The Equestrian Wind Mage: Season 3

Chapters

Episode 3: The Bridging of Worlds Part 3
Episode 4: Pestilence and Decay Part 1
Episode 5: Pestilence and Decay Part 2
Episode 6: Battle For Equestria Part 1
Episode 7: Battle For Equestria Part 2
Episode 1: The Bridging of Worlds Part 1
Episode 2: The Bridging of Worlds Part 2

Episode 3: The Bridging of Worlds Part 3

Remember what I said about uploading once a week? Yeah, fuck that, here's another episode. Next one will be here soon.

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Episode 3: The Bridging of Worlds Part 3 – The Trial of Vaati

The moment Link arrived, it was all over for the last of the Shadow Nightmares. With three skillful swipes of his powerful blade, the last two Shadow Crawlers were slashed to ribbons, the sizzling remnants collapsing to the floor. Five guards lay dead, with several others wounded which the surviving soldiers immediately began tending to. Once he was certain the scene was safe, the boy hero sheathed the Blade of Evil’s Bane and approached Princess Zelda, who had returned to attempting to heal the injured Wind Mage. Watching her with bated breath were Impa and two strangely colored horses with large, intelligent eyes. Furrowing his brow at this, Link demanded, “What are you doing? Vaati brought those monsters here to rescue him, didn’t he?”

He was immediately taken aback by the hostile glares of the Equestrians, but Zelda ignored him, focused on her magic. Impa looked up at the young hero and said, “It wasn’t Vaati who summoned those creatures. In fact, they were here to kill him, and we chose to intervene.”

Link blinked in surprise. “They…what? Since when did monsters try to kill their own leaders?”

“Those monsters are not the kind you are used to fighting, Link,” Impa explained. “Those monsters do not call Vaati master. Their kind hasn’t been seen since the Demon Wars. Those were Shadow Nightmares, spawn of the nightmare demon Dethl, who we just so happened to have encountered attempting to torture the Wind Mage to death.”

Link dared to inch a little closer, and could indeed see the dreadful, unnatural wound that Zelda was struggling to heal. “I don’t understand,” he muttered. “Who’s Dethl, and why’d he try to kill Vaati? And for that matter, why’d you stop him?”

Zelda finally chose this moment to speak, releasing a shuddering breath as her spell petered out. “Link, this is not the time. I’ll explain my reasons, but right now, I need your help. My Triforce powers alone aren’t enough to combat this magic. It’s powerful, far stronger than I thought possible for a demon.”

Link looked surprised. “Are you…really asking me to save Vaati’s life? After I was specifically called here to end it?”

“LINK, FOR DIN’S SAKE, HELP ME!” Zelda outright shouted. “I DON’T CARE WHO HE IS! I WILL NOT LET ANYONE DIE IN MY CHARGE! Especially not after what I saw…”

Link’s eyes darted between Zelda, the unconscious sorcerer, Impa, and the Equestrians before he reluctantly nodded. “Okay…okay, I’ll help. I trust you, Zel.”

Zelda breathed a sigh of relief she hadn’t realized she was holding. “Alright, I need you to place the hand with your crest over the hand bearing mine,” she explained. “Together, wisdom and courage should suppress this evil power.”

Link nodded wordlessly, kneeling down by Zelda and placing his hand over Zelda’s. The moment he did so, their respective Triforce marks lit up as Zelda attempted her spell again, this time with much more power behind it. The small glow quickly glowed brighter and warmer as it washed over Vaati’s exposed injury. Before their eyes, the black veins faded away, the deadened skin returned to its normal color, (normal for Vaati, anyway) and the mage sucked in a deep, gasping breath. His eyes widened as he seemed to dimly realize he was still alive. “Vaati! Vaati!” Twilight and Luna both cried, hoping he would recognize them.

But fatigue quickly claimed him, and the sorcerer fell unconscious again. Zelda and Link slowly stood up, with Zelda regarding Vaati with a sympathetic expression.

“Okay, that was weird,” Link observed. “So you’re gonna tell me what’s going on now, right?” He shivered at the withering look the smaller pony was shooting him, noticing how she was standing defensively between him and Vaati. “And why is that pony staring at me like I did something wrong?”

Zelda grabbed Link’s hand and led him towards the door. “Wait for me. I’ll be outside in a moment.” She then dipped her head back into the dungeon. “Will you be alright down here?”

“Go,” Luna commanded, kneeling down by Vaati’s body and draping a wing over him. “I am not leaving his side again while I know that monster is still out there.”

“I’m staying too,” Twilight said, kneeling at Vaati’s other side. “After what happened, I’m not letting him out of my sight again. He needs us.”

Zelda nodded grimly and shut the door while Impa turned her attention towards helping the guards deal with the dead and wounded before delivering news of the attack to the king.

“Okay, I’ve been hearing conflicting stuff,” Link began. “First I hear Vaati the Wind Mage is back, then I’m told to come to Hyrule Castle so I can apparently execute him personally, and then I find you trying to save his life after some other demon comes in and tries to take over his spot as the big boss of monsters? What is going on, Zelda?”

Zelda sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, not knowing where exactly to begin. “When you had your last fight with Vaati seven years ago…it turns out you didn’t actually kill him. You somehow sent him to an alternate dimension populated by the intelligent equines you saw in there. Vaati chose to reform himself and built a new life for himself in their world over the last seven years. Even I can sense that he is not the same Wind Mage we saw last.”

As she suspected, Link looked like he didn’t believe it. “That’s crazy. Vaati’s been that giant, evil eye for over a thousand years. Why would he suddenly turn nice in just seven?”

“Link, you said you trusted me, did you not?” Zelda abruptly asked.

Taken aback, Link stuttered, “W-well yeah, of course!”

“Then can you trust me to believe that I am right?”

“About Vaati?”

Zelda nodded tiredly. Link looked uncertain as he answered, “I…I don’t know. I mean…your father’s been ranting on about Vaati cursing everyone he’s come into contact with ever since I got here. I honestly don’t know what to believe.”

“There is going to be a trial tomorrow,” Zelda chose to explain. “The people of Equestria who have known him intend to speak in his defense.”

“And why are you defending him?” Link asked. “After all, you’re the one he kidnapped and whisked away to that Palace of his. And he did the same thing to your grandmother, and her grandmother, and of course tried to kill your great-great-great-great grandmother by turning her to stone and trying to suck the Light Force out of her body!”

Zelda sighed. “Link, do you remember the tale of Batreaux?”

Link looked confused by this abrupt change of subject. “Uh…no? I won’t deny something about that name rings some kind of bell, but other than that, I’ve got no clue what you’re talking about. What does this have to do with Vaati?”

“During the Era of Sky, before the Kingdom of Hyrule came to be, our ancestors lived in the floating continent known as Skyloft. And among them secretly lived a demon named Batreaux. Batreaux was a terrible beast to behold, with great horns, burning eyes, and large wings. At night, the Remlits that roamed Skyloft turned demonic because of his nearby presence, and would aggressively attack anything they saw. Your ancestor at that time realized something was amiss and confronted Batreaux, only to find that he was not the evil being he was assumed to be. Batreaux’s visage was hideous indeed, but he dressed himself in the clothing of humans, and he had attempted to hide his wings beneath a cloak. In short, he only wished to live peacefully among humans because he did not want to remain in the service of the dark powers that continued to ravage the world during that time. Instead of cutting him down, your ancestor helped him. Through methods now lost to time, he enabled Batreaux to become a human, and he lived out the rest of his days as a friend to the people of Skyloft.”

Link blinked several times, uncomprehending. “So…what does that have to do with Vaati?”

Zelda smacked her forehead in exasperation. “Honestly, Link! You are so dense sometimes! Like Batreaux, Vaati was once a being that served evil, but eventually he decided that he no longer wanted to follow that path, and in his most desperate hour, a kind soul stepped in to help him start a new life. And I do not believe we have the right to take that away from him because of events that are long since in the past.”

“Are…are you saying you forgive him for kidnapping you?” Link asked.

Zelda nodded her head resolutely. “Yes. I forgive him.”

Link just stared at her silently for several long minutes, the expression on his face difficult to read. Zelda held his gaze, not daring to look away. She could see that countless thoughts conflicted with each other in the boy hero’s mind. And then, Link bowed his head and slowly shook it, releasing a light chuckle. “That’s so you, Zel. You always have this strange habit of trying to see the good in everyone.” Link looked up at his closest friend, and that carefree, mirthful glint in his eyes that Zelda adored so much came back at last. “I said I trusted you, and I meant it. If you say Vaati’s a changed man, then I’ll stand by it.”

Zelda returned his smile as she sighed in relief. “Thank you, Link. I knew I could count on you.”

But then Link’s smile faded. “But, Zelda…if the trial rules against Vaati…your father could still ask me to kill him. What’ll you do, then?”

That resolute look in Zelda’s eyes did not fade as she firmly replied, “It won’t come to that. Even if I have to put my faith in the Goddesses utterly and completely to turn the situation in our favor, I won’t let it.”

Link quirked an eyebrow. “You think the Goddesses would actually favor Vaati?”

“Link, nothing happens without a reason. The visions I’ve received…I think the Goddesses may have had something to do with all this. The Equestrians…even Vaati himself. Ever are they always at work, sowing the seeds of fate that will help us stand against the powers of evil. And evil is coming, Link. An evil the likes of which we have not faced since the very dawn of Hyrule. At it now threatens Equestria as much as Hyrule.”

Link let out a disbelieving chuckle. “You’re making it sound like…” Suddenly he stopped at the serious expression on Zelda’s face, and his eyes slowly widened in understanding. “…like Majora himself is returning.”

Zelda grimly nodded. “Yes. New Sages have not been declared in a century, and evil times have befallen all the other races in some way or another. This all speaks of the return of our first and greatest evil, and Equestria is the key to stopping him. How, I know not, but they are the key…and so too may be Vaati, for together with the Equestrians, he did the impossible; he destroyed Ganon, completely and utterly, ending the legacy of Demise once and for all. They even managed to free the many monster tribes that had served the demons for so long that virtually all of Hyrule has long forgotten that they too were born of Farore’s gift of life.”

Link’s eyes nearly bugged out of his skull. “No way…they killed Ganon for good?!”

Zelda nodded. “And in doing so, the Triforce of Power has found a new master in Vaati.”

Link couldn’t help the look of alarm that creased his face. “He has the Triforce of Power now?”

“Fear not, Link. I do not think Vaati will misuse it as Ganon did. My dreams prophesied that the Triforce would come together at last to face the evil, with the aid of the Equestrians. And my prophesies have never been wrong.”

Link heaved his shoulders, knowing the many stories about the prophetic dreams of Hyrule’s princesses in ages past. “No, no they haven’t,” he admitted.

Zelda’s eyes flitted towards one of the nearby stained glass windows depicting the royal crest. “If all that has happened is truly the will of the Three, then I have faith that the people of Hyrule will make the right decision.”

The princess then turned back towards Link. “If you wish to understand things better, perhaps you should talk to the Equestrians and see for yourself what they know.”

Link’s eyes darted towards the dungeon’s door, mulling the possibility over. “Well…if you say they aren’t cursed, then I’ll try. But…that small one was giving me a nasty look. Are you sure she won’t try to stab me with that horn on her head if I approach her?”

Zelda managed a light, girlish giggle. “I’m afraid I can’t promise that, Link.”

Link glowered, but there was a good-natured gleam in his eyes. “Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence.”

Zelda straightened herself, her face business-like once again. “Now, I have to go help set up Vaati’s trial. I can only hope he’s recovered enough by tomorrow morning that he can be there to speak in his own defense.”

Link nodded. “Good luck with that.”

As Zelda was heading off, Link remembered something. “Oh! Tell Agahnim my grandpa says hi!”

Zelda waved her hand dismissively to indicate she had heard him as she left Link alone in the hall. The young hero looked towards the dungeon entrance again for several moments before he finally squared his shoulders and muttered to himself, “Okay, Link. You fought giant monsters and crawled through trap-ridden dungeons to rescue a princess. Yeah, this’ll be easy.”

XXXXXX

Luna and Twilight looked up from where they were watching over Vaati as they heard the door creak open again. Twilight’s eyes narrowed at the sight of their new visitor.

“It’s that hero of theirs,” she muttered to Luna, both of them standing as Link approached.

Link did not fail to notice them standing protectively between him and Vaati, sizing him up suspiciously. Jeez, are they really that worried I’m going to try and kill him right here? Link wondered.

Luna’s eyes narrowed as she looked the legendary Hero of Hyrule up and down. He was a teenager from the looks of it, about seventeen years of age, not yet a man. He was dressed in a forest green tunic, with off-white leggings and brown boots. He was wearing a green, pointed cap on his head, under which was a messy mane of blond hair. Like Vaati, his ears tapered sharply to a point. He had youthful, boyish features, with bright blue eyes that spoke of a battle-hardened soul, but at the same time, a soul full of kindness and generosity.

“Well-met, Link, Hero of Legend,” Luna greeted with a stern expression. “To what do we owe the pleasure of thy visit?”

Link blinked in surprise. “You people actually still talk like that? Even Zelda’s ancestors stopped that centuries ago!”

“I hope you will forgive me,” Luna replied, slightly irritated. “I’m still in the process of adjusting to modern dialects. Now stop avoiding my questions. Why are you here?”

“I…I wanted to talk to you,” Link hesitantly answered. “About Vaati, I mean.”

Luna and Twilight shared a glance before Twilight responded, “Alright, ask away.”

Link cleared his throat to steel his nerves. “Um…before I do, um, is it alright if I ask you your names? Mine’s Link.”

Link tried to flash a friendly smile, but he could see that the two Equestrians still didn’t trust him, which was an unsettling feeling, as virtually everyone Link came into contact with worshipped the very ground he walked on.

Deciding it would be impolite to refuse him, Twilight introduced herself first. “I’m Twilight Sparkle, Princess Celestia’s personal protégé, bearer of the Element of Magic, and Vaati’s best friend.”

“And I am Princess Luna, Alicorn Goddess of the Moon, Princess Celestia’s younger sister, and Vaati’s lover.”

Link’s eyes went wide. “No way! I know Vaati’s always had a thing for princesses, but I didn’t think he was into be…”

And then Luna was right in the boy hero’s face, her eyes slitting like a cat’s and her teeth sharpening slightly. “Finish that sentence,” she growled in cold fury. “I bucking dare you.”

“S-s-sorry, m-ma’am,” Link whimpered.

The young hero had fearlessly faced down giant monsters, dungeon traps, and Vaati himself, but if one thing truly frightened him, it was an angry girl. Girls were scary when they were mad. Satisfied at the result, Luna drew back, her face returning to normal. “Now, ask your questions. But do not think to insult us like that again. We are NOT beasts.”

“I’m sorry,” Link answered honestly. “Really, I am. That was uncalled for, and I apologize.”

Luna nodded curtly to indicate she accepted his apology before saying, “Now, what do you want to know?”

“The whole story,” Link immediately answered. “Zelda told me some stuff, but she said I should come to you if I want to know everything. So…how exactly did you guys, well, meet him?”

Twilight shared a glance with Luna before she finally sighed and stepped forward. “It happened seven years ago. I was out in the Everfree Forest, looking for magical herbs…”

Over the next two hours, Twilight regaled to Link the story of how Vaati had come to Equestria, from the moment she had found him in the forest after the energy discharge dropped him there, to the many tales of their adventures together. The reformation of Discord, the defense of Canterlot from the Changelings when they and Equestria were on hostile terms, the battle to liberate the Crystal Empire from King Sombra, and finally their quest to defeat Ganon after his sudden arrival in Equestria. She told him about how he had taken Scootaloo in and raised her as his own after finding out about her abusive, alcoholic father, and Luna occasionally added her own comments about her views of certain events. When it was finally finished, Link put a hand to his forehead and whistled. “Goodness, that’s one heck of a story.”

“You don’t believe us,” Luna frowned.

Link shook his head. “No, that’s not it. After everything you just told me…well, I don’t think anyone would be able to come up with a lie with as many details as you gave me. I…I believe you guys.”

Twilight’s eyes widened in amazement. “B-but, I thought…”

“I know what the king asked me to come here for,” Link interrupted plainly. “And at first, I was ready to carry it out. But now, after everything else I’ve learned, well…” He stole a glance down at Vaati. “…I guess it goes to show that anyone can change if they really want to. And it’s our duty to give them a second chance, because everyone deserves one.”

Twilight and Luna could barely contain their relief at hearing this, and the daggers in Twilight’s eyes vanished. Without that hostile look in them, Link had to admit that those large eyes made these ponies look really adorable. He tilted his head downwards a bit and couldn’t help but chuckle wistfully a bit. “You know, I guess I envy Vaati a little now. I know it sounds weird to hear me say this, but…for all his power, Vaati has friends, real friends who look at him like a person, instead of a hero. And me? The only person like that I know is Zelda, but…she’s the princess, so I don’t get to talk to her much, and everyone else I talk to always gives me this…look, like I’m a giant among them, and they almost worship the very ground I walk on. Sometimes…sometimes I yearn for the days when I was just Link the Goatherder, not Link the Hero.” Twilight and Luna watched as Link’s expression became sad. “Even my friends Malon and Ilia don’t look at me the same anymore. Everyone’s so wrapped up in my famous deeds that they’ve forgotten that I’m still a person.” The young hero sighed in melancholy. “Sometimes…I wish I wasn’t some legendary hero.”

Suddenly they heard Vaati twitch on the ground and went silent, turning towards the sorcerer as he slowly came to, groaning. “Urgh…what…?” he muttered groggily as his eyes blearily opened.

He tried to put a hand to his forehead, but as his arms were still chained to the wall, he was unable to do so. The jerk of his arm as it failed to do what his body asked it to seemed to snap the Wind Mage out of his grogginess as his eyes widened. “What…? Urgh, the dungeons. Of course…”

He then happened to notice that he wasn’t alone as his eyes snapped towards his visitors. “Luna? Twilight?” he asked. His eyes then narrowed as he saw who else was with them. “What is he doing here?”

Link nervously scratched the back of his head. The last time he had seen the sorcerer, they had been trying to kill each other, so the current situation was a little awkward. “Um…hi?” Link managed with a weak smile.

It was then that Vaati noticed a draft, and looked down to see that his favorite tunic was ruined, having been ripped open to expose his chest and torso. His cheeks instantly went red as a cherry as he instinctively tried to cover his modesty, to no avail thanks to the chains. “GAHH!” Vaati yelped. “This is embarrassing! Out! Out with all of you!”

However, instead of complying, Luna and Twilight collectively glomped him in utter happiness. “Vaati, you’re okay!” Twilight cried through happy tears.

“Oh, Vaati my love! I’m so relieved you’re alright!” Luna bawled. “I feared for a moment I had lost you!”

“Urgh…why is my shirt ripped open?” Vaati demanded in confusion. “Just like…in my dream…”

He trailed off as the memory of his horrifying nightmare hit him full-force. He looked down at himself again, only to see that the horrific injury he had sustained in that dream was not present on his body. “The dream…what…?” he stammered.

Luna’s face became grave. “What you endured was not a normal dream. You were attacked, in the same manner as Twilight and the others were over the course of your journey for the Elements. Only this time, the fiend responsible was attempting to kill you. I stopped it.”

Vaati released a shuddering breath as his worst fears were confirmed. “T-that thing…” he stuttered. “Everything that happened to us…i-it was all his doing.”

Luna’s head lowered sadly. “I know. I have confronted it before, and when I did, it killed innocent ponies just to make me suffer. Pipsqueak and Babs Seed were two of its victims.”

A tear trailed down Vaati’s face as he finally uttered the bombshell he himself had only just heard. “That thing is my father.”

Twilight gasped, and Luna sighed in melancholy. “I…had my suspicions,” she admitted. “I had hoped I was wrong.”

Vaati shook like a leaf, his chains rattling as he was overcome with emotion. “I-I really am a monster. It’s w-why I always l-looked different from the other Minish. C-Chip…that bastard w-was right. The whole t-time, he was right. His little ‘monster hunts’ were c-completely justified. M-my mother, she…s-she died of grief over having spawned me. With her last breath, s-she cast me as-s-side in disgust. T-the healers wouldn’t e-even touch me. I was meant to be hated and feared…”

The minute those words left his mouth, Twilight fiercely hugged him again and cried, “I refuse to believe that! You are not a monster, and you are my closest, dearest friend, and I love you very much!”

“As do I,” Luna agreed, tenderly nuzzling Vaati’s shoulder. “No matter what that wicked fiend has told you, know this; you are our friend, my love, our hero, and our hope. Evil may have created you, left its mark on you, even tried to force your destiny upon you, but evil does not rule you. Not anymore. You broke its hold over you and forged your own path, and that in and of itself proves you are stronger than the hatred of Majora and all his vilest servants.”

“I…thank you,” Vaati uttered, overwhelmed by emotion. “I love you both…”

Link couldn’t help but be moved by this show of support, even though it was for a former enemy, and he couldn’t suppress the smile that fought its way across his face. That settled it; come what may, he was going to stand by Vaati’s side and give him a second chance.

“Now, can anyone fix my shirt?” Vaati abruptly asked. “I really don’t want to go out looking like this in public.”

“Maybe I do,” Luna replied with a sultry smile. “You Hylians are surprisingly handsome without clothes.”

Vaati’s face went red as a tomato as Luna turned towards Twilight and Link. “Leave us. Vaati and I would like some…time alone.”

“Ho boy,” Vaati muttered in a small voice.

Twilight blushed as well as the implications of Luna’s request sunk in, and even Link’s cheeks turned a light shade of pink. “Um, you guys have fun now,” Twilight said as she headed out.

Vaati and Link locked eyes for the briefest of moments before the young hero had the audacity to wink conspiratorially at him before he too left the dungeon. As they were left alone, Luna smiled as her horn glowed, shutting the door of their cell and locking it with an ominous clink, her half-lidded, seductive eyes never leaving Vaati’s own. Not one to be outdone, Vaati managed a coy smile. “You’re not playing very fair, you know,” he said. “I have no way to defend myself.”

Luna knelt down, positioning her body over his legs as she asked, “Do you trust me?”

Vaati smiled. “Absolutely.”

With that, the alicorn princess leaned her head in, and she and Vaati engaged in a gentle, passionate kiss. Alicorn and Hylian worked their mouths against each other’s, their tongues dancing and coiling around each other with wild abandon. Their breaths were heavy, and their eyes closed as they lost themselves in their own pleasure. Luna broke away from Vaati’s lips, trailing down his neck as she planted gentle kisses on his skin. Vaati let loose a quiet moan of pleasure as Luna’s lips hovered over Vaati’s exposed chest. Her breath felt hot against his skin, and he shivered as he felt goosebumps rise.

Luna gently left a trail of kisses as she traveled down his chest all the way to his belly, and for a moment, her head hovered near his navel, where she knew he had once endured unimaginable pain. She smiled; she would change that. Lowering her head, Luna’s tongue flicked out, and Vaati let out a louder groan of unrestrainable ecstasy as her tongue sensually licked his belly button. She started out by wiggling her tongue in the center of his navel, causing Vaati to involuntarily squirm at the ticklish, erotic sensation. She couldn’t help but grin at this; she now knew his deadly weakness. Her tongue frolicked inside his navel for a few more moments before it began to circle around the oval innie a bit, leaving a light trail of saliva. She flicked her tongue some more, dancing around the sorcerer's sensitive belly button as he squirmed and moaned in erotic pleasure.

Finally Luna began to work her way up his body again, licking and kissing teasingly as she did so. Vaati shivered, his goosebumps rising further at her gentle, sensual touch. Her tongue slithered over his left nipple, and she could feel it harden as she did so. Ever so slowly, she inched her body closer to his until they were pressed together, Luna’s fur warm against Vaati’s chest as she kissed and sucked at his neck, moaning a little herself in enjoyment. The two of them could both feel their quick, powerful heartbeats pounding against their ribcages, as though their very hearts were fighting to break out of their own bodies to join one another in their gentle display of purest, deepest love and trust.

Having left a pair of small, dark hickeys on Vaati’s neck, Luna whispered in his ear, “I love you, Vaati.”

Vaati smiled as he turned to face her. “I love you too.”

The two of them shared another passionate kiss, which lasted only a minute but felt like an eternity before Luna again worked her way down his chest before toying with Vaati’s navel. Vaati let out a stifled, decidedly-unmanly giggle as he griped, “Bloody Dark World, you’re the kinkiest princess I’ve ever met.”

Luna left his belly button alone for a moment and looked into his eyes, her eyelashes fluttering cutely. “And that bothers you, my love?”

Vaati smirked. “Next time, you get to be chained up.”

Luna laughed softly. “Unfortunately for you, I find myself looking forward to the experience. Now brace yourself, for you are at my mercy for the rest of this night!”

Vaati’s eyes narrowed slightly. “I’m afraid I have to protest at this—gah!”

While Vaati had been speaking, Luna had plucked a feather from her wing in her magical hold, and rudely cut his indignation short as she twirled her feather in his navel with a smug grin. Vaati’s squirms increased as he began to giggle uncontrollably. “Ah! Haha! Heeheehaha! S-stop it, damn you! Ahahahaha!”

Luna’s grin widened as she continued to playfully torture her lover, caressing his belly button with her feather as he struggled and begged for mercy in vain. “Tremble in fear, Vaati the Wind Mage, for I have found your ultimate, deadliest weakness!” Luna laughed, reveling in her fun. “How ironic that your greatest weakness is not the Four Sword, or the Arrows of Light, or some other divine power, but a mere feather dancing in your navel!”

Vaati’s cheeks were red as he continued to laugh. The sensation was equally ticklish and erotic, and though he begged for release, a part of him deep down never wanted it to end. He was at her mercy, and Luna was a relentless tormenter. The feather continued to twirl, caress, and flitter across his navel and other parts of his helpless belly, and all he could do was squirm and writhe, but for the most part, it only made things worse for him as the feather stubbornly honed in on its tender target.

This torture session seemed to last forever, but eventually Luna finally withdrew, allowing Vaati to catch his breath. The sorcerer took several deep, labored breaths before he finally muttered, “You will tell no one.”

Luna laughed again, holding the feather up mock-threateningly. “Do not fear, my love. This is a secret that is mine alone to know…and to exploit!”

And then she was at it again, her feather teasing his navel while he was powerless to do a thing about it. The torment seemingly went on forever, until eventually, the two lovers tired themselves out, and outright passed out into the realm of sleep, with huge, idiotic smiles on their faces. Luna was snuggled up close to Vaati, her head resting on his chest while the feather lay forgotten on Vaati’s tummy. And thus they stayed like this for the rest of the night.

XXXXXX

The next morning, Castle Town Courthouse…

The courtroom was packed with townspeople who were there either to serve as jurors, or just wanted to catch a glimpse of the Wind Mage’s true form and the weird talking ponies that were so keen to defend him. The ponies in question, as well as Chrysalis, Maulgrim, and Nigellas, all sat in the row of seats reserved for witnesses. The Mane Six cast furtive, nervous glances all around the room, quick to avert their gaze if someone caught them staring. There was suspicion in almost all the Hylians’ eyes, and the words “cursed” and “under the Wind Mage’s spell” were muttered under their breath with great frequency. Zelda, Link, and Daphnes were all seated in special places just for them so they could oversee the trial. Celestia stoically kept her gaze centered on Agahnim as the Shiekah judge ascended to his seat that overlooked the entire room.

As soon as he was seated, Agahnim banged the gavel three times to quiet the chattering townsfolk. Below him, Impa cleared her throat and declared in a voice that, while not loud, managed to successfully carry across the whole courtroom, “Order! This court is now in session! People of Hyrule vs. Vaati the Wind Mage.”

Agahnim lifted his gavel and declared, “Bring in the prisoner!”

As one, the people in the courtroom turned to see Vaati being led in chains by several Hylian soldiers. His wrists and legs were shackled together, and for extra measure, an iron ring was locked around his neck, with light magic-infused arrowheads jabbing threateningly at Vaati’s neck. His tunic had thankfully been repaired by some impromptu help from Rarity, and it looked good as new. Despite his many enchanted shackles, Vaati held himself proudly, and as he passed by where his friends were seated, he gave them a trusting nod before sitting down in the defendant’s chair. Soon afterwards, Luna entered the room from the same direction Vaati had come, and she took her seat next to him without a word.

“Princess Luna?” Agahnim asked curiously.

“I am here to act as Vaati the Wind Mage’s defense attorney,” was Luna’s reply.

Immediately the room erupted in harsh whispers. One man in particular, the prosecutor, a man of small stature with official-looking clothing that Vaati noted bore significant resemblance to the royal announcer that had been present at the Picori Festival Ceremony countless centuries ago, indignantly shouted, “What is this?! This beast cannot act in Vaati’s defense!”

“I’ll have you know, you arrogant oaf, that I am well-versed in matters of the law!” Luna retorted angrily. “I took the time to read up on the various nuances that distinguish your laws from our own as well.”

“That’s enough, from both of you!” Agahnim snapped. “Pompus, Luna, approach the bench.”

Luna and the aptly-named Pompus stood before Agahnim’s podium as Pinkie quietly snorted laughter at the prosecutor’s hilariously-fitting name. “Now,” Agahnim began in a low voice, leaning down so the two of them could hear him. “I want this to be perfectly clear. There will be no name-calling, no unprofessional attitudes, or attempts to draw the trial away from the matter at hand. We are not here to determine Vaati’s guilt in the actions he committed in the past. We are here to determine whether he has repented enough that the people of Hyrule are willing to forgive him for his crimes. Am I understood?”

“Yes, sir,” Luna and Pompus replied in unison before heading back to their respective seats.

“You may begin,” Agahnim called out. “Pompus, call your first witness.”

Pompus nodded before saying, “I hereby call Master Link to the stand!”

The crowd murmured as Link took the witness stand until Agahnim called for silence again with a smack of his gavel. Steepling his fingers together, Pompus began, “Master Link, was Vaati the one who kidnapped our fair Princess Zelda seven years ago?”

Deciding that the truth was the best course of action, Link replied, “Yes.”

“You were there when he swept into the castle throne room and whisked her away, were you not?”

“Yessir,” Link answered.

“Objection!” Luna interrupted. “I thought we weren’t here to determine Vaati’s guilt for his past crimes!”

“Overruled,” Agahnim replied. “But get on with your point, Pompus.”

“Ahem, anyways, surely it was a frightening experience, Master Link?” Pompus continued. “If I recall, a number of castle guards were badly injured, and the whole kingdom was thrown into chaos, again! You had to fight horrific beasts in order to rescue her, for what would have become of her had you not done so? No doubt he would have forced himself upon her and robbed our crown jewel of her purity for his own perverted desires!”

“OBJECTION!” Luna outright screamed, her cheeks burning scarlet at the prosecutor’s presumptuous claims.

“Withdrawn,” Pompus immediately replied smugly, knowing that the jurors were now all wondering the same thing. “Now, when you reached the Palace of Winds and confronted the Wind Mage, in what state was our fair princess?”

“She…she was in a crystal cage of some sort, floating in the air,” Link answered, delving into his memories. “But she was awake and unharmed, if that’s what you want to know.”

Pompus pursed his lips under his thick white mustache which were connected to his sideburns like he had swallowed something less than appetizing. “The Princess was not harmed?”

“No.”

“Then you arrived in time, Master Hero, and all of Hyrule thanks you for it. No further questions.”

Pompus sat down, after which Luna arose and approached Link. “How long was Princess Zelda in captivity?” she asked grimly.

Link’s brows furrowed as he thought. “Uh…almost two weeks. That’s how long it took me to beat all the monsters that were holding the keys to his Palace and reach him.”

“Two weeks, hm?” Luna repeated before rhetorically addressing the whole room. “Would it really take more than two weeks for someone to, as you said, Mister Pompus, force themselves upon the Princess? If Vaati were as vile and lecherous as Pompus has suggested, would he not have stripped her and forcibly bedded her the moment she was at his mercy?”

Link stammered, not knowing how to respond. “Er…I…don’t know? I mean, it’s not like I know the guy personally. We never met or spoke to each other until we fought, so I don’t really know what’s ever going through his mind.”

“So you don’t really know Vaati or his motivations.”

“Well, I assumed his motivations were the same as they had been the last few times he’d been released. Capture Zelda, force her to marry him, and use her royal influence to take over Hyrule.”

“You assume. Did Princess Zelda tell you anything about her time in captivity?”

Link scratched the back of his head absently. “Well, not much, to be honest. She was happy to be rescued, but…at the same time, I noticed that, while we were leaving the Palace, she kinda had this…sad look on her face. But when I asked her about it, she just shook her head and said that it was no longer Hyrule’s problem.”

“I see. No further questions.”

“You are dismissed then, Link,” Agahnim declared with a nod, and Link returned to his seat. “Now, Luna, you may call your first defense witness.”

“Very well. Thus I call Twilight Sparkle to the stand.”

Twilight felt a bead of sweat trail down her forehead as she felt the eyes of countless bystanders staring into her back. Folding her ears against the side of her head, Twilight stood up and made her way to the witness stand, keeping her gaze centered on the floor until she reached it, after which she made sure to keep her eyes on Luna.

“Twilight Sparkle, how long have you known the defendant?” Luna asked.

“Um…since he first came to Equestria,” was Twilight’s hesitant answer.

“Under what circumstances did you come to know him?”

“Well, I was in the Everfree Forest looking for magical herbs, when out of the corner of my eye, I saw this flash of light in the bushes. When I went to investigate, I found him lying unconscious. H-he was covered in so much blood, I thought he was dead at first. But I was able to figure out he was still alive, and I went to my friend Fluttershy for help. But since he wasn’t like anything we’d ever seen in Equestria, she didn’t know how to deal with him, so we took him to our hospital in Ponyville, where I live. We were able to nurse him back to health, and when he came to, he told us some stuff about himself.”

“Such as?”

“Well, he told us he had come from Hyrule, and that he had meant to escape from what he said was ‘a battle he’d been participating in for too long’. When we said we weren’t sure we would be able to send him back to where he came from, he decided he would stay in Equestria instead.”

“And at any time during his stay, did he do anything that you felt could have possibly threatened the ponies of Equestria?”

“No,” Twilight answered, this time with utter conviction. “Vaati can sometimes be a little crass. He speaks his mind plainly and he’s often condescending towards people who annoy him, which usually boils down to everypony but you and me. But when we gave him a chance, he also proved to be one of the truest friends I ever made. He’s as important to me as any other member of my family.”

