feet. "She is the leader of the town Lord Majora sent me to," the pony answered, revealing themselves as female. "She is the one that wove the spell over the townsponies that removed their Cutie Marks."

King Sombra quirked an eyebrow at this. "Removing Cutie Marks? Quite an impressive feat of magic. Even I have had difficulty mastering such a spell. What is your name?"

"Starlight Glimmer," the mare answered. "I came because your Disciple here promised me that Majora could help me spread my idea of friendship and harmony throughout Equestria. I wish to become a Disciple as well, so that I can work more closely with your god to see my quest through."

Sombra grinned. "The Divine Darkness will judge for himself whether you are worthy of Disciplehood."

The former Crystal King turned towards the altar, upon which sat a seven-foot-tall bust of Majora in a humanoid form with his hands folded in prayer. The eyes, even without a glow, looked like they were piercing Starlight Glimmer's very soul.

"Master, there is somepony before you who desires Disciplehood," Sombra intoned, kneeling in reverence.

After several moments of tense silence, an oppressive atmosphere of darkness closed in around them as the eyes of the statue began to glow like hellfire.

Approach me, young one, and I shall know you better.

Starlight shuddered at the terrible voice that had spoken, but steeled her nerves and cantered up the stairs until she was right in front of the looming statue. She felt her body go numb as the dark god probed her mind and tested her inner mettle. After what felt like an eternity, Starlight finally felt Majora's presence recede from her inner being, and she resisted the urge to collapse on her knees.

Starlight Glimmer, I have looked into your soul, and within it, I find great potential. I accept your request; you will join the ranks of the Disciples. Disciple Shimmer, take our newest recruit and show her everything she needs to know. As my only Equestrian Disciples thus far, the two of you must work together to accomplish the tasks I give you. Go above and beyond my expectations for my Disciples, and I shall reward you with the gift the false goddess denied you: alicornhood.

Sunset Shimmer smirked underneath her hood as she glanced aside at her newest companion. "We won't fail you, Great One."

Now go, Majora ordered. I must speak with Sombra alone.

Sunset and Starlight bowed and left the hall.

Fortuitous it is that we have Princess Celestia's greatest failures at our side. She could not see their true potential; we will be the ones to nurture it within them.

Sombra smirked. "Indeed. Celestia always thought friendship to be more important than raw talent. Absurd."

All will fall into place in good time. But I must warn you, Sombra; we may not have the element of surprise for much longer. The former ruler of this land escaped with knowledge of this place's location, and another Equestrian spurned my offer and has likely revealed my motives to our enemies.

Sombra's smirk faded. "What must we do then?"

We must find a way to make the church appear invisible to undesirable eyes.

Sombra's grin returned. "I know just the spell. It will not only hide this place from view, but all who come here without your mark will feel a pressing urge to leave."

Good. Remain underground for the time being. Until my followers are ready for war in both worlds, do not do anything to draw attention to yourselves. I will slowly begin sending spawn through the gateway beneath this fortress to bolster our forces here. War will come soon, but not until my seal is at its weakest.

"I understand, Lord," Sombra answered, bowing.

XXXXXX

The next morning…

The journey to Cloudsdale passed in relative silence. Though Ponyville was on the way there, they skirted by it at a considerable distance, for they knew that if they chose to go there, they would be hard-pressed to leave again out of worry for their families. It took an entire day and a half to reach Cloudsdale, and when they did, they stopped.

Sitting on the largest of the clouds that formed the pegasus city was a tall, round stone tower, likely kept aloft by the same magic that ran through the Palace of Winds.

"That must be the prison tower the Wizzrobes built," Vaati observed as he returned to human form and released his hold on the companions that could not fly. "It's likely also functioning as their base. And I won't be surprised if Shanzom's waiting for us at the very top."

"So what're we waiting for?!" Rainbow demanded, twirling her spear in her hooves. "Let's go get my Element back!"

"Hold your horses, Rainbow!" Vaati snapped, grabbing hold of her tail before she could fly off. "We can't just go in blind. We need a game plan, especially since we're dealing with magic-users this time."

"So what exactly is this plan of yours?" Chrysalis asked.

"Unlike our previous foes, Wizzrobes are considerably smarter," Vaati said. "They'll likely have all kinds of tricks and traps in store for us up there. They will also likely have placed various runes around the tower that will disable teleportation, so that we can't just bypass everything and instantly get to Shanzom. They're going to make us work for it."

"What about the pegasi that were captured?" Rarity asked. "We simply must free them!"

"I think it would be better if they remained there until the Wizzrobes are dealt with," Vaati answered. "Besides, Shanzom has the keys to their cells anyway."

"Well, if we…" Rainbow started to say, but something abruptly caught her attention.

Vaati saw it too, and squinted in an effort to get a better look at the strange creature that was running towards them. "What in the world is that?"

However, Rainbow, having a far better memory when it came to a certain book series, gasped as she recognized the figure. "I-is that…who I think it is?!"

XXXXXX

After two days of constant running and tending to the weakened pony on his back, Ahuizotl was utterly exhausted. The urgency of their flight had left them with no time to eat and barely any sleep, for the constant fear of pursuit by the demons of Majora gnawed at them until they were well away from the Tenochtitlan Basin. Panting with exertion, Ahuizotl suddenly felt a familiar wetness on his back.

Daring Do's wound had reopened again.

Ahuizotl cursed to himself as he looked over his shoulder at his former enemy. Daring was barely conscious, having lost a considerable amount of blood despite Ahuizotl's best efforts. He looked back towards the floating city of Cloudsdale that grew ever larger as they neared. "Stay with me, Daring Do!" Ahuizotl bade her. "We're almost there!"

He was so focused on keeping her conscious that he did not notice the group of ponies and other creatures that he just so happened to be running straight towards.

"HEY! AHUIZOTL!"

Ahuizotl skidded to a halt in surprise as he saw a sky-blue pegasus coming right for him. Before he could even think to defend himself, something teleported in the attacking pegasus's path and snatched her by the tail as she flew past it, stopping her.

"For Din's sake, Rainbow!" Vaati snapped irritably. "How many times do we have to tell you?!"

"But look who's on his back!" Rainbow cried. "It's Daring Do! The Daring Do! And she's hurt! I'll beat you to a pulp for hurting her, you thug!"

Recovering from his shock, Ahuizotl indignantly retorted, "I was not the one who harmed her! She needs medical attention, NOW! So save your accusations for later!"

Vaati turned towards his stunned comrades. "Twilight! The satchel, bring it over here!"

Twilight shook herself out of her surprise at seeing what she had up till now believed were fictional characters as she rushed over, fishing a Red Potion out of her bag. Vaati took it from her and held it out to Ahuizotl. "Tell her to drink this," the sorcerer ordered. "It's a potent healing potion."

Ahuizotl stiffly nodded at Vaati as he took the bottle in his hand, using his tail-hand to lower Daring to the ground on her back, allowing everyone to see the ugly laceration running down the length of her stomach. Several of the Mane Six gasped at the sight. Ahuizotl's housecat leapt off his back and stood at his side, glaring at all of them suspiciously. "These people have offered us their help, Miss Do," Ahuizotl spoke, uncorking the bottle as he lifted Daring's head with his tail. "Drink this; they say it will heal your injury."

Daring was barely coherent enough to comply as she gulped down the potion until the bottle was empty. Immediately the laceration closed itself and vanished, not even leaving a scar. The strength returned to Daring Do's body, and she opened her eyes, feeling completely rejuvenated.

"Holy cow!" she exclaimed, taking to the air and feeling her stomach. "I feel great! What's in that stuff?"

"Nevermind that," Vaati interrupted. "Now, ignoring the fact that, up until a few minutes ago, we all thought you were fictional characters…"

"I am such a huuuuuuge fan, by the way!" Rainbow interrupted, zooming up right in Daring's face and flashing a stupidly-huge grin.

Daring regarded the mare in front of her with shock, recognizing her from a long, long time ago. However, she quickly shook it off and said, "I just had a near-death experience, kid! Gimme some air!"

"Indeed," Vaati replied, giving Rainbow a quick glare. "Care to tell us exactly how this near-death experience occurred?"

"You look a lot like him," Ahuizotl cryptically observed, regarding Vaati suspiciously. "Pale hair…tall, upright body…strange clothes…"

"Look like who?" Vaati impatiently asked.

"Ghirahim," Daring answered. "The one who did this to me."

Vaati's eyes widened as he recognized the name.

"You know that name," Ahuizotl noticed.

"What happened?" Vaati demanded. "Tell us everything!"

Ahuizotl and Daring shared a glance before they began, recounting the appearance of Ghirahim at the Fortress of Talicon, the artifact known as Majora's Mask, Daring's capture and subsequent torture, the discovery of Ghirahim's impending betrayal, and their escape from the fortress. By the time they were done, the Mane Six all had looks of shock on their face, while Vaati grimly pondered this new information. Zecora, Rover, and Chrysalis, not having read the books, merely looked on with grim expressions.

"Well, at least we know one thing," Vaati finally spoke up. "The Church of Majora has established an Equestrian branch in the Tenochtitlan Valley. That's something, at least."

"But the Tenochtitlan Valley is just a hundred or so miles from the Crystal Empire!" Twilight exclaimed worriedly. "They would have a clear path straight to it if they chose to attack!"

"Look, we'd love to stay and chat," Daring interrupted, "but we need to get to Canterlot and warn Princess Celestia about this. All of Equestria's in danger!"

"Equestria's been in danger for a while now," Vaati responded. "Your little escapades in the Valley have left you behind the times, Daring Do. Another villain from the same world Majora and I hail from is already besieging Equestria. He's already taken Canterlot as his new base of operations, and the Princesses have fled to the Crystal Empire."

"Ghirahim and that mask of his hail from your world?" Ahuizotl asked.

"Mm, perhaps I should have mentioned that before," Vaati conceded, scratching his head. "But not precisely. They hail from the Dark World, which was created as a dark reflection of my world, Hyrule. Majora, who created that mask, was around long before either world was even created."

"And what about this new guy who's taken over Canterlot?" Daring demanded.

"His name is Ganon, the King of Darkness," Vaati explained. "I don't know how he got here, but I suspect now that Majora may have had something to do with it. He has scattered the Elements of Harmony all over Equestria, so we've been running around trying to get them all back."

"So where is this Crystal Empire?" Daring demanded. "We need to warn the Princesses about Majora!"

"Princess Celestia already knows about Majora," Vaati told her. "In fact, she knew before we did. You aren't the only denizens of this world he has approached."

"Is the Princess of the Sun going to do something about him?" Ahuizotl asked. "I would think such a matter would merit swift action."

"Considering that Ganon's army is already marching towards the Crystal Empire," Vaati pointed out, "they don't exactly have the time on their hands to do so."

Daring groaned and face-hoofed. "Dammit, I've been away from Equestria for way too long."

Looking up from her hoof, she suddenly noticed the ominous tower looming over Cloudsdale that she was pretty certain hadn't been there last time she came here. "What in Tartarus is that?" she exclaimed, pointing up at it.

"That would be the base of operations for the servants of Ganon that are occupying the city," Vaati explained. "All the pegasi that live up there have also been imprisoned within it."

Daring blanched. "Even the Wonderbolts?!"