Beaming, Luna said, “No further questions.”

As Luna sat down at Vaati’s side, Pompus got up and stood before Twilight, clasping his hands behind his back. “So, is that all you know about the sorcerer’s past? He never mentioned anything about his past deeds in Hyrule?”

“Well, not at first,” Twilight answered uncertainly. “During the first few months of his stay, he was pretty secretive about his past. There were some things about him that were admittedly, well, a little scary, but as time went on, he eventually opened up to us more…especially to me.”

“Really? Did he tell you about how, when he first attempted to take over Hyrule, he turned the Princess of that time to stone, and then later did the same to all the other inhabitants of the castle, even the castle servants who were no threat to him? Did he tell you about how he unleashed monsters from the Bound Chest in search of the Light Force, and that when he realized it was housed in Zelda, he attempted to draw it out of her body, which would have killed her? Did he tell you about how he brought misery and suffering to the land as a gigantic demon eye, destroying towns and crops with his windstorms, every time he was released from the Four Sword? Did he tell you of the time he joined forces with Ganon himself to drown out the light of our world?!”

“Yes, he told us all of those things,” Twilight answered plainly. “He told us about his past deeds as a villain in your world, but how about I tell you what he’s done for us? As that gigantic demon eye, he helped us defeat the Lord of Chaos, Discord! And then he helped us stop Canterlot from being overwhelmed by a Changeling invasion when our nation was still on hostile terms with them! And then he helped us liberate the Crystal Empire from the grip of King Sombra, an evil tyrant just as terrible as Ganon! And then, he helped us do something even your Hero has failed to do; kill Ganon for good!”

“This is outrageous!” Pompus cried. “How could Ganon have made it to your world?! And why would Vaati suddenly decide to resist him rather than join him as he did the last time he was freed?!”

“Because Ganon forced him to work for him, you pompous ass!” Twilight yelled before catching herself. After allowing herself a minute to calm down, she continued. “When Ganon manipulated the Hero of that time into releasing Vaati, the first thing Vaati did was go straight to Hyrule Castle to kidnap Zelda again. But Ganon beat him to it, and basically told Vaati that he worked for Ganon now. Vaati didn’t like that idea, and they fought. But Ganon was the victor, and Vaati served him afterwards out of fear. When the Hero confronted him, Vaati intentionally threw the fight and let them seal him away again. You hear me? He let the Hero beat him that time, because he would have rather been imprisoned again than be another one of Ganon’s minions.”

That managed to cause a significant stir amongst the jurors, who all murmured amongst themselves before Agahnim banged his gavel again, calling for order.

But Twilight wasn’t finished. “And the reason Vaati did those terrible things was because, his entire life, he was treated like a monster because he looked different from the other Minish.”

The crowd gasped and murmured again, causing Twilight to look around in confusion. “What? You didn’t know? Vaati was originally a Minish. He had his purple hair, pale skin, and red eyes even as a Picori, and he was relentlessly bullied for it. He had no parents, and thus lived in an old orphanage and was always looked over for adoption until he was chosen by the Minish Sage Ezlo to be his apprentice. Vaati’s dream was to become a great sorcerer, but when Ezlo wouldn’t actually start teaching him magic, Vaati felt betrayed and turned on him, using Ezlo’s Wishing Cap to become the Hylian you now see before you, and the rest is history. He was only a monster because society decided that was what he was from the moment he was born, and he had no one to love him, no one to care for him, or call him friend, or anything. He was alone. What would any of you have done in his position?”

The jurors, she noted, were now the ones averting her emotion-filled eyes, as she had successfully struck a chord in them. “He became a villain because he felt that that was the only thing he was destined for, but beneath that hardened exterior he built around himself was a scared, lonely child who had been hurt so many times that he actually started believing he really was a monster. I’m not saying that the crimes he committed weren’t wrong, or that he was justified in his actions, only that no one is a monster just for the sake of being a monster. When he came to us, we saw that, despite his rudeness and tendency to be blunt with his opinions, he desperately wanted a friend. He wanted to belong. He wanted to stop being alone. And we gave him that, and none of us regret it for a second!”

Her friends, and even a few of the jurors and other onlookers appeared to have been moved by her words. Not knowing how else to proceed, Pompus stuttered, “U-uh, no further questions,” before returning to his seat.

“You are dismissed, Twilight Sparkle,” Agahnim spoke, his eyes as impassive as ever. “Pompus, do you have any other witnesses?”

“Yes, Your Honor,” Pompus replied, standing up. “I now call Princess Zelda to the stand!”

Everyone watched as the princess daintily made her way to the witness stand and sat down, folding her hands in her lap as she waited for her interrogation.

“Your Highness,” Pompus began. “Describe the events of your kidnapping with as many details as you can recall. Describe how you felt as it happened.”

Normally, someone who had undergone such a frightening experience would lose a lot of details in their memory out of fear, but not Zelda, thanks to her Triforce of Wisdom. “On that day, seven years ago, my father and I were tending to matters of state as we normally do. As the location of the Four Sword Sanctuary had been lost to time for more than a century, I was not able to ascertain that Vaati had escaped again until it was too late. The next thing I knew, an explosion tore the ceiling apart, and numerous soldiers were badly hurt by the rubble. I saw that great demon eye that had plagued my ancestors in ages past, and when it looked right at me, I screamed in fear. In an instant he grabbed me and escaped, heading for the Palace of Winds. He was commenting about how kidnapping me was getting to be so easy that it wasn’t as fun for him anymore. When we arrived, he immediately trapped me in a crystal prison, which he admitted was as much for my own protection as it was meant to hold me captive, as he didn’t trust his monsters to leave me be in his absence. For three days I was alone in that enchanted prism, its magic keeping my body in a sort of stasis so that I did not require food or drink, before he finally returned from hiding the keys to the Palace amongst several old dungeons protected by his monsters. But then, after that, I…I noticed some kind of change come over him. I expected him to try to seduce me, or boast about how he would defeat Link and conquer Hyrule, but instead, he would just stare out the window, like his mind was clouded by so many thoughts that it was making his head spin. This strange silence went on for days, until the very day Link came for me. And then, for the first time, he spoke to me, truly spoke to me. He didn’t speak as a tyrant, a conqueror, or a bloodthirsty madman, but as a man who was no longer sure of himself and his place in the world, and he asked me if I knew what it was like to be trapped in a constantly-repeating cycle. In truth…I…I did know what that was like. Every day in the castle is the same; I help my father deal with affairs in the kingdom, and then I smile and wave as my father does the real work with foreign dignitaries. I’m waited on hand and foot by the castle servants, but they’re more interested in pleasing the Royal Family than, well, helping us come to terms with our own problems. Because sometimes the people of Hyrule forget their heroes are human too. Vaati admitted that he realized he had trapped himself in pretty much the same cycle that bound Link and I to Ganon, and he wanted out. But he didn’t know how to do so. When he ultimately fought Link, I…I admit, I found myself praying to the Three that somewhere, somehow, someone would give him that chance. Someone would show him how to break free, to become his own person, rather than as the villain everyone thought him to be.” And then she smiled warmly. “And my prayers were answered.”

Pompus was silent for several moments as he pondered what else to say. “Erm…Princess? Do you…forgive Vaati for what he did? Not just you, but to all your ancestors?”

Zelda took a deep breath, and with a resolute look in her eyes, she declared not just to the prosecutor but to all who could hear her, “Yes. I, Zelda of Hyrule, forgive Vaati the Wind Mage for what he has done. And as your princess, I implore the good people of Hyrule to do the same.”

There was more muttering and some louder arguments before Agahnim silenced them again. “Order! Order!”

Pompus opened and closed his mouth several times like a fish out of water, unable to form words. If the Princess had forgiven Vaati, then his argument was crumbling fast. Finally, he realized he could do no more with this one and uttered, “N-no further questions.”

As Pompus sat back down, Luna stood and declared, “The defense rests, Your Honor.” After all, Luna already knew she had Zelda’s support, and the Hylian Princess had done a good enough job of pleading Vaati’s case on her own terms, thus doing this part of Luna’s job for her.

Agahnim nodded. “Very well. You are excused then, Princess.”

Zelda returned to her seat, pointedly ignoring the look her father was giving her as Agahnim cleared his throat. “Princess Luna, your next witness?”

“I call the captain of my Royal Guard, Scootaloo, to the stand.”

Everyone watched as the young, orange-coated pegasus mare trotted purposefully up to the podium, clad in the dark blue armor of Luna’s Night Guards. She had foregone her helmet, and thus the enchantment that made her take the appearance of a thestral was not present, allowing her fuscia mane to cascade down the sides of her face. Despite the fact she was of a totally different species, several Hylians secretly found her appearance to be strangely alluring. Scootaloo sat tall and proud as Luna began her line of questioning.

“Scootaloo, describe your relationship to the defendant.”

“He’s my adoptive father, Your Majesty.”

This caused yet another stir before Agahnim quelled it.

“Describe to the court how this arrangement came to be.”

Scootaloo sighed as she delved into the less pleasant memories of her childhood. “Before Daddy came to Ponyville, I-I used to live with my real father in an old shack by the nearby lake. He was an abusive drunk, who blamed me for all his problems, and he hit me a lot. One day he got totally fed up with me and threw me out of our house in the middle of a rainstorm, and told me never to come back. I went over to a nearby tree to try and hide from the rain, but I was so cold. I was cold on the inside just as much as I was on the outside. I felt like no one loved me, a-and I just wanted to…t-to disappear. I was a little foal then, and for some reason my wings weren’t growing in, and my dad told me I was a failure because I couldn’t fly like other pegasi my age. I was broken. And then…then Vaati found me. I don’t know why he was out in that storm too, b-but he found me, and when he saw my bruises, he took me right up to his palace, where he and his monsters looked me over and fixed me up. He asked about what had happened to me, a-and I was afraid to tell him, but I ended up telling him about my dad. He…he went to our old shack and confronted my dad, telling him how horrible he was for treating me like that. And then he said he would look after me himself if he had to, a-and…I-I didn’t know what to say. Then my real dad attacked him. Surprised him and hit him upside the head with an empty cider bottle. T-then…then he tried to kill me. Vaati came to, saw what was happening, a-and…he almost died saving my life. My dad stabbed him in the middle of their fight, and he would have died had we not gotten a Red Potion to him in time. I was by his side the whole time he was recovering, and when I woke up the next day, I found him just finishing up writing out a certificate of adoption. For me. He took me in and raised me as his own because he couldn’t stand to see me suffering like he did when he was a foal. He’s my daddy now, and I don’t care what any of you think about him; I love him very much!”

Luna’s smile widened. “Nothing further, Your Honor.”

Pompus was outright pulling at his hair in frustration. After a story like that, it was clear to see that Vaati was actually starting to gain some sympathy from the crowd. And with the knowledge that they all knew what Vaati had done, but chose to forgive him anyway, meant that his arguments would have no effect in swaying them. He had thought this would be easy, but he turned out to have been ill-equipped to handle the raw emotion of the Equestrians’ ironclad defense.

Seeing this, Luna smirked. “What’s the matter, prosecutor? You seem rather flummoxed. Are you starting to realize that this wouldn’t be as easy as you thought? That perhaps you’re realizing now that you, like everyone else in Hyrule, were too quick to judge Vaati to see how much he has changed and grown as a person? No one wanted to get to know him, so he lashed out. But when we extended our own hooves in friendship, he accepted and allowed himself to grow into a true friend and a hero in his own right. People of Hyrule, the decision falls to you now. There is no denying that Vaati has committed terrible actions in the past. But if your Hero, your Princess, and we of Equestria are all willing to forgive him despite knowing what he has done, then do you think he deserves your forgiveness as well?”

And then, in order to further strengthen Luna’s case, Applejack stood up and cried, “He helped keep mah family safe! Ah stand with Vaati!”

Then Rarity stood and declared, “He has been a kind and generous individual through and through since day one! I stand with Vaati!”

“He helped us kick major flank and helped me reunite with my long-lost mom!” Rainbow Dash cried as she hovered in the air. “I stand with Vaati!”

“He’s kept the ponies of Ponyville safe and happy, always giving us a reason to smile when things get hard!” Pinkie Pie cried jubilantly. “I stand with Vaati!”

Fluttershy, mustering her courage, stood as well and spoke, “He helped my friend Discord see the same thing he did, that there’s another way to live your life, that you don’t have to be a monster because people say you are! I stand with Vaati!”

And then Nigellas stood up, raising a gloved fist. “He treated us monsters like people rather than disposable fodder like the other wankers that summoned us! I stand with Vaati!”

And then Maulgrim rose, towering over every other individual in the room as he boomed, “Through his honor and courage, he freed all of monster-kind from the curse of Demise and gave us back our true livelihoods! I stand with Vaati!”

Smiling broadly, Celestia stood and proclaimed, “Vaati showed my sister the light in the darkness, how to be true to herself without giving in to her own inner darkness. For showing her utter, tender love when she needed it most, I stand with Vaati.”

After a moment, Chrysalis grumbled to herself, resenting the fact that she indeed felt a small measure of gratitude for what Vaati ultimately did for her people, despite their ugly history. “Although it pains me to say this, he granted my people, who feed off the positive energy produced by love, a way to feed ourselves without threatening the ponies of Equestria, allowing our peoples to forge a truce when we otherwise would have sought each other’s destruction. He also saved my people from destruction at the hands of Ganon through his accursed Gohma. I, to my deep resentment, stand with Vaati.”

The whole courtroom was silent as they marveled at the show of support for the Wind Mage. Vaati couldn’t fight the smile that forced its way across his face.

After a few more court actions that weren’t nearly as important or eventful as what had just happened, Agahnim turned towards the jurors. “All our voices have been heard. Has the jury reached a verdict?”

One of the Hylians, a middle-aged man with rotund features, stood up as he held a slip of parchment in both hands. “We have, Your Honor.”

“In the matter of determining whether Vaati the Wind Mage has performed enough recompense in the land of Equestria to warrant an official pardon in Hyrule, how do you find?”

There was a heavy pause as the man looked at the slip of paper that would seal Vaati’s fate, whatever it might be. Hylian and Equestrian alike subconsciously leaned in, awaiting the verdict with bated breath.

“We, the people of Hyrule, find the defen…”

But before the man could finish the sentence that would literally determine Vaati’s life, there was a resounding crash as the courtroom door slammed open as a Hylian soldier rushed inside, short on breath. “Y-Your…Your Majesty!” the soldier rasped. “Your Majesty!”

Angered at the poorly-timed interruption, King Daphnes stood from his seat and shouted, “What is this?! What’s going on?!”

Zelda realized the man’s eyes were wide with terror as he fought for breath, and dreaded what he had to say next. Finally, after regaining his breath, the soldier cried, “Your Majesty, Hyrule Castle is under attack!”

Author's Note

I'm such an evil bastard, with my cliffhangers~

So, uh...that moment between Luna and Vaati was kinda-sorta inspired by someone I consider very special, and a thing they and I want to do one day, so...bit of author appeal in that department. :raritywink:

Next chapter to come when the comments and TVTropes updates slow down.

Episode 4: Pestilence and Decay Part 1

Because I love you all so much, here's another one.

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Episode 4: Pestilence and Decay Part 1 – The Battle of Hyrule Castle

Everyone in the courtroom simultaneously gasped in horror. Shooting a glance at Vaati, Daphnes yelled, "Who is attacking us, man?! Speak up!"

"N-never…" the soldier whimpered. "N-never have I s-seen such an army! S-Stalfos from the s-south, and G-G-Gohma f-from the north! More than I've ever s-seen!"

All color promptly drained from the faces of every person in the courtroom. Daphnes then rounded on Vaati, pointing an accusing finger at the Wind Mage. "You! You sent them here, didn't you?! I knew it! Your rescue party finally arrives!" The king drew his sword with an ominous 'shink', striding towards Vaati with murder in his eyes. "Not while I have anything to say about it! You will not threaten Hyrule again! By the time your servants reach you, your head will already be mounted in the town square for all to see!"

"You stupid old man!" Vaati yelled, struggling in his chains. "Are you out of your goddessdamned mind?!"

Daphnes, however, was not in a listening mood. His hate-filled eyes wide, Daphnes raised his sword over his head, looming over the helpless mage. "For the good of Hyrule!" he roared, and brought his sword down upon Vaati's head.

Suddenly there was a bright flash of golden light, which sent the king stumbling back, his sword shattering. He shook his head and turned to see that Zelda, his beautiful daughter, was standing protectively between him and a surprised-looking Vaati, her arms outstretched as a golden shield of holy light protected them from harm.

"Zelda!" Daphnes exclaimed. "W-what in the Sacred Realm are you doing?!"

"I'm doing what is right, father!" Zelda shot back, glaring at the king with fierce, unwavering determination.

"Right?! This isn't right! He's a monster! A villain! An abomination in the eyes of our fair Goddesses!"

"What do you know of our Goddesses' thoughts?! You do not speak for them!"

Daphnes's eyes narrowed. "Zelda, my child. You are not in a right state of mind. Step aside, and let me put an end to this madness."

"No. You will have to kill me."

Vaati's eyes widened in shock as Zelda said this, followed by all the other onlookers. Daphnes recoiled as if struck. "M-my child, I…"

"Do not forget, father, that I am the very reincarnation of Hylia's spirit! I, more than you, know of the Golden Ones' thoughts and desires. I can also see the truth in people's hearts, and I see that Vaati is not the evil we once knew. Time and again, the voices of the Princesses before me have gone unheard, ignored as childish ramblings by their fathers, brothers, and husbands! And every time, Hyrule is plunged into chaos as a result of this ignorance! I have had enough! I will not let the cycle repeat itself! You will not kill Vaati! I WON'T LET YOU!"

A heavy silence followed as father and daughter stared each other down. The air was thick with tension, and no one else dared move or make a sound.

Until Link slowly stood from where he was, and walked over to Zelda's side, folding his arms as he too faced his king. "Neither will I," he vowed resolutely.

Daphnes recoiled once more. "Wha…Link?"

"I trust Zelda completely. For countless eras, my ancestors have served hers with unwavering loyalty, all the way back to our divine origins, and I'm not about to break that cycle. If Zelda says Vaati is redeemed, I believe her."

Daphnes's eyes darted between his daughter and her fierce protector, unsure of what to do. Then he whirled towards where Impa was standing and cried, "Impa! Won't you do something?!"

Impa, however, only stared back at him impassively, her arms folded to let everyone know that she would not draw her weapon. "Ggh!" Daphnes groaned as he realized now that he truly was alone.

His eyes were wild, and it was easy to see the dawning madness glinting in them. "C-cursed…all of you…all of you are cursed!"

Daphnes stumbled back, his eyes unseeing as he succumbed to a total breakdown. "My daughter…the hero…Vaati has cursed them all! Hyrule is doomed! HYRULE IS DOOMED, DAMN YOU!"

WHACK!

Everyone reacted with surprise as the king suddenly groaned, his eyes rolling back in his skull as he fell forward and collapsed to the floor, unconscious. Behind him stood Agahnim, lowering his large knife, the pommel of which he had used to knock out the king, as he declared, "The king is, for the time being, no longer in a state of mind to rule the kingdom!"

The robed Shiekah looked towards Zelda as she lowered her shield. She didn't approve of what Agahnim had done, but the time to reprimand him would come later. "You are in command now, Princess," Agahnim said gravely. "Our enemies are approaching our very gates from all sides. What will you have us do?"

There was a pause as Zelda took in the knowledge of her new responsibility before she finally answered, "Agahnim, take my father to the castle and keep him safe! Impa, begin evacuating all our civilians to the catacombs! Link, I need you to help me rally our soldiers!" Then Zelda turned towards one of the guards holding Vaati's chains, holding out her hand. "Give me the keys, soldier."

Her tone brooked no argument. "Y-yes, Your Highness," the soldier complied, giving her the keys.

All watched as Zelda knelt down by Vaati and stuck the key in the lock. The young princess looked into Vaati's eyes, red and blue irises locked together. "If you are really with us," she whispered imploringly, "help us."

Vaati nodded, a silent moment of understanding passing between them as Zelda turned the key. With a resounding clink, the lock opened, and the chains slid off Vaati's body of their own accord, allowing him a moment to stretch his limbs. "Goddesses, those were heavy," he murmured.

And then he was suddenly tackled by all his friends as they cried jubilantly over his newfound freedom, ignoring his cries of protest. However, Celestia cleared her throat, reminding them all of the situation at hand. Turning towards Chrysalis, she said, "Since the Gohma have chosen to surface here…"

"Say no more, Celestia," Chrysalis interrupted knowingly. "I remember where the portal is. I will return with my armies as quickly as possible. Do at least try to leave some for us."

"Only if you hurry," Celestia replied.

With that settled, Celestia turned towards Zelda and said, "I will help you fight this evil. After all, it serves a force we both call our enemy, and you need all the help you can get."

"As will I," Luna declared. "With my powers and those of my sister combined, we are strong enough to face entire legions of foes."

"And there's no way we're gonna hide in some catacombs while the rest of you risk your lives!" Twilight cried as she and her friends summoned their Elemental Weapons. "We're gonna fight too!"

Maulgrim hefted his broadsword over his shoulder as the Darknut Lord boomed, "Long have our peoples been adversaries due to the manipulations of Demise. No more. I will fight beside you in your darkest hour."

"It's not like we have much of a choice anyway," Nigellas added with a shrug. "They probably plan on slaughtering anything behind these walls with a pulse regardless of allegiance."

XXXXXX

Northern Hyrule Field…

Swarming towards the shining white citadel of Hyrule's crown jewel was a massive army of Gohma, well over a hundred thousand strong. Larvae, Soldiers, Armogohmas, and even a handful of Queens scuttled towards the castle walls like a wave of gigantic cockroaches descending upon a slab of rotting meat. At the rear of this immense host, far away from any threat of harm was a gigantic centipede-like demon with a single, blue eye glaring at Hyrule Castle as it focused its massive willpower into directing the swarms.

Iemanis himself was here.

The Lord of the Gohma clacked his mandibles together as he hissed in a thundering voice, "I was told by the king that his bratty whelp was here. Should he turn his powers against us, it could cause…problems."

You leave the Wind Mage to me, Iemanis. That is why I am here in the first place.

Iemanis turned to see a humanoid golem forged of enchanted obsidian approach his side, its hands folded in prayer. An Avatar of Majora.

Glaring with his avatar's large round eyes, Majora hissed, Even with his newly-acquired Triforce of Power, I still possess the means to subdue his magical abilities, even if only temporarily. If he shows his face, I will handle him. You focus on coordinating your attack with Gomess.

Iemanis bowed his ponderous head. "As you will it, Great One."

As Iemanis returned to directing the huge Gohma swarm, Majora glared at the stronghold of his age-old enemies. If the Wind Mage has made it back here, then it stands to reason his wretched friends came with him. My dear sisters have made their move, now it's my turn.

XXXXXX

…

My student…

The time…the time has come at last…

This is what you are destined for…

The powers of evil are making their move…they strike at the very heart of Hyrule…

Go now…go to their aid…

You must…open the sealed door…

Awaken the bodyguards of Hylia…

Open the Silent Realm!… … …

XXXXXX

"What sort of situation are we facing?" Vaati demanded as he strode with his friends and Zelda down the street towards the south wall.

"Gohma from the north, Stalfos from the south," Zelda informed him. "Both forces together hundreds of thousands strong."

"How many men do you have?"

Zelda's face became grim. "Less than ten thousand. Another sign our once-great kingdom is fading."

"Enough of that talk!" Vaati snapped. "Tell your men to focus their attention on the Stalfos. Leave the Gohma to me."

"Vaati!" Twilight cried. "There's hundreds of thousands of those things out there!"

Vaati cast a smug look over his shoulder. "My dear Twilight, in all the years you've known me, now you choose to doubt my abilities?"

Thrusting his arms out, the sorcerer quickly became the fearsome winged eye, and Zelda couldn't help but falter in her step momentarily before catching herself. "You forget; even before I gained the Triforce of Power, my strength was well-suited for combatting entire legions of foes! This will be easy!"

"Nonetheless, I have no intention of letting you face such foes on your own," Luna spoke sternly. "What else do you expect me to do, sit on my flank and watch? I think not! Besides, there's no fun to be had in sitting on the sidelines!"

"I'm afraid I must agree with my sister," Celestia proclaimed, approaching Vaati's other side. "Even with power as great as yours, you are still but one individual. The goal of our enemies lies inside the walls. You cannot possibly be able to focus on every last one of them at once. Even as you cut down hundreds and thousands, thousands more will rush past you to get at the city."

Vaati rolled his single eye with a groan. "UGH! Fine! Luna, take out their left flank! Celestia, take out the right! I'll cut through their middle!"

"Princess Luna, what do you want me to do?" Scootaloo demanded with a crisp salute.

"Yeah, what about us?" Rainbow cried.

"Help the rest of them deal with the Stalfos," Luna commanded, unfurling her wings. "Go!"

As Vaati and the two alicorns sailed over the north wall to meet the Gohma hordes, Zelda put a hand to her chest and silently prayed, Good luck out there, Vaati.

Yet all the same, the young princess could not help the feeling of sickening dread that washed over her, a primal warning from within the depth of her being that told her that something was watching them all. Something far more vile than any Gohma or Stalfos.

XXXXXX

Vaati, Luna, and Celestia took a moment to appreciate the sheer size of the opposing force. Thousands upon thousands of Gohma seethed in an unruly mass, seemingly stretching from one end of northern Hyrule Field to the other. A hundred thousand eyes glared as one at them.

And at all of this, Vaati only laughed. Then he pointed a single gilded claw at them and hissed, "To Stone With You."

A flash of bright light issued forth, bathing the Gohma in its power, and when it receded, well over a thousand Gohma were reduced to mere statues. But this did nothing to halt their advance, for Gohma felt no fear. They felt nothing but a single, driving hunger, guided forth by the unseen will of their master and creator, and they pressed on, eager to devour everything in sight.

"Go to it, girls," Vaati commanded. "And try not to get caught in the crossfire."

Celestia and Luna merely nodded in reply, before flying off in opposite directions to deal with the Gohma army's left and right flanks, unleashing spells of destruction upon them without mercy. Without further ado, Vaati cackled as he thrust out his arms, his horns glowing as ominous clouds gathered, blotting out the sun. The wind began to howl, whipping about with increasing force. And then, at the Wind Mage's command, a great tornado lanced out from the sky directly in the middle of the Gohma swarm, sucking countless thousands into the infernal cyclone. Razor Wind spells rushed through the zephyrs, ripping apart whatever was caught in the swirling cyclone of death and releasing Gohma blood as a gruesome downpour of rain.

Vaati laughed madly, seemingly drunk on his newfound power. "Behold, you loathsome bugs! You stand before a god! A God of Winds! I am Vaati, the Wind Mage, and I…"

His reverie was abruptly caught short by a sudden and alarmingly powerful blast of energy that struck him with enough force to knock him right out of the air.

You talk too much, blasphemer.

Vaati landed hard on the ground, and without his guidance, the magical cyclone faded, dropping countless shredded Gohma corpses to the ground. Whatever magic that had struck him burned like eldritch fire, and without warning, the demon eye shrank involuntarily back into the Hylian mage, who lay convulsing on the ground, unable to move.

"Guh…guh-arrrgh…" he groaned, unable to form words through his pain.

He was barely aware of a massively-tall figure striding purposefully towards him, its very footsteps making the earth shudder beneath him. His head soon began to clear enough that he glared at his approaching foe.

And when he recognized said foe, hope seemed to die within him.

The only god here is ME, Wind Mage, Majora hissed through his Avatar, evil intent burning in those remorseless, unblinking eyes.

Vaati groaned as he tried to bring his magic to bear in an attempt to defend himself, but gasped as he realized that no magic was forthcoming.

"W-what…? What have you done?!" Vaati cried angrily, with no small hint of fear lacing his tone.

I suppressed your magic, fool. Did you really think I would simply let you lay waste to my forces while they were helpless to stand against you? I took you to be more clever than that, sorcerer.

Vaati's eyes widened before darting to his wrist, where the Triforce mark was flickering weakly as it struggled to overcome Majora's magic. "H-how? The Triforce of Power…"

At this, Majora laughed, his eldritch voice booming across the battlefield, and a great sense of fear enveloped the city of Castle Town, and for a moment, all its defenders fell still in dread. Did you honestly believe I could not overcome such a miserable trinket? Though temporary the spell is, it is still enough time to undo you! The Triforce is but a pathetic fragment of a far greater power, a great power to which I am their equal! I have no use for it, I have no need for it. It shall burn with the rest of your kingdom and its peoples!

The Avatar of Majora pointed at Vaati's weakened form and declared, Devour him, spawn of Iemanis! Devour him and the Golden Power he contains!

And the Gohma hordes surged forth, closing in on the Wind Mage. Vaati's eyes widened in fear.

This…no! How can this be the end?!

And then there was a flash of light and a burst of darkness, from which emerged the two alicorn sisters, standing protectively between Vaati and the god that meant to destroy him.

"Not on my watch!" Luna growled ferally.

"Begone from here, spawn of the Void!" Celestia demanded. "Lest I rend you asunder with my light!"

But Majora was not intimidated. Only annoyance and sheer, incomprehensible hatred burned in his eyes. You are fools to challenge me. Time and again, my servants and I have proven our power to be greater than yours. Impertinent curs, this is my hour! Your blasphemous existence ends here!

"Luna, get Vaati to safety!" Celestia commanded, getting into her battle stance.

"Sister, no!" Luna cried. "You cannot face this foe on your own!"

You cannot face me together. You will not escape me.

And then Majora threw his Avatar's hand up, and immediately he erected a shield of darkness around himself and his enemies, trapping them inside. Both princesses cursed under their breath; Majora had no intention of letting any of them escape. Taking an ominous step forward, the Dark God's Avatar hummed with growing energy.

I have been waiting for this moment for far too long. At last, I shall have the pleasure of taking your lives with my own hands.

"I dare thee to try!" Luna shouted, power growing behind her words. Dark power.

Celestia sharply glanced at her sister as she felt a horrifyingly familiar power surge through Luna's body. "L-Luna…?" she whispered, desperately hoping it was not what she feared.

Right before the change utterly consumed her, Luna gazed sadly into Celestia's eyes. "Forgive me, sister."

Majora chose to watch impassively, intrigued by Celestia's reaction to her sister's growth in power.

"Luna, no!" Celestia cried, but it was too late.

A wave of darkness exploded from Luna's body, threatening to knock Celestia over. And when Celestia looked upon her sister again, she found herself staring at the being she had believed to have been forever vanquished, a visage she had hoped never to see again.

Nightmare Moon opened her catlike eyes and bared her fangs in a bloodthirsty grin as she stared down the Avatar. "Bring it on, you egotistical sack of horseapples!"

Celestia found herself shaking profusely, her mind involuntarily flashing back to over a thousand years ago, an event that had left her alone for a millennium and scarred for an eternity. "L-Luna…" she whimpered.

Nightmare Moon glanced over her shoulder, and to Celestia's immense surprise, it was not an expression of loathing in her sister's eyes, but a look of impatience. "Are you just going to stand there shaking like a leaf, sister, or are we going to send this thing back to oblivion?"

There was, surprisingly, far less bite in the word 'sister' than Celestia had expected. Could it be? Had her sister actually managed to tame her own dark side?

Majora cackled again. How interesting. To combat pure darkness, you choose to give in to your own inner darkness.

Nightmare Moon chuckled grimly. "Give in? Hardly. My time with Vaati has shown me that even my inner darkness can be tamed. I may be Nightmare Moon, but I am also Luna. And I will die a thousand gruesome deaths before I allow you to harm the man I love!"

Evil power suffused Majora's entire frame as he boomed, All the power in the world will not stop me from achieving my ends. Despair and die!

Majora's Avatar threw its hands out, sending a blast of dark magic at the Princesses. Together, Celestia and Nightmare Moon erected a shield that dispelled the attack. Nightmare Moon summoned her scythe, while Celestia readied her halberd, and together they lunged at Majora. However, Majora raised a fist to block Nightmare Moon's swing, while with his other, he seized hold of Celestia's halberd and ripped it out of her magical grip before snapping it in half with a squeeze of his hand.

How weak.

Majora attempted to punch Celestia, but she strafed out of the way and sent a beam of solar energy slamming into his shoulder. This, however, had little effect on the magic-resistant Avatar, which turned towards her and retaliated with a scorching laser from its eyes. Celestia shielded herself, causing the beam to ricochet off her barrier and slam into the barrier trapping them in this battlefield. Suddenly Majora realized he could no longer move his hands as Nightmare Moon attempted to telekinetically pin him in place. But the God of Evil would not be denied. With an enraged roar, he broke free of his restraints just as Nightmare Moon meant to cleave his Avatar in two and landed a punch directly in the midnight alicorn's face, sending her flying into the barrier, which shocked her body and caused her to slump to the ground by the still-weakened Vaati, momentarily dazed.

"Luna!" Celestia cried, barely dodging an energy blast from the Avatar.

With vengeance on her mind, Celestia's own rage began to take hold, and her colorful mane became a raging inferno, and her eyes became pure white. "YOU WILL DIE FOR HARMING MY SISTER, EVIL ONE!"

Oh, spare me your rhetoric. Why do you continue to fight when you clearly see that it is hopeless?

"BURN!"

Celestia unleashed the fullest extent of her wrath in a massive solar beam directed at Majora. The god-possessed golem shielded itself with darkness, holding its ground despite Celestia's efforts. And then another beam joined in from behind, a dark beam of similar might as Nightmare Moon rose to her hooves, murder in her heart. With this combined assault, even the Avatar's shield began to buckle from the immense strain.

Despite the severity of their struggle, the battle outside went on without them. Realizing that Vaati had not been able to stem the tide of Gohma, Zelda was forced to split the forces of Hyrule between the north and south walls. Even as Hylian knights and crossbowmen manned the parapets, the Gohma swarms reached the foot of the walls, and like the arachnids they were, began to climb up the white stone with ease. Crossbowmen fired their darts at point-blank range, knocking hundreds of dead Gohma off the walls. But hundreds more climbed past the falling bodies of their kin in their rush to get at their enemies, and soon they emerged over the parapets, and with a ferocious hunger, Larvae and Pincers attacked the Hylian soldiers, ripping and tearing with their claws and leaping at throats with their chittering cries.