Overcoming her fangirl impulses, Rainbow Dash said, "Yeah. Though, if Ganon was leading the attack, even they wouldn't have stood a chance. The guy's unreal!"

Daring shook her head. "I just hope Spitfire and her crew are alright. They were good buddies of mine in flight school."

"You went to flight school with the Wonderbolts?!" Rainbow positively squealed in fangirlish delight. "Wow! Not only is one of the coolest ponies ever actually real, but she actually knows the other coolest ponies ever! My mind is so blown!"

"But one thing confuses me," Vaati admitted. "If you actually are the real Daring Do and Ahuizotl, who in the world is actually writing the books?"

Daring sighed. "I am. A. K. Yearling's just my pen name. I've basically been writing my autobiography and passing it off as a young adult adventure series."

"Why?" Vaati asked, raising an eyebrow.

Daring shrugged. "Brought in more bits that way. Look, can we skip the life story and get to busting those pegasi out of that prison?"

"If you're willing to help us," Vaati said. "We could always use an extra hand or two." He then stole a glance at Ahuizotl, taking note of his tail-hand. "Or three."

"Don't you have someone to take care of your cat?" Twilight asked, looking at Princess. "And on that note, where are the rest of your cats?"

Ahuizotl's expression saddened. "They sacrificed themselves in order to allow Daring and I time to escape Ghirahim."

Twilight, Rainbow, and Fluttershy all gasped. "Oh, no! I'm so sorry!" Twilight whimpered.

"Those poor things!" Fluttershy sobbed.

"Dude, you may be a bad guy and all, but that really sucks," Rainbow admitted. "I'm sorry about your loss."

Ahuizotl waved his tail-hand in dismissal, but it was clear it still haunted him. "I will honor their memories in due time. But we must first deal with the issue at hand."

"Well, before we go in, there's a few things you must know," Vaati advised. "The enemies we're facing up there are a race of dark sorcerers called Wizzrobes. They're potent magic-users and particularly clever. I know you're no stranger to tricks and traps, but theirs are more magical in nature, so stick close to us. Our goal is to reach the top, where the lead Wizzrobe, Shanzom the Golden, is waiting for us with the Element of Loyalty and the keys to the dungeon cells."

"Alright, then let's get a move on!" Daring impatiently said, ready to just get this over with.

"Hold on, everyone!" Twilight abruptly spoke up. "I need to put a spell on all of us non-pegasi so we can walk on the clouds."

Her horn glowed brightly as her aura washed over all her companions that were not pegasi, granting them the cloud-walking spell. "Okay, that should do it!" Twilight exclaimed, pleased with her work.

"Answers that question," Applejack said. "But how're we all gonna git up there?"

"I'll teleport those of us that can't fly up there," Twilight offered.

"We'll meet you up there," Vaati acknowledged. "Be careful."

"Wait a second," Daring interrupted. "I just realized; if I'm gonna be working with you, then I should at least know your names."

Realizing they had indeed forgotten the introductions, Vaati introduced, gesturing to each one as he did so, "I am Vaati, the Sorcerer of Winds. These are the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony; Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Fluttershy. And these are the other strays we've dragged along throughout our journey." Chrysalis growled at this, which Vaati pointedly ignored. "This is Zecora, Rover, and Chrysalis."

"Queen Chrysalis," Chrysalis angrily corrected.

Daring looked them up and down. "How'd you get a Diamond Dog and a Changeling to tag along with you?"

"The same way you got Ahuizotl to tag along, I assume," Vaati answered. "An alliance of mutual benefit against a common foe."

I think it was way more than that, Daring thought, stealing a glance at Ahuizotl, who was giving Rainbow a scrutinizing glare. Uh oh…

"Alright, let's get going, everyone!" Twilight ushered. "See the rest of you at the top!"

Twilight's horn flashed, and she and the others were gone, leaving only Vaati, Daring, Rainbow, Fluttershy, and Chrysalis to catch up with them. Rainbow struggled to keep her fangirling to a minimum as she flew alongside the greatest hero of all time in her mind. Daring tried to ignore it as best she could, despite how it ate away at her. Soon enough, they rejoined the others in the entrance plaza of Cloudsdale, and as they did, they noticed Ahuizotl and Rover suspiciously sniffing the air.

"I smell something strange," Ahuizotl commented, glancing around. "I cannot place it. But it is strong."

"I smell it too," Rover affirmed, baring his teeth and readying his mace for action. "They are watching us."

Almost immediately after those words left the Diamond Dog's mouth, numerous robed figures of many colors phased into being all around them, their black hands raised over their heads as they charged their magical attacks. "COVER!" Vaati yelled.

He, Twilight, and Chrysalis raised a magical shield around their group right before the gathered Wizzrobes struck with all their might. Dozens of elemental spells slammed against the multi-layered shield, but it held firm against their assault. As soon as the attacks ceased, Vaati and the others dispelled the shield, and they all readied for battle…

…only to find that they were now alone in the square.

"Cowardly bastards fled after their ambush failed," Vaati sourly surmised. "Be on your guard. Wizzrobes are frequent teleporters and like to ambush their foes."

"We've already faced dragonkin, the Gohma, and the freaking undead," Rainbow pointed out. "These guys'll be a cakewalk!"

Daring furrowed her brow. Dragonkin? Undead? What has this kid been getting into?!

And then her surprise morphed into guilt. And what have I been missing all this time?

She was shaken out of this by Vaati's curt order. "Onward to the prison tower."

"So it was these creatures that I smelled," Ahuizotl surmised. "Good; that means their magic cannot mask their scent."

"Indeed," Vaati replied. "You and Rover keep your noses up, let us know if any Wizzrobes are nearby."

Ahuizotl set his cat down and whispered to her, "Go, Princess. Find somewhere safe to hide. I will call you when it is safe."

Princess meowed in acknowledgment before running off towards one of the cloud houses. Satisfied, Ahuizotl joined the others as they marched towards the prison tower looming over them.

XXXXXX

Inside the prison tower…

As the group entered the tower, they immediately noticed the many cells that lined the wall, each containing numerous angry and frightened pegasi. Seeing their potential saviors, many of them started calling out, "Hey! Get us out of here!"

One pegasus in particular came forward and looked at Vaati. Vaati recognized her as the captain of the Wonderbolts, Spitfire. "Hey…you're that Wind Mage fella, right? Is there a way you can get us out of here?"

"I actually think it best if you all stay there for the time being until we've taken care of all the Wizzrobes," Vaati answered. "No sense putting you all in unnecessary danger."

"You sure you can handle all of them?" Spitfire asked. "That Ganondorf guy may not be around here anymore, but those guys were pretty tough themselves."

Vaati smirked. "I like to think I'm above the capabilities of the monsters Ganon and I like to command. Besides, we've all tussled with major evils in the past and come out on top. Don't you worry."

Spitfire glanced behind Vaati, spying someone familiar. "Daring Do?! Sweet Faust, it's been years! Where've you been?"

Daring scratched her head awkwardly. "Yeah, that's kind of a long story. I'd love to catch up, I really do, but I think we need to focus on getting rid of your weird jailers first."

Suddenly Ahuizotl spoke up, "They are near!"

"Speak of the devil," Vaati murmured, whirling around with the rest of his companions to see a group of Wizzrobes phasing into view.

Thanks to Ahuizotl's warning, the Wizzrobes didn't even have time to charge up an attack before the full wrath of their foes fell upon them. A flurry of dark energy balls from Vaati and a stream of green magic from Chrysalis incinerated the Wizzrobes on contact. "Any more questions?" Vaati quipped, relishing the looks of surprise on the prisoners' faces.

"…guess you do got this covered," Spitfire conceded.

"Right," Vaati replied. "We'll return in a bit. Let's go, everyone!"

The group of heroes and companions began ascending the winding staircase up to the next level. Once they reached the next floor, another batch of Wizzrobes appeared to waylay them. They met with the same results as their previous assaults, and were quickly disposed of with almost insulting ease. But before they could continue, Daring said, "Wait a minute! Something's not right with those stairs!"

"A trap, I assume?" Vaati asked.

"Look," Daring replied, flying down and giving a spot on the staircase a swift kick before pulling back.

Immediately a pillar of white-hot fire rose up from between the steps, which would have reduced anything stepping on it to ashes in milliseconds. "Good eye," Vaati congratulated. "How did you see it?"

"I'm properly paranoid," was Daring's only reply.

Ahuizotl snorted in amusement at this. "Mostly thanks to you, chucklehead!" Daring snapped irritably, rounding on her old nemesis.

After a few moments, the fire pillar died down, deactivating the spell. "Okay, let's move on," Vaati advised. "And be on the lookout for any more traps."

It seemed the Wizzrobes had wisely decided to back off after their previous ambushes had all met with failure, for no more were encountered for the duration of their climb, not that it made them any less on edge. Luckily, Daring's uncanny proclivity for discovering traps enabled them to trip them one after the other without incident and continue unhindered, until they finally reached the top floor.

As expected, their target awaited them with the rest of his followers, all of them ready for a fight. Shanzom himself was a full two heads taller than his lesser kin, dressed in flowing robes of golden silk adorned with red patterns of flame. A metal mask covered his face, two glowing yellow eyes glaring from behind the visor. Surrounding him was at least a hundred Wizzrobes covering all areas of elemental magic; Pyromancers, Aquamancers, Aeromancers, Geomancers, Non-Elementals, and two Summoners. An imposing force, to be sure.

But Vaati and crew had seen worse.

Shanzom stepped forward and declared in a voice that, uncharacteristically of his brethren, was a deep baritone, "The lot of you stand accused of treason against our lord Ganondorf! Stand down at once or be destroyed!"

Vaati rolled his eyes, "Look at you, oh Lord of Wizzrobes. Parroting the decrees of Ganon like an actor in a play. You hold little more loyalty towards him than we do, and what loyalty you do have is forced. You were once the Grand Overseer, a magician with few peers in all of Hyrule! And now you are just another one of that Gerudo nutcase's minions. How do you even live with yourself?"

"You think I am pleased with my fate and that of my people?" Shanzom growled. "I curse Demise and his hateful incarnation with every fiber of my being. I know my loyalty to him is not my own. But I do not have the power to fight it. But you have the power to destroy me and end our suffering for a time. Let's see if you can do it! Wizzrobes, attack!"

Twilight and Vaati raised a shield around their companions just as the Wizzrobes struck, ricocheting their spells back at them. Some were struck down, but most teleported out of the way. "Let's kick some flank!" Rainbow crowed. "CHAAAAAAARGE!"

Vaati, the Mane Six, Rover, Chrysalis, Zecora, Ahuizotl, and Daring Do all let out a chorus of war cries and launched themselves at the horde of Wizzrobes. Vaati morphed into his demon eye form, making a beeline straight for Shanzom. "I cannot deny that I have found myself looking forward to this," Shanzom proclaimed. "Let us see which of us is truly the most powerful sorcerer alive!"

Shanzom thrust out his hands, sending a salvo of fireballs at Vaati. The giant winged eye blocked them with his arms, Vaati grunting from the sting of flames meeting his skin. Shanzom then followed up with a blast of blizzard-like ice energy that enveloped the demon. However, Vaati pushed past this attack and shot a beam from his eye at the Wizzrobe leader. Shanzom saw it coming (Vaati cursing at the flash from his eye beforehand that gave it away) and teleported out of harm's way before flinging a bunch of conjured, sharpened stones in response.