Scootaloo cursed under her breath as she saw the Gohma quickly begin to overrun the Hylian soldiers. Dammit, if only Sweetie Belle were here! Her singing would get these guys into deadly shape real quick…

However, she had no way to contact her best friend and fellow Crusader back in Canterlot, and resigned herself to making do with what she had: herself. With a speed that nearly rivaled her long-standing idol's, the young pegasus captain flew to the north wall in time to see a well-armored man get torn to shreds by several Gohma, the less ornately-clad soldiers helpless to save him as the Gohma continued their relentless assault. She distinctly heard one of them cry, "The captain! The captain is dead!"

"All of you! Rally around me!" Scootaloo cried out.

One of the Hylian soldiers turned towards her as the others focused on fighting off the Gohma onslaught. "Who the hell are you?" he demanded suspiciously.

"Scootaloo, Captain of Princess Luna's royal bodyguards. I'm taking command of the north wall."

"Why in the Dark World should we listen to a talking pony?!" the man demanded.

As if in answer, a Gohma larva came screeching over the wall right at Scootaloo, who whipped around and plunged her spear into its eye, flinging the corpse into another charging Gohma and knocking both off the wall. One leapt at her from behind, but without looking, she drove the butt of her lance into its face before twirling it in her hoof and stabbing the downed monster.

"Any more questions?" Scootaloo demanded firmly, feeling very much like a badass.

The nearest soldiers gawked at her for a moment before they stiffly saluted. "What are your orders, Captain?" the first one that had addressed her spoke crisply and professionally.

"Fight to the last man and don't let any of these monsters into the city!" she answered before she cried out, "GUARDSPONIES, TO ME!"

Shortly afterwards, the guard detail, comprised of ten Thestrals, five unicorns, and five pegasi either flew or teleported over to the wall, slicing, slashing, and blasting any Gohma that dared cross their path. The beleaguered Hylians could not help but let out a rallying cry as they redoubled their efforts.

"Guardsmen, make sure to kill any Gohma that get past the wall into the city!" Scootaloo ordered. "Stand to your posts, men! FIIIIGHT!"

Meanwhile, Zelda oversaw the defense of the southern wall, observing worriedly as the vast legions of Stalfos closed in on them. The undead horde came in all shapes and sizes; Hylian, Zora, Goron, even a fair number of undead Moblin Puratamu, Dark Stalfos still clad in the Darknut battle armor they wore in life, Wizzrobes re-raised as dreaded Scythe Lords, and even animals such as Stalhounds and Dark Keese, as well as numerous Anti-Fairies. There was even a Stallord looming towards the back of the undead host. Arrows were virtually useless; unless they managed to directly hit a skull, the skeletal warriors and ReDeads just kept coming, unhindered by the deadly rain. Dozens of Stalfos carrying ladders rushed past their marching comrades, heaving said ladders onto the walls, each with a Dark Stalfos clinging to the top rung that leapt into battle once the ladders were lifted into place.

Twilight blasted one Dark Stalfos off its perch before it could engage, and then she enveloped all the ladders in her magic. With great effort, she hurled all of them, with Stalfos warriors still attached, into the far rear of the enemy forces, the heavy timbers smashing hundreds of Stalfos and effectively rendering them incapable of assaulting the walls effectively for some time, giving the defenders vital breathing space.

Twilight collapsed on her belly, panting heavily in exhaustion, and thus did not notice the hundreds of Hylian eyes all regarding her with varying degrees of awe and shock. As Rainbow tended to the tired unicorn, Zelda gaped, "I never…that was…I've never seen a telekinesis spell of such magnitude before in my life!"

Rainbow grinned. "Yeah, Twi's pretty awesome like that."

Rarity brushed aside her hair as she said, "We may look cute and cuddly, Princess, but we have faced our fair share of dire, world-endangering threats. This gruesome horde is simply Tuesday for us."

The Equestrians' confidence was inspiring and infectious, and it emboldened the soldiers to hold firm in the face of their innumerable foes. Arrows, bombs, and bomb arrows rained down upon the living dead swarming below the wall, creating a grisly ring of bones and decayed flesh all around the city perimeter. Occasionally a magic blast from Rarity or a now-recovered Twilight would disintegrate one of the larger Stalfos when it came too close to the gates. Despite the odds, the defenders of Hyrule were holding their own.

That is, until a silent order was given, and on both sides of the city, the largest behemoths of the enemy forces began to lumber forward, twenty Armogohmas on the Gohma side, and the Stallord on the Stalfos side. At the sight of these titanic foes, the Hylians' courage began to waver.

Zelda paled as the Stallord unfurled its wings. "No…there's no way we can stop these things from getting into the city…"

She turned around and could see that people were still being evacuated. Just when hope had begun to spawn in her chest, darkness had enveloped it like a disease until it withered to crushing despair. The Stallord was now airborne, flying towards the walls with an eldritch roar, claws outstretched and corrosive air pouring from its mouth.

Men cried out in fear, throwing down their weapons and scrambling for cover. One man tripped and fell over the side of the wall, falling to his death in the city below. The Stallord was almost right on top of them.

And then came a flash of blinding white light, from which a beam of bright blue energy emerged and struck the Stallord in its skull, utterly obliterating the dracolich's head and throwing its body backwards, where it landed amongst its smaller brethren and crushed many more. Everyone lowered their arms and blinked as the light faded, revealing a strange figure, one that the Element Bearers immediately recognized to their shock. Twilight was the first to speak.

"D-Diamond Tiara?!"

Indeed it was, but something had drastically changed about the former bully. She was older now, and her body from the neck down was encased in a strange, humanoid bodysuit with long, thin arms. The joints were like those of an elemental golem, joined together by orbs of pink energy. After all these years, she still wore her signature tiara on her head, but the look on her face was not hostile and mocking like it had often been in the past, but calm and subdued. Her time with the mysterious Oocca had granted her wisdom beyond her years.

"Long time, no see, Miss Twilight," Diamond greeted with a slight tilt of her head.

Zelda gawked for a moment before she shook her head to clear her thoughts. "Is that…an Oocca chassis?!"

"You must be Princess Zelda," Diamond said, bowing respectfully. "I'm Diamond Tiara. I am all that remains of the Oocca legacy. Before she passed, Ooccoo, my mentor and the last of her kind, gave me a task that will ensure that you win this battle, and lend you a powerful force with which to defend yourselves against the might of Majora."

"W-what sort of force?" Zelda asked disbelievingly.

"They have not served on the battlefield since the Demon Wars of ages past," Diamond explained gravely. "But they are the bodyguards of Hylia, your ancestor, and thus yours."

Zelda's eyes widened in comprehension. "Y-you mean…the Guardians of the Silent Realm?!"

Diamond nodded. "I know where the gate is, and I possess the means to open it. However, only you can awaken the Guardians and lead them into battle."

"Where is the gate?" Zelda demanded. "I can't just leave my soldiers here!"

"It is in the castle, rest assured," Diamond replied. "If you wish to survive this onslaught and those still to come, you must come with me."

She then spared a glance at the Element Bearers. "I know these six enough to know that your men are in good hands under their leadership. Now come; time is of the essence, Princess."

Meanwhile, the fight between the Princesses and Majora's Avatar raged on, heedless of the swarms of Gohma scuttling past in a mad rush to get into the city. Nightmare Moon wiped a globule of blood from the corner of her mouth as she stared down the Avatar. Though the attacks of her and her sister had caused some damage, Majora had shrugged it off and was fighting back with little hindrance. Both alicorns were breathing heavily with fatigue, and at this, Majora laughed, his eldritch voice chilling even Nightmare Moon's blood.

How truly pathetic. This is but an avatar, an infinitesimal manifestation of my power, and yet you are at the end of your rope. Do you see now that your attempts to hinder me are without hope? My power is immortal, fools, and the time has come for you to wither and die before my greatness like the pests you are.

And then, from between Celestia and Nightmare Moon, a shot of powerful energy slammed into the Avatar, sending it crashing into the barrier. To the surprise of everyone, this shattered the barrier. Celestia and Nightmare Moon turned to see Vaati, having recovered his energy, back in his demon form, his eye still glowing faintly.

"Do you ever shut up? I'm starting to think you drone on and on just so you can listen to the sound of your own voice!"

By this time, Majora had gotten to his feet, his Avatar's chest smoking from the intense energy discharge and its eyes aglow with malice and wicked mirth.

Back in action, I see, halfbreed.

"Give it up, Majora!" Celestia declared. "You're outnumbered and outmatched!"

However, Majora laughed again, in a way that suggested he knew something they didn't.

You're absolutely right. Three against one is hardly fair. Isn't that right, my two Hands?

Before any of them could reply to this odd remark, two portals, one bathed in fire and the other in blinding stars and dark energy, opened up on either side of the Avatar of Majora. From each emerged an equine figure, glaring at Celestia with pure loathing. Celestia's jaw dropped, her fiery aura extinguished as anger was replaced by shock and incomprehensible heartbreak as she recognized the two ponies, even with the wings, slender builds, and ethereal manes.

"No…" she breathed, tears threatening to spill from her eyes.

"It's so wonderful to see you again, Princess," Sunset Shimmer greeted with an evil smirk, standing beside Starlight Glimmer, both of whom were in forms similar to Nightmare Moon.

XXXXXX

Hyrule Castle Catacombs…

Zelda hesitantly followed Diamond Tiara deep into the bowels of a series of catacombs even she had not known about, with only the glowing light emanating from the plasma energy of Diamond's Oocca suit to provide any light. After what seemed ages of navigating through dark, winding tunnels, they finally reached a large chamber. At the far end before them sat a great face of stone, flanked by two stone hands.

The moment Zelda's eyes fell upon the stone effigy, memories long-buried rose to the surface with a vengeance, reaching all the way back to the first Princess of Hyrule. Stepping forward with eyes wide, she slowly murmured, "That…that's the guardian of the Silent Gate. Gohdan…"

Diamond strode up to the face of Gohdan and put her artificial hand on an engraving on the tip of its nose, pouring the characteristic energy of the Oocca into its ancient gears. "Gohdan, He who guards the Silent Gate, awaken!" Diamond intoned, recalling the words Ooccoo had told her.

The statue shuddered as its eyes suddenly glowed to life, while Diamond continued, "The Enemy of old seeks to rise once more, to bathe the World of Light in the throes of darkness! On behalf of the Oocca, I break the first lock!"

The left hand of Gohdan balled into a fist as a pulse of energy reverberated through the walls behind it. Watching this, more memories entered her mind, of the time when Zelda the First had created this seal with the help of Ooccoo, and she stepped forward slowly, almost as though she were in a trance. Diamond looked up, knowing that the Princess knew what needed to be done now.

"Your turn, Princess," she said, stepping back.

Zelda took Diamond's place before the nose of Gohdan and placed her palm on the hand-shaped engraving. Immediately the Triforce mark on her hand blazed to life as she uttered the words that had been waiting to be invoked since ancient times. "The time of darkness is upon us once more. Awaken, Guardians of the Silent Realm! Awaken, and defend the legacy of Hylia and all that she loves!"

With that, the second seal was undone as Gohdan's right hand clenched. Slowly, the mouth of the statue began to open, revealing a doorway bathed in light, so that nothing could be seen of the other side. Zelda and Diamond Tiara stepped back, waiting for whatever might happen. And then a figure emerged from the gate, carrying a flanged mace of great size, enough to easily rival the mightiest Darknuts'. It was a man of metal, not flesh; long, spindly arms looked almost skeletal, but their appearance belied their incredible strength. The figure was clad in grey and white robes, with angular gold twining all over. Its face was like a mask, square, with three red eyes arranged in a triangle and a triangular hole serving as a mouthpiece. Long, metallic "ears" each had a golden triangle dangling from the end.

More like it came after, as well as floating constructs with no legs that carried a short sword in each hand, marching in perfect procession. Zelda marveled as her Guardians filled up the entire chamber in neat, orderly rows, silent as the realm they stood sentinel over. And then, as one, they knelt and put their free hands over their chests, in reverence to their once-divine charge.

After eons of sleep, the Silent Realm Guardians would fight again.

Author's Note

Next chapter, the Silent Realm Guardians come out to play.

And a grudge match five years in the making will finally be thrown down. QUEEN CHRYSALIS VS. IEMANIS!!!

Update will come when I feel like you boyos have squirmed long enough from the wait. :pinkiecrazy:

Episode 5: Pestilence and Decay Part 2

Episode Five: Pestilence and Decay Part 2 – Scores To Settle

Celestia could only look on with horror as her former students, now transformed into Nightmares themselves, advanced on her, predatory grins on their faces.

"What's the matter, Princess?" Starlight coldly asked. "You don't look happy to see us."

"It must be because of these," Sunset sneered, gesturing towards her wings. "After all, we weren't supposed to get wings ourselves, right? Because we were disappointments."

"Something about having trouble making friends, right?" Starlight reminisced in a mocking tone. "Because we were too different and ambitious to conform to your perfect standards of obedience. You never wanted a student; you just wanted the perfect patsy to take up the role of the Element of Magic, and you chucked us out of the palace, our home, when we didn't perform up to snuff."

Tears fell freely down Celestia's face as their words cut into her. "W-what…what has he done to you?"

"Given us what we always wanted," Sunset answered, glaring hatefully with black eyes and green irises. "And he proved to us that you don't need friends to achieve your true potential. Isn't that right, Star?"

"I'd say so, Set," Starlight smirked. "And he also proved that you are the disappointment here, Celestia! We had more potential than you could possibly fathom, but you tossed each of us aside for somepony else! You promised us tutelage! You promised us a family! But you overlooked me in favor of somepony better just like everypony else did all my life. And Sunset…she wanted recognition, but you wanted humility, so you abandoned her too! Tell me, how long till you turn your back on your newest shmuck?"

Celestia flinched at this, and then Sunset added, "Oh, I don't think she will. This one actually met her expectations, didn't she?" She took another step towards Celestia, her accusing eyes never leaving Celestia's. "Didn't she?"

Celestia said nothing.

"Humble, studious, eager to please to the point of being a total suck-up, and let's not forget she decided to 'make some friends' once you prodded her stupid flank into it," Sunset continued. "And of course, she was never even aware of what you had planned for her. We knew from the start, but something tells me you didn't tell her." Then her eyes widened slightly as realization seemed to dawn on her. "Unless you've already decided not to ascend her."

Finally Celestia seemed to find her voice again, the pain in her eyes clouded by anger. Anger at them, at herself, at Majora for taking advantage of her mistakes. "You're absolutely right. I wronged you. I got your hopes up, and at the slightest disappointment I turned away from you. I wasn't patient with you like I learned to be with Twilight. I…I did it all because I was lonely. Being without Luna still hurt me deeply, and I began to take on students in an effort to assuage my loneliness. But in the end, what I wanted was Luna, and I grew more and more bitter when I was reminded that you were not my sister, that you had your own thoughts, desires, and personalities. I was foolish to think I could use you to replace her, and I was unfair to you as a result."

"Too late for apologies, Princess," Sunset growled. "You already made your mistakes."

"And you made yours," Nightmare Moon snarled in turn, reminding them that she was still there. "Rest assured, I'll be having a chat with my sister later about what has transpired in my absence that she has deigned not to tell me, but for now I'll settle with teaching you a lesson in humility, because you are both acting like spoiled fillies."

"Keep talking, spacehead," Sunset sneered, unfurling her wings. "These 'spoiled fillies' are going to replace you two as the Goddesses of the Sun and Moon!"

Celestia shook her head slowly, knowing what had to be done. "I failed you like I failed my sister. I will not do so again."

Four alicorn horns sparkled with magic, and then the four equine goddesses clashed, magical explosions lighting up the sky. In the midst of this, Majora's Avatar cast its evil gaze down at the still-transfigured Vaati and snickered.

Now it's just you and me, Wind Mage.

No longer did fear fester in Vaati's heart, instead replaced by determination. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

Majora raised a fist and lunged, while Vaati propelled himself forward with his wings, magical electricity crackling between his horns. A magical shockwave reverberated across the battlefield as god and demon clashed.

While the three personal battles unfolded, the Gohma pressed unhindered onwards, swarming over the walls hundreds at a time. Despite Scootaloo's best efforts, it was obvious that the north wall would be overwhelmed within the next few minutes. Her lance had been broken, and thus she had resorted to using her short sword to hack at the arachnid menaces. As she cut down a Larva that had leapt at her, Scootaloo cried, "Fall back! Fall back!"

But it was no use; countless Gohma were surging over the walls into the heart of the city. There was nowhere to flee to.

"It can't end like this," Scootaloo breathed, observing the battle with growing despair. "It just can't…"

And then she was suddenly knocked out of the sky as a Larva took advantage of her distraction. Scootaloo flailed as she fell down to the cobblestone streets below, with the gnashing Larva still on top of her, and she cried out in agony as she fell on her wing and felt the snapping of bone as it broke. The Larva was quick to bite into her shoulder, eager and hungry. Scootaloo screamed as she drove her hoof right into its eye, knocking it off her with an agonized screech. Scootaloo winced as she felt blood trickling down her foreleg, trying to hoist herself to her feet. But before she could, more Larvae descended upon her, chittering in victory as they closed in on all sides. Tears welled in her eyes from both the pain and the fear of what she knew was coming.

"D-Daddy…" she whispered, whispering desperately that he would come swooping in to save her, just as he had before, but she knew he wasn't coming.

She screamed as the first one lunged and bit down on her other wing, causing the others to swarm in.

"HYAAH!"

Suddenly she felt the pain in her other wing lessen as the Larva was somehow thrown off of her, landing amongst its brethren with a gaping sword wound nearly having cloven its body in two. The other Gohma looked up in time to see a Hylian warrior garbed in green leap into view, standing protectively between Scootaloo and the Gohma horde. Her eyes widened in awe when she realized who it was.

Link crouched in a fighting stance, brandishing the Master Sword with a cocky grin. "C'mon, which one of ya wants some?" he challenged.

The Gohma were only too happy to oblige, bum rushing him in great numbers. At this, however, Link's grin only widened…

…and then he was a blur of motion.

The young hero ducked, weaved, slashed, and sliced with a naturalness of skill that utterly astounded the young pegasus as Link slaughtered the approaching horde with almost sadistic ease. Bits of Gohma body parts flew everywhere with each stroke, whereas the insectoid monstrosities couldn't even touch him. Scootaloo could only look on with sheer awe and growing fascination.

This was the Hero of Legend.

This was the man who had beaten Vaati, her near-invincible father, no less than four times.

And by Mother Faust, she was starting to realize just how handsome he looked.

Wait, what was that?!

Scootaloo mentally slapped herself for letting her mind come to such a conclusion. Sure, he was handsome. Sure, he was strong, with taut, firm muscles she would not mind losing herself in…

"Faustdammit!" she cursed quietly, both at the pain she was in and her addled brain.

Luckily Link didn't seem to hear this as he continued to carve an epic swath of destruction throughout the approaching swarms of Gohma. However, the swarms just kept coming, and the shuddering of the earth below them indicated that the Armogohmas were close to the wall. Knowing that even his skills wouldn't be enough to hold back the swarm indefinitely, Link quickly sheathed his sword and shield. Scootaloo could not suppress her squeak of surprise as Link deftly swept her into his arms and ran into the center of town where a number of Hylian soldiers, now under Maulgrim's impromptu command, had dug themselves in. Scootaloo looked into those piercing blue eyes as they glanced down at her, and no matter how much she wanted to hide it, she could feel the heat rising in her cheeks as he flashed her a boyish, confident smile.

Shit. She was in love.

Link ran past an opening in the barricade over to Maulgrim, who stood tall and proud atop a large crate of apples, surveying the battle around them as the soldiers worked to erect a barricade all around the town square using the market stalls and produce crates. "Hey!" Link called out, catching the Darknut's attention.

Maulgrim's eyes widened as he recognized the injured mare in Link's arms. "Nigellas, get over here!" he boomed. "Lord Vaati's daughter is injured!"

Nigellas rushed over from where he had been magically hoisting a crate into place as he cried, "Din's flaming tits, what happened to her?!"

"The Gohma have overrun the north wall," Link gravely replied as he handed her off to another soldier. "She's one of the only survivors. Take care of her for me, will you?"

Nigellas nodded. "Been doing that for years, Hero, and I'm not about to stop."

"There's a medicine shop near here," Maulgrim announced. "Someone should go and bring back as much of its stores as they can before the Gohma overwhelm that street."

"I'll go," Link instantly agreed. "I know where it is."

"I'll go too," Nigellas added abruptly. At Link's surprised, questioning glance, Nigellas continued, "What? Four hands are better than two. Besides, just because you can cut us down in droves with insulting ease doesn't mean we can't otherwise hold our own."

"Err…" Link uttered, having no idea how to reply to that. "Right, let's just go."

Meanwhile, the superior number of Stalfos ultimately meant that they eventually succeeded at getting their ladders onto the wall, as Twilight had exhausted herself trying to throw them off again and again. The Mane Six fought on as hard as they could alongside the surviving Hylian soldiers, with Fluttershy picking off various Stalfos that were just about to leap off the ladders and enter the furious melee, Rarity and Applejack fighting back to back, with Pinkie and Twilight doing the same while Rainbow swooped over their heads, slashing and knocking off the head of any undead she could reach. But it was an uphill battle; their numbers were slowly dwindling, they were growing more and more fatigued, the Stalfos just kept coming, and from the looks of it, the Gohma had completely overwhelmed the north wall and were swarming into the city virtually unchallenged.

Twilight panted heavily as she leaned on Pinkie's shoulder for support. "Any regrets, Pinkie?"

Pinkie looked at her and smiled grimly. "I regret not finishing that cake the other day. I'm reeeeeally craving chocolate and lemon icing right about now."

Twilight managed a laugh. "Pinkie…you're incredible."

Pinkie chopped an approaching Stalfos in half without even looking at it as she replied, "Yeah, I know!"

Before Twilight could respond, however, a sudden horn blast reached their ears from the direction of the castle, and all combatants paused for the briefest of moments to look towards the noise.

Marching out of Hyrule Castle towards the heart of the city was a gleaming, silver and gold army of warriors carrying the banner of the Triforce. At the head were Princess Zelda and Diamond Tiara, directing the men of metal towards the many thousands of Gohma that were still pouring over the north wall. At least two thousand Silent Realm Guardians marched in orderly procession towards the opposing Gohma horde, their perfectly ordered ranks a stark contrast to the colossal seething rabble that was the Hive. Neither side knew fear, for each was soulless in their own way, a soullessness of the mind against a soullessness of the body. With many resounding crashes, the two sides came together throughout the city, and those soldiers still alive began to rally around the Guardians.

It took only mere minutes for the tide to dramatically turn.

The Guardians, though fewer in number, were virtually invincible, and no matter how the Gohma Larvae and Pincers tried, their claws and mandibles could not puncture the divine metal that formed the Guardians. Silent as death they hammered, chopped, sliced, and diced their way through the Gohma forces, and soon their finely-crafted weapons and clothing were splattered with Gohma blood. Still they pressed on, forming a steadily growing wall as they pushed against the enemy inexorably back towards the north wall.

Maulgrim watched the Guardians pass his position by with slack-jawed awe, along with his contingent of Hylian soldiers. Finally shaking his head to clear his mind, he raised his sword and declared, "Go, men! Join them! The tide may yet turn for us!"

The soldiers cheered as they joined the growing mass of defending troops, with the Guardians leading from the front, and their Princess and Diamond Tiara at the head.

Link and Nigellas were heading back to the town square when they saw the Gohma swarms bearing down on them. Their arms full of potions, Nigellas muttered, "Well, crud."

"Fall back, Hero! Leave them to us!" a sudden voice cried.

Link and Nigellas whirled around to see Maulgrim at the head of a procession of Guardians and Hylian soldiers, and Link couldn't stop the shudder that crawled down his spine at the sight of Hylia's legendary bodyguards, for a part of him remembered them from a past life, and not in a good way.

"Come on, Hero!" Nigellas shouted, reminding Link of their mission. "We've got to get this medicine to the wounded!"

Link nodded silently as he and the Wizzrobe ran through the marching army, wincing as they heard them collide with the Gohma behind them. Once they reached the town square, they discovered Scootaloo laying down near the fountain, with one of the remaining soldiers, a wounded man with a bandage over his head, tending to her. Various other wounded men were also gathered there, waiting for the medicine that would send them back into the fight.

"We're back!" Link cried, holding up several bottles full of Red Potion.

Immediately those wounded who could stand immediately crowded them. Nigellas groaned as he teleported past the throng of soldiers over to Scootaloo, making the man jump and instinctively reach for his weapon.

"Out of the way, you jumpy wanker!" Nigellas snapped, having noticed the movement. "She's my responsibility!"

The soldier wordlessly shrank back and joined the other soldiers getting doses from Link as Nigellas offered Scootaloo a bottle.

"Here, drink up, kid," Nigellas commanded.

Scootaloo winced from the pain in her shoulder as she reached for the bottle. Smiling weakly, she jokingly asked, "I don't suppose you put strawberry flavoring in it?"

Nigellas rolled his eyes. "What am I, a nursemaid? Guzzle that down so we can get back into the fight!"

Scootaloo scoffed as she drank the contents, puckering her lips at the unpleasant flavor. "Ugh, people should really invest in medicine that doesn't taste like horseapples."

"Maybe they will if anyone survives this," Nigellas quipped. "Now let's get out there and show those goddessdamned bugs a thing or two about picking fights with Hyrule and Equestria!"

"Wait," Scootaloo interrupted, putting a now-healed hoof on the Wizzrobe's shoulder. "The southern wall…Dash is up there. And the others…we can't just ignore them. The Stalfos are about ready to overwhelm them too, and those robots, or whatever they are, already got their hands full with the Gohma. We need to do what we can there."

Nigellas sighed. "Aye, you're right. Lord Vaati would be devastated if he lost any of those nuts."

With that, Nigellas stood up and pushed past the healing soldiers over to Link. "Oi!" he cried, catching Link's attention. "The south wall's in real trouble. While those metal men deal with the Gohma, we should reinforce the south wall's defenses."

Link nodded. "I agree. With any luck, we may yet survive this."

Meanwhile, Vaati continued to battle for his life against the Avatar of Majora. It was like, Vaati thought hysterically to himself, fighting a larger, dare he say stronger, version of Ganondorf. The Avatar Scootaloo had faced had been reported to only be strong enough to match Discord, who, while powerful in his own right, was just not the sort of being who was used to a real fight, and indeed had trouble taking literally anything seriously. This Avatar was even stronger, more ruthless, and was definitely not playing around. It was a very bad sign; it meant that Majora's seal really was weakening, and the Dark God was able to pour more and more of his malicious power and evil will into his constructs and minions. He even had the bloody Triforce of Power at his disposal, and it was still barely enough to keep this abomination at bay!

Vaati grunted, shaken from his brief moment of thought as powerful dark energy sent him skidding across the ground, leaving a smoking crater behind that only ended at the base of Castle Town's north wall. He opened his single eye to glare up at his unholy opponent. Somewhere in their fight, the son of a bitch had actually grown a set of demonic wings from his back, the demonic substance that served as their supernatural flesh bursting out of the enchanted stone of the Avatar's body, and could now follow him into the air, robbing Vaati of his chief advantage.

Majora landed on the ground, his new wings folding around him, casting the rest of his Avatar's body in oppressive shadow. Or perhaps the body itself was a living shadow, drawing in all light and love until the crushing emptiness that Majora had long favored was all that remained. The Avatar, once more, folded its hands in an unspoken prayer as it stalked towards Vaati, who was currently rousing himself.

What a waste of power, Majora spoke bitterly, his eyes glowing with menace. The blood of your father, greatest of all the remaining demon kings of old, runs strong in you, but you have let the light of your disgusting friends taint it!

Summoning all his rage at the injustice of the world, against him, against everyone he loved, Vaati roared, "MY FATHER'S BLOOD IS THE ONLY TAINT IN ME!"

All at once, a huge cloud of ill-tempered Eye Sentries burst into existence over Vaati's head. They swarmed protectively around the Wind Mage, squeaking and screeching as they formed a swirling, seething wall around their master. Majora paused, waiting to see what would happen. And then all the Eyebats unleashed their own brand of hell upon the God of Evil, pelting the Avatar with hundreds of thin, scorching lasers.

The Avatar of Majora didn't even flinch.

Hardly giving the Eyebats more than a cursory glance of insignificance, the Avatar raised one hand, and all the Sentries involuntarily stopped cold, unable to move. Then, Majora clenched his hand into a fist, and with a chorus of implosions that sounded sickening to Vaati's non-existent ears and pained screeches that would haunt him for days, every last Eyebat was instantly destroyed.

Vaati was thunderstruck by such a casual display of power. "How?!"

Your lack of faith is your downfall, Wind Mage.

"I don't put my faith in the faithless!" Vaati spat, moving to attack.

So too is your arrogance.

Vaati had heard enough. Bellowing with incomprehensible rage and hatred, Vaati unleashed the most powerful eye beam he could manage.

Majora casually stepped aside, avoiding it completely and effortlessly.

What use is your strongest attack if you make it so easy to predict? Majora taunted. That is what makes you weak, among other things.

Vaati gathered his last remaining reserves of magic around himself, calling for the Triforce's power to assist him, when suddenly he was lifted involuntarily into the air, unable to move his arms or wings, and his eye was pointed upwards, away from the Avatar.

You think that because you now have a piece of my sisters' power that you are stronger than me? You, Wind Mage, are good at being only one thing…

At this, he forcibly brought Vaati down briefly to eye level.

A FAILURE.

And then Vaati's whole world exploded with white-hot agony as the Avatar of Majora slammed something sharp and undoubtedly of magical origin into Vaati's forehead, piercing through skin and bone, and sinking inexorably into his brain. The Light Arrow didn't compare. Not even his father's torturous attack could compare. This was an agony that ripped through every pore of skin, every sinew of muscle, every blood vessel, every nerve ending, every existing particle of Vaati's body. But it was more than that. There was an agony in his very soul, and a sense of utter violation as something forced its way in and latched on like a greedy, evil parasite.

And during the whole process, Vaati had shrunk back into Hylian form, with an ugly black scar on his forehead. Scoffing with distaste, Majora flung Vaati unmercifully to the ground. Twitching spastically, Vaati managed to utter, "W-w-w-w-wh-wh-wh-wh-what h-h-h-h-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-have-ve-ve-ve-ve y-y-y-you d-d-d-done t-t-to m-m-m-me?!"

I've suppressed the gift you've squandered for the sake of your treasonous behavior.

Vaati's eyes were threatening to bug out of their sockets, even as they started to haze over in pain. "N-n-no! N-n-no, n-no, no! No!"

Majora laughed hideously, enjoying the pain he was inflicting. As amusing as it is to watch, your hysterical claims of denial will not help you. It is quite apparent from the start that you are a failure. You failed to make a good apprentice for that pathetic Minish archmage. You failed to recognize your true heritage as a Demon Prince. You failed to use the power of your father's blood wisely. You failed to secure the entirety of the Light Force for yourself. You failed to conquer the world in the name of darkness, again, and again, and again. You failed to rise up from Ganon's shadow and replace him as a worthy Demon King. You failed every single expectation given to you. And now you have failed yet again. You failed to properly utilize the power of the gods. You failed your friends, your family, and your lover. As I speak, the Element Bearers are being slashed to ribbons by more Stalfos than they can fight. Your daughter is being devoured, alone and forgotten in a hidden alley, by my forever-famished Gohma. Your moon-witch of a mate will soon be overcome by my fitting replacement for her. The Princess will die. The Hero will die. Everyone will die. Because you. Failed. Them.

Vaati's body twitched as he futilely tried to rouse himself, but with a pathetic sigh, his strength gave out, and he simply lay there, defeated in body as well as in spirit. He's right. I've failed everyone. Good or evil, I've always been a disappointment, never doing anything right.

Tears pooled in Vaati's eyes, soiling the greedy, dry earth beneath his face. Scootaloo…I'm so sorry Daddy couldn't protect you again…Luna…I wish now I could have stopped dithering about and finally asked for your hoof in marriage…Twilight…Twi…I failed you most of all…Please forgive me…please forgive me…

Majora's laughter died down as he approached Vaati's limp body. Ah, but alas, this grows boring, and there are other bastions of defense in Hyrule and Equestria left to fall. I will have to see to those promptly, once I've dealt with the last remaining pockets of resistance here.

He loomed over Vaati, very much like the conqueror he imagined himself to be. And don't think death will hold any reprieve for you, Wind Mage. Once the light of your soul leaves your eyes, I will force it back into your body with the most painful necromantic spells imaginable, and I will turn you loose on the remainder of your friends, with you helpless to watch as your mutilated corpse rips into them with the insatiable hunger of the living dead. I can only imagine the wide-eyed looks of horror and betrayal that will remain forever etched on their faces as you rip their plump, soft bellies open and devour the insides while they watch.

"You are without a doubt the sickest motherbucker I've ever met."

And just like that, Majora's heart-shaped head shot up in surprise at the interruption, and got a powerful green laser to the face for his trouble, which actually made the Avatar stumble just a little. It was all the distraction Queen Chrysalis needed. She swooped in, dragged Vaati's limp body onto her back, and took once more to the air as thousands upon thousands of her loyal Changelings rose up from the darkness of the Lost Woods, their eyes glinting with hate at the massive swarms of their loathsome enemy seething on the ground below.

Iemanis, his single eye ablaze with rage and frustration, bellowed his anger to the world at large. With the Guardians inside the city and the sudden arrival of the Changelings, he had been left with no choice; the God of the Gohma must enter the fight himself.

Wordlessly, he commanded all the Gohma to abandon the city and turn their attention towards the Changelings, before telepathically relaying a message to Gomess, who waited on the opposite end of the city.

The Changelings were not contained by the Windigos Sombra sent their way! They have begun attacking my forces in great numbers! And the Hylians, damn them, have resurrected those accursed fossils from the Silent Realm! Leave the Gohma to me, and focus on overwhelming the city and its blasted Guardians!

Gomess, the Phantom Reaper, ground her teeth in rage, raising her scythe as she commanded the horde of Vires that always surrounded her. "Go, my pets! Find the Princess and the Hero and rip them apart! Press on, my legions! Consume the southern wall! Overwhelm the Silent Realm Guardians! Do not give our enemies a victory!"