Vaati let out an angry cry of pain as multiple rocks struck him, puncturing his skin and digging into flesh as he held up his arms to ward them off. A few tore holes in his wings, causing him to lose some wing power. Vaati, though, did not let this deter him as he countered with a horde of stone eyes that began spitting lasers at Shanzom. Shanzom raised a shield that blocked the lasers and then sent the wall of energy hurtling towards Vaati, knocking Vaati and his orbs back. Vaati recovered and redirected his stone eyes to surround the Wizzrobe and attack him from all sides.

Shanzom scoffed at this and teleported from view just as the lasers all fired at once at where he had stood a split-second before. Vaati turned to see Shanzom behind him, too late to stop the Razor Wind spell that slammed into him. Vaati roared in agony as the wind energy sliced into him multiple times, and the Wind Mage glared at the Grand Overseer in rage.

"You dare…You DARE use my own spells against me?!"

Shanzom did not reply, instead opting to press his attack, alternating instantaneously between various elemental spells. But Vaati had had enough.

"ENOUGH OF THIS!" he bellowed, knocking all the spells backwards with an explosion of wind magic. "BURN!"

Meanwhile, the Wizzrobes were not faring well against the combined onslaught of their enemies. Chrysalis easily overpowered several Wizzrobes that had ganged up on her, reducing them to ashes with a well-placed volley of energy blasts.

Zecora used a potion to conjure a green smoke that took the shape of Nightmare Moon, the very same she had used for Nightmare Night, and directed the apparition to dive-bomb a group of Wizzrobes. Reacting with surprise, the Wizzrobes vaporized it with a multitude of spells, dispersing the green mist all around them. The Wizzrobes were too late to see Rainbow, Rarity, and Pinkie emerge from the mist and hack them all down.

Daring Do delivered a swift kick to a Wizzrobe's jaw, causing its neck to snap sideways before it fell and burst into a cloud of black smoke. Seeing a fireball coming at her, she quickly flew over it and saw Ahuizotl seize the offending Pyromancer by the head with his tail-hand and slam it repeatedly against the floor until it too crumbled to dust.

Rover avoided a wave of ice energy as he slammed his mace into a Wizzrobe's chest, flinging it into the air. He glared at the attacker before bounding up to it and caving its head in with a sickening crack.

Twilight defended herself from an attacking Aeromancer, hiding behind a shield as a Razor Wind slammed against it. As soon as the spell ceased, she dropped it and blasted the Wizzrobe directly in the face with an energy beam, blowing its head clean off. As with all monsters, there was no blood, and the headless Wizzrobe collapsed as it vanished in black smoke.

Applejack bucked an attacking Geomancer right between the legs, sending the Wizzrobe groaning to its knees. Another kick to the head silenced it for good.

Fluttershy quickly picked off targets with her crossbow, tears streaming down her eyes all the while as Rarity covered her. These Wizzrobes could have been friends had they not been forced to serve Ganon, and that knowledge ate away at her and filled her with guilt at what she was doing.

All of them working together successfully began thinning the Wizzrobe ranks, and amidst all this chaos Vaati and Shanzom fought still. Vaati sent a flurry of electric energy balls from his horns at the Wizzrobe Lord, who once more teleported out of the way before sending a wave of multi-elemental energy his way. Vaati blasted the spell apart with another eye beam and flew at Shanzom, claws outstretched. Shanzom, of course, vanished again, but Vaati was prepared this time. He thrust his arm into the ground, his hand and forearm sinking into shadow. Just as Shanzom reappeared behind him, ready to strike once more, Vaati's claws exploded from beneath him. Shanzom had not been expecting this, and suddenly felt powerful electrical energy course through his body, a yowl tearing from the Wizzrobe's throat.

However, Shanzom was not finished yet; the Grand Overseer pushed past the pain and sent a wave of energy bursting outwards, forcing Vaati's claws apart, and teleporting as soon as he was free. Vaati cursed under his breath as Shanzom reappeared before him. "I commend you, Vaati, Sorcerer of Winds," Shanzom said. "You almost had me there."

"You are really beginning to annoy me!" Vaati snapped, summoning a horde of eyebats. "Get him!"

The Eye Sentries complied and began spitting lasers randomly as they all flew of their own accord at Shanzom. Unlike the stone eyes, the Eye Sentries flew under their own direction, and were capable of coordinating attacks of their own free will. Shanzom raised a shield around himself to deflect their attacks, but then saw Vaati dip his arm into the ground again. Cursing, Shanzom dropped the shield and teleported out before Vaati's arm could reach him. However, Vaati took the initiative and summoned even more eyebats to harass him. Seeing the swarm of Eye Sentries all gunning for him, Shanzom knew that he could not hold them all and the Wind Mage off at once. Vaati had won, but Shanzom would go down fighting with all the dignity he had left in him. Thrusting his hands outward, he sent a hailstorm of sharpened stones at the eyebats, taking down many of them even as they began firing their lasers at him in response. Shanzom gritted his unseen teeth as he felt the lasers cut into him, burning flesh and fabric. But he kept up his assault, and he managed to take out all the Eye Sentries, but was significantly wounded as a result.

Shanzom looked tiredly up at the giant demon just in time to see his eye flashing again. He teleported again, but was panting heavily with exertion as he reappeared. However, Vaati too was similarly winded, and both wizards took a moment to catch their breath.

"HEY, SHANZOM!"

Shanzom whirled around just in time to see Rainbow Dash coming right at him, spear pointed right at his chest. "Gimme back my Element, you creep!"

Shanzom was just too exhausted to do anything but grunt as Rainbow plunged her spear right through his chest, the tip punching all the way through and coming out his back. She quickly pulled her spear out, and the golden Wizzrobe sank to his knees. Looking around, he could see that all his servants had fallen, and now was his time to join them in the void once more. He fixed his gaze on Vaati as the great eye approached, and slowly nodded his head. "Not bad, kid," he managed to choke out. "Not…bad."

And then Shanzom the Golden was no more, his body crumbling to ashes as he fell backwards, leaving behind a set of keys. As soon as he fell, the Element of Loyalty materialized around Rainbow's neck. "Aw, yeah!" she cried enthusiastically. "Four down, two to go!"

Vaati returned to his previous form and hunched forward, breathing heavily.

"Why is nopony questioning the fact this guy just turned into a gigantic flying eyeball monster?" Daring Do marveled.

"We got used to it," all of them sans Ahuizotl chorused immediately, as though they had been asked this multiple times before.

Vaati eventually rose back to his full height and breathed deeply. "Okay, that's four Elements down. Now, let's go bust those pegasi out, shall we?"

XXXXXX

A few minutes later…

"Are you guys sure you don't need our help?" Spitfire asked again once everypony was free and news of the coming siege of the Crystal Empire had been delivered.

"Trust me, the Princesses need you more than we do," Vaati answered. "Just hurry up and go. I don't know how long it'll take for Ganon to get there, but you better make sure to get there before he does so you can train all those pegasi."

Spitfire sighed. "I can't believe this. I never thought I'd be training anyone besides Wonderbolts recruits."

"Just get going," Vaati pressed. "You don't have a lot of time."

Spitfire nodded. "You're right. Thanks for everything, guys. And when you do fight Ganon, give him what-for for us, okay?"

"Don't have to tell us twice!" Rainbow declared. "And when this is all over, can you train me?"

Spitfire rolled her eyes in amusement. "Send in a request and we'll see about it. Good luck on finding those other Elements! And Daring, you better come back to catch up with all of us after all this is over, you hear me?"

Daring rolled her eyes in response, but cracked a smile all the same. "Fine. I guess I can make some time, as long as somebody doesn't go around trying to throw the Tenochtitlan Basin into eight centuries of unrelenting heat again!"

Ahuizotl shrugged. "To be quite fair, most of those artifacts I collected didn't even do that."

Daring blinked in surprise. "Well jeez, I was starting to wonder! I mean, I was starting to think somepony was manufacturing the damn things for you! But…why would you lie about something like that?"

Ahuizotl looked away, unable to fight back the rosy tint in his cheeks. "Perhaps we can save this conversation for later."

Rainbow happened to listen in on this, and couldn't help but hear the gears turning in her head. Ooohhh…is this a villain/hero romance I'm sensing?

She grinned stupidly. I approve.

"Yyeeah…you're gonna have to tell us about your, um…unique stallion here," Spitfire uncertainly said. "Welp, gotta run! We're burning daylight, after all! Let's go, everypony! We're off to the Crystal Empire!"

XXXXXX

That night…

Inside the Cloudsdale Hotel, everyone was sound asleep, weary after yet another day of fighting. Everyone, that is, except Daring Do.

The adventurer just could not bring herself to fall asleep. There was too much on her mind. Ahuizotl lay on the bed on the other side of the room, Princess curled up beside him. She believed he was asleep, as his back was turned, but as she let loose a heavy sigh, she suddenly heard, "When are you going to tell her?"

She jolted her head towards Ahuizotl as he turned on his side to face her. Feigning annoyed ignorance, she asked, "Tell who what?"

"Do not attempt to feign ignorance, Miss Do," Ahuizotl responded. "The pegasus with the blue pelt and rainbow mane…she is your daughter, isn't she?"

Daring wanted to deny it, tell him he was crazy and stupid for even suggesting that, but she just couldn't bring herself to do it. He knew. Daring sighed.

"I…I was still in college," she hesitantly began. "I was studying to become an archaeologist. My second year, I got to go to an archaeological dig in Saddle Arabia. That's where I met…him."

Daring paused, finding the right words to say. "He was on the same dig, working as a reporter for the international news. His name was Rainbow Blitz. He was so friendly, charming, and just absolutely handsome…he and I hit it off, and over the course of the dig, he and I had a fling. Well, one thing led to another, and…before I knew it, I was pregnant. It turned out he was from Cloudsdale too, and so he and I went back together after the dig was over with. As the pregnancy carried on though, I…I got scared. I wasn't even out of college yet and I already had this little creature inside of me that would grow into a pony, a child to call my own, and…I didn't think I was ready for the responsibility. So…after Rainbow Dash was born, I…I ran away. The day after I was released from the hospital, I ran away. I went to a different college, assumed an alternate name, and eventually became an archaeologist, and I came face to face with you on my first adventure."

Ahuizotl took this all in in silence. A heavy silence hung in the air, until Ahuizotl finally broke it. "I see."

"Yeah," Daring said, barely above a whisper. "And now, after all these years I see her again, and…she's not just a fan of my books, but she's become a hero in her own right. And…I was too much of a bucking coward to stick around for any of it."

Daring could not hold it anymore; the famous, tough adventurer began to cry. "I've been saving the Tenochtitlan Valley for years, going up against you, Griffon rebels, and other crazies during my adventures, and yet I didn't even have the courage to send her a Faustdamned birthday card once in a while! She should have every reason to hate me! How can I possibly tell her now, after all this time? I just…I can't do it, because I'm just a coward deep down, after all's said and done."