With Vaati taken from him, Majora glared heavenward towards the distant explosions of magic high in the sky as Celestia and Nightmare Moon dueled his chief Equestrian Disciples. They had had their fun; they were needed elsewhere. And besides, he still wanted the pleasure of murdering Celestia and her sister all for himself.

Solar Flare, Starfall, fall back at once. You've had your fun, but the blasphemers are still mine. Return to the Dark Palace to await further instructions from King Dethl.

He could sense from the connection they were less than pleased by this, but knew better than to oppose his will. No one opposed him. Celestia started as she realized her two corrupted students had both stopped attacking, as though someone was talking to them who commanded their undivided attention.

Nightmare Moon didn't hesitate for a second, her horn glowing darkly. "Sleep, young ones. Sleep, for I who command all dreams speaketh!"

With their attention diverted, they had no chance to defend themselves, and almost immediately their eyes closed as the realm of dreams forcibly claimed them. Their slackened bodies fell towards earth, and the two sisters wasted no time catching Celestia's wayward prodigies and gently lowering them into the heart of the city.

For a moment, blind, all-encompassing rage took hold of the Dark God at the attempted theft of his latest accomplishments, ones he was rather proud of, but then he calmed himself. They would return. They would merely see to his Disciples in a misguided attempt to save their souls, and then they would come to him, with the need for revenge burning in their hearts. And then, he would destroy them.

XXXXXX

Zelda, Diamond, Maulgrim, and the others blinked in surprise as the Gohma as one abruptly changed strategy, turning from the Guardians and clamoring back over the walls into Hyrule Field. Looking up, it was easy to see why.

"Queen Chrysalis is back," Diamond observed with a grin as tens of thousands of Changelings eagerly entered battle with their mortal nemeses.

"Thank Din for the Changelings," Maulgrim muttered.

Zelda raised her sword high. "Guardians, to me! We go to the south wall!"

"Wait!" Maulgrim suddenly spoke up, pointing skyward. "Look there!"

Three equine figures descended to earth before them, each carrying a body on their back. The alicorns on Celestia and Luna's backs, they did not recognize, but the body on Chrysalis's back was unmistakable.

"Vaati!" Zelda cried, and Luna, still in Nightmare form, tensed at the sight, horrified.

"Be careful!" Chrysalis warned. "There's a horrific dark presence in his body. Majora did something to him, I'm certain of it."

Impa deftly swept Vaati into her arms, slightly surprised at how small the Wind Mage was, as a Hylian, and very light. Her eyes narrowed at the black, pulsing scar on Vaati's forehead. The Wind Mage had, for the moment, slipped into unconsciousness.

"This is very dark, very evil magic," Impa uttered. "A curse fragment…a favorite tool of torture amongst the Church of Majora, and an effective way of containing otherwise…resistant captives."

There was more, Zelda could tell, but Impa was clearly hesitant to divulge it. But she finally relented, and her voice was low and heavy. "It also…if not removed as quickly as possible…will begin to slowly…kill the victim. As we speak, the fragment is slowly draining his life force."

Nightmare Moon paled in horror. "What?! Then we must do something! NOW!"

Impa shook her head gravely. "Understand, this magic is a direct manifestation of Majora's evil powers. Removing it by mortal means is…extraordinarily difficult. And one directly administered by Majora himself is powerful enough to resist even the Master Sword's evil-banishing might, since its power had to be dimmed in order to be utilized by the Hero's bloodline."

"Is there a way to remove it?" Celestia begged. "Please, anything…there must be a way!"

Impa's eyes steeled. "There is a way…but it will take time. Time I'm not certain Vaati has." She looked down knowingly at Zelda. "The power of the Ancient Sages must be reawakened, and new Sages declared. Then, the new Sages together would have the power to remove this unholy shard of darkness from Vaati's body."

Celestia caught the look in Impa's eyes, and slowly asked, "How many Sages are there?"

At this, Impa managed a very faint, triumphant smirk. "Six."

XXXXXX

It was over.

Twilight knew it, with every agonized breath she took, every glance at the unrelenting swarms of undead swarming around her and her friends.

Rainbow was fighting tooth-and-nail to protect a downed Applejack, who had fallen unconscious from a nasty blow to the head, ignoring the pain that had to have been shooting up her spine from the wing she had broken. Rarity grimaced from the blood oozing into her eye from a gash on her forehead and winced from the many bruises and small cuts she had received from the prolonged fighting even as she cut down an attacking Stalhound. Pinkie's favorite candy-cane axe had broken, unable to sustain itself against the rigors of combat such that its maker had likely never foreseen. She was now hammering and chopping with a Stalfos axe she had commandeered, her face scrunched into a determined grimace. Even her Pinkie Sense hadn't saved her from every potential danger, as there was a nasty laceration trailing down the length of her torso from a Stalfos that had managed one last swing even as it was felled. Fluttershy had run out of ammo and, seeing her friends hurt and not knowing what else to do, dove into the thick of the fray, shouting as she twisted skulls right off their undead bodies and throwing them at other Stalfos. Twilight herself had completely exhausted her magic reserves, to the point that she could no longer even lift her weapon, and her body ached all over not just from her many injuries, but also from the countless bucks and kicks she had lashed out at the surrounding undead.

The Mane Six were damn near the last remaining defenders of the southern wall, and they weren't going to last much longer.

She didn't see the attack coming until it was too late.

Her head swam as she was knocked to the floor by a Stalfos shield bash, and she was too exhausted to defend herself in any way. Looking up, bleary-eyed, she saw the skeletal warrior standing over her, its rictus grin almost triumphant.

I'm sorry, Vaati…Princess Celestia…everyone…I failed you. Just…let it be quick…

"Head's up, bonehead!"

The Stalfos looked up just in time for a gleaming sword to cleanly behead the undead menace, the remains collapsing into a pile of bones. Twilight blinked, confused and weary.

Why am I not dead…?

Another figure entered her field of vision, her savior, no doubt. He knelt down, allowing Twilight to see the kind smile of Link hovering over her. "You just rest tight there, Miss Twilight. Help is here."

Help…

With those words, Twilight knew, just knew, that everything would be okay. As she finally began to lose consciousness, she barely registered Link standing up and crying out to someone unknown, "Get these ponies to the town square, pronto!"

And then everything went dark.

XXXXXX

Link watched the Guardians escort the battered and weary Mane Six into the city, while more of the metallic holy warriors entered the fray, quickly beginning to turn the tide of the battle, for the Stalfos were just as helpless before the nigh-indestructible divine bodyguards as the Gohma had been.

Link was just about to breathe a sigh of relief when he heard a chorus of unearthly shrieks above him, and turned to see a flock of Vires bearing down on him with murderous intent.

Link just grinned fearlessly, before his Triforce mark glowed and his fist was wreathed in flames. He then smashed his fist against the ground as he cried, "DIN'S FIRE!"

A solid wave of holy flames rushed out from Link's body, washing over everything within a fifty foot radius. The Guardians were unharmed, but the Vires and numerous Stalfos alongside collapsed into a pile of smoldering ashes. Somewhere far away, Gomess shrieked her frustrations to the heavens.

XXXXXX

Iemanis roared as he used his demonic powers to lay waste to the Changeling swarms. All around the Gohma Lord, the broken and dying bodies of Changeling and Gohma alike were piled like shingles in a storm, and over top this gruesome carpet, more still battled, each determined to overcome the other.

It was at this last when Iemanis heard a distantly familiar voice cry out to him.

"IEMANIS!"

The demon centipede turned to see the Changeling Queen Chrysalis hovering over him, murderous intent and righteous fury blazing in her eyes. The God of the Gohma could not resist the predatory grin that spread across his face.

"Finally."

Chrysalis threw down the gauntlet with an intense beam of green energy aimed straight for his eye. Iemanis coolly blocked it with a massive claw before he countered with a thin, scorching beam of his own from his eye. Chrysalis dodged, strafing Iemanis's much larger body as she unleashed a salvo of magical discharges that exploded against Iemanis's armored carapace. However, they had little effect, and Iemanis laughed as he lashed out with a claw.

His laughter died, however, when Chrysalis proved to be far faster than him, easily outmaneuvering his attack while steadily keeping up her own.

Chrysalis had been preparing for this day, this very encounter, for years, and it showed.

Every attack of Iemanis missed, but Chrysalis easily managed to keep up a steady bombardment of energy discharges. Despite this, however, it wasn't enough; Iemanis's exoskeleton was too thick for conventional battle magic to penetrate. He had one weakness, like all other Gohma, but he was aware of it and guarded it fiercely and diligently.

Knowing they had reached an impasse, Iemanis switched to another tactic. "I sense great hatred and anger in you. It calls to us dark powers as a flame calls to an errant moth. Why do you throw in your lot with those who hate you similarly?"

Chrysalis snorted haughtily. "Clearly you and your cohorts haven't been paying attention all these years if you think I'm going to buy into that."

She cast a wave of magical green flames at Iemanis, who roared as he batted them aside with a dark pulse. "You speak of the Gohma Ganondorf set on you, correct? I did not sanction that attack, you know. I had no control over that swarm, thanks to Ganondorf's interference. Had you asked it of us, we would have gladly let you join us."

As they talked, Iemanis silently commanded an Armogohma to sneak up behind Chrysalis, but through her own minions, she saw it coming, and the Armogohma was promptly waylaid by dozens of Changeling soldiers.

"Yours is a god of hate. Changelings cannot feed on hate. The world you and Majora would build would kill us all."

Without a word, Chrysalis gave a silent command to her Changelings, and as one, they poured their love energy into their queen, draining themselves of their fighting energy. Though this left them all vulnerable, it served a greater purpose, one that would ensure their survival, and that Changeling-kind would be forever remembered for what they were about to do. As more and more energy flowed into Chrysalis's being, her mane became almost ethereal, and she rose into the air of her own accord, green flames wreathed around her being. Hovering over the stunned Iemanis, Chrysalis was a dark angel of judgment, prepared to sentence the sinful demon below her.

"Our actions against Canterlot were a mistake," Chrysalis intoned, her voice almost…godlike in its otherworldly quality. "I freely admit it; but instead of hunting us down to the last and exterminating us as you would have done, those we called our enemy chose to help us stand on our own, allowing us to feed ourselves without forcibly taking from others. Ever since, we have flourished as we never have before. You claim to be our salvation, but you would damn us all over again, and we would be no better off than before, for Majora not only fails to understand the power that exists within love, but outright fears it. His world is no place for our kind, and thus he, and your loathsome ilk, ARE NOT WELCOME IN OURS!"

Iemanis had heard enough. Enraged, he sent a powerful eye beam at his nemesis, but it was harmlessly dissipated by the flames that surrounded Chrysalis's body. She didn't even bat an eyelash. Iemanis recoiled, and Chrysalis grinned as she saw the look in his predominant eye she had fantasized about for five long years; fear.

Chrysalis's eyes flashed, and suddenly Iemanis's body was enveloped by those same flames, but unlike with their master, these flames burned like the heat of the sun, and Iemanis bellowed in agony as he thrashed about, trying to put out the magical fire. Chrysalis smirked; she had longed to hear him scream like that.

The Gohma had collectively paused in confusion and distress as their master's control over them wavered, and the northern battlefield, for the briefest moment, fell completely still save for the two hive-lords. But Iemanis, in one last act of homicidal rage and vengeance, outright screamed at his swarms, "KILL THEM! KILL EVERY LAST ONE OF THOSE FILTHY CHANGELINGS!"

Chrysalis bared her teeth in a snarl as the surviving Gohma tore into her helpless Changelings. Every death was like a stab to her heart. But she would not falter. Now was the time to end it.

"With your death, Changeling-kind is avenged!" she roared, and then the flames consuming Iemanis intensified, and for a brief moment, it was as though a green star had been born right in the middle of the battlefield.

And then Iemanis's ruined body exploded, the shockwave knocking every single Changeling and Gohma off their feet. The Gohma, bereft once and for all of their master, then did something Chrysalis had not been expecting. Instead of going crazy as they had always done before, they just…dropped dead. As one.

With a collective, resigned sigh, all of Gohma-kind expired from the world of Hyrule, forever.

XXXXXX

Castle Town Square…

Twilight and her friends, upon arrival, had each been given a dose of Red Potion that immediately healed their wounds and fatigue, and were all back in fighting condition. However, their eagerness halted when Twilight noticed Vaati's unconscious body leaned up against the fountain, with Zelda and Impa kneeling by his side.

"VAATI!" she cried, rushing to his side. "W-what happened to him?!"

Impa's face was grim as she explained, "Majora has cursed him. We can explain this later, but this battle is not yet over. From what I recently overheard over the north wall, your Changeling friends have incredibly dealt a death-blow to the Gohma, but Majora is still out there. There is still a danger as long as that Avatar is running around."

Rainbow grinned. "You just leave that to us!"

"Twilight, I must urge extreme caution."

They turned to see Celestia approaching from where she and her sister had been looking over the prone forms of Sunset Shimmer and Starlight Glimmer's Nightmare forms. "Princess Celestia! You're okay!" Twilight exclaimed, hugging her long-time mentor in relief.

"Listen to me, Twilight," Celestia warned, stroking her student's forehead. "Majora's Avatar is extremely powerful. Vaati, Luna, and I all fought him together, and we were unable to best him. You must act quickly; he may not give you a chance to use the Elements otherwise."

Rarity huffed. "As I think about it, I realize this is the first time we've met that horrible fiend face-to-face. Before, we've always been hearing about how he's behind all the dreadful things happening in Equestria and Hyrule, or what other terrible things he's done in the past. I must agree with Rainbow Dash when I say it's time we showed that good-for-nothing ruffian what happens when he threatens our friends, our families, and our livelihoods!"

Twilight nodded in Zelda's direction. "Take care of Vaati; we won't be long."

And then Twilight's horn flared out, teleporting herself and her friends away.

XXXXXX

Majora was furious, more than he had ever been in a long, long time.

In one, single move, that loathsome Changeling pest had singlehandedly wiped out a significant portion of the Dark God's grand legions. The Gohma had been among his most numerous servants, alongside Gomess's undead and his own Spawn. And now, in a single moment, every last one of them was gone.

Chrysalis's back was still to Majora, and her surviving Changelings were still unable to rouse themselves. He stomped forward, intending to inflict a similar blow of his own.

And then, in a flash of magical light, six familiar ponies appeared to block his path.

"Not so fast, Majora!" Twilight cried.

OUT OF MY WAY!

The Avatar of Majora swept its hand outwards, and a huge pulse of dark energy slammed into the Mane Six before they had a chance to defend themselves, and they all hit the dirt with the force of an earthquake.

Your continued existence has grown far too irksome to be allowed to continue, Majora growled, his Avatar's body radiating with evil power. You think you've won? FOOLS! Your arrogance ensures that I will strike a far more devastating blow against you than you have here!

And then the Avatar was struck by an immensely-powerful beam of energy that actually managed to knock him down.

"I'm still here, you know," Chrysalis mocked before looking down at the beleaguered Mane Six. "I'll keep this bastard distracted! You get those blasted Elements ready and blast him to magical dust on my signal!"

Twilight tiredly nodded as she and her friends slowly roused themselves. Groaning, Applejack muttered, "Darn, the Princess wasn't kiddin' when she said t'act fast."

An explosive barrage of energy caught their attention as they saw Chrysalis engage the enraged Avatar. Despite all her newfound power, though, she was barely keeping up with the Dark God's mouthpiece. "Alright, girls, you know what to do!" Twilight cried out.

As one, the Mane Six tapped into their inner power, positive energy radiating off of their frames as they ascended into the sky. The residual energy of the Elements roused the Changelings from their near-catatonic states, and Majora, realizing what was happening, faltered.

What?! NO!

He thrust out a hand, sending a bolt of dark magic towards the Mane Six, hoping to stop them before they could unleash their power. But in an act of sacrifice that Chrysalis hadn't even condoned, a Changeling threw itself into the path of the blast and absorbed it at the cost of its own life. And then Majora had no choice but to refocus on defending against Chrysalis's persistent attacks, which were now being joined by dozens of nearby Changelings.

And then he felt the wave of positive energy explode outward, and the God of Evil knew what was coming.

The Rainbow of Light slammed into the dark golem, burning it away without resistance. Even as he felt his Avatar crumble, the Dark God glared at his hated foes as he taunted them one last time. It will not end here! Even now, my minions are overrunning Equestria's defenses, and more is still to come! Mark my words, even if you live long enough to witness my ascension, you will suffer more than any other before I END YOU!

And then the Rainbow consumed him, and the Avatar of Majora exploded, leaving no trace behind save for the Ancient Enemy's maniacal laughter, which was soon carried off by the winds. Gomess, realizing now that the battle was lost, vanished inside of a portal and left her Stalfos to be mopped up by the relentless Guardians. An hour later, the Battle of Hyrule Castle was over, and the forces of good stood triumphant.

XXXXXX

Hyrule Castle, Hospital Wing…

Twilight trudged alone through the corridors of Hyrule Castle. She did not bother to slow her pace down to take in the sights of the Hylian architecture, for there was only one thing, or rather one person, on her mind.

She entered a specific door and found herself in Vaati's hospital room. The Wind Mage himself was lying in one of the cheap beds, with Luna, Celestia, Zelda, Impa, Maulgrim, Nigellas, Scootaloo, and her friends gathered around him.

"Is he going to be okay?" Twilight asked, afraid of what the answer might be.

"I…truthfully do not know," Zelda hesitantly answered. "Vaati was hit with a particularly potent curse fragment, which has been embedded in his forehead. The Triforce of Power appears to be resisting it, but it has still managed to suppress his ability to transform, and even now is slowly draining his life. Without the Triforce of Power, he would be dead within a matter of days. As it stands, he likely will have several weeks before he fully succumbs."

"Can you remove it?" Twilight demanded, panic lacing her voice.

"Not with the resources we have at our disposal," Impa responded. "A curse fragment as powerful as this can only be removed by the magic of the Ancient Sages, which…is a distressing problem, because new Sages haven't been declared in over a hundred years since the previous ones died, and their power is waning, which is likely why Majora's power has been increasing so rapidly lately."

"So there's nothing we can do?!" Twilight cried, nearing hysteria.

"Now I didn't say that," Impa replied with a shake of her head. "The power of the Sages can still be awakened…but only by those the spirits of the previous Sages, and the Goddesses themselves, find worthy."

"How many Sages are there? And how can we find out who's worthy enough of taking their place? We hardly know anybody in this world!"

At this, Celestia, Impa, Luna, and Zelda all shared a knowing glance before Zelda chose to respond. "There are six Sages in total, representing the six aspects of the Goddesses. Forest, Fire, Water, Shadow, Spirit, and Light. As for finding out who is worthy of taking up their mantle…well, there's no need to do that. We've already found them."

There was something off about the way the others were looking at Twilight and the Mane Six. "Uh…what the hay is that supposed to mean?" Rainbow hesitantly asked.

"Six Sages of old," Impa explained. "Six Elements of Harmony. The two powers are compatible."

And then, it clicked, and Twilight gasped in shock. "W-wait…are you saying we're supposed to be your new Sages?!"

"There's no doubt of it," Impa pressed on. "As a direct descendant of one of the previous Shadow Sages, something in my heart knows this to be true. You and your friends are destined to take up the mantle of the Six Sages and combine their power with your Elements of Harmony."

"With the power of the Elements, the Triforce, and the Sages all united as one, not even Majora himself will have the power to stand against you," Zelda proclaimed proudly.

"From what I have observed of your personalities," Impa interrupted, glancing between each Mane Six member, "I can also reasonably assume which Sage Power each of you is best fit to inherit. Twilight, as the leader of the Elements, it stands to reason that you will inherit the powers of the Sage of Light. Applejack, your dedication to the truth and honesty will allow you to see into the deepest darkness as only the Sage of Shadow can. Rarity, your passion and will to do what is right burns bright within the hearts of those who embody the might of the Sage of Fire. Pinkie Pie, your fun-loving personality and your single-minded drive to wash away everything that could harm or even merely sadden your friends makes you a prime candidate for the Sage of Water. Fluttershy, your kindness and love of nature hearken to the core values of the Sage of Forest. And Rainbow Dash, your recklessness, your brashness, and your unwavering loyalty to your friends are enough to stir the sands of the desert as the newest Sage of Spirit. This is your destiny, and it is what has irrevocably bound together the fates of your world and ours."

Twilight felt light-headed at this incredible news. This was more than she could have ever imagined. Being an Element of Harmony was enough, but a Sage of an entirely different world altogether?

"They're not going anywhere without me," a voice suddenly croaked.

Surprised, they all turned to see that Vaati was wide awake as he propped himself upright with a grimace. Luna placed a gentle hoof on his hand as she said, "No, Vaati, you must rest."

"Resting won't do me a damn bit of good," Vaati huffed. "I'm dying anyway, and I have no intention of letting any of them go into one of those monster-infested temples alone."

"Vaati…" Zelda began.

"I will turn anyone who tries to stop me to stone. Period. My friends are not going anywhere without me."

"Vaati, the curse fragment has dampened your powers," Celestia spoke up sternly. "You will not be at your best."

"But I won't be helpless either," Vaati groused, and that determined glint in his eye made sure they knew that he was not going to back down. "I'm going. End of story. If you want to stop me, you'll be better off just killing me anyway."

Impa just shook her head mirthlessly. "Your stubbornness will be the death of you."

"I've been told that many times, and yet here I am."

Vaati's confidence was, admittedly, infectious, and soon there were smiles throughout the room. "Alright, we won't stop you," Zelda conceded. "But I must ask that you allow Link to accompany you. He knows better than anyone how to traverse those dark places."

Vaati just narrowed his eyes. "You just want him to tag along so that we can become best buddies, don't you?" he said in an accusing tone.

Zelda shrugged. "That wouldn't be disagreeable."

Vaati scoffed. "Typical."

However, before anyone else could speak up, the door was thrust open with a bang as a pony soldier entered the room, panting like he had just run a marathon. The Equestrians' eyes widened. That's a Crystal Pony! Twilight realized. What's he doing here?

"Y-Y-Your Majesties!" the Crystal Pony soldier cried, his eyes wide like he was on the verge of a panic attack.

Celestia's face hardened immediately. "What is it? What happened?!"

It was at that moment when the pony collapsed on his hooves and cried, "T-t-the Crystal Emp-p-pire…The Empire has fallen to King Sombra!"

Author's Note

GRAH HA HA HA HA HA! The evil Cliffhanger strikes again!

And with that, we are officially caught up! I don't know when the next episode will be up, but it will be soon, and we'll get to see just what the hell happened to the Crystal Empire. Expect the return of many side-characters!

I may also update Season 2.5 beforehand if all works out well...

Episode 6: Battle For Equestria Part 1

Episode Six: Battle For Equestria Part 1 – Fall of the Crystal Empire

Crystal Empire, two days earlier…

The air was still. Night’s embrace had fallen over the world at Discord’s begrudging behest, and most of the Empire’s inhabitants were asleep. Thus was the path to the city square where the Crystal Heart rested unhindered for the hooded pony that stalked towards it. A single guard, with a coat of orange and hair electric-blue, stood sentinel near the artifact, his eyes scanning the gloom for anyone who might threaten it. The guard then snapped his gaze towards the cloaked pony.

“Halt, who goes there?” Flash Sentry declared.

Beneath his hood, the mysterious stallion grinned, flashing, to the guard’s horror, a row of sharp teeth. Then he looked up, affixing Flash Sentry with milky-white eyes that glared like icy daggers from a similarly-orange equine face. Flash shuddered at the other pony’s gaze.

“W-who are you?” Flash yelped as he held his spear at the ready.

“Who am I?” the stallion hissed. “I am…your death.”

Flash barely had time to scream before an intense beam of narrow fire exploded from the other pony’s eyes, striking him squarely in the chest. Flash Sentry was thrown backward, landing on the ground and rolling to a stop, his chest smoldering. The attack had burned straight through his armor and into his flesh, a mortal wound. Flash’s eyes widened like saucers as he gasped desperately for air; he was going to die again. He was too young; his life had barely begun! How could it be cut short again just when it had been given back to him?

He looked up, shaking, as the pony hunched over, his orange body darkening to a silhouette, a shadow that grew. Taller it went, until it utterly towered over the dying soldier. And then the shadow fell away, and Flash gasped in terror.

What had once been a pony was now a tall figure clad in a flowing white, tattered shroud. Its head was that of an orange-furred bat, with gleaming white eyes. Where its arms should have been, instead intense flames raged, somehow not burning the cloth. The hideous thing laughed, its voice high and cold.

“I…am Blind the Thief! And the Crystal Heart is now mine!”

The flames reached out, wrapping around the Crystal Heart and ripping it from its pedestal. All at once, a ripple tore across the city, a horrible feeling that jolted everypony within out of their sleep. Blind’s head whirled about as he heard the tell-tale sounds of doors unlocking, hissing in displeasure.

And then somepony teleported directly into his field of view.

“Drop the Crystal Heart right now, thief!” Shining Armor demanded, readying an offensive spell.

Blind laughed in the Crystal Prince’s face. “You royals are so full of yourselves! This lovely trinket belongs to me now!”

No more words were necessary; Shining blasted Blind directly in the face with an energy beam. The flames went out as the Crystal Heart clattered to the ground, the white shroud fluttering down with it.

But Blind’s head was still floating in the air, an insane grin on its face.

“Yeheheheheheheheheheh!” Blind cackled, the head slowly starting to spin in place. “Hehahahaha! YAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”

Everypony who saw this blanched in horror. Shining couldn’t help but step back in momentary fright. “W-what in the name of Faust are you?”

Suddenly Blind’s body sprang up, the flames reigniting and picking up the Heart as a new head grew in the former’s place. Then the two heads of the demon thief spoke as one. “Fools! Know that it was Blind the Thief that stole your precious Crystal Heart!”

And then the floating head began spitting out fireballs at random, flying all around the city square. Ponies cried out as they tried to avoid the horrifying nightmare made manifest. As they were distracted by this, Blind abruptly shot away without another word, leaving them behind to deal with the maniacal floating head.

Shining Armor blasted it with another beam, but this failed to destroy Blind’s head. It zipped all around, randomly shooting fireballs out of its mouth and giggling insanely. Ponies ran inside their homes and locked their doors, and one or two very unfortunate ones were hit, thrown to the ground by the force of them.

And then a new beam of light struck the head, and this time it exploded into a thousand tiny fragments, the insane laughter cut short at last. Everypony turned to see Princess Cadance, her horn fizzling out as she rushed over to Shining Armor, who looked very shaken. Meanwhile, one of the Crystal Pony soldiers checked on Flash Sentry and slowly shook his head. The young guard had breathed his last during the excitement.

“Are you alright?” Cadance demanded, checking her husband over. “What happened? What was that?”

Shining affixed his beloved wife with wide, horror-stricken eyes. “Cadance…the Crystal Heart…it’s been stolen!”

XXXXXX

Crystal Mountains…

Blind flew along the mountain pass towards a hidden cave, the Crystal Heart firmly in his eldritch grasp. Soon he reached the cave and halted before the equine figure standing at the mouth of the cavern.

“You have it?” King Sombra demanded.

Blind held it up. “As you requested, Your Majesty.”

Sombra grinned. “Good. Take it, and get it out of my sight. I never want to see it again.”

Blind cackled. “With pleasure, Your Majesty!”

As the demon thief floated past Sombra, the king looked his way and said, “And tell Onox that the time has come. Let the invasion begin.”

Blind grinned before floating into the portal to the Dark World. As soon as it closed, Sombra flashed a feral grin before he raised his head proudly and bellowed, “Come forth, my armies!”

Sombra’s horn glowed with dark energy, amplified by his Alicorn Amulet, and at the foot of the Crystal Mountains, several holes opened up in the rock via several magical doors that had been constructed in secret. From the mouth of each artificial cave, armored ponies began to emerge, marching to the beat of dark war-drums. Their armor bore similarity to Sombra’s, with spikes on their shoulders, neck, and back. Black hair adorned their helmet crests, and an eerie green light was visible within the eye slits of their helmets. They marched in perfect precision, perfect order, perfect subservience. For these were the ponies Sombra himself had captured from the town of Hollow Shades and other, more isolated pony settlements throughout the world. The armor enslaved them to his will, ensuring they never disobeyed him.

But they were not alone; alongside them were thousands of hideous creatures, neither humanoid or equine in many cases. They were Majora’s fearsome Spawn, and they were ready to fight for their creator once more. Mask Entities, walking on two thick tentacles that were also suitable for bludgeoning, Wrath Entities with whip-like tentacles and a single eye on their faces, Seeker Entities, larger versions of Majora’s Parasites that were meant more for cannon fodder than infiltration, hundreds of the much-feared Hounds of Majora, and the deadliest of His Spawn, the Eyes of Majora, giant eyes with a dozen skeletal arms bursting out the back.

And furthermore, numerous battalions of humans, clad in dark robes and faces hidden by simpler effigies of the Dark God’s legendary mask, were interspersed among them. Some, clad in plain brown robes over top black armor, carried swords and shields or spears, while others with more ornate robes of purple and red were saturated with the dark magic of their master, able to cast spells of unparalleled malice.

This thousands-strong army of darkness quickly filled up the icy plains of the frozen north, white snow consumed by the black mass of bodies as they closed in on the now-vulnerable shining jewel of the north.

XXXXXX

Shining Armor and Cadance both felt the color drain from their faces at the sheer size of the army quickly surrounding the Empire, ponies from the outlying settlements screaming and crying out in fear as they abandoned their homes in the wake of Sombra’s army and fleeing into the safety of the main city.

A ripple of fear crawled up everypony’s backs as they recognized the pony that led this wicked host.

“I-it can’t be…” Cadance whispered in horror. “I thought he was dead!”

“Majora must have resurrected him,” Shining answered darkly. “Cadance, you know what we have to do.”

Cadance nodded grimly. “I’ll raise a shield and delay their advance as long as I can. You organize the city defenses, evacuate the civilians through the Crystal Mines, and get the word out that we’re under attack. The Moblin settlements are closest to us, but we’ll need as much help as we can get.”

Shining shook his head as he galloped off to assume his duties as Prince. Sombra chose well his moment to strike, with so many of our leaders and champions off negotiating in Hyrule, he thought as he ran.

Meanwhile, Cadance’s horn glowed intensely as she thrust her head up, and a familiar shield of blue, love-powered energy rose up around the Crystal Empire.

Sombra’s army halted at the sight of this.

King Sombra himself saw the disgustingly-familiar shield…and grinned. This time, he had come prepared.

“Release the Twinmolds!” he bellowed.

At that moment, from out of the portals emerged a pair of massive, centipede-like creatures that floated in the air without wings. They both had huge, sickle-shaped mandibles, and three large green eyes arranged in a triangle on their faces.

Sombra’s grin widened as the giant masked insects burrowed into the ground in front of his army at an angle, right underneath the shield, and exploded out the other side, rocks and debris flying everywhere as they emerged.

In her complete shock, Cadance lost concentration, and the shield immediately dropped as the Twinmold pair wreaked havoc throughout the city, smashing into buildings and reducing them to rubble.

Sombra wasted no time. “BEGIN THE ATTACK!”

Ponies, Spawn, and Followers all charged as one, converging on the city. Crystal Pony soldiers, at Shining’s urgent behest, swallowed their fear and lined the walls, while others manned the crystal stake hurlers and even more gathered around the two tunnels the giant centipedes had dug. Though Sombra was displeased that they were now being brought to bear against him, he still felt some measure of relief in that they had not destroyed his most effective defensive weapons. They would certainly be useful once he regained possession of them.

As his army neared, the Twinmolds backed off, as they were no longer needed and Sombra wanted as much of his kingdom intact as possible, and coiled their massive bodies around the Crystal Mountains, observing the siege.

Cadance quickly collected herself and drew the shield back up. Setting up a telepathic link with her husband, she whispered, “Shining…tell our soldiers to bottleneck those two tunnels and give our civilians as much time to evacuate as possible! I’ll take over the evacuation!”

“Cadance, do you think we can hold the city?” came the Prince’s urgent voice.

Cadance cast her gaze over the whole city, every building, every road, every tree, every pony, the Empire she had sworn an oath to protect.

“Without the Crystal Heart…I don’t think we can.”

“I have to go, Honey! They’re coming through the tunnels!”

With that, the connection was lost, and Cadance knew in her heart what she had to do. Without further ado, she rushed off to go get her people to safety.

XXXXXX

Meanwhile, Shining led from the front as he and his soldiers braced themselves for the coming attack. They could hear the clamoring of soldiers as they rushed through the underground passageways towards them.

Taking a deep breath, the Crystal Prince declared, “Ponies…every last one of you took an oath to defend this kingdom with all your strength, even your lives, if necessary.”

The soldiers all looked at him grimly.

“Due to the loss of the Crystal Heart, as well as the suddenness and ferocity of this attack, it is unlikely we can hold the city.”

Many of them gulped, gripping their weapons tighter as some of them stole glances at the tunnels as the enemy approached.

“But what we can do, fillies and gentlecolts, is give our civilians time to evacuate through the Crystal Mines! If we can hold the line here, our families will be able to make it to safety! When the Princess gives the signal, we can fall back and join them, but for now, we stand our ground and give them hell! So who will stand with me, for home, for family, for freedom, and all of Equestria?!”

Emboldened by the bravery of their Prince, the Imperial soldiers cheered and proclaimed their support.

His heart swelling with pride, Shining put on his helmet as the first of Sombra’s legions emerged from the tunnels. “Ponies of the Empire…ATTAAAACK!”

The Imperial soldiers hollered and charged towards the newly-emerged enemy. Leading Sombra’s charge was an Eye of Majora emerging from each tunnel, followed by a line of Majora’s Disciples. Each Eye shot a devastating beam of searing energy into the Crystal Pony ranks before battle was joined.

Due to being descended from Earth Ponies, the Crystal Empire infantry fought primarily with their hooves and great strength, bucking, kicking, pummeling, and outright brawling with the enemy forces. Some used the more refined spear to thrust and jab at their foes. Shining, being a unicorn, used magic as his weapon. A Seeker Entity bore down on him, but he blasted it to smithereens with a well-placed energy beam.