Ahuizotl was silent for the longest time, contemplating. At last he sighed. "You cannot run from this. You and she have been reunited again, surely for a purpose. I understand what it means to be afraid to tell someone something important, for fear of how they may react to it. I would tell you to overcome this fear, but…to do so, I must overcome it first."

Ahuizotl carefully slid off the bed so as to not disturb his cat and sat on the floor in a catlike fashion. Daring looked at him in confusion as she sniffed and wiped away her tears. "When I met you," Ahuizotl began, "I indeed found you to be a pest, but…soon, I came to enjoy our little encounters, so much so that I…well, I claimed to be threatening the Valley or perhaps the world when in truth, all I wanted was to see you again, for there was something about you that made me feel something I did not quite understand. I was not sure if it was hatred, or anticipation, but…there was a fierceness in your eyes, a confidence in your being that appealed to me. You were my worthiest opponent, and yet you had become more than that. I was fascinated by you, but I could not understand why. But when that Ghirahim creature came and changed everything, I realized the truth; what I felt for you was not the respect of a worthy enemy. It was…it was love. Love for this strong, beautiful creature that stood defiantly up to me time and again, when others would have turned and fled, or ignored me altogether."

Daring Do's eyes widened at that last sentence.

"Daring Do…I, Ahuizotl, am in love with you, and have been since our second encounter."

Daring could not find words as she felt an intense heat in her cheeks and her heart pounding furiously against her chest. She couldn't believe it; oh, she had had a suspicion, but she was willing to deny such a thing because it was only a suspicion. But now he had fully admitted it, and there was no more denying it in her mind.

Ahuizotl's…in love…with me?

She was not certain how to feel, because now she was contemplating everything she had felt concerning him in the past. She certainly could not fault his persistence, but for it to actually have all been just to get her attention? The thought was overwhelming.

"I will let you judge your feelings for yourself," Ahuizotl said, shaking Daring out of her thoughts. "But now that I have gained the courage to reveal my truth to you, it is time you did the same for her."

Daring took a deep breath as Ahuizotl's words sunk in. He had confessed his love for her more than because of a simple need to, but also to give her the courage to reveal her own secret to someone she found she truly cared for.

"You're right," she whispered. "You're absolutely right."

Daring left her bed and headed towards the door, glancing at Ahuizotl over her shoulder. "No more running."

Ahuizotl smiled, a genuine smile that seemed strange on his face, as Daring opened the door and left their room.

Daring slowly trotted down the hall towards the room where she remembered Rainbow Dash bunking in. She stopped in front of it and stared at the door for a good long while, gathering her courage. Part of her screamed at her to turn back, to leave well enough alone, but Ahuizotl's words were louder.

I'm done running away.

Slowly but surely, Daring Do opened Rainbow Dash's door, knowing her life, and the life of her daughter, was about to change forever.

Author's Note:

Holy. Shit.

This is by far the longest chapter I have ever written. FOR ANYTHING.

Just shy of 13000 words. But just so much was going on here, and I wanted to give you all one hell of an update before my move, after which, in case some of you don't know, I will not have access to internet for some time, possibly months. So I wanted to treat you all before I went.

And as to addressing some things here, the original idea of DD being RD's mother is not mine, but it really does make a lot of sense, considering they look alike, except with different colored pelt and Daring's hair being monochromatic. But they both have similar attitudes, identical hairstyles, and the same color eyes. If you don't find that telling, I don't know what will.

Also, does it seem odd that it's stated Majora would have the power to "crush the Triforce in his hands like tissue paper"? Well, that's because in Hyrule: Total War, which this version is heavily influenced by, he does EXACTLY THAT.

Comments

[Scarlet_Firesong_Wolf]

FIRST ONE HERE!

I saw this and squeed while having a heart attack

[shenadri]

ok... Daring do is Rainbow's mother...

mlpforums.com/uploads/post_images/img-2315951-1-well-played-sir-well-played-indeed.jpg

[PrincessOfTheEnd]

*pterodactyl screeching*

[Ash19256]

.... So that's why Daring looks like a Palette Swap of Dash, they're related. Huh. Well, here's my reaction.

media.tumblr.com/3126e36a0e99ac3b817bea8c504a78f9/tumblr_inline_mk1luiT6gM1qz4rgp.gif

[Viper Redbird]

Huh, it got into the feature box.

[Sora2455]

Sombra smirked. "Indeed. Celestia always thought friendship to be more important than raw talent. Absurd."

Somebody introduce this guy to the concept of synergy, would you?

[HB_DS2013]

So, Azu-whats-his-face is RD's stepdad once this blows over? I also realized that Daring Do reminds me of Firefly...

[CrimsonEyedPrince]

you had better write the part where Daring tells Dashie. This story never stops amazing me.

[Amethyst Blade]

You throw a lot of curve balls in there...
Though it make some sense because RD look just like Daring with difference in color...

[C197]

I wanted to give you all one hell of an update before my move, after which, in case some of you don't know, I will not have access to internet for some time, possibly months.

Oh gosh, your updates make my entire month. I expect one hell of an update when you're ready! Good luck on the move!

[LordSiravant]

5930483
It does every time I update.

[TyrakatheDragonFan]

Rainbow Dash is Daring Do's daughter...woah.

I was NOT expecting that at all...and to be honest, I don't think I've EVER seen that scenario is ANY fan media of them. Props to you for, if not coming up with, then at least showing a good number of us something 100% new and original.

[shinigamisparda]

Wow! So you took their similarities to a whole new level, huh? And Ahuizotl, what a guy. Confessing his love, not even expecting an answer, just so Daring could confront her own daughter with the truth. A true gentleman when he want to be.