He saw several of his ponies cry out as they were batted aside by one of the Eyes of Majora, and immediately rushed forward without hesitation to do battle with it. Seeing him coming, the elite creature shot another beam at him, and the Crystal Prince answered with a beam of his own, and both spent a moment trying to overcome one another.

“Defend the Prince!” a pony captain cried, and he and several soldiers took advantage of the Eye’s distraction and assaulted it from multiple sides.

With his foe fatally distracted, Shining poured more energy into his beam, overcoming the Eye’s and blowing it into smithereens. The smoldering remains collapsed in defeat, and a cheer rose up among the soldiers at this small victory.

“Worms!” a Disciple cried as he threw a black fireball Shining’s way. “Fall before the power of our dark master!”

“Never!” was Shining’s answer as he dispersed the fireball with a shield before rushing in with sword raised and cutting down the evil sorcerer.

XXXXXX

Meanwhile, Cadance was desperately organizing the terrified civilians into an orderly retreat.

“Do not give in to panic! Maintain order!” she cried, flying overhead as she led them towards the mine entrance, her horn still glowing. “Evacuate into the Crystal Mines! We make for the Equestrian town of Ponyville! Do not rush! Maintain order!”

As the refugees clamored below her, Cadance looked up towards the city square, where she could clearly see her husband’s soldiers fighting for their lives against Sombra’s forces and their dark allies.

Silently, she sent a prayer to the heavens, hoping beyond hope it would be heard.

Please…let Shining come out of this safely…for the sake of our child…

XXXXXX

Sombra was hanging back, smirking as he watched his armies continue to surge into the tunnels from his place on a raised hill.

He glanced sideways as he heard the clanking of heavy armor stepping towards him, and regarded his most important ally in this mission.

“You certainly took your time, General,” Sombra spoke.

Shifting in his gold and silver armor reminiscent of the legendary Iron Knuckles of the Gerudo save for the triangular helmet with three eyeholes arranged into a triangle that left only his mouth exposed, General Onox rumbled darkly, “The Princess of the former Dragon Lord instigated a rebellion in my lands right after I left with the main force. I had to redirect a number of wyrms to suppress her uprising. They are being dealt with in my absence; Karzakathûl swore to it.”

Sombra turned back towards the glittering shield. “It matters not. Tear down that shield so that we may take advantage of our far-superior numbers. I leave suppression of the city in your hands. Do be sure to keep enough of it intact so that we may bend it back towards our purposes.”

With that, Sombra began to walk off, hefting his scythe in his magical grip.

“And where are you going?” Onox asked, quirking an eyebrow beneath his sharply-pointed helm.

“They will be attempting to evacuate my slaves through the Crystal Mines,” Sombra answered, looking over his shoulder. “But what they don’t realize is that I know where the exit is. None will escape me. One of the Equestrian usurpers is certain to be leading that fear-stricken rabble. The other one you can have all to yourself.”

Onox grinned, revealing large teeth as one of his eyes flashed menacingly inside his helmet. “I look forward to it. Immensely.”

As Sombra departed, Onox assumed his true Dark Dragon form as his dragons descended from the sky, taking his place among them and dwarfing many of the drakes. “Wyrms…destroy that shield and burn all who would resist the will of Majora to a crisp!”

As one, dozens of dragons began strafing the length of the massive shield, sending waves of searing-hot flames down onto its glimmering surface.

XXXXXX

Cadance gasped in shock and pain as she felt her shield waver. Something was attacking it with great strength.

She looked up from where the civilians were retreating into the mine entrance and could see what looked like an entire sky of flames swirling around her shield, and occasionally she could see dark winged shapes swooping through the flames.

“Dragons,” she whispered in horror.

There was no way she could hold the shield for long, and if it fell, the entire city would be a sitting duck. She knew in her heart at that moment that all she had feared in the world was coming to pass.

Gulping as she felt her heart break within her, Cadance once more opened up a telepathic link with her beloved husband.

But all she could bring herself to say was, “S-Shiny…”

Even in the heat of battle, Shining Armor heard the voice of his wife whisper his name. I know, honey. I know.

Cadance choked back a sob. He knew what was happening. He knew what he had to do now. And he knew what it would cost.

It was too much for her, and she wept openly. “I’m so sorry, my love!”

Cadance…I want you to listen to me. Ugh…hah! Listen to me. I want you to live. For our son.

Cadance managed a weak smile through her tears. “Y-you know it’s going to be a girl!”

Cadance…once your shield drops, they’re going to be pouring in all over the city. You have to get yourself and as many civilians as possible out of the Empire before that happens. Yah!... Keep the pressure up, ponies!... We’ll hold them off as long as we can.

Cadance could not control her tears. “I-I love you s-so much!”

…Cadance…you were the best thing that ever happened to me. I just wish I could have seen our foal grow up. A-and when you see Twily, tell her…tell her that none of this was Vaati’s fault. And most importantly, tell her that I love her too.

“I w-will, Shiny…I’ll tell her.”

She could hear Shining grunt with exertion for a few moments as he fought against his foes before he finally answered, Honey…will you…stay with me…till the end?

“Y-yes, my love…till the end…”

She could almost feel the loving smile in her husband’s voice as he said, If your voice is the last thing I hear before I die, then I die knowing my life wasn’t wasted. I love you, Cadance. …Hold the line, fillies and gentlecolts!

Her heart was breaking into a million pieces, and her soul was calling out for a stallion she could not save, but Cadance knew what she had to do, and she turned her attention back towards the evacuation, wincing as she felt the dragons outside assault her shield again.

“Everypony into the mines! Stay calm, and proceed in an orderly fashion! Don’t give in to fear!”

XXXXXX

“Don’t give into fear!” Shining cried, leading the counteroffensive as he blasted aside an Obsidian Guard, the name Sombra gave to his enslaved soldiers. “Keep up the fight!”

He saw it in the corner of his eye right in the nick of time, leaping backward as a huge spiked ball of iron pounded the ground where he had been standing before. Shining looked up to see a huge man clad from head to toe in gold and silver armor standing before him, his eyes invisible beneath his ponderous helm. His mouth, however, was exposed, allowing his sinister grin to be seen.

“Heh heh heh heh heh…” General Onox snickered, a foul black miasma trailing idly out of his mouth and coiling around him like a shroud of evil. “You must be one of the usurpers Sombra was always going on about. Prince Shining Armor, I presume?”

Shining braced for battle, his horn sparkling with combat magic and his sword raised. “I have no words for you, servant of Majora.”

Onox threw back his head and laughed. “Good! I hate mincing words anyway.” Onox once more hefted his enormous flail, swinging it over his head. “Now fall before the power of Onox, the General of Darkness!”

Shining lithely dodged the deadly ball and chain as it swung at him again and again, leaving pony-sized craters wherever it hit. Then, to Onox’s surprise, Shining grabbed the iron ball in his magic, easily lifting it into the air. Before the General of Darkness could react, the Crystal Prince hurled it into Onox’s chest, knocking him to the ground with a pained grunt.

Shining wasted no time as he brought his sword to bear, lunging at the stunned general. But Onox lifted a gauntleted hand and seized Shining’s blade in his grip, and before Shining’s eyes, Onox snapped the blade in half without drawing so much as a drop of blood. Shining drew back in shock, regarding his foe as he calculated how best to approach him next as Onox got to his feet, tossing aside his morning-star.

“You fight well, little pony,” Onox appraised him. “But can you overcome this?!”

Suddenly waves of black smoke burst forth from Onox’s body, rushing over the bodies of Shining and several of his soldiers. All immediately felt a sudden and exhausting drain, which for the unfortunate soldiers proved to be fatal as Sombra’s minions took advantage of it. Shining Armor fell to his knees, feeling like he had just run a hundred laps around the Empire. “Urgh…ohh…”

Onox laughed, striding forward, his armor clanking ominously even over the din of the surrounding battle. “Now do you see, fool? That’s the power of the General of Darkness! It drains the life from all who dwell within the cursed light! There is no defense!”

Onox towered over the shuddering form of the Prince, his evil grin wide in victory.

“Urgh…” Shining groaned, trying to will his body to move.

Shining!

Shining jerked his head up at the cry of his wife’s voice. “Cadance…”

Onox was reaching for him. “And now you too will fall to the power of darkness!”

And then suddenly the General of Darkness reeled back as Shining blasted him directly in the face with a magic beam. As Onox stumbled, snarling as he covered his face, Shining shakily stood, glaring daggers.

“Not…yet.”

Onox removed his hands and glared back just in time to get hit with another one to the face, and Onox tried to cover his head with his arms to ward off the magical energy. As Onox tried to recover, Shining, regaining some of his strength as the dark mist’s effects wore off, leapt forward and struck the general’s face with a rather impressive pony version of a roundhouse kick. And given this was done with a hoof and not a foot, it hurt all the more. Onox’s head snapped to the side as a tooth actually flew out of his mouth.

Having had enough of this, Onox snarled, “Why you little…!”

And then he saw that the Prince had sent his own ball and chain hurtling towards him once more. With a savage bellow of anger, Onox knocked it aside with a single punch, all three eyeholes of his helmet glowing a faint blood-red.

Shaking with rage, Onox growled, “You dare oppose me?! You dare?! I WILL NOT ALLOW IT!”

Shining looked on with open-mouthed shock as Onox suddenly grew ten times his size, becoming a massive dragon with faded purple scales on his back and wings, grey scales on his muscled arms and underbelly, and an almost skull-like head from which two black eyes dotted with glowing red pupils glared. Between his two large, knobby horns, a large red gem seemed to be growing out of his forehead. He had an underbite, from which emerged two long, curved tusks.

Onox laughed, his booming voice thundering across the whole city. “Behold my true form, fool! Now you stand before the Dark Dragon, King of All Wyrms! Any last words before you feel my apocalyptic wrath, little prince?”

Shining looked up at his great enemy, then cast his eyes downward where he suddenly saw the shattered remains of his sword. The blade was shattered about a foot from the hilt, but it was enough for him. Wearily he drew it into his ethereal grasp, holding it up, and it seemed that the battle around them faded away, so that in that moment, only the Prince and the Dragon existed.

And Shining Armor spoke, his eyes steely, but accepting of his ultimate fate as he recited an age-old oath. “Blade with whom I’ve lived…blade with whom I now die…” Onox quirked an amused eyebrow at this, but Shining held his gaze unwaveringly. “Seek now one last heart of evil…one last life of pain…” The Dark Dragon was now sneering in full measure, flashing yellowed, dagger-like teeth, but Shining was unfazed. “Cut well, old friend, and then…farewell!”

Onox could no longer contain his amusement, snorting laughter as smoke puffed out of his nostrils. “Ha ha ha ha ha…what a waste of words. Now…BURN.”

Oily dark-blue flames flew from the Dark Dragon’s gaping mouth, washing over Shining’s puny form. The Prince threw up a shield just in time, but he did not have the strength to hold it for long. Still holding up the shield, he drew back his broken sword.

And then, like an eddy of glass, the shield shattered, and Shining Armor screamed as he felt the demonic flames lick at his body, even as he used the last of his strength to throw his sword, now wreathed in the dark flames of his enemy, at the looming form of Onox. Superheated from Onox’s own flames, it punched through his thick scales and buried itself to the hilt in the center of his black heart.

“GRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRGH!”

Onox howled in pain as his own flames consumed his body, and in the midst of his death-throes, Onox’s immense body toppled over the two tunnels, blocking them off, and the Imperial soldiers cheered at this heroic deed.

But the cheer died down as the closest ponies, once they had dispatched their current foes, took note of Shining’s battered and burned body, feebly twitching as he lay there dying.

“C…Cadance…” Shining weakly whispered, his eyes fluttering.

Shining! Shining, are you okay?!

“Cadance…w-we…did it…W…we…bought our…p-people…more time…”

Shining?! Honey!

Shining wasn’t answering.

No nononononono! Shining, my love!

Cadance’s heart skipped a horrible beat as she felt her telepathy spell peter out.

“Oh Faust help me, Faust help me…” she whimpered as she tried to stop herself from hyperventilating.

Her eyes squeezed shut as a long, low whine fought its way past her gritted teeth. Looking up at her, several Crystal Ponies began to murmur amongst themselves as they realized what it likely meant.

“T-the Prince…”

“The Prince is dead…”

“I-it CAN’T be…!”

“Oh Faust, are we next?”

Realizing her people needed her, Cadance forcibly shook aside her grief and managed to choke out, “We have to keep going! M-my hu-hu…h-husband gave us valuable t-time…we need to make the most of it! Into the mines!”

It was at that moment that she suddenly felt her shield spell shatter as the dragons launched another assault.

All the forces of darkness watched the shield crumble, and they pressed on, now able to attack the city on all sides.

But then the dragons all saw something they couldn’t believe as they flew over the city: the burning corpse of the Dark Dragon himself.

“I-is that the King?!” one dragon cried.

“He’s dead!” another called out in disbelief.

“No way! Those ponies actually killed him?!” a female dragon exclaimed.

The largest dragon there, a black dragon with white horns that curved inwards towards his chin, abruptly bellowed, “The Usurper King is dead! Dragons, we’re leaving!”

Then, much to the chagrin of the dark forces, the dragonflights all wheeled around and disappeared as quickly as they had come, following the black wyrm known as Moragon back to the Dragon Lands.

Sombra pursed his lips from where he now stood, grunting in displeasure. “Useless idiot got himself killed. No matter; Majora will deal with their treachery later.”

XXXXXX

Cadance did what she could to keep her subjects from panicking as she led them out of the mines into the frigid winds of the frozen north, far enough away from the Empire that the rear of Sombra’s immense army were nearly pinpricks to them. A number of hills and rock formations also helped to conceal the civilians from all but the most attentive assailants, and their attention was focused entirely on the city. King Sombra’s single-minded focus on the siege might actually work in their favor.

“Hm hm hm hm hm…going somewhere?”

Everypony went perfectly silent and froze, their eyes widening in horror. Cadance and all her subjects would have known that voice anywhere.

Suddenly a wall of dark crystals burst out of the snow-covered ground, surrounding the area and trapping everypony within. Shaken from their silence, the civilians all started screaming and panicking. Cadance’s heart pounded against her chest as she gathered magic in her horn, hoping her love-based power would be enough to break the crystals.

She was shot out of the air by a blast of magic with a familiar aura of black, purple, and green.

Cadance gasped in pain as she landed amongst her petrified subjects. A few dared to help her up, and together they looked up at their assailant.

There he was, grinning in triumph. King Sombra.

“Did you fools really think I’d forgotten about the secret exit out of the mines?” Sombra gloated. “This is my Empire. I know it inside and out.”

Putting herself between the terrified crowd and their returned king, Cadance growled, “Not anymore, it isn’t. You had your chance, Sombra. A thousand years ago, you had the chance to bring about an age of prosperity, but you squandered it for your own personal gain. And then you made slaves out of your own countryponies, forcing them to fight and die for you against their will for a war you started. You're not fit to wear that crown!”

“And you made my Empire, the last pony nation free of the intrigue and manipulations of Celestia’s court, a vassal state to that cake-loving wretch,” Sombra replied with a terrifying calm. “Even with that crown on your head, you would always consider Princess Celestia your superior. You and your late husband, both. And I’m sure she never told you my true story. Your ignorance tells me as such. So I’ll let you in on a little secret; I didn’t start the Sombratic War. Celestia did. Her forces attacked the Crystal Empire first. But your history doesn’t record that.”

“You lie,” Cadance hissed, looking at her fellow Crystal Ponies for clarification.

The despondent, almost-guilty look in their eyes said it all, and Cadance felt her heart sink. It couldn’t be true…

“Why lie when the truth causes even more pain?” Sombra sneered. “Our ancestors went north to escape Equestrian influence, you know. Earth pony farmers who felt threatened by the ever-feuding pegasi and unicorn factions. Of course naturally a group of unicorns eventually followed them, and through the promise of protecting them from all outside threats, no matter who they came from, they allowed these unicorns to be their rulers, and the discovery of that blasted Crystal Heart solidified my dynasty’s right to rule. Over the years we prospered, until the day a dragon stole the Heart. My mother, Princess Amore, couldn’t protect the Empire by herself, draining her magic completely. She had no choice but to ask Celestia for help. It turned out the dragon was a sniveling coward and completely surrendered after she yelled at him a bit. My mother was too relieved at the Crystal Heart’s return to notice what Celestia had said to that simple-minded lizard, but I still remember it as though she had spoken those words but yesterday. She was already referring to us Crystal Ponies as her subjects. I did not forget that.”

Sombra began to pace as he continued. Cadance warily watched his movements, the crowd spellbound by their exchange. “Over the years, my mother and I watched from afar as Equestria absorbed the smaller fiefdoms into itself, all so that the Two Sisters could better ‘protect’ us. It was subtle and gradual, but I did not fail to notice how Princess Platinum slowly became a lesser noble, holding onto the illusion of power despite becoming just another pawn in the royal court. I did not fail to notice how Commander Hurricane was demoted from the pegasi’s leader to the head of her royal guard, a ceremonial position in truth given Celestia’s habit of confronting her enemies in person so her precious ponies wouldn’t have to bloody their delicate little noses.”

Cadance snorted. “So what? Equestria ended up better off for it!”

“Ah, so you do believe that the ends justify the means. In that, we are not so different. Celestia did what she felt she had to…and so did I. One day, my mother held banquet with the Two Sisters, and afterwards they met for a private conference I was not permitted to attend, but I knew my mother had told them that the Crystal Empire would maintain strict independence from Equestria. Two days later, my mother fell mysteriously ill. The illness killed her in less than two days. The kingdom was left then in my charge, and I knew then that the Sisters were coming. They poisoned my mother for refusing to bow to their wishes, and now they were coming to take it by force. But I was no alicorn; I knew I had no chance against them on my own. But then…I found him. A dark answer to my prayers, but an answer nonetheless. With the promise of power and revenge, I became the pupil of Grogar the Necromancer.”

Cadance gasped at the name. She had heard it once, described in a forbidden tome locked deep inside the restricted section of Princess Celestia’s personal library. The Emperor of Tambelon, the most dangerous and terrible of the Children of Krastos, who had subjugated a race of warlike creatures called Trogals to serve as his foot soldiers. He had also been the first to demonstrate the horrifying ability to raise the dead, using the legions of undead to soften up his foes before sending in his Trogals to finish them off. Legend told that Mother Faust Herself had had to intervene on Equestria’s behalf, for the Two Sisters had not yet been born. Faust had banished Grogar and his entire empire into darkness, for imprisoning him in Tartarus would have been too great a risk.

“Through him, I learned so much about the dark arts, more than anypony else would ever know, more even than Princess Luna herself, for she could not develop the stomach to delve into those deep magics until it was far too late. I used my subjects to mine for crystals to increase my power, and through Grogar’s tutelage, I created this.” Sombra then drew Cadance’s attention to the amulet clasped around his neck, tapping it. It was in the shape of a stylized black alicorn, with a diamond-shaped red gem in the center. It radiated horrifying dark power. “The only weapon in Equestria that could counter those damnable Elements of Harmony. The Alicorn Amulet. With it, my dark powers are increased tenfold, and it protects me from the power of the Elements! By creating it, I succeeded all my master’s expectations. But he had one final test in store for me, and in that moment he revealed to me the truth. The Two Sisters didn’t kill my mother. He did, specifically to lure me to him, for he saw me as an ideal apprentice. In the end…I no longer cared. I had so much power now. Because of him, I could rule the entire world. Trading my mother’s life for this power, in the end, was an acceptable exchange, one I would happily make again, given the chance.”

Cadance’s jaw was hanging open a bit at this. This was not the cheesy sob story she had been expecting. He had his excuse, then accepted it was just an excuse and fully embraced his evil.

“Still, it was indeed Celestia who threw down the gauntlet first. Perhaps she saw my rising power as a threat, perhaps she really was planning to force the Empire to bend its knee. Either way, my forces intercepted theirs near the Crystal Mountains, and there the war began. A war I lost once, but shall not again.”

Cadance’s wings flared out, now that it was clear that Sombra had finished his monologue. “It matters not what you say. These are my subjects now, and I will do what I must to defend them! From you!”

Blinding blue magic crackled in Cadance’s horn as her eyes went just as blue, her body surging with power. In answer, Sombra’s horn bubbled with his signature purple and green miasma, his eyes turning pure green as the purple haze perpetually trailing out of them intensified.

With raging battle cries, Cadance and Sombra lunged at one another.

Author's Note

I LIVE!

Bet you all thought this story was dead. Guess again, my loving, patient, devoted fans...

*is promptly pelted with torches and pitchforks*

Urgh...well, anyway, note that I wrote the first part of this before The Crystalling episodes came out, hence why the Crystal Heart's theft isn't threatening the Empire with the coming of winter.

And yes, I am most definitely evil enough to leave you all with yet another cliffhanger!

The next chapter will come out soon...like...sometime this year...

And spoiler alert: the death toll is gonna start climbing real soon... :pinkiecrazy:

Episode 7: Battle For Equestria Part 2

Episode Seven: Battle For Equestria Part 2 – Evil Unleashed

Just outside the Crystal Empire…

A pony-shaped hunk of pink crystal fell into the snow with a dull thunk, and silence ominously followed, broken only by the howling blizzards of the north.

Smoke, broken dark crystals, and scorch marks were everywhere, and in the midst of this now-silent battlefield, stunned Crystal Ponies watched as the crystallized body of Princess Cadance collapsed into the snow, as the victor of this dreadful duel smirked cruelly as he lightly touched Cadance’s solidified cheek with his hoof.

“And to think this wretch once held me back for days on end,” King Sombra spoke smoothly, shaking his head momentarily. “Tsk tsk tsk tsk. Only goes to show that hate truly is stronger than love.”

With that matter settled, Sombra looked up at the gathered ponies of his kingdom, relishing the hopeless fear in their eyes, soldiers and civilians alike. Their attention was suddenly diverted as armored ponies emerged from the tunnels and began quickly rounding them up. Some tried to fight but were quickly subdued. Countless screams and pleas for mercy rent the air.

And Sombra laughed. “You want mercy, fools?! The fact you are all still alive is because of my mercy! And I shall even grant you all a chance at penance, as soldiers in my army!”

It was at that moment that a single Crystal Pony Guard suddenly broke free of the crowd, knocking over several Obsidian Guards with his larger-than-average bulk. Surprisingly Sombra did nothing but watch as the soldier made a break for the arctic tundra, only for his hind hooves to suddenly be pulled up from under him by a magical aura, sending him to the ground. One of the unicorn soldiers of Sombra was now dragging the unfortunate pony back towards the others, silent as the grave.

But then, Sombra spoke up. “Let him go.”

The unicorn soldier immediately complied without hesitation, and the guard immediately resumed his flight. And Sombra kept watching him with an evil smirk.

“Yes…let him return to his friends. He is but a single, frightened, demoralized soldier. A soldier who will spread fear and hysteria throughout Equestria with tales of what happened here today. And with the Princesses occupied in Hyrule, all of Equestria is mine for the taking!”

He turned towards his subjects. “Put them all in chains and start them back to work in the mines! Once we have enough armor to equip more ponies, we will make war plans for Yakyakistan and Cloudsdale!”

XXXXXX

Hyrule Castle Infirmary…

“After I escaped, I was able to make it to one of the Moblin settlements and found it had been decimated by the Dragons on their way to the Empire,” the imperial guardspony regaled to his stunned audience. “The Moblins were extraordinarily lucky, though; they were all out on a so-called ‘Great Hunt’, where they teach their children how to hunt dangerous game in the forests surrounding Hollow Shades, when the Dragons came by, and while most of their settlements were either badly damaged or destroyed, there were few lives lost. I came to Ponyville while the Moblins began mobilizing and was told you had gone through a portal to Hyrule. You have to return, Your Majesties; Equestria is vulnerable without you!”

Several moments of stunned silence followed as Vaati, the Mane Six, the three Princesses, Maulgrim, Nigellas, and Impa all took in the horrible news.

It was Twilight who finally broke the silence, her voice thick with dread. “M-my brother…my b-brother…i-i-is dead…?”

The guard took off his helmet, deep sorrow in his eyes. “He fought to the bitter end and slew Majora’s puppet Dragon King in his final moments. He was our Prince. Our Captain… Our friend.”

Grim silence followed. Twilight’s head lowered slowly as a thousand-yard stare overtook her moistening eyes. Even in his weakened state, Vaati tried to scooch closer to her on his cot. “Twilight…”

But Twilight didn’t respond, even as tears began trickling down her face. The others were stone silent, for none knew what they could possibly say. A prickle of dread wormed its way into Vaati’s heart as he tried again, his voice barely above a whisper. “Twilight, I…”

Twilight’s head shot up as she looked straight at him, and whatever words Vaati had in mind died in his throat.

Her face was full of pain and sorrow.

It was raw. Visceral.

Accusing.

And then she violently shook her head, looking away far too quickly. “I-I can’t…I-I-I c-can’t do this…!”

“Twilight!” Celestia and the Element Bearers cried, but their cries fell upon deaf ears as Twilight bolted from the room.

Silence reigned once more, and slowly Luna turned her gaze back towards Vaati, and her heart constricted as she saw the look on his face.

It was more than defeated. It was dead.

The words that escaped his lips before he went fully catatonic felt even more like the final words of a condemned man. “Now she finally sees it.”

Princess Zelda finally tore her eyes away from Vaati to address the awkwardly-waiting Crystal Pony. “The Equestrians have been granted rooms in the guest wing of the castle. Ask a guard to take you there, and rest. You’ve had a long and difficult journey.”

Recognizing that this individual was this world’s native royalty, the guardspony bowed. “Thank you, Your Highness. By your leave, Princess?”

Celestia wordlessly nodded, and the soldier left. Then she spoke. “Forgive me. I must attend to my student. Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack, come with me. She needs us all.”

The Sun Goddess departed as well, seeking Twilight. Those that remained were at a loss for words for many moments, and since Vaati was no longer responsive, there would be no more commentary from him.

Finally Zelda could take the silence no longer. “I’m so sorry,” she uttered, her eyes full of empathy.

Taking Vaati’s hand in her hoof, Luna just looked into her lover’s glazed eyes as she croaked, “What am I going to do?”

Neither Zelda nor Scootaloo had any answer for Luna.

Luna released a shuddering breath. “One thousand years ago, Celestia and I fought King Sombra in the Crystal Empire. When we heard that Sombra was abusing his subjects to further his own strength, we decided the plight of the Crystal Ponies could not be ignored, and we waged costly war with him. My sister and I, working together, managed to eventually turn the tide of the war against him. We finally penetrated his palace defenses, sensing victory. But…but when we faced him in his throne room, he was able to best Celie with frightening ease. A-and I could not overcome him either. He spoke to me…and his words haunt me still to this day. He revealed a terrible truth to me, one I could not accept. My sister…my own sister was afraid of me. He was right; she didn’t understand the nature of the night. He knew that we would turn on each other one day, that light would crush darkness and oppress it. He offered me a chance to stop it from happening. A chance to rule Equestria by his side and let darkness dominate the world rather than light.” Luna gulped, lost in what were clearly traumatic memories. “I…I almost accepted. Mother forgive me…I almost accepted.”

“…But you didn’t,” Zelda softly added during Luna’s pause.

Luna slowly shook her head. “I broke free of his restraints and attacked him again, but he entrapped me within his spell of waking nightmares. For a brief moment, I thought it to be the end. A-and then…it awoke something within me. Something dark and terrible. And in my anger, my fear, my hatred, I drew strength from it, and…and I gave in to the very darkness I had sworn to keep at bay. I caught Sombra by surprise and overwhelmed him, but just before I could deal the deathblow, he cast a terrible curse, one that caused the entire Crystal Empire to vanish into thin air, and him with it. I became myself again just before my sister recovered, but the genie, once unleashed, could not be put back in the bottle. Over time, I began to lose myself more and more to the Nightmare within me. Our people could sense it, and they shunned me. Celie could sense it, and she distanced herself from me. And I knew…I knew in that moment that Sombra was right. About everything. And then…”

“…Then you gave in completely,” Impa prompted, sympathy barely visible past the steely glare that almost always dominated her face.

Luna nodded. “I became the epitome of my people’s darkest fears. I became something far worse than King Sombra. I became Nightmare Moon. I warred with my sister. Hating the very sun itself, I sought to drown Equestria in a night that would never end. And in the end, I was banished into my own moon, to be trapped there for a thousand lonely, unbearable years, alone with the evil that had consumed me. It was only through the help of Vaati and the Element Bearers that I was able to tame that darkness in some way, but every time I unleash Nightmare Moon is a gamble. She was able to hold her own against Ganon in battle, and had the gall to laugh in the face of Majora himself, but I can only master her so long as I master my fears. And Sombra mastered my fears long ago.”

She looked up at her fellow princess, so much like her own sister it was astounding. “I-I don’t know if I can do it again. I don’t know if I can face him. And Vaati needs me here. But I-I can’t let Celestia be the one to go back to Equestria and confront him… He’ll destroy her.”

“You fear that he will feed on your hate until you give in again,” Impa plainly summed up.

Luna sniffed as she nodded again. “And this time he would be ready for it. Even when I defeated him I underestimated his cunning.”

Zelda had to admit to herself, this King Sombra individual frightened her, in a way even Ganondorf himself could not. To forever scar Luna’s legacy the way he did reminded the descendent of Hylia morbidly of how Demise had scarred her own.

However, before Zelda could even begin to formulate a reply, another soldier burst into the room, this time a Hylian.

“Your Highness!” the guard crisply saluted. “I was told that the King is currently indisposed and was thus directed to you.”

Settling back into her role as Hyrule’s secondary ruler, Zelda spoke, “What news do you bring, soldier?”

“Our scouts report that King Rutolfus Zora De Bon the Thirty-Fourth has departed Zora’s Domain with ten thousand soldiers. They march on Death Mountain as we speak, milady.”

The atmosphere, already grim and cold, seemingly dropped another five degrees. “Thank you, Captain,” Zelda spoke in a clipped tone. “You may go.”

The soldier bowed and left the room, after which Zelda cupped her head in her gloved hands, rubbing her eyes wearily. “This day grows darker with each passing hour,” she murmured.

“Majora has struck us hard,” Maulgrim rumbled. “The loss of the Crystal Empire is in and of itself a harsh blow to us. And because of the Dragons, we will not be able to rely on the Moblin fortress-cities to delay King Sombra’s advance.”

“And now tensions between the Gorons and Zoras has erupted into a war all its own,” Scootaloo observed, looking between Luna and her non-responsive father.

“Majora’s been preparing for all this for centuries,” Nigellas responded bitterly. “And he’s prepared well.”

“And it seems the Dark Enemy has stoked the fires of their lingering resentment towards each other while we remained ignorant,” Impa surmised. “A second Goron-Zora War will deprive us of two important allies, no matter who wins. We can’t let that come to pass. Surely the Zora King can be reasoned with.”

“Gorons and Zoras alike are known for being stubborn, particularly their leaders,” Zelda answered. “Both are angry at the Kingdom of Hyrule for having failed to choose a side during their more recent disputes. I don’t know what to do… I’m needed here. If my father awakes while I’m gone, there’s certain to be an uproar we simply cannot afford anymore. And I can’t send you, Impa, because not only are you not a diplomat, I also can’t afford to send any soldiers. Majora’s forces could attack the kingdom again at any time.”

“I will go.”

All heads turned to stare at Maulgrim in surprise. “You’ll go?” Nigellas exclaimed.

“I will return briefly to Ponyville to rally all my Darknuts there,” Maulgrim went on sternly. “I will then contact the entity known as Discord and tell him to teleport the full might of the Cliff Lords to Death Mountain once they have mobilized.”

“Are you saying you intend to fight the Zoras?” Zelda asked in horror.

Maulgrim shook his head. “That would not be the preferable outcome. While I await reinforcements, my men will bar Death Mountain Pass while I warn Kakariko Village and the Gorons of the impending Zora attack. It is my hope that once both leaders are present on the field, I can bring the two to terms. You are right: war between them will only work in Majora’s favor. I will do all I can to avoid such bloodshed.”

“Are you sure about this, Grim?” Nigellas asked worriedly.

“I am,” Maulgrim replied. “Let the other tribes defend Equestria. The Legion will fight in Hyrule.”

Zelda held the Black Knight’s unwavering gaze for many moments before she lightly shook her head. “For all my wisdom, I could have never predicted that Vaati the Wind Mage could have warriors of such honor and integrity in his service. If you can avert this bloodbath, the Kingdom of Hyrule will be forever indebted to the Darknut Legion.”

“You can repay that debt by fighting at our side as we tear down the very gates of the Dark World itself and invade the heart of the Dark God’s twisted domain,” Maulgrim rumbled with finality.

Nigellas blinked several times in silence before he spoke. “That’s the most suicidal idea I’ve heard you pitch yet.”

XXXXXX

That evening, two hours later…

After Twilight had left, Vaati had slipped into a state of unnerving catatonia, staring blankly ahead as the Sorcerer of Winds completely emotionally shut down. Zelda had eventually left, as had Maulgrim and Nigellas. Luna was loathe to leave Vaati, but she ultimately decided to seek out her sister to discuss what to do in the face of Sombra’s return. Only one other presence remained in the room with Vaati: Scootaloo, who was currently sleeping in the far corner of the room, out of Vaati’s line of sight.

But Vaati seemed to register none of this.

Not until a shadow appeared in the corner of his eye.

Even in his blue-screen-of-death state, he felt a sudden ominous chill in the air as the shadow approached, and Vaati’s eyes slowly found their way to his new visitor.

The shape had the rough outline of a robed individual. For the briefest of moments, Vaati thought perhaps the Sheikah wizard had come.

But then the figure drew closer, and Vaati realized that two familiar eyes burned on their face, and the faint outline of a heart-shaped mask warped the head of their silhouette.

He should have shouted, raised the alarm. He should have cast his hand up and blasted this evil shade to dust. But he didn’t.

“You again?” Vaati weakly croaked, narrowing his eyes slightly, but looking more haggard than intimidating.

I am always here.

Majora took a single step forward, his eyes burning unflinchingly into Vaati’s own.

You know this well, Wind Mage. Yet you continue to deny it.

“Leave me,” Vaati half-heartedly hissed.

You are already alone.

Vaati was silent for many moments, his face wincing in both physical and emotional pain. “…What do you want? Come to gloat, have you?”

It is not your fault that they chose to deny the truth.

“I tried so many times,” Vaati softly replied, shaking his head slowly. “But they insisted that it wasn’t my fault…and I was foolish enough to start believing them.”

Friendship made you forget yourself. You knew that you were a lure for disaster, that your very presence brought danger to those around you.

“I couldn’t accept it.”

You denied the truth to yourself.

“How could I not?” Vaati scoffed bitterly. “I wanted to be happy! I wanted to be recognized without being branded a monster!”

But you are a monster.

Vaati broke his gaze and stared down at his folded hands. “…I know.”

You tried to get them to accept the truth, but deep down you did not want them to believe it, because you did not want to believe it yourself.

Vaati sighed wearily. “What’s your point?”

Truth. That is my point.

For one brief moment, a flicker of bitter defiance colored Vaati’s detached attitude. “Since when did the God of Evil become so philosophical?”

Good and evil are mortal labels, open to infinite interpretation. Both see no issue in bending or hiding the truth to suit their agendas, as you and your so-called friends have. But you cannot deny the truth any longer. You know this. I would not be here now had you not opened the door and let me into Equestria. You were always the catalyst. One way or another, you would serve my needs. It was what you were born for. And the darkest aspect of the truth is that I cannot be defeated. Nothing you can do would stop me. I can only be delayed. In the end, the light will burn itself out, but the darkness will endure.

“I’ll never serve you, if that’s what you’re aiming for. So if you’re going to kill me, just shut up and get it over with already. You really do talk too much.”

Ask of it of me, and I will end your pain.

Vaati blinked slowly in surprise.

Equestria has turned its back on you, and Hyrule is not so quick to embrace you as you might think. You are alone, just as you were once before. You can spend your final days begging their forgiveness as I haunt every dark corner of your mind with every breath you take, or you can let go here, now. Give me the word, and I will end your pain. And when I stride free upon the earth once more, I may even grant the ones you care so much about mercy, should they ask it of me.

Vaati stared long and hard into the yellow orbs of Majora’s eyes. In his depressed state, he really was seriously mulling it over in his head. Just let go…we can’t win…I can’t protect them anyway…

“Vaati?”

And just like that, Vaati’s eyes snapped over to the doorway.

Standing there, her sorrowful eyes shining in the dim light, was Twilight.

“T-Twilight…!” Vaati rasped, and his gaze darted back to Majora.

…only to realize that the Dark God was gone, as though he had never been there.

Vaati blinked several times, wondering if it had all been a hallucination before violently shaking his head. Twilight was the main issue now.

The grief in her eyes was still so raw, and it shattered him inside all over again. Ultimately he averted his gaze; he couldn’t bear to keep looking into those eyes. Thus he heard rather than saw Twilight slowly walk up to him, saying nothing. He didn’t look up even as her hooves entered his field of vision. There was heavy silence for many minutes, which it seemed neither was willing to break first.

Finally Vaati broke it with a voice that could barely be heard. “This is all my fault.”

Twilight remained silent.

“No matter what you said, what anyone said…this is all my fault. I’m the reason Majora discovered Equestria. I’m the reason this war even started. I…I’m the reason your brother is dead…”

“…You’re also the reason the people of Castle Town are still alive.”

Vaati’s head jerked a little, but he still could not meet her eyes, and instead let out a bitter huff. “What good is that, in the end? You think they suddenly believe I’m a great hero? It doesn’t work that way, Twilight. Not in Hyrule.”

“I don’t care. You’re still a hero to me.”

Vaati’s breath caught in his throat as he finally looked up at her. Despite the tears in her eyes, Twilight was somehow managing a weak but genuine smile.

“I know what it feels like to doubt yourself all the time, taking every mistake you make to heart and beating yourself up over it day and night. I know how it feels to think that everything that goes wrong is your fault, that you should know better, you should have been stronger. But…b-but the hardest lesson to learn is…i-is that no matter how hard we fight…no m-matter how good we are…w-we can’t…we c-c-can’t…s-save everyone. A-and that…terrifies me.”

Vaati could see how Twilight’s gaze momentarily darted up at the ugly pulsating scar on his forehead before sniffing and wiping her face with her hoof. “I-I’m so scared, Vaati. I l-l-lost my b-brother, p-possibly my sister-in-law, and now I’m scared I’m g-going to l-lose my best friend too. I-I’m scared that Majora will take everything from me, t-that I won’t b-be able t-to protect a-anypony! I’m scared for Spike, I’m s-scared for m-my friends, I-I’m scared for Luna and Celestia, a-and I’m scared for you!”

“And it’s because I came to Equestria.”

“No!” Twilight snapped, surprising both herself and Vaati. She shook her head before continuing, “No. I refuse to believe that it was your fault. I refuse. When your teleportation spell collided with that Light Arrow, you weren’t expecting to end up in Equestria, were you?”

“Well, no, but…”

“Vaati, even after everything that’s happened, you are still one of the best things to ever happen to me. You’ve done so much for me, and everypony we know. You helped us save Equestria so many times. You stood by me even when the others didn’t. You gave Scootaloo love and hope and let her grow into a beautiful, strong mare we’re all proud to have helped you raise. You helped Princess Luna open up to other ponies, and not only did you show her true love, but you also helped her learn to forgive herself and control her dark side without it controlling her. You helped us turn Discord into a friend and the Changelings into a valuable ally. We couldn’t have defeated Ganondorf and ended the Curse of Demise without you. The monster tribes would never have been freed from eternal enslavement if it hadn’t been for you. And we can’t defeat Majora without you.”

The two of them just stared at each other, and little by little, a determined glint reignited in Vaati’s eyes. And then Twilight stood on her hind legs and embraced her truest friend. Sniffing and blinking away more tears, Twilight whispered into Vaati’s ear, “No matter what happens, we’ll get through this. Together. I promise.”

Feeling tears of his own start to fall, Vaati closed his eyes and managed a tired smile. “Funny. I was about to say the same thing.”

As they quietly held their embrace, enjoying each other’s company, Vaati opened his eyes again.

There, in the far corner of the room, was a familiar pair of burning eyes, watching him with evil intent.

The darkness is patient, Wind Mage. As am I.

Vaati just leveled the most hateful, threatening glare he could muster at the demonic mirage in response. He blinked one more time, and the shadow of Majora was gone again. But Vaati knew it would not be the last time Majora would plague him.

XXXXXX

The next morning…

Vaati, Link, Zelda, Impa, and the Mane Six all sat around a large round table as they discussed their next course of action.

“So you wanna run that whole ‘Sages’ thing by us again?” Rainbow asked, making quoting gestures for emphasis.

“Long ago,” Zelda solemnly began, “Hylia and Onigami bestowed six medallions of power onto mortal bearers to act as guardians against evil forces. These six individuals became the first Sages, and the Medallions’ power acted as a sort of lock and key to maintain the prison into which Majora was cast. So long as the Sages’ power continued to pass from mortal to mortal, the sealed door remained unbreakable. Hylia, being the Goddess of Peace, Life, and the Sun, initially carried the Light, Forest, and Water Medallions, while Onigami, the God of War, Death, and the Moon, bore the Medallions of Fire, Shadow, and Spirit. However, with Hyrule having become so divided, new Sages have not been declared in over a century since the previous ones passed. I’ve no doubt that this in part is Majora’s doing, and why he’s gaining strength so quickly. Since the previous Sages never declared successors, there is only one way to reawaken their power.”

“And that is…?” Rarity prompted, idly filing her hoof as she contributed to the conversation.

“You will have to venture into the five temples scattered across this land,” Impa answered, “which by now are no doubt infested with Majora’s creatures. It will be a dangerous task. You will likely have to face a powerful beast in the heart of each temple, and then speak with the spirits of the ancient Sages and convince them to make each of you their successors.”

Link folded his arms, a cocky grin on his face. “Well, nothing I haven’t done before.”

Rainbow shared his grin. “Kinduva thing we’ve done before too.”

“There is another likely catch,” Impa interrupted with a grave look. “Of the six of you, only one of you may enter each respective temple with Link and Vaati. I have a strong feeling the Goddesses Themselves will this as a test of your worthiness and resolve. For example, only Fluttershy will be permitted to accompany Vaati and Link into the Sanctuary of Forest.”

Fluttershy predictably gulped in fear. Noticing this, Impa managed a wan smile. “Do not fear. The Goddesses would not test you in this way if They did not feel you could succeed.”

“Well, that’s…encouraging, I guess?” Twilight sighed. “But…if there are six Sages, why are there only five temples?”

“Your Medallion, the Medallion of Light, lies within the Sacred Realm,” Zelda explained. “That is where the Sage of Light normally resides ever since the age of the Hero of Time. Only after you have restored the other Medallions’ powers will you be given access to the last one. The combined power of the Sages will surely be able to shatter the evil curse that is slowly killing Vaati…if you aren’t too late.”

“Then I guess we shouldn’t waste any more time,” Vaati sighed, heaving himself to his feet and wincing at the effort. “Where should we go first?”

“I think it wise that you avoid the battlefields until you recover the Medallions,” Impa suggested. “As such, I believe you should start with the Sanctuary of Forest within the Lost Woods. Until we resolve the hostility between the Gorons and Zoras, the Crater of Flames in Death Mountain and the Crypt of Shadows in Kakariko Village’s Royal Graveyard are too dangerous for you to tackle. The Sanctuary is closer to you than the Temple of Droplets in Lake Hylia or the Fortress of Sands in the Gerudo Desert, and time is of the essence.”

Vaati sighed. “Lost Woods it is, then.”

“Be careful, though,” Zelda spoke up. “The Deku Kingdom has started showing more aggression towards outsiders. My rangers report their king is being influenced by some masked advisor who calls himself the ‘Voice of Odolwa’. If you encounter trouble, seek help from the Kokiri and the Skull Kids, if you can. I don’t know what’s become of the Kokiri, and I fear what the answer may be, but I know the Skull Kids are still around, and their leader is rather vocal in his opposition to Majora.”

“Good to know we have even more friends to back us up if we get in a pickle!” Pinkie cheerfully replied, bouncing in her seat.

“I-I don’t know,” Fluttershy hesitantly added. “These…S-S-Sk-Sk-Skull K-K-K-Kids s-sound really s-scary…”

Link had a slight look of sadness on his face as he said, “The Skull Kids are the ghosts of children who got lost in the forest. The Lost Woods have a creepy tendency to turn lost travelers into the living dead, but somehow the Skull Kids are…different. They’re more like mischievous, childlike imps than Stalfos, though they used to be hostile towards adults during the reign of a corrupted Deku Tree called the Baga Tree, but their current leader is much friendlier.”

“How do ya know that?” Applejack asked.

Link shrugged. “I’ve been there before.”

“I’m afraid we’ll have to cut this short,” Zelda declared, standing up and straightening out her dress. “Lord Maulgrim is preparing to march to Death Mountain in hopes of stopping the fight between the Gorons and Zoras before it gets out of hand…” At this, Rarity looked alarmed, having not been told this beforehand. “Agahnim and I are going to work on trying to convince my father that the world hasn’t gone mad…” She blinked once in consideration before she continued, “…at least not as mad as he thinks it has. Princess Celestia and her sister are currently with those two other…I’m not sure what you refer to them as…”

“Alicorns,” Twilight offered.

“Alicorns, right,” Zelda picked up. “Celestia and Luna are currently with those two other alicorns, trying to see if they can purge them of Majora’s influence. Celestia told me the both of them were former students of hers she regrettably turned her back on in the past and wants to make up for her past mistakes by undoing whatever evil magic Majora used to empower them. Impa is going to send out a call to arms for all the Hylian provinces to provide warriors for the Royal Army, and the eight of you are going to restore the power of the Sages. Everyone understand our plan of action?”

Rainbow took to the air, smashing her hooves together with a feral grin. “Alright! Let’s take this fight right to Majora and his flunkies!”

XXXXXX

Castle Town Square, a short while later…

“Oh my, so this is Hyrule! I must say, this place looks even more drab than Canterlot, and that’s saying something!”

Maulgrim pursed his lips in mild annoyance as his current guest took in the sight of the half-destroyed jewel of Hyrule Kingdom in his typical way.

“If you would kindly focus on the matter at hand, Discord,” Maulgrim irritably began, but was promptly interrupted as Discord slyly teleported behind the Darknut Lord and put an arm around his shoulder.

“Speaking of hands, this is yours, by the way!” Discord offhandedly replied, and a discombobulated Floormaster popped into existence with a snap and a flash and fell to the ground. “I may or may not have insulted his mother. I don’t speak sign language, so I’m not quite sure. Let him grab somepony else’s leg for a change!”

As the Floormaster quickly ran for the nearest dark alleyway to escape the sunlight, scaring the living daylights out of random passersby in the process, Maulgrim rolled his eyes and, with that stubborn air of knightly conduct, declared, “Discord, stop acting like a child and listen. I need you to go to Lupay and tell the Legion to prepare for war. Once they are all ready, open up a portal between the city and Death Mountain. We must not let the Gorons and Zoras destroy each other. I am relying on you to pull this off. Can I trust you to do this?”

Discord rolled his eyes. “Honestly, you’re worse than Sun-butt. Fine; your wish is my command, mon capitan.”

The spirit of chaos gave an exaggerated bow before disappearing with a flash. Maulgrim let out a sigh he hadn’t even realized he had been holding back as he turned to address the one hundred Darknuts that comprised the Legion’s Ponyville Guard.

“Maulgrim!”

The Black Knight, recognizing that lovely voice anywhere, turned to greet his newest visitor.

“Lady Rarity,” he greeted, dipping his head.

“Maulgrim, dear, why didn’t you tell me you were leaving so soon?” Rarity asked, her eyes wide with worry.

“I was going to inform you after I finished addressing my knights here. I would not have left without saying goodbye, milady.”

Rarity blinked once before accepting this with a nod. “Oh, Maulgrim, will you be alright? You’re walking right into a warzone with only a hundred knights behind you.”

“These warriors are among my very best,” Maulgrim replied. “And Discord will bring reinforcements, in case our negotiations are forced to take a more…aggressive turn. Your mission is no less dangerous, milady, but I am confident that we will both succeed in our endeavors.”

Rarity was silent a moment before she said, “Kneel, brave knight. I have a gift for you.”

Maulgrim blinked in surprise before he got down on one knee, his heavy armor clanking at the motion. Rarity then reached into an unseen pocket and pulled out a dainty white kerchief, and Maulgrim’s eyes widened. They both knew what this meant.

“Take this, as a a gift, and a promise,” Rarity declared, gently stuffing the kerchief into Maulgrim’s breastplate. “Promise me you will make it through this dreadful war alive.”

Maulgrim did not hesitate. “On my knightly honor, this I swear.”

“And when you do, my hoof will be yours. This I swear.”

And then, Rarity raised her head and gently planted a kiss on the Black Knight’s cheek, which immediately burned as scarlet as his eyes. Thankfully his soldiers, ever the consummate professionals, did not stir once at this or make so much as a single whistle. Rarity managed a giggle as she then said, “As my Knight in Shining Armor, I expect you to sweep me off my feet when this is over.”

Maulgrim flashed a grin. “Of course. I am honor-bound to please my lady in any way I can.”

Rarity smiled and stepped back. “Go address your troops, darling. I can see them struggling not to whistle like barroom miscreants.”

Maulgrim bowed his head and turned to speak to his gathered forces. “Men!” he barked. “We march on Death Mountain! Our goal this day, is not to wage war…but to prevent it! The Gorons and Zoras must not be allowed to destroy each other! We will bar the Death Mountain Pass and force the Zoras to come to terms with the people of the Mountain! Is that understood?!”

The battalion of Darknuts saluted as one. “By your will, sire!” they chorused.

Maulgrim turned his head to look at Rarity, and they shared one last smile.

XXXXXX

Somewhere on the grounds of Hyrule Castle…

Chrysalis, having fully proved herself to the Hylians as an ally, had been allowed free access to the castle gardens by the guards. It seemed an odd request for one such as Chrysalis to make, but in truth, she was not here to smell the flowers. She was following the scent of something…else. Whatever it was, it was ancient, it was powerful, and above all, it was full of love. She needed to find out what this potential food source was, for without the Crystal Heart or a ready supply of recovery hearts from the life-giver plants, her people needed a reliable food source around which she could build a temporary hive as a way to harvest its energy during their stay in Hyrule.

As she passed by a raised bed of hydrangeas, (curious that two separate worlds shared many of the same species of flowers) Chrysalis suddenly realized she was not alone as she saw a Hylian girl kneeling in the grass. She was wearing a pink dress, and her blonde hair was tied up in pigtails. Several butterflies were hovering constantly over her as she picked through the foliage.

“Ooh, Mr. Beetle, your wing is bent! Here, come with me and I’ll make you all better, you’ll see!”

Chrysalis quirked an eyebrow as the girl gently picked up a large stag beetle with a bent wing protruding from its carapace and let it crawl onto her shoulder, where it joined several other insects currently perched there, including an earwig, a praying mantis, a golf ball-sized spider with a distinctive carapace shaped like a human skull, (said spider now eyeing the girl’s newest passenger with predatory interest) and even a one-eyed scorpion, of all things. The girl stood up, picking up a wicker basket and a pink lace parasol that matched her dress as she did so. Then she turned around and stopped when she saw Chrysalis staring at her.

“Oh!” the girl declared in surprise.

Chrysalis, normally used to people reacting with fear or suspicion at the sight of her, was taken aback by what the child said next.

“O-oh, my! You’re the most beautiful bug I’ve ever seen!”

Chrysalis blinked several times, not certain she had heard right. “What?”

Further confusing the Queen, the girl bounced right up to her in a manner eerily similar to that insufferable pink menace Twilight included in her little band. “Are you one of the Changelings my daddy told me about? You’re so pretty!”

Liking that her ego was being stroked for once, Chrysalis decided it couldn’t hurt to indulge. “I am Chrysalis, Queen of the Changelings,” she announced with a significant degree of flair. “Bane of the Gohma and Slayer of Iemanis! And what might your name be, child?”

The girl giggled at this. “I’m Agitha, Princess of the Bug Kingdom!” The girl then performed a curtsy. “It is an honor to make your acquaintance, Your Highness!”

“Princess of the Bug Kingdom?” Chrysalis repeated, somehow doubting this was a legitimate title.

Agitha eagerly nodded. “Uh-huh! All the bugs and creepy-crawlies of Hyrule Castle are my responsibility! They’ve been my best companions when Mum and Dad are busy working for the Royal Family. So many other people have so much difficulty seeing the beauty in the Bug Kingdom, and I’ve never been able to understand why.” She glanced at the baby Skulltula on her shoulder as it started prowling closer to the injured beetle. “Now Roger, no trying to eat our new friend! There’ll be crickets for you when we get home, okay?”

The Skulltula seemed to actually back off at this, sulking next to the baby Aruroda and praying mantis. Agitha giggled again. “Sorry about that. Roger just hatched a few days ago, so he’s almost always hungry!”

Clearing her throat, Chrysalis finally said, “I’m actually here because I’m looking for something. We Changelings feed on love and positive emotions, and I can sense something here emitting a magical signature of that nature. Do you know where, or perhaps what, it is?”

“Oh! You must be talking about Miss Navi! She’s the Great Fairy that lives in the hidden Fairy Fountain here in the gardens!” She gave Chrysalis a cheerful wink. “She’s been the Royal Family’s little secret for over a thousand years now…but don’t tell anyone! C’mon! I’ll take you to her!”

Without another word, Chrysalis followed the excitable girl called Agitha through the gardens until they came up to a life-sized statue of an individual who looked startlingly like that green-clad hero who had once given Vaati so much consternation.

“This is a statue,” Chrysalis remarked.

Agitha set her bug companions down in her basket before climbing up onto the pedestal the Hero of Time’s statue stood. Chrysalis watched, not sure what was happening. Then, with a flirtatious giggle, Agitha reached up and began to wiggle her delicate finger around the area where the statue’s navel was likely situated as she said, “Little Grasshopper, Little Grasshopper, I’d love to tickle your belly all day…”

Chrysalis’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Was this girl toying with her?

But then, something unexpected happened: the statue suddenly started sliding back as Agitha hopped down and collected her basket. A few seconds later, the statue revealed it had originally been standing over a hidden stairwell which they could now access. Noticing Chrysalis’s confused look, Agitha just smiled and chirped, “That’s our ‘secret knock’! That’s how she knows it’s me specifically! C’mon, let’s go meet her! I bet she’ll love you too!”

I certainly hope so, Chrysalis quietly thought to herself as she followed Agitha down the stairwell. I can’t exactly live without it.

Once they reached the bottom of the stairwell, the narrow passage opened up into a round chamber. Through some form of magic, water seemed to endlessly pour down from the ceiling from nowhere, yet the pool at their feet never seemed to deepen. A stone archway wound its way around the central pool, and flitting idly around over it were numerous glowing balls of blue light with wings like dragonflies.

“Miss Navi!” Agitha called out.

There was silence for several moments until it was broken by a serene, female voice that reverberated throughout the chamber. “Agitha…who have you brought here this time?”

“This is my new friend, Queen Chrysalis!” Agitha declared as she hugged the bug-pony, who reacted with shock at the gesture. “She’s a Changeling!”

As Agitha let go of Chrysalis, the rattled Changeling tried to process the strange jolt that shot through her body at the contact, and the strange warmth it generated. It actually felt…nice.

As such, she didn’t notice how her wings began to glimmer slightly.

“Queen Chrysalis…you are an…interesting individual…I am the Great Fairy of Love, but you may call me Navi.”

The smaller fairies all started to swarm around the center of the fountain rapidly, until a burst of blue light sent them scattering again, momentarily blinding Chrysalis. Agitha, however, didn’t even flinch, apparently used to it. When her vision cleared, she saw a tall woman standing in the middle of the fountain. Her dress was blue, and her long hair white, and were it not for the large, gossamer wings protruding from her back, and the ethereal blue glow emanating from her body, Chrysalis would have thought her to be another Hylian.

“Your people were instrumental in thwarting the first strike against the light, yet I sense a darkness in your heart,” the Great Fairy spoke, addressing her new guest. “Yet this darkness is born not out of pure malice, but out of being incomplete and not even knowing it.”

“What do you mean?” Chrysalis demanded, feeling a little defensive about that.

“You feed on love, but you have difficulty understanding it. That is not to say you are incapable of feeling it, you just merely have to learn.”

“I don’t understand,” Chrysalis replied. “Love is our food source.”

“And it is an emotion. One that is powerful, and spreads easily. Emotions are felt by all living beings. Imagine if a Changeling were to learn to love. If a Changeling can love itself, and love others, what need does it have to feed? Agitha, it seems, has broken the lock. Now, let me open the door.”

Navi held out her hands, as Chrysalis let out an exclamation of surprise as she rose into the air, fairy magic humming around her as it soaked into her body. There was so much love being poured into her, but with that love came also a profound understanding, for it was love that was freely given. And that understanding drew her deep within herself, into the very heart of the hive, and that knowledge began to spread. And more than ever before, Chrysalis felt the love of her people feed back into her. Not harvested love, their love.

And next to her, she felt the budding love of the innocent Agitha, who had given it freely despite having no reason to do so.

And she opened her own heart in turn.

Chrysalis was surrounded by light, and even Agitha had to cover her eyes, and then a feedback pulse burst out, and the light faded.

Chrysalis had changed.

Gone was the dull black carapace and hole-ridden hooves. Gone were the torn gossamer wings. Gone was the jagged, crooked horn.

Now her carapace was a brilliant white with a teal iridescence. Her horn was now long and smooth, with a slight curve. Her wings were now like those of a luna moth.

Chrysalis looked herself over, stunned at how different she looked and felt. The hunger that had always plagued her was gone. She felt love all around her, but it was no longer like the scent of a freshly-cooked meal, but the feeling, the emotion itself. At long last, she truly understood.

“I-I…I don’t even know how to thank you…” Chrysalis stammered, feeling humble for the first time in her life.

“The only thanks I need is that you spread this knowledge to the rest of your people,” the Great Fairy answered. “This is my gift to you for helping to save this kingdom. You will be remembered as the greatest queen the Changelings have ever known, and they will flourish like never before.”

Chrysalis had no idea what to say. She was still trying to process the sudden and life-changing events. But there was one thing she did know, and the thought of it filled her with new determination.

Majora should be very afraid.

XXXXXX

Hyrule Castle Dungeons…

Celestia and Luna silently watched over the slumbering, still-corrupted forms of Sunset Shimmer and Starlight Glimmer. The two corrupted alicorns were currently bound in chains covered in runes that prevented the prisoners from performing any kind of magic. For the foreseeable future, Luna was keeping them trapped in a potent sleeping spell she had gone to great lengths to make as unbreakable as possible, knowing full well Dethl could possibly attempt to interfere again as it had so many times before.

Shaking her head to will away the anger bubbling in her chest again at the thought of that vile monster, Luna refocused her attention on the here and now. “So, would you mind explaining to me, dear sister, what this is all about?” she asked, gesturing at the two with a hoof.

Celestia sighed, a deep, world-weary sigh heavy with guilt and regret. “Luna…banishing you when you became Nightmare Moon was the hardest thing I have ever had to do. It…it nearly destroyed me. Especially because my hope had been that the Elements would turn you back to normal. When they didn’t…I realized it was because you were too far gone at the time. I truly thought I had lost you forever. The one constant in my long, long life…the only one I felt understood me as well as I understood myself. I couldn’t bear the thought of living forever with that void in my heart, and…over the next thousand years, I made so many foolish mistakes in an attempt to fill that void…or to escape it.”

Luna blinked, horrified realization setting in. “Escape? …Celie, you don’t mean…”

“The day after you were banished, I couldn’t…perform my duties. I was expected to raise both my sun and your moon, as if…as if to prove to our own people t-that I d-didn’t…t-that I d-didn’t need you. A-and I c-couldn’t bear the thought of t-t-that.”

As Celestia’s voice broke at this, Luna’s own eyes began to water as well. “Tia…t-tell me you didn’t…”

“After…A-after I raised t-the moon f-for the first time, I-I…I w-went to your old Manticore f-friend, Melvin…I-I asked him for s-some of h-his t-tail venom…I didn’t tell him why…I d-didn’t even tell him w-what h-had happened t-to you…” Luna’s eyes slowly widened further at the horrible revelation as her sister continued. “T-that night, I-I requested a-a bottle of w-wine f-from the royal vineyard…It w-was your favorite flavor, r-red grape…I put the Manticore venom i-in the bottle…a-and I d-drank it all i-in one go…”

Luna put a hoof to her mouth, trying to hide the choking sob fighting past her throat. “O-oh, by our dear mother…!”

“I-I nearly died…I very nearly died…b-but one of your Night Guards found me, a-and rushed me t-to the Medical Wing…b-but…it ended up…m-making matters even w-w-worse…”

Luna swallowed thickly. “That’s why my Thestrals were banished from Canterlot…”

Celestia nodded her head, sniffing and rubbing her face. “They blamed m-my poisoning on him…a-and rumors spread f-fast that t-the Night Guard h-had plotted t-to assassinate me in retaliation f-for banishing you…I w-was helpless t-to stop it…While I w-was unconscious a-and in recovery, Princess Platinum, Commander Hurricane, and Chancellor Puddinghead, along with the other nobility, assumed control of my throne, a-and their first act w-was to execute that poor stallion…a-and banish the rest, branding them traitors…” She sniffed again, and this time a bitter glint reflected off her wet eyes. “…It’s ironic, in the end, because they themselves betrayed me in turn… Without Starswirl around to keep them in check…they started feuding again. When I…when I finally woke up days later, and was told what had happened, I…I-I did something unforgivable…”

“W-what…what did you do…?”

Celestia finally looked her sister dead in the eye with a look of pure devastation and self-loathing. “…I became the Daybreaker.”

Luna looked confused, blinking rapidly. “You became the what?”

“I became a Nightmare.”

Finally it clicked, and Luna gasped as she almost felt her heart stop. “No…!”

“In that moment, I finally learned, truly learned, what it really means to hate…for your rage to burn like the heat of the Sun until it leaves nothing behind but the scorched remains of all who have wronged you…I became the Daybreaker, immediately purging myself of the poison, and confronted the three of them in the throne room. And I…I came so frighteningly close to killing them. Even when I told them the truth, that I had poisoned myself and they had executed an innocent pony, Platinum had the gall to tell me that it didn’t matter. The only thing that mattered was that the people believed the Thestrals were traitors. That, innocent or not, they weren’t wanted here. They were never wanted, a-and neither were you. Platinum dared to tell me that our own people…hated you. That ponydom was better off without you. That I was better off without you.”

Luna swallowed thickly, now knowing that what she had always feared had been true all along. “So I was right…”

“I wanted to kill them…I was so tempted by the thought of revenge…and then I realized that was how you fell…Because the people you loved and trusted wronged you, and it broke you…I was able to regain control of myself, a-and that…was the last time I ever became the Daybreaker. But once I regained my senses…I told the three of them, in no uncertain terms, that their nations would be dissolved upon their deaths. I forcibly broke the power of the nobility so that their positions were little more than ceremonial. And that was how I united Equestria under Canterlot rule…”

While this information was a lot for Luna to take in, it wasn’t enough that she forgot the heart of the matter. “S-so…what does any of that have to do with them?”

Celestia stared at the two Nightmares sadly as she answered, “About two hundred years ago, I discovered a way to transform particularly powerful ponies into alicorns. The process was called…‘ascension’. When I learned of it, I…shamefully saw it as a way to replace you. To that end, I opened up the Canterlot School For Gifted Unicorns. It was my hope that a worthy student would come along and excel in their studies, after which I would take them on as my personal student. If they continued to impress me…my intention was to ascend them. It wasn’t until about ten years ago that the first promising candidate came along…Starlight Glimmer. She was one of those unicorns who demonstrated a talent for magic itself, a very rare trait. But her upbringing left her with significant self-confidence issues, and a fear of disappointing others and being abandoned. I was so new at the whole apprenticeship thing that I wasn’t patient with her when I should have been. She could sense this, which fed into her inferiority complex and abandonment issues, and when I found another potential student by the name of Fizzlepop Berrytwist that I thought might be a better fit, Starlight found out and tried to steal her Cutie Mark, a horrifying ability I had never seen before. So angered and frightened was I by this power that I immediately banished Starlight from Canterlot, but by that time Fizzlepop was so traumatized by the experience she returned to her village and was later accidentally killed by an Ursa Minor whose cave she had wandered into. Two years later, Sunset Shimmer caught my eye, displaying a similar proficiency in all categories of magic. But like Starlight, she knew from the beginning that the end result of apprenticeship would be ascension, and she was ambitious. That ambition frightened me, and even though she had nowhere else to go, having lost her family in a fire during the second year of her tutelage, I ended it, telling her that she was missing the point of her studies, and thus could not learn what she needed to. Despite her ambitions, she had been a loyal student and had even made a few friends on her own, but I was so afraid of having another Nightmare Moon on my hands I ignored it. More decisions I have long since come to regret. Too late did I realize what I was really doing, and what being a teacher was really about. I was trying to replace you to assuage my guilt and loneliness. It wasn’t about them…it was about me. And I realized in turn I was missing the point of my own lessons. When Twilight came along, I resolved to be more patient and understanding, to remind myself that this was not you. This was a different pony, with a different life and different goals. I couldn’t replace my sister…but I could make a friend. So I did. But throughout our time together, I changed one aspect of our lessons from what I had before…”

Catching on, Luna softly added, “You didn’t tell her about the ascension.”

Celestia shook her head. “No. In truth, I began questioning the need for it, once I realized I had conceived it purely out of an effort to replace you. I still do not know if I will ascend her at this point.”

Celestia sighed again, closing her eyes. “I’m sorry I was such a stupid little filly, Luna.”

Luna put a hoof around her sister’s shoulder. “None of us are perfect, Celie. I made my mistakes, you made yours. And yet, despite them all, we’re here, now, together.”

But this did nothing to cheer Celestia up. “And what’s to be done about King Sombra?”

Luna’s face fell at the grim reminder of one of their deadliest enemies. “One of us has to go back, Luna,” Celestia continued grimly. “Without Cadance, our people are vulnerable. And yet I can’t in good conscience abandon the people of Hyrule when they too are facing enemies we once thought conquered.”

Luna seemingly steeled herself before she said, “I will go. You stay here.”

Celestia looked like she wanted to protest, but Luna held up a hoof, cutting her off. “Please. Sombra knows how to defeat you. He’s gotten in both our heads before. He’s the reason I became Nightmare Moon to begin with. But with Vaati’s help, I have long since come to terms with my own inner demons. Sombra may not be expecting that, which will give me an advantage. Besides, as his lover, I’d like to think I have a similar rapport with the monster peoples he once ruled. Even if it is true that my people once wanted nothing to do with me, I now know that has changed. I will lead the fight in Equestria. Help Vaati and the Hyruleans here, and perhaps an opportunity may come where you can begin to atone for your own sins.”

Luna shot one last look at the subdued Nightmares as she finished.

“Lulu, are you sure?” Celestia hesitantly asked.

“I am,” Luna replied without hesitation.

Celestia’s eyes brimmed with yet more tears as she touched Luna’s cheek with her hoof. “I’m sorry I haven’t said this nearly enough in the past. But now I mean it more than ever. I-I’m so proud of you, my sister.”

The two immortal sisters tearfully embraced, comforted by each other’s presence. “I love you, Celie.”

“I love you too, Luna.”

XXXXXX

“Tirek.”

“Grogar.”

“Is the mutt dead?”

“Nothing but a smudge on the cavern walls, heheheheh. And it was glorious. Anyways, the beasts of Tartarus have rallied together in your name, and we await your signal.”

“Excellent. Between my Trogals, my monsters, and the so-called Lynels you’ve subjugated, we will easily crush the Gorons and Zoras between us.”

“Would it not make more sense to let them fight it out a while before we move in?”

“Hm hm hm hm…and what fun would that be for us?”

“Hah! True.”

“Besides, our enemies are hoping to intervene in the matter as well. These so-called ‘Darknuts’ could pose a problem if they were to succeed, hm?”

“You said it yourself. We can crush them all between us easily, as between hammer and anvil.”

“And crush them we shall, my old friend. I will launch the first assault, and when our enemies are fully engaged in the fighting to where they cannot easily break off, I will open the second portal and let you in on the fun.”

“Heheheheheheh…I look forward to it.”