And that Majora laugh... *ENDLESS SHUDDERING*

[Dirty Bit]

5930686 Same here.

[SwimmingDalek98]

MFW this:
s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/b7/a4/f9/b7a4f9c156700cc025ae5b226662c53a.jpg

Awesome chapter, by the way. I would do my usual session of 'favorite quotes of the chapter', but I'm too tired. Maybe for the next one. Until then, ta-ta!

[Apocryphal Frost]

So it's been a while. I've forgotten how bloodthirsty they've gotten over the course of this story. They went right for the lethal stuff, cutting down intelligent creatures like grass. This is an amazing story, and the only criticism I actually have is how they've stayed the same personality-wise despite getting used to immediately jumping to lethal measures against everything they fight that's not a pony.

Oh well, amazing story nonetheless.

[Kenshinryuu]

I'm eager to see how Ponyville decides... but I have a feeling the Crusaders are going to be going to the Crystal Empire no matter what's decided. But if they can take an army with them and attack Ganon's forces from the rear...

Glad to see the Changelings have made it to the Crystal Empire, that gives them a good air force that can also do ranged attacks to cover the Wonder Bolts and other fliers or supplement unicorn defenders.

Speaking of allies.... is there a way to protect Volvagia from Ganon's control so she can come back and help???? I'd love to see Ganon's expression if she turned up and roasted a bunch of his minions or fought Argorok and Aquamentus.

Daring being Rainbow's mom is acceptable to me... though I have to wonder how Rainbow will react. My guess is at some point it will click that she has one of the two most awesome possible moms, Spitfire being the other candidate. I have to wonder what her reaction to Ahuizotl possibly becoming her step dad will be, especially if she was raised by Rainbow Blitz. Though I do like how Ahuizotl and Daring both contributed to the rescue with their various abilities. I do think it would be awesome if Vaati managed to become the head of all the Wizzrobes after defeating Shanzom and gets to call back all the fallen ones to reinforce Celestia and Luna. Obviously, the ones currently under Ganon's control can't be freed so easily, but if they can be summoned back after death....

And Vaati needs to send an Eye Sentry to check on Scootaloo and tell her he's proud of her and to stay strong. Plus, messages from Applejack and Rarity for their sisters as well might be a good idea.

[Scarlet_Firesong_Wolf]

THANK YOU FOR THE REALLY LONG CHAPTER!! I needed that badly.

2 tests in french and geometry, a final project soon, and a butt load of homework. Thanks dude.

[Orion Light]

Starlight Glimmer and Sunset Shimmer??!

.........

WTF???!!!

[Orion Light]

Rainbow Dash being Daring Do's daughter??!

.........

DOUBLE WTF???!!!

[hydra30]

Awesome chap,did not see that last twist coming. That laugh will haunt my deams aaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh

[OrdoPonius]

*Cheering noises* Rah rah rah...

Great chapter. Gonna miss you, though.

[TheChronicler]

[ShujiWakahisaa]

AWESOME CHAPTER BRO! I swear I did not see this coming at all Seriously going to miss you tho since you're gonna be moving and all but try to come back soon! We all cant get enough of this!

[222leslie222]

ya fuck this daring do bullshit I'm out

[zooba]

Considering all of the side characters that have made an appearance, where is Trixie in all of this?

[LordSiravant]

5941131
Do be patient. I have a plan for everyone.

5939361
Don't forget to wipe your feet on the way out.

[LordSiravant]

5945272
Ganon and Vaati. Most of the demon villains were created by Majora, and the human ones were tempted by promises of power/revenge/what-have-you. But yeah, pretty much all the major villains are under his thrall.

[Kichi]

Something I think... What is the relation between Vaati and Zelda? I mean, he could only summon Link only after he is very desesperate and know that he cannot do anything more. But, what about Zelda? She knows Ganon, she was kidnapped by both Ganon and Vaati but... Vaati could very well ask her for help?

[_CheckMate_]

5930487 I'm pretty sure it's in the Evil Overlord's Handbook that "If I find any evidence that the Power of Friendship is actually a thing, I will study it and use it to my own advantage."

[Scarlet_Firesong_Wolf]

Next chapter? Its around that time.

[Ud the Imp]

Idea for Pinkie Pie's dream: Pinkie is a third person observer to her own antics as depicted in the form of a caricature of herself, finally able to see how annoying and juvenile she is towards people and actually hearing what others say about her behind her back rather than saying it to her face, due to either thinking she's not mature enough to handle the criticism and/or plain weirded out by her. The nightmare than gradually escalate via the dream!Pinkie singing and dancing at increasingly inappropriate times, such as business meetings, her family losing the farm, funerals, and finally culminating with the dream!Pinkie singing "Giggle at the Ghosties" while she is in the middle of being eaten alive by hounds of Majora.

[DestinyQuill]

6101323 Make her see herself as a maniac? I like it. Then there's number six... worst yet, possibly?

[Fireeaters]

Doesn't Onigami mean something like 'Ogre-god'?

[ShadwSonic]

5965064
Of course, it's one of those things that, in learning how to use, ensures that you AREN'T an Evil Overlord.

[Jninja15]

I was freaking out for several minutes when I found out that Starlight Glimmer is becoming a disciple of Majora, then I freaked out again when I saw Sunset Shimmer's name.
I am also going to have nightmares about Majora tonight after those videos during Vaati's history lesson.

[Edguy0009]

Rainbow happened to listen in on this, and couldn't help but hear the gears turning in her head. Ooohhh…is this a villain/hero romance I'm sensing?

She grinned stupidly. I approve.

Pfft..... HA HA HA HA HA HA!

[Fox Jones]

My heart sank after reading about Sunset and Starlight.
Bu eh, it's cool. Certainly will be more interesting, than "My friend was taken away by cutie mark, so I will rewrite history!" or "I can't read books, I'll steal the element of magic and become a magical powerful prom princess!"