“Now go and ready your troops. Our finest hour is near at hand!”

To Be Continued…

Author's Note

After months of waffling and waiting, I have finally finished this. I’m still not totally satisfied with it, but that’s what happens when the time you normally sit down to write happens to be in the wee hours of the morning. I know despite “Battle For Equestria” being part of the title, there wasn’t much in the way of fighting here. More like lots of exposition, backstory-building, and general rambling. I just wanted to set up the wider conflict and the many adventures and sidequests our multitude of characters will embark on. Now you may ask, what about Scootaloo and the Cutie Mark Crusaders? Don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten about them, and you’ll eventually find out what their little plan is. I just couldn’t fit it in here.

To be honest, there’s a reason that, after over a year I finally sat down and was able to complete a new chapter. The truth is, a story like this…the words I put down, my inspiration, my drive…they’re, at their core, powered by my emotions. The good, the bad…I write when my feelings can act as fuel to continue the story, because then the characters’ emotions also seem that much more real. And the reason for that emotion is that, recently, I made a terrible mistake. I, out of boredom, decided to play a prank on someone I care very deeply about. It was a stupid thing to do, but I thought it would be funny. However, despite knowing that, I also knew this person was, like me, extremely gullible. So I tried to make it as obvious as possible the whole way through that it was a joke. It didn’t work. They worked themselves into a panic so quickly they didn’t notice, and when I realized that, despite my efforts, they still thought it was real, I realized I had screwed up big time. Now, I haven’t even bothered trying to talk to them because I have a feeling they’re too angry to talk right now. I know they’ll eventually forgive me, (I hope) but the worst part is that it will be a lot longer before I can forgive myself. Because I hesitated at the last second. I almost didn’t go through with it. That voice in my head that’s normally so persuasive, that kept saying this was a bad idea, was for once ignored because I had thought I was trying to be brave or something. But I wasn’t brave. Just stupid. Like always. I’m so sorry for what I did, and I want them to know that I specifically dedicate this chapter to them, though I won’t say who to maintain their privacy and mine. And furthermore, when we talk again, whenever that is, I want to make it up to them, and thus I have a special offer for them. An offer that, my dear readers, is none of your business. I still love you guys, though.

On one final note, who else is really disappointed with how they handled King Sombra in the Season 9 premiere? I mean, I know Jim Miller wasn’t allowed to reprise the role because he’s production staff, not a full-time voice actor, but still, they made Sombra sound and act like an evil Zephyr Breeze! Even Benedict Cumberbatch did a better job voicing Sauron in The Hobbit than this guy did voicing Sombra! At least Sauron still managed to sound genuinely threatening… Furthermore, the fact that the popular Grogar/Sombra apprenticeship theory has officially been ground into the dirt by the Hasbro team is also really disappointing. Also destroying the Tree of Harmony actually won’t do jack shit to stop the Mane Six. A deceptively-narcissistic part of me is inclined to believe that this premiere was aimed directly at the EWM series as a way to say, “screw your headcanons, asshole!” But the rational side of me knows that’s not true.

I think.

Tfw your backstories tend to be better than official canon but it frustrates you rather than pleases you…

Episode 1: The Bridging of Worlds Part 1

Episode 1: The Bridging of Worlds Part 1 – The Rift Opens

Five years.

It's been five years since Equestria was assaulted by Ganondorf himself. Five years since we defeated him and ended the legacy of Demise once and for all.

One war ended…but another is on the horizon. I can feel it.

When Ganon arrived, we learned not long afterward that his resurrection here had been engineered by an even greater evil, one that remains unvanquished as of this day.

And yet, for the most part, Equestria has been quiet since the destruction of Demise and Ganon's final death. However, while a majority of Equestrians have readjusted to the peace, there are those of us that know it is but a temporary reprieve. Somewhere out there, hidden from our sight and beyond our borders, the forces of darkness are gathering for an all-out assault on this world. Celestia and Luna both know this, but so far, no sign of the Church of Majora has been found. The Dark God's servants have hidden themselves well if even Luna cannot pierce the veil of shadows they have wrapped around themselves.

It's been five years now, and as time goes by, my worry increases. I know the war is coming; I know that Majora is almost ready. But when will it be? When he does strike, will it be when we are at our most vulnerable? Equestria has been expanding its military, but I fear it will not be enough. Nothing would be enough to stop something like Majora, not if he is able to free himself.

The Gohma attack on Ponyville was the first sign we got that Majora is not content to just sit around and wait for us to pull our pants down. He WANTS us to know that he's around, to enshroud the country in a blanket of fear. Despite the lives lost, I believe Equestria is still holding fast in the face of that fear. Impressive, I admit.

Then there is the matter of the incident with Griffonstone. We managed to help them get back on their feet, and yet soon after, something, and no one is quite certain what, happened that almost sparked a war between the Griffons and Equestrians. Thankfully, with Gilda's help, we were able to not only make Chancellor Geoffrey see reason, but also inspired the previously-impotent prince to take his matters of state more seriously. There have also been rumors of strange activity amongst the dragons, but nothing has been confirmed as of yet.

There are also the troubling matters of the Great Manehattan Fire, which happened the day of my first birthday celebration, no less, and the mysterious disappearance of all the ponies in Hollow Shades. The fire apparently started at an old curiosity shop, but Celestia, Luna, and I all recognized those flames. We don't know why, but we believe King Sombra was the cause of that fire, which means Majora has seen fit to revive him. If that's the case, then the Crystal Empire is sure to be one of Majora's first targets once he launches his assault. Luna suspects he also might have been involved with the disappearance of the ponies of Hollow Shades, as Sombra apparently had no willing servants, and thus enslaved ponies to fight for him through enchanted armor that brainwashed the wearer into subservience. If Luna is right, then that means Sombra is preparing an army, wherever he is, and I have no doubts he will strike the Crystal Empire first.

Somebody also started riling the idiot nobles, basically spelling out for them just how much of a pointless joke they were in the Princesses' eyes, how their status really didn't have any political meaning anymore, and there was almost an outright rebellion. The thought makes me laugh; they had no chance of accomplishing anything in the end other than a prison sentence, and lo and behold, I was right. Surprisingly, it was Luna's whelp of a nephew, Blueblood, and that other socialite, Fancypants, that Rarity likes talking about so much, who exposed their silly little plot. Granted, had it come to fruition, Equestria would have faced significant financial upheaval, but it all thankfully resolved itself without too much incident. Was Majora behind that too? He has a knack for that sort of thing…

Then there was the mysterious plague that hit. It spread fast and affected many. Thankfully, Zecora was able to discover that the plague was magical in nature, thus confirming it as another attack against us, and Ponyville's residents were saved. But many others throughout Equestria were not so lucky, and perished before the cure could reach them.

Diamond Tiara disappeared too. According to her father, he was visited in his dreams by a being calling itself "Ooccoo", which told him his daughter apparently has her own divine role to play in this chess game between gods. I cannot fathom why he allowed this to happen, or why Diamond Tiara accepted such an offer, but nothing can be done about it now. If she indeed has a role to play, I think we will be seeing her again.

At the very least, though, some things have happened during these past few years I can regard with a degree of optimism. After all of monster-kind was freed from the curse of Demise, they all began the rebuilding of their cities and cultures, with some Equestrian help. The Darknuts carved a new citadel into the very rock of Foal Mountain, not far from Hollow Shades, which they named Lupay, after a famous Darknut sorceress. The Moblins built a string of fortress cities in the open plains between Galloping Gorge and Neighagra Falls, converting much of it into farmland. The Wizzrobes now have a mansion of their own inside Canterlot to serve as the headquarters of their Order. Some wander about the countryside, healing the sick, while others pursue mastery of rare and hidden magics. Some unicorns have even approached the Wizzrobes in hopes of receiving magical tutelage, and thus Overseer Shanzom has permitted the more experienced Wizzrobes to take in pupils of their own. The Lizalfos have built their kingdom within the Haysead Swamps of the south, not far from the Badlands. They have mostly been keeping to themselves, as they never were a very social race. Keatons roam all over Equestria and beyond, sometimes stealing, sometimes offering their services as mercenaries. At the very least, though, they limit the trouble they raise in Equestria. Must be their roundabout way of showing gratitude.

The Changelings, to my surprise, have indeed so far maintained their alliance with Equestria. Though, considering that they too are aware of Majora's influence in Equestria, it only makes sense. Although the crops of life-giver plants I gave them are flourishing under their care, it's no longer unusual to find Changelings frequenting wedding receptions or even finding work in, shall we say, houses of pleasure, assuming the forms of whoever their clients wish so that they can live out some sort of sexual fantasy. The thought gives me hives, but I will not question it. I suppose you have to do what you can to support a rapidly-growing population.

The Diamond Dogs have been mostly quiet, though Rarity has, in recent years, voluntarily aided the Dogs living close to Ponyville in their search for gems. I personally can't imagine why, but Rarity claims that she is happy to perform a service, as long as she gets a share of the gems she helps them find. Occasionally, though, one may wander into town for whatever reason, and they are for the most part welcomed. In fact, it was the Diamond Dogs that warned us of the Gohma infestation in the Everfree, and for that, we all owe them a debt of gratitude.

About a year ago, Volvagia returned as well. The Fire Drake of Death Mountain apparently didn't think very highly of the Equestrian Dragons and instead has chosen to lair in a lone mountain far enough away from Ponyville that she (it still surprises me that Fluttershy was able to ascertain the damn thing's sex) could dig deep enough inside that she could generate some volcanic conditions without fear of harming pony civilization, but close enough that Fluttershy can occasionally visit. Heh, Fluttershy even took Spike to visit her once, and the poor kid was smitten. I guess it's good that he finally got over Rarity, as everyone knew that little pipe dream wasn't going anywhere. Though this only seems to prove my theory that Spike has a thing for older women…

Ahem, anyway, for the most part, Equestria has returned to normal. Though many more ponies are joining Celestia and Luna's guard now, and I heard Shining Armor and Cadance are doing the same over in the Crystal Empire. In the event of any situation, I dispatched Eye Sentries to all the major leaders of Equestria and its cordial factions. Maulgrim has one, as does Shanzom, and Sul-Kat-Na, King Bulblin and the Moblin Matriarchs, Prince Garrett, Rover, and even Chrysalis, though she avoids that thing like the plague when she doesn't need it, heh.

And as for my daughter Scootaloo and her friends, they all have excelled in their chosen fields. As soon as she was of age, Scootaloo joined Luna's Night Guard, and it wasn't long before she rose to the rank of Royal Night Captain, which is the Lunar equivalent of Shining Armor's former position amongst the Day Guards. Applebloom has become the head engineer of Equestria's siege weapons industry, and Sweetie Belle, through the teachings of not just Nigellas, but Twilight, myself, Shanzom the Golden, and even Trixie, to my surprise, has become an archmage to rival even the likes of Starswirl the Bearded. She has even managed to weave spellcraft into music, and she has gained the moniker of the "Siren of Canterlot". Whatever part they have to play in the future, they will all now do so from positions of power. Still, with Scootaloo having moved out from the palace, I find myself missing her company. She was there all the time, but before I knew it, she'd grown up and now she's making her own name out in the world. Is this what being a father feels like?

As I finish this entry, I still can't help but wonder; how long do we have left? And when the time comes…what role will Hyrule have to play in it?

XXXXXX

Palace of Darkness, the Dark World…

King Dethl sat in its hard-fought throne as it glared at the assembly before it. Every major force of evil in Hyrule and Equestria was now gathered in the throne room of the Dark Palace. King Sombra stood by his mentor Grogar, flanked by the hooded forms of Sunset Shimmer and Starlight Glimmer, who both regarded the demons around them warily. Gomess, surrounded as always by her hordes of Vires, hovered near the towering, centipede-like form of Iemanis, Lord of the Gohma. Yuga and Ghirahim stood together near the back, neither wanting to draw major attention to themselves, as Dethl regarded them both with a degree of disdain. Then again it regarded everyone except Majora with disdain. Tirek stood near the sultry Veran and the hulking General Onox, his arms folded as he waited impatiently for their orders to come.

"Servant," Dethl intoned, its single eye darting over each individual in the room. "Allies…our master has spoken. The time has at last come." No one said anything, and thus Dethl continued. "Veran, what is the situation between the Gorons and Zoras?"

Veran smirked. "War at this point is inevitable. As hardheaded and stupid as he is, King Rutolfus is a surprisingly good listener when it comes to matters of war. Even now he is gathering his forces for an all-out attack on Death Mountain."

"Excellent," Dethl replied. "With the Gorons and Zoras so focused on eradicating each other, neither of them will be able to reinforce the Kingdom of Hyrule in its time of need. Iemanis, are the Kokiri dealt with?"

"To the last, Your Majesty," Iemanis answered smugly. "My servants feasted well."

"Good. And Sombra, are our newest recruits outfitted with your special armor?"

Sombra nodded. "They're ready," he said with a fanged grin.

"Onox, are the dragons subdued?"

"A few fled like cowards after my takeover," Onox responded. "Mostly whelps. Those that resisted now serve as Stallords. After the first few, the rest of them got the message."

"Grogar, your Trogals. Are they ready to march?"

"As soon as I give the order," Grogar replied.

"Gomess, your plague has run its course, in both Hyrule and Equestria. Do you have enough Stalfos for the battles ahead?"

"I underestimated the Equestrians' skills, but my plague still claimed many lives," Gomess admitted. "I will manage."

"Hm. Then let us proceed. Onox, go back to the Dragon Kingdom and mobilize your forces. Sombra, you will lead the first assault on the Crystal Empire after Blind steals the Crystal Heart. Onox will reinforce you with his dragons once they have sufficiently laid waste to the Equestrian countryside, dealing as much damage as they can to the monster tribes' infrastructure on the way there. Tirek, you will venture to Tartarus, free the beasts there, and bend them to our cause. Surely you have enough power to deal with Cerberus?"

Tirek smirked. "That mutt won't be a problem. Not this time."

"We will hold you to that. Once you have done this, you will reinforce Grogar's Trogals as they wipe out the Gorons and Zoras in one fell swoop. Iemanis, Gomess, take your respective armies and lay siege to Hyrule Castle. Devour all who lie within. Disciples, are the temples subdued?"

"Yes," Sunset answered. "The Forest Sanctuary, the Crater of Flames, the Temple of Droplets, the Crypt of Shadows, and the Fortress of Sands are all overrun with our servants. Eventually the Sages' powers there will fade."

Dethl chuckled darkly. "Good; the faster the Sages' legacy fades, the sooner Majora will be free. While you carry out your orders, we will focus on preparing the ritual that will shatter the doors to Majora's prison. Now go, all of you! To war, followers of Majora! TO WAR!"

XXXXXX

Somewhere in the Everfree Forest…

All was quiet and peaceful in the Everfree. Birds were singing, and animals were going about their usual business, hunting, eating, sleeping, mating, and carrying out the cycle of life.

All of a sudden, a strange glowing crack rent the air, spilling light into the usual gloom of the forest.

The rift had opened.

XXXXXX

Canterlot Castle…

Celestia was in the middle of signing more and more mounds of paperwork when she suddenly felt it. She shuddered, a million thoughts and scenarios running through her mind.

No…not again!

No sooner had she thought that when Luna barged into the throne room. "Sister! Did you feel that?" she demanded.

Celestia stood, setting the stack of papers aside. They could wait; this couldn't.

"We have to investigate this," the Sun Princess said. "NOW."

XXXXXX

Celestia and Luna ventured alone into the Everfree, fully armored and ready for anything, following the source of energy they had felt enter Equestria. Soon enough, they arrived in a clearing, and the two of them gasped at what they saw.

"Is that…?" Luna breathed.

"Yes," Celestia marveled. "A portal. A portal to Hyrule."

XXXXXX

Palace of Winds…

"You found WHAT?!" Vaati cried in shock.

"A portal to Hyrule opened up in the Everfree?!" Twilight demanded.

Celestia and Luna now stood in the meeting hall of the Palace of Winds, along with Nigellas, Maulgrim, (who had agreed to come on such short notice due to the severity of the situation) the Mane Six, and Vaati, who had all reacted with shock at the news.

"Yes," Celestia answered. "We don't know how it got there, but it's open now, and there has to be a reason for it, divine or otherwise."

Vaati put a hand to his forehead, trying to process this information. "How is this possible?" he whispered to himself.

"It matters not how it is possible," Luna replied gravely. "What matters now is that we must take advantage of this unexpected opportunity."

Vaati whipped around and glared at her. "Take advantage how?"

"How else?" Celestia responded. "We must go to Hyrule and establish relations with them."

"That's 'we' as in 'you', right?" Vaati said. "Because there's no way in Tartarus I'm going back to Hyrule."

"Vaati, as Mage Knight of Equestria, your duty is to help us when we require your aid," Celestia answered. "You alone know more about the people of Hyrule and their customs than any of us here in Equestria."

Vaati let out a disbelieving chuckle. "Princess…you can't…you can't be serious."

"The boss raises a fine point, Your Majesty," Nigellas chose this moment to speak up. "While he may be reformed here, the people in Hyrule don't know that. As far as they're concerned, he's still the big bad Wind Mage that terrorized Hyrule since ancient times."

"I-is there any way we might be able to get them to see that he's changed?" Twilight ventured. "If they see how much of a good person he's become, maybe they will be more accepting?"

Vaati shook his head. "You're all idiots. The people of Hyrule are bigoted and set in their beliefs. Nothing ever changes. Good remains good, evil remains evil. They may try to hang me on the spot, and possibly you for associating with me! Either that, or try to present you with some medal for apprehending the notorious 'Sorcerer of Winds'."

Applejack smiled. "Ah don't know about you, but Ah think we got plenty'a evidence to show them folks that you're a changed pony…er, Hylian, Ah mean."

"Agreed," Celestia declared. "Luna and I will both go, as will all of you and Scootaloo. If anything should happen, all of us have stories to tell that could sway the people's minds in our favor."

Vaati held his breath for several moments before he let out a long sigh. "This is insane, Princess. You're asking me to walk into what might be my death."

"We'll protect you if it comes to that!" Rainbow Dash declared.

"And start a war with Hyrule in the process," Vaati grimly pointed out.

"What about Hyrule's princess?" Twilight asked.

"Zelda? What about her?"

"Maybe she could be convinced," Twilight explained. "I mean, she seemed to sympathize with you when you mentioned getting tired of your old life, didn't she?"

Vaati thought about this, folding his arms and bowing his head. "If this doesn't work…I swear I'll be back to haunt you all."

XXXXXX

Hyrule Castle…

Black clouds blanketed the sky, flashing red streaks of lightning that scorched the earth below. Cracks ripped open in the earth, spewing dark shapes with burning eyes. The Triforce was spinning above the chaos, its golden light fading as hands of darkness reached for it. There was laughter; terrible laughter that curdled the blood and froze the very soul. And then, without warning, six balls of light surrounded the Triforce, reinforcing it with their strength. The hands of darkness were forced back. The laughter turned to screaming rage, joined by the enraged howls of countless demons. Was this the power of the Sages? No; the new lights condensed into several large gems. A pink star. A red apple. A blue diamond. A multi-colored streak of lightning. A blue balloon. A pink butterfly.

Elements…

Elements of what…?

Elements of…

GWO HOH HOH HOH HOH HOH!

Blackness covered all, and a large green eye emerged, glaring murderously.

And then Princess Zelda awoke in a cold sweat, panting heavily.

She hugged her arms against her chest. Another prophetic dream. She had been having those a lot lately. They had all been the same; black clouds, demons spewing from the earth, the hideous laughter, and the Triforce's power failing against the power of evil. But something had changed with this one. Those gems of power…there were six, and yet their power was totally different from that of the Six Sages of old. What did it mean? What did they represent?

Zelda sighed as she tossed aside her covers and arose to greet the morning. As she set about bathing, and then clothing herself, she mulled over the dream in her head. Impa is a descendant of one of the Shadow Sages, she thought to herself. Maybe she can shed some light on the situation.

She caught herself and laughed mutely. Impa? Shedding light? And dogs meow and cats bark.

Now clean and fully dressed, Zelda tied her golden hair into a ponytail and put on her signature tiara before leaving her room to join her father at the breakfast table. When she got there, her father was already seated, as were her nursemaid, Impa, and Minister Agahnim, all giving her quirked eyebrows.

"Goodness, my daughter, I was beginning to think you would sleep through breakfast!" King Daphnes the Third declared as Zelda wordlessly took her seat beside him.

"Sorry, father," Zelda apologized. "I had another dream."

Daphnes waved his hand dismissively. "Bah! Dreams are only dreams! Harmless and meaningless! Think nothing of them!"

Zelda just looked down at the table, despondent that her father still refused to believe in her prophetic dreams. This was the same problem that had allowed Ganondorf to rise for the first time all those centuries ago. She didn't notice Impa and Agahnim look at her before sharing a worried glance.

At that moment, the pantry doors opened, and the castle cooks and pages brought forth their breakfast; eels, a whole roast pig, and lots of vegetables and fruit. The king was insistent that meat be present at every meal, thus the pig. Daphnes grinned from ear to ear. "Ah, let's get started, shall we?"

As the four of them gathered their respective helpings, Agahnim leaned forward in his seat, having removed the mouth cover of his turban so that he could eat, and steepled his fingers together. "So, would Her Majesty care to share the details of this dream?"

Daphnes rolled his eyes as he bit into his share of roast pork. "You Shiekah mystics. Seeing things in the shadows that aren't really there."

Zelda, however, knew that Agahnim and Impa would not dismiss her dreams as her father did. They were Shiekah; they were smarter than that. Clearing her throat, Zelda said, "It started out the same as it has been for a while now. Clouds of darkness blanket Hyrule. The ground rips open, and demonic shapes burst out of it. I see the Triforce, and the hands of darkness that emerge from the clouds to seize it. Only this time, something appeared and beat the darkness back, protecting the Triforce and strengthening it."

Agahnim straightened, a pensive look crossing his features. "Hmm…that is interesting."

Now Impa chose this moment to inquire, "And what did you see come to the Triforce's rescue?"

"I…I'm not entirely sure. Six colored orbs of light descended from the sky and encircled the Triforce, and together they created a barrier between themselves and the power of darkness."

Impa furrowed her brow. "The Sages?"

Zelda shook her head. "No…I don't know how I know this, but I do not believe so. It was something different. The lights, they…they became gems of some kind. But these were strange shapes. One was a pink star, one was an apple, another was a blue balloon, and then a blue diamond, a lightning bolt split into blue, red, and yellow stripes, and a pink butterfly."

Daphnes snorted. "Now that sounds like a nice dream, so why brood on it?"

Zelda glowered at her oblivious father as he returned to eating. She shared a glance with Impa, who gave her that "we'll talk later" look she had come to know so well. She sighed; at least someone in this damned castle actually bothered to listen to her.

XXXXXX

After breakfast…

Zelda met Impa in her room, casting a spell over the area to ensure that no one could listen in on their conversation. "You said there were six of these gems, Princess?" Impa asked.

Zelda nodded. "Unquestionably."

"And you say it wasn't the power of the Sages producing this magic?"

"I'm certain of it."

Impa rubbed her chin. "Then what could it be? The Triforce has been split apart ever since Ganondorf entered the Sacred Realm and attempted to take it for himself. The Triforce being whole again could symbolize that the Triforce may soon be reunited, or, far more unlikely, that its bearers face a threat so great that they must unite to defeat it. But that still does not explain these mysterious gems. I'm sorry, Princess, but I cannot help you further on this matter. The riddle eludes me as well. If it is a portent of the Goddesses, then perhaps the situation will explain itself in due time."

"But by then…will it already be too late?" Zelda mostly asked herself.

Impa, however, chose to answer anyway. "Truthfully, I do not know, Princess. But I do not think the Goddesses will abandon us to a dark fate. Whatever happens, know that I will be by your side when you face it."

Zelda flashed tired smile. "Your words give me courage, Impa."

Impa opened her mouth to reply, but she was interrupted when a shadow grew from the floor, widening into the size of a person before a body rose from the shadows and coalesced before them.

"Impa, Princess," Agahnim began, his mouth now covered by his turban again. "We are needed in the throne room. Some envoys from a strange land have requested an urgent meeting with the royal family."

"Envoys?" Zelda repeated incredulously.

Envoys usually didn't appear on such short notice unless there was trouble that required Hyrule's intervention. Gathering herself, Zelda nodded to her father's advisor. "Thank you, Agahnim. We'll be there presently."

Agahnim nodded in turn before sinking back into his shadow portal and vanishing. After a moment of silence, Zelda grumbled, "I really hate it when he does that."

Impa shrugged. "Come; let us see what this is all about."

XXXXXX

Townspeople stopped and stared at the procession of strange beings that strode purposefully past them down the streets towards the castle. The strangely-colored horses with the large eyes, wings, and horns were regarded with confusion and no small hint of suspicion, suspicion that only deepened as they noticed the small entourage of monsters accompanying them. But no one barred their path, and the path to Hyrule Castle remained clear. Some of the equines were wearing golden armor, and carried standards bearing various sigils the people of Hyrule did not recognize, which fluttered in the gentle breeze.

Vaati glanced nervously at his surroundings. Though he knew that the Hylians didn't recognize him right now, having only seen Vaati as the great winged eye, once word got out that this was what he looked like under his demonic exterior, he knew deep down there was going to be a veritable mountain of trouble for him.

All around him, his friends were darting their heads about as they took in the sights, sounds, and smells of Hyrule, their eyes wide with wonder and awe. Maulgrim, however, was less impressed, and could clearly feel the hostile eyes boring into him from multiple directions.

"You'd find more cheer in a graveyard," he muttered just loud enough for Vaati to hear.

Vaati scoffed in response. "Lucky us; that's probably where we'll end up soon."

"I still don't understand why you wanted me of all people to join you on this fool's errand," Queen Chrysalis glowered from behind him.

"At least consider it an honor we chose to involve you personally in an important diplomatic matter on Equestria's behalf," Luna chided.

Chrysalis rolled her eyes. "Honor doesn't put food on our tables."

From where she was marching by Luna's side, dressed in the armor of a Lunar Guard Captain, Scootaloo breathed, "Wooow…this is really Hyrule? It's almost like Ponyville! But everything's a little taller and a little more drab…"

"I'll say!" Rarity spoke up. "Quite a number of these people obviously don't bathe on a regular basis, and the décor leaves a lot to be desired. Really, don't these people appreciate the charm of fashionable accentuations adorning their properties?"

Vaati rolled his eyes. "We walk into a brand new world, and the first thing you think about is criticizing the inhabitants' lifestyle choices."

Rarity jutted her chin out indignantly. "As the fashionista I am, it is my sworn duty to uphold the laws of fabulousness wherever I go! Perhaps I'll make a point to spruce up their drab little hovels."

"And then, maybe if their houses are nicer-looking, then they'll be happier!" Pinkie chirped as she bounced along in her usual way. "Then we can throw a huge party and bring lots of smiles to these unhappy faces!"

"Do not forget the main reason we are here," Celestia reminded them as she led from the front. "It's quite possible the people of Hyrule are unaware that Majora is active once more. We have to warn them, and combine our resources to face our foes, just as Majora and his allies have. Once we have established some sort of political relations with them, then you can take some time to mingle with the locals."

"Jeez, I just wish those stares didn't look so hostile," Rainbow observed.

"It's because we're among you," Nigellas explained. "We monsters were forced to serve Demise and his ilk for so long that the people have forgotten that we too are children of the Golden Ones."

"Guess we gotta remind 'em, then!" Rainbow grinned. "'Cuz you don't serve those jerks anymore!"

Nigellas rolled his eyes. "I wish I could share your enthusiasm, but Hylians are notorious around Hyrule for their propensity towards racist beliefs. It's what screwed the Gerudo over."

"The princess is known for her wisdom," Maulgrim added. "She, more than anyone, can look past petty hatreds and see what is right and wrong. If we can gain her trust, we will slowly gain her people's."

Nigellas blinked. "Wow; you're not usually that positive."

"Oh, stow it, Wizzrobe. I'm merely realistic. And realistically, the princess is our best chance of overcoming cultural rivalries and burying the hatchets."

Suddenly Celestia spoke up. "Everyone…we're here."

They all looked up at the imposing crown jewel of Hyrule Kingdom. The castle was carved of white stone, with pointed towers covered with green shingles jutting out towards the heavens. The front of the castle, above the drawbridge, was the age-old symbol of Hyrule; a stylistic silhouette of the now-extinct Loftwing, eradicated long ago by demon forces during the War of the Bound Chest, with the Triforce nestled between its outstretched wings. However, before they could reach Hyrule Castle, they first came upon the royal gatehouse, where two Hylian guards dressed in white and blue, with the visors of their helmets covering their eyes, stood guard. Despite this, confusion was immediately evident on their faces as the peculiar entourage of Equestrian dignitaries approached them. Ever the diplomat, Celestia took the lead and cleared her throat.

"Pardon me, good sirs. My name is Celestia. I am the princess of the nation of Equestria, and I have come to your fair city to speak with your king and establish relations with your prosperous nation."

The two guards' mouths opened and closed like a pair of fish out of water, for this winged unicorn was dazzling to behold, with a voice like an angel and an air of outright divinity. It seemed so wrong to say no to such a beautiful being, thus the guards fumbled with their speech for several moments before one declared, "Ah…ahum, w-we will i-inform His Majesty of your c-coming, Princess."

Without another word, the other guard opened the gate, allowing his compatriot through before shutting it again. Awkward silence followed as they waited. About twenty minutes later, the other guard returned and said, "King Daphnes the Third and Princess Zelda the Sixteenth will see you now. F-follow me."

XXXXXX

Hyrule Castle Throne Room…

King Daphnes made himself comfortable on his opulent golden throne, awaiting his unexpected visitors. His advisor, Agahnim, was already there, dressed as always in his blood-red Shiekah robes, with a heavy turban on his head and his mouth covered by a red sash so that only his steely red eyes could be seen. Pretty soon he was joined by Zelda and Impa. Zelda daintily sat down in her smaller throne beside her father, while Impa, in her usual Shiekah jumpsuit with a tight-fitting breastplate and her trademark dagger at her side, folded her arms as she took her place at Zelda's side, directly opposite Agahnim's position near the king.

And together they waited.

After a few minutes, Zelda could no longer stand the silence and asked, "So, these dignitaries…did they say who they were? Where they're from?"

"Indeed," her father replied. "They are led by an individual who calls herself Princess Celestia, and they say they're from a land called Equestria."

Zelda furrowed her brow. "Equestria? I've never heard of it."

"Nor have I," Daphnes agreed. "And for some reason, the guard that delivered the news was tripping over his words, and his face was as red as a freshly-peeled grapefruit as though he had been smitten by some divine temptress! Rather curious."

Dignitaries from a land they had never heard of? That was something Zelda didn't see every day. She leaned back in her seat, and silence reigned again as they waited.

Eventually, the throne room doors opened, and the royal announcer came in, unwrapping a scroll he had been given. Daphnes and Zelda leaned forward in their seats, while their Shiekah subordinates merely waited impassively as the announcer cleared his throat and held up the scroll.

"From the noble kingdom of Equestria, presenting Their Royal Majesties of the Sun and Moon, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna!"

The doors opened fully, allowing the procession to begin making its way in. Everyone's eyes widened at the sight; even those of the Shiekah, for the princesses in question were nothing like they had ever seen before. The taller one was alabaster white, with large, angelic wings folded against her slender body. Her multicolored mane and tail flowed in a non-existent breeze, and she wore golden jewelry in the form of a tiara situated underneath her long, slender horn, a large neck brace emblazoned with a sun symbol, and golden slippers adorning her hooves. Tattooed on her rear was a symbol of a blazing sun. The smaller one was midnight blue, with a mane and tail like the night sky. Her jewelry was dark blue instead of gold, and the design on her rear was that of a white moon surrounded by a black splotch.

Zelda's breath had been taken away. Never in her life had she seen such a beautiful creature. She seemingly emanated an aura of utter pureness that humbled the Hylian Princess in a way she had not been humbled before. However, they were not the only members of this entourage, for the royal announcer cleared his throat again and declared, "And now, presenting the bearers of the Elements of Harmony, the defenders of Equestria, Ladies Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy!"

Following after the princesses came a sextet of smaller ponies, who, unlike their rulers, had either horns or wings, but not both, and two had neither at all. As her eyes darted over each of the six of these smaller Equestrians, something clicked within Zelda's mind.

Elements…

Elements of Harmony…

Immediately her eyes widened as she took notice of the designs on each of their flanks. The lavender one with the purple hair had a pink star, the blue one with the wings and rainbow-colored hair had a multicolored lightning bolt, the orange one with the hat and golden hair had three red apples, the white one with the horn and the expertly-styled purple hair had three blue diamonds, the ordinary one hopping up and down excitedly that embodied the very concept of "pink" had three balloons, one yellow, and two blue, and the winged one with the butter yellow coat that regarded her and her father from behind her pink hair had three pink butterflies.

It was them. They were the ones the six orbs of light had represented in her dream. Impa was right after all; everything was all falling into place of its own accord. Yet she was shaken out of her thoughts as the announcer cleared his throat yet again.

"Ahem…representing the…" At this, the announcer looked a little surprised and nervous, but continued nevertheless. "Representing the Wizzrobe Order of Canterlot and the Darknut Legion of Lupay, presenting Nigellas the Green and Lord Maulgrim, the Black Knight!"

Daphnes's brow furrowed in suspicion at this as he watched the Wizzrobe and Darknut in question enter his throne room. He had half a mind to throw these abominations against the Goddesses out of his city, or better yet, have Impa and Agahnim put them down where they stood, but one pleading look from his daughter stayed his hand. All of them were here under an oath of diplomatic immunity, and to defy it on a whim could reflect badly on Hyrule Kingdom as a whole. Thus, he held his tongue and pointedly kept his gaze away from the two monsters.

But there were more visitors to be had. Clearing his throat yet again, the announcer declared, "Representing the Changeling people of the Equestrian Badlands, presenting her Royal Majesty, Queen Chrysalis!"

Immediately a slender, buglike pony with a black carapace and holes in her hooves strode purposefully past him, her head raised proudly. Flicking her teal hair aside, Chrysalis remarked, "Finally, someone addresses me with the proper respect around here!"

Daphnes fought the urge to curl his lip with disgust at Chrysalis's appearance. Another filthy monster contaminates these sacred halls, he thought bitterly. Any more of this, and I'll…

But the announcer had one more dignitary to name, and as he began, he faltered, "Presenting His Lordship of the Wind and Sky…Vaati…P-Picoru…Mage Knight of…Equestria?"

At the mention of that name, the heads of every native Hyrulean shot up as the last individual entered the room, an individual Zelda recognized instantly, and seeing him alive and well stunned her into silence. Flashing a bitter smile, Vaati the Wind Mage greeted, "Hello again, Princess."

Author's Note

AAAAARGH, IT'S FINALLY UPPPPPP

Anyways, I know I haven't finished 2.5 yet, but I just couldn't wait to start on this anymore. So here it is. And yes, everything Vaati mentioned in the beginning will be explained in further detail in 2.5. Eventually.

Episode 2: The Bridging of Worlds Part 2

IT LIIIIIIVES!!!! I am so so sorry I kept you guys waiting for so long, but since it's been a whole year and the song I commissioned is still not done, I decided I was done waiting, and so we have our new chapter, finally! Anyways, when you get to the part with the song, just imagine the words going alongside the lyric-less song.

On a last note, to ensure you get the maximum amount of enjoyment and anticipation out of this, I will upload one chapter each week until we are up-to-date.

XXXXXX000XXXXXX

Episode Two: The Bridging of Worlds Part 2 – A Not-So-Warm Reception

No one spoke for several tense minutes. Daphnes’s jaw was hanging open in utter shock, while Zelda went rigid in her seat, her eyes wide. Slowly, carefully, Impa’s hand drifted closer towards her sheathed dagger. Vaati knew things were going to get worse no matter what happened, so he allowed himself one moment to amuse himself by smirking as he said to the king, “What? Did you really think I was that gigantic eyeball all the time?”

This managed to snap Daphnes out of his surprise, and the aging King of Hyrule sprang from his seat and pointed a finger at the Wind Mage. “Guards! Seize that man at once! Zelda, stun him before he can attack!”

Twilight and her friends gasped at this. Maulgrim and Nigellas were about to leap to Vaati’s defense, but Celestia held them back with a hoof. “That will only worsen matters. Let us deal with this.”

Daphnes turned to see that Zelda was still gawking at Vaati. “Zelda! For Din’s sake!”

Zelda’s eyes darted between her father and the sorcerer as the castle guards began to pour into the throne room, spears brandished. Inwardly, Vaati contemplated whether or not he should defend himself. He of course had no doubts he could easily deal with the guards. The two Sheikah might be a little more of a problem, and Zelda, with her Triforce of Wisdom, would prove to be the biggest concern. But Celestia had insisted he come here for the sake of improving his image, and of course, the predictable happened. He turned towards his friends, giving them his best “I Told You So” look. Goddesses, Celestia, you’re such an idiot.

And then suddenly his world went white as white-hot agony ripped through his being, involuntarily sending him to his knees. He vaguely heard shouting, but they were drowned out by his own screams. Within an instant, the pain became too much, and the Wind Mage blacked out, collapsing in a heap as Zelda lowered her bow.

“Vaati! VAATI!” Luna and all of the Mane Six cried, but before they could rush to his side, the castle guards forced themselves between the Equestrians and the sorcerer, crossing their spears to block the way. Luna glared daggers at the stern-faced Hylian soldiers. “You hath ten seconds to stand aside before I make thee move,” she growled, slipping into her old dialect in her fury.

“Luna, stand down!” Celestia hissed, stepping forward and unfurling a wing to gently push her younger sister back.

“I don’t know what reason you had for coming here,” Daphnes began, reminding them all of his presence, “but you have all done the Kingdom of Hyrule a great service by delivering the most wanted man in Hyrule to our doorstep.”

The king then turned towards Impa. “Impa, go to Ordon Village. Tell Link I need him and the Master Sword tomorrow morning. We may need him if we are to execute the infamous Sorcerer of Winds.”

The Mane Six and Luna collectively gasped in horror. But Celestia, ever the diplomat, took another step forward, flaring out both her wings to make sure everyone’s attention was centered fully on her. “King of Hyrule, you have made a mistake. Vaati is no longer the villain you once knew. When he disappeared from Hyrule, you doubtlessly thought him to be dead. But it is not so; through unknown circumstances, he came to our realm, Equestria. There, he turned away from his former life of villainy to live out the rest of his days in peace amongst my people. He has defended us from multiple threats, and he…”

“That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard!” Daphnes abruptly shouted over her. He turned towards Zelda again. “Zelda, it’s clear the Wind Mage cast some kind of spell over these poor souls to make them subservient. Now’s the time to lift the veil of his lies from their sight.”

Understanding what her father meant, Zelda held up a gloved hand, and a wave of cleansing light poured forth from her being. It washed over everyone in the room, and everyone was temporarily blinded by the magnificent display of holy magic. Eventually the light faded, and Zelda lowered her hand as everyone shook their heads to clear their vision. The princess immediately noted with surprise that the Wizzrobe and Darknut were unaffected by her spell, which normally would have banished those tainted by darkness. Something strange was going on here.

The only one who appeared to be unfazed by the bright light was, unsurprisingly, Princess Celestia, who affixed the King of Hyrule with a steely gaze. “Your Majesty, I can assure you that none of us are under any spell of coercion,” she proclaimed. “I stand by what I said before; Vaati is a changed man, and is no longer a threat to your kingdom or its people.”

Daphnes was shocked by this. “Impossible…that spell should have worked! Vaati’s magic can’t be so powerful that it can withstand the Triforce of Wisdom, can it?!”

Zelda said nothing, staring at the Equestrians with wide, confused eyes. That spell would have cleared their minds of any manipulation, she thought to herself. Either Vaati’s magic has gotten even stronger since last we met or…

…or these people are telling the truth.

Suddenly, her mind was assaulted by memories of that fateful meeting between them. Had it only been seven years? It seemed almost an eternity ago that he had kidnapped her and taken her to his Palace of Winds, only for her to find that one of the greatest enemies Hyrule had ever known was losing interest in being that enemy.

Do you ever feel like your life has become redundant? Like your whole existence is just a broken record?

I suppose. No help to you, that is.

You know very well it’s not my fault alone. This cycle we find ourselves trapped in…it’s almost the same thing, isn’t it?

She shook herself out of her thoughts in time to hear her father say, “This is madness. I refuse to believe these lies! Out with you! All of you! Once the Wind Mage is dealt with, I shall send for you again, and then we can conduct royal business without fear of that monster’s meddling ways.”

It was easy to see that Celestia was trying to hold back her anger. The solar alicorn inwardly cursed at herself. She had been foolish; Vaati had been absolutely right, but yet again she naively decided to put her faith in people’s better halves. She should have listened to him. But there was no way she was going to let the King of Hyrule execute Vaati, and she knew that her sister, her student, and her friends would not allow it either. But how could they stay this undeserved sentence?

“King Daphnes has spoken!” one of the guards obstinately declared. “Begone until he summons you again!”

“This isn’t right!” Twilight shouted angrily. “You can’t do this!”

“Twilight, we have been asked to leave,” Celestia said with a heavy heart. “So leave we must.”

Twilight rounded on her teacher, horrorstruck. “P-Princess, we can’t just leave him!”

For a brief moment, Celestia’s gaze darted towards Zelda, and the two princesses locked eyes. Though but a blink of an eye in the eyes of others, Zelda felt she had been caught in that pleading, knowing gaze for an eternity. And then the staring contest was broken, and Celestia bowed her head. “I hope we can discuss this matter further before anyone does anything rash,” she said in an even tone.

But to Zelda, the message was clear; don’t try to hurt Vaati or else.

As she watched the Equestrian dignitaries reluctantly depart, each of them watching the guards unceremoniously drag the unconscious Vaati to his feet with the most pained, heartbroken looks on their faces, Zelda mulled over what she had just heard. The Equestrians presented her with a challenging riddle, one that she needed to find the answer to quickly. Without a word, Zelda headed towards the exit. “Where are you going, my child?” Daphnes asked worriedly.

Casting a cursory glance over her shoulder, Zelda replied, “I need time to think on this matter. There’s more to this situation than any of us are seeing, and I need to figure out what that is.”

And with that, Zelda left, leaving Daphnes alone with the two stonily silent Sheikah. “Well this day turned out to be the daftest I’ve seen in a while,” the king muttered out loud. “Vaati reforming, ha! That’s about as likely as Ganon handing me flowers!”

But Agahnim and Impa did not reply. The wizard turned to the ninja, and they then engaged in the ancient Sheikah art of telepathy.

The princess is right, Impa declared. There’s more to this situation than meets the eye.

And who better to seek out that hidden truth than us? Agahnim replied, smirking under his cloth.

XXXXXX

Hyrule Castle Town Square, that evening…

Twilight and her friends stood by the fountain that decorated the middle of the town square, the light from the nearby torches casting long, flickering shadows across the ground and their faces. “This isn’t right!” Twilight cried in frustration. “They can’t do this! He’s not evil anymore!”

“This is awful!” Fluttershy agreed. “Poor Vaati…he must be all alone in that dungeon!”

“There must be something we can do!” Rarity voiced. “But we don’t have long; that hero Vaati always talked about will be here tomorrow, and he’ll kill him if we don’t do something!”

“I say we go in there and bust him out, right now!” Rainbow declared, smacking her hooves together. “These Hyrule guys are jerks! Let’s go get Vaati back, go back to Equestria, and let Hyrule fight Majora without us!”

Applejack sighed. “That won’t help us none, Dash. Bustin’ Vaati out’s guaranteed to send us right to the top’a Hyrule’s most wanted list, and it could even get ‘em to declare war on Equestria. The last thing we all need is for Hyrule ‘n Equestria to be fightin’ each other, because then that’ll just make things easier for Majora.”

“So then what’re we supposed to do, huh?” Rainbow snapped. “Let that hero guy cut off Vaati’s head right in front of us?! Or worse yet, hang him in front of the whole town?!”

“There has to be a way…” Twilight groused. “Maybe if we convince the king to give Vaati a trial…”

“Everyone in Hyrule’s convinced Vaati is still a villain, dear,” Rarity answered grimly. “Any trial would just be for show.”

“UGH!” Twilight groaned, stomping her hooves against the ground in frustration. “I don’t know what we can do! The king won’t listen to us! He thinks we’re all under some kind of spell! And I thought that Princess Zelda might help us, but thanks to her, Vaati’s now rotting in a dungeon cell, waiting to be executed!”

“I’m sure Princess Celestia will think of something,” Fluttershy offered in an attempt to placate her friend. “She’s really good at this diplomatic stuff. I’m confident she can get the king to see reason and this will all sort itself out.”

“I wish I shared your confidence, Fluttershy, I really do,” Twilight sighed. “But you saw what happened too. The king blew her off like he did the rest of us!”

As her friends continued to debate, Applejack’s ears abruptly pricked. She hadn’t heard anything, but something deep within the very core of her being was calling out to her, and it told her something alarming. She looked over her shoulder and peered into the darkness of the night, her eyes narrowing in suspicion.

“Hang on, y’all,” she finally spoke up, catching their attention. “Call me crazy, but…Ah think we’re bein’ watched.”

Unbeknownst to them all, two figures hidden in shadow flinched in surprise. As the other Mane Six looked around nervously, Twilight called out, “Hello? Come on out! We know you’re there!”

A heavy silence followed, until a smooth, masculine voice broke it from the darkness. “Commendable indeed. There are not many in Hyrule who can tell when a Sheikah is watching them.”

Soon after the voice had spoken, two individuals slowly emerged from the shadows, causing the ponies to gasp in surprise as they recognized them. The one on the left was dressed in flowing blood-red robes, with a turban on his head and a red cloth concealing his mouth so that only his eyes could be seen. The one on the right was definitely female, tall and thin, with strong muscles. She was clad in a dark blue jumpsuit, with a steel breastplate tightly hugging her chest and belly. She looked deceptively young, but her eyes betrayed the wisdom in her years, and her silver hair was tied up in a bun. Both their outfits were adorned with a red eye with a single teardrop falling from its center.

“You!” Twilight breathed. “You were both in the throne room!”

The figure clad in red robes nodded in reply. “Yes. We come on behalf of the Kingdom of Hyrule’s best interests. My name is Agahnim, King Daphnes’s royal advisor, and this is Impa, Princess Zelda’s retainer and personal bodyguard, and my wife. We are two of the last remaining members of the Sheikah tribe in service to Hyrule’s royal family. We serve as their caretakers, guardians, spies, and where necessary, their assassins.”

The Mane Six collectively gasped in fear, but Impa raised her hand in a gesture of peace. “Fear not; we sense no ill will in you. We cannot sense any sort of mental influence that has corrupted your thoughts. Your minds are clearly your own, and thus this makes the matter of the infamous Wind Mage even more confusing. Why, then, are you willingly coming to the defense of a being that has menaced Hyrule and its people for generations?”

“Because he’s our friend!” Twilight immediately replied hotly.

Agahnim quirked an eyebrow at this. “You freely call the Sorcerer of Winds your friend? Are you even aware of the things he has done in the past?”

“Yes, we are. And we’re also aware of the things he’s done since he came to Equestria.”

“And that is…?” Impa pressed. “I, for one, am most interested to hear under what circumstances you came to call Vaati your friend.”

Twilight sighed, and then she began. “I’ll start at the beginning. One day, I was collecting plants in the Everfree Forest for use in magical research. Suddenly I saw a flash of light out of the corner of my eye, and when I went to investigate, I found Vaati, bruised, bleeding, and half-dead, thanks to that hero of yours. I immediately went to my friend Fluttershy for help, hoping she might be able to do something. But when she said that he needed medical attention she couldn’t provide, we brought him to our town hospital, and we nursed him back to health. When he came to, he told us who he was, but he was pretty guarded about his past. We didn’t want to seem rude, so we didn’t press him over it. Princess Celestia allowed him to settle in my home in Ponyville, and from there on, we got to know him better and better over time. Since he came to Equestria, he helped us defeat, and then reform the spirit of chaos and disharmony, Discord, as well as liberate the cursed Crystal Empire from the grip of its former tyrannical ruler King Sombra. He and his monsters saved Canterlot from a Changeling invasion, and when he found out that a young filly named Scootaloo was living with an abusive father, he took her in as his own, and he raised her into a fine young mare who is now the captain of Princess Luna’s royal guards. And most importantly, he helped us defeat an evil your world is pretty familiar with. For good.”

“What evil is this?” Agahnim asked.

Twilight took a deep breath. “Ganon.”

Agahnim and Impa’s eyebrows simultaneously shot up in surprise. “He helped you defeat Ganon?! Without Link or the Master Sword?!” Impa cried in shock.

“How did Ganon even make it to your realm?” Agahnim inquired.

“I’ll tell you that in a bit, but first I want to reiterate that together, we destroyed Ganon for good.”

“Impossible,” Agahnim interrupted. “The hatred of Demise is everlasting. Ganon is destined to plague us forever.”

“No he’s not. Because we resurrected Demise, and then we destroyed him again, which not only freed Ganondorf from the curse keeping him alive and committing acts of evil, but it freed all the monsters that had been cursed by him in ages past to be forced to do the bad guys’ bidding. The Darknuts, Wizzrobes, Moblins, Keatons, and Lizalfos all live freely in Equestria, and we share friendly relations with all of them.”

“I would say this is absurd,” Impa spoke. “But…I cannot sense any deception in your hearts. You truly ended the legacy of Demise?”

Twilight and the others all nodded their heads.

“And what of the Triforce of Power?” Agahnim asked.

“Vaati has it now,” Twilight answered.

Agahnim’s eyes widened. “Vaati has the Triforce of Power in his possession?!”

Impa’s expression, on the other hand, became pensive. This new information just brought her one step closer to solving the riddle of Princess Zelda’s prophetic dream.

“As to how Ganon got to Equestria,” Twilight continued. “Well…let’s just say it has to do with why we’re here now.”

“You mentioned the name of our greatest evil,” Agahnim spoke. “How do you know of Majora?”

At this, the faces of the Mane Six collectively became grim. “We don’t know precisely when, but Majora gained an interest in our world sometime after Vaati arrived. The first effect of that we felt was the resurrection of King Sombra. Majora freed him from his imprisonment under the ice of the frozen north and sent monsters to help him reclaim the Crystal Empire. We managed to defeat him, though. Just one month after that, Ganon came. We didn’t know how he had come then, and he even admitted he didn’t know either, but as we focused on fighting him, Majora began sinking his claws deeper and deeper into Equestria’s shadows. We think it was ultimately Majora who brought Ganon to Equestria, in order to distract us from his own activities. He even tried to turn Scootaloo against Vaati, but when he failed to break her resolve, he tried to kill her with one of his Avatars, which she managed to destroy with the help of her friends and Discord. That was when we first learned that Majora had become interested in Equestria. We later found out his servants even established a church somewhere in the Tenochtitlan Basin not far from the Crystal Empire, and we’ve never been able to find it. But we defeated Ganon five years ago, and even then, Majora’s servants have antagonized us on numerous occasions. Ponyville was attacked by the Gohma, somepony tried to threaten the Griffon Kingdom into breaking their treaty with us, a bunch of the Canterlot nobility almost incited a rebellion, a magical fire burned down nearly half of Manehattan, a deadly plague of magical origin swept through our nation, and the entire population of the town of Hollow Shades disappeared in a single night, and none of them were ever found. That’s why we’re here now. We don’t know how or why, but a portal between our worlds opened up in the Everfree Forest, and we went through it in order to warn you that Majora hasn’t forgotten about Hyrule either, and we think that the war your Goddesses decreed would happen again one day is about to begin, and like it or not, Majora’s decided to draw our world into it.”

Agahnim and Impa were deathly silent as they each took in this information. “So…the Demon Wars are about to begin again,” Agahnim breathed.

“This explains a great deal,” Impa cryptically added, rubbing her chin.

“What do you mean?” Twilight asked.

“The Princess is possessed of the gift of foresight,” Impa replied. “Lately she has been having dreams involving the destruction of the Triforce. But the night before you came, the dream changed; six orbs of light shielded the Triforce from the power of darkness, and together they drove it back. Those six lights then transformed into the very symbols that adorn your bodies.”

The Mane Six collectively looked at their flanks before looking back at their Sheikah visitors. “Please,” Twilight pleaded, her big eyes watering. It was the look that Vaati had so much trouble resisting. “Can you help us? Vaati is one of the best friends I have, a-and I don’t know what I’d do if we lost him…”

Pinkie, who had been oddly quiet the whole conversation, put a comforting hoof on Twilight’s shoulder, eliciting a weary smile from the unicorn mare. Impa and Agahnim observed this, and they knew that these ponies spoke the truth. They also knew that King Daphnes would never believe such a tale. There was only one thing they could do now.

“I believe we can make an…arrangement,” Agahnim suggested conspiratorially.

A hopeful look crossed everypony’s faces, especially Twilight’s. “Please! Anything!”

“Perhaps we can facilitate an unofficial meeting between your princess and ours,” Impa said. “Zelda is much more understanding than her father, sadly an uncomfortably common trend amongst the royal family. Perhaps if we can help Princess Zelda see the full picture, she can convince the king to allow Vaati a trial. A fair trial.”

“But how could a trial possibly be fair for Vaati?” Rarity asked. “Everyone in Hyrule is against him!”

“And yet everyone in your realm is behind him,” Agahnim responded. “All of you have amazing stories to tell about him. As I am the judge of the royal tribunal, I can see to it that each of you is able to tell your own accounts of Vaati’s time in your world. It is then that the people of Hyrule can make an honest, nonbiased judgment.”

“Oh, thank you thank you thank you!” Twilight outright bawled happily, and before Agahnim could do anything, Twilight hugged his legs in sheer gratitude.

Agahnim failed to suppress an indignant stutter as Impa shot him a knowing smirk. Noticing his wife’s look, Agahnim glared back and muttered, “Not a word of this to Agitha.”

“I would be more concerned about her finding out about the one who calls herself Queen Chrysalis,” Impa remarked. “You know how she is about bugs.”

XXXXXX

The next morning, Telma’s Bar and Inn…

In the room Celestia and Luna had taken for themselves, the two sisters were seated at the wooden table in the middle of their room. Luna was fidgeting anxiously, while Celestia’s face was that ever present mask of calm serenity. “Are you certain she will be here, sister?” Luna asked again for what was probably the eighth time in ten minutes.

“I know you’re anxious, Luna,” Celestia replied ever-so-calmly. “But those royal attendants insisted that they would make this work. And they are the only ones we can trust right now.”

Luna bowed her head. “’Tis not right, what they have done to him. Regardless of the things he did in this world, he more than made up for them in Equestria.”

“I know, Luna dear. We simply have to trust that everything will turn out…”

There was a sudden knock at the door, light and dainty, and the two alicorns fell silent. They both shared a single, knowing glance before Celestia declared, “Enter.”

The door slowly opened, allowing a hooded figure to duck into the room, gently shutting the door behind them. With their privacy assured, the figure turned towards the waiting alicorns and drew back their hood.

“Princess Zelda of Hyrule,” Celestia greeted with a nod. “I am pleased that you could join us.”

“Forgive me for my lateness,” Zelda apologized, taking a seat in the one remaining empty chair at the table. “I needed an excuse to leave my father’s side, and I also had to ensure that none of the castle guards tried to follow me. Now, onto the matter at hand…the Wind Mage.”

“Your attendants told you of their meeting with my student and her friends?” Celestia asked.

“Yes,” Zelda answered. “And…I believe you.”

Luna could not hide her surprise at this, but Celestia’s expression remained neutral.

“When last I met Vaati, he had just escaped from the Four Sword,” Zelda began. “The first thing he did upon his release was capture me and bring me to the Palace of Winds. At first I was naturally angry and afraid, but as time went on, I began to notice a change in him. Instead of bragging about defeating Link and conquering Hyrule, he would stare out the window of the chamber he kept me prisoner in, as though he were lost in thought. Eventually he finally spoke to me, asking about whether I knew what it felt like for my life to be on constant repeat, and he ultimately admitted that he had grown weary of his life as a villain, and had merely kidnapped me out of a force of habit. I…found myself sympathizing with him, against my better judgment. And then Link came, and they fought, and…I thought when that teleportation spell of his clashed with the Light Arrow…well, I thought it had killed him. Link rescued me, and everything more or less returned to normal. But to know that he not only survived, but also found that new life he had admitted to have sometimes wished for…it’s thrown everything into chaos all over again. And yet…everything makes sense now.”

“How so?” Celestia asked.

“Well…I, like my ancestors before me, am possessed of the gift of foresight. Before times of darkness enshroud Hyrule, I experience prophetic dreams. But they are often difficult to interpret. For the last month, I experienced the same dream, in which the Triforce was overwhelmed by hands of darkness. Demons spewed from the earth, and all that is green and good in our world was laid to ruin. And yet, the very night before you came, the dream changed. Six orbs of light protected the Triforce from the darkness, strengthening it, and together, their light drove the darkness back. Then I saw the orbs of light condense into jewels in the shapes of the marks that adorn the flanks of your student and her friends. Their appearance, coupled with the knowledge that Vaati now possesses the Triforce of Power, meaning its bearers at last have the potential to work together, can only mean that the Goddesses themselves have ordained that your people are key to stopping the evil that threatens both our worlds.”

“Yes,” Celestia agreed. “You know of what evil that stands opposed to us, correct?”

Zelda nodded grimly. “Our ultimate enemy. I am told Majora is about to return.” She sighed wearily. “Though it only makes sense. Over the last few centuries, the blood of the Six Sages has thinned, and so has their power. The temples are now overrun with all manner of foul things. And not only that, evil times have befallen all the peoples of Hyrule. The Gorons and Zoras are on the verge of all-out war with one another, we have lost all contact with the Kokiri in the Lost Woods, the Deku Kingdom has started becoming violent towards the Skull Kids, and we have even discovered that several Fairy Fountains have been completely destroyed, and their owners absent, causing a critical shortage of fairies. If Majora is truly behind this, then it means he has been planning our downfall for some time now, and has been working in the shadows while we remained blind and ignorant. We cannot remain blind to this evil any longer. I will convince my father to give Vaati a trial, and you and your people can be called upon as witnesses to his defense. I only hope that my people can look past their prejudices and see that he truly has changed. My dreams say that he too has a pivotal role to play in Hyrule’s final battle.”

“You promise this?” Luna asked, a desperate gleam in her eye.

“I will do what I can,” Zelda replied. “But I can truly promise nothing. My father may listen to me more often than most others, but even I cannot convince him of all issues I bring to his attention. I can only hope Agahnim and Impa can lend enough support to sway him.”

“Any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated,” Celestia said. “You truly are wise beyond your years, Zelda. After all this is over, I would greatly enjoy getting to know you better.”

Zelda smiled. “Agreed. But for now, we must focus on exonerating Vaati before Link arrives to carry out my father’s orders.”

At that moment, the door suddenly opened, and the three princesses turned to see the intruder reveal themselves as a worried-looking Rarity. “Princess Celestia!” the fashionista said urgently. “The Hero has arrived in the city! As soon as Twilight heard, she rushed off towards the castle! I’m worried she might do something rash! Can you find her before something terrible happens?”

Celestia, Luna, and Zelda all shared glances. “We’ve no time to waste, then,” Celestia proclaimed then, standing up. “Let us hurry to the castle before the situation gets any more out of hoof.”

XXXXXX

Hyrule Castle, Throne Room…

Daphnes sat in his throne, having just finished reviewing a set of documents which he handed to his scribe. As the scribe left the room with the documents in hand, a new individual entered, and Daphnes recognized her immediately as one of the Equestrians, the one with the purple coat and hair an even darker shade of purple with a pink streak through it.

“King Daphnes!” Twilight declared angrily. “I demand you release Vaati at once!”

Daphnes straightened up in his seat, half-tempted to have his guards throw this impudent pack animal out of the castle, but for the sake of politics, he refrained from such an act and instead scoffed, “Why? So he can menace the kingdom yet again?”

“I told you already!” Twilight shot back. “Vaati’s not a villain anymore! He doesn’t deserve to be thrown in prison like a common criminal!”

“This is outrageous!” Daphnes shouted. “The Wind Mage has been a thorn in Hyrule’s side for generations! I refuse to believe that one of the greatest forces of evil Hyrule has ever known has suddenly chosen to reform!” As the king ranted, the magic of Equestria slowly began the process of bleeding into the fabric of Hyrule’s reality as disembodied music began to fade into hearing. “You must either be insane or under a particularly potent spell to be vouching for him so! I demand an answer!”

And then the King of Hyrule became the first in his world to succumb to an Equestrian musical number as he sang:

“Why are you defending him?

He’s nothing but a criminal!

Soon the people will decide

His fate is terminal!

String him up and hang him high

For all in Hyrule to behold,

Let his body rot in sun

To feed the crows and mold!”

In response, Twilight sang:

“Sir, I beg you!

Please see reason!”

“I’ll not hear this!

There’s no reason!” Daphnes sang.

And together they sang:

“His fate is in my/your hands!”

And then Daphnes sang:

“Vaati’s put a spell on you,

I will not put faith in your lies,

I’ve already sealed his fate,

Tomorrow Vaati dies!”

And then Twilight sang:

“It’s not fair, this isn’t right!

I’m telling you that he has changed!

You judge him without knowing him,

You simply are deranged!”

And together they sang:

“So ruled by hate, (How dare you!)

You want to sate

Your lust for death,

His final breath!

He is a father (He’s a monster!)

And a friend, I

Won’t let you bring

Out his end!

You’re blinded by (He’s fooling you!)

Your hate for him!

This isn’t how

A king should rule!

Why can’t you see (Deceiving you!)

My words are true!

I’m telling you

That he’s not cruel!

Father, hero, (Why can’t you see reason?)

Lover, friend,

He’s all these things,

So why can’t you see reason?”

And then Twilight sang:

“Vaati is my truest friend,

I will not simply let him die!

Your edict’s unjustified,

His fate I will deny!

Yes I know how bad he was,

I know what things are in his past.

He let friendship warm his heart,

His evil didn’t last!”

And then Daphnes sang:

“He’s a villain!”

“He’s a hero!” Twilight sang back.

“He’s a monster!” Daphnes countered.

“He’s a father!” Twilight sang.

And then they sang together:

“How can you call him friend? (And he’s also my friend)!”

And then Daphnes sang:

“Why are you defending him?

I told you he deserves his end!”

And then Twilight sang in reply:

“Why am I defending him?

Because he is my friend!”

And then the music was silenced as the throne room doors slammed open, catching Twilight and Daphnes’s attention. The two of them turned to see Zelda, Agahnim, and Impa stride purposefully into the room. Standing before her father, Zelda declared, “Father, I want you to give Vaati the Wind Mage a trial.”

Daphnes spluttered at this. “Wha…not you too! How could he have cursed you?!”

Zelda groaned. “Father, I’m not cursed! I have spoken to all the Equestrian dignitaries, as have Agahnim and Impa, and we all agree that Vaati, like any suspect accused of a crime, deserves a fair trial, regardless of guilt.”

“This is nonsense!” Daphnes shot back. “Vaati is guilty! Everyone knows it!”

“The question should not be whether he is guilty of the things he has done in the past,” Zelda responded, “but whether his acts of repentance warrant exoneration. Each of the Equestrian dignitaries has their own stories to tell about him. They each deserve to be heard before the courts! Please, father! If anything, do it to preserve the rule of law for everyone. No one should be treated differently beneath it.”

Daphnes’s eyes darted between Zelda, Impa, Twilight, and Agahnim, before he finally let loose a heavy sigh. “Fine. You win. But you’re merely wasting everyone’s time! I assure you he will be found guilty, and Link will either behead him with the Master Sword or he will hang from the gallows for everyone to see!”

“That will be for the people to decide themselves, Your Majesty,” Agahnim reminded Daphnes. “And because I am the one in charge of the courts, I will be the one to administer justice, whatever it may be. Your duty is merely to spectate and decide on a punishment, if any.”

Daphnes rolled his eyes. “Fine. Do what you will. We will set this absurd trial for tomorrow morning at eight am sharp!”

XXXXXX

Darkness.

That was all Vaati could hear, see, or even feel. There was an overwhelming sense of nothingness around him that threatened to swallow the Wind Mage.

Vaati shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. The last thing he remembered had been the familiar, agonizing pain of a Light Arrow before he had lost consciousness.

“Gwo hoh hoh hoh hoh…”

Vaati’s head shot up, his eyes darting about as they tried to pierce the veil of darkness clouding his vision. “W-who’s there?” the sorcerer demanded, but his voice felt so far away. “Show yourself!”

“Geheheheheheh…how the mighty have indeed fallen. The great Sorcerer of Winds, locked up and chained against the wall in a dungeon cell like a common criminal.” As the unsettling, multilayered voice spoke, Vaati whipped his head around, trying to find the source of the voice. “Oh, the irony is simply delicious. In Equestria you have been hailed as a great hero…” The last word was spoken with such utter contempt that Vaati involuntarily flinched. “…and yet, it will not save you from your ultimate fate, for you are destined to die as the villain Hyrule knows, at the hands of Oni’s wretched legacy. You should have known that in the end, there was no avoiding who and what you really are. You are a demon, a servant of evil. We made you to be a weapon, and now you are suffering the consequences for trying to defy your destiny.”

Vaati gritted his teeth in anger. “What do you know of my destiny?!”

“Everything, boy,” the disembodied voice hissed menacingly. “You owe it, your powers, and indeed your very existence to us.”

“What are you talking about?!” Vaati demanded.

“Gwo hoh hoh…stupid child. Have you never wondered why you were always different from the other Minish? Why you were born with the appearance of one touched by demonic powers? You are not a full-blooded Minish, child. You never were. You’re a half-breed, destined from the beginning to embrace your inherent darkness and become our weapon of vengeance against the meddlesome Picori for their interference in the War of the Bound Chest. In your veins flows the blood of a demon. Your father’s blood.”

And then, the darkness peeled back just a bit, enough for Vaati to make out an outline of a spherical body with two long arms and glowing red palms. In the middle of the body, a single eye opened up, sickly pale green in color and glittering with unfathomable malice and cruelty. Vaati’s breath left his body as he beheld the shape of a creature that, apart from the lack of horns, wings, and distinctive features, along with the different eye color, looked like a shadowy version of his own demon form.

“Our blood,” the demon finished triumphantly.

Vaati was stunned into silence. No…no, it can’t be…!

Suddenly, he heard the familiar, hateful voice of his childhood tormenter whisper in his ear from beyond the grave, “You’re one to talk, since either your mommy or daddy was a monster!”

“Oh, but it is, son,” the demon hissed with sadistic relish, having read his mind. “When the Picori granted the Hylians the White Sword and the Light Force, driving back our armies and sealing them within the Bound Chest, we swore vengeance. But that vengeance would not come at our hands. No, we needed something that would not only destroy the Picori, but stain their wretched legacy forever, and that…was you, Vaati. And you passed your trial run with flying colors! The Minish withdrew from Hyrule, ashamed of having begot a true horror like you. We even found ourselves impressed by the level of power you managed to attain. Indeed we hoped that you would one day supplant Ganon as the holder of the Triforce of Power, thereby securing it for our purposes. But you disappointed us by turning away from your true calling. Making friends, starting a family. You were made to destroy friendships! Your purpose was to tear families apart! To deny your legacy was a mistake that shall cost you every miserable thing you have unwisely come to cherish, mark our words.”

At this, Vaati managed to snap himself out of his shock. “You…my childhood. You were responsible. The whole time, you were responsible for the suffering I endured!”

The demon laughed mockingly. “GAHAHA! You know, we were there when your mother spawned you. The moment she looked into your eyes, she cast you aside in disgust and died of grief for having produced such a hideous creature! The doctors cried demon and refused to hold you! You are not meant to be loved, brat! You were meant to be despised, and you were supposed to feed off that hatred until you became the ultimate weapon for the forces of darkness. But it no longer matters. Even now, the ever-so-dutiful Hero of Legend is on his way with the Master Sword. Once the people of Hyrule have properly condemned you, if they’re feeling merciful, the cursed brat will publicly behead you. Otherwise, you’ll hang from the town gallows, for the guays to pick away your skin and eyes and the sun to bleach your bones! And the minute the life leaves your body, we will sweep in to claim the power of the Triforce for ourselves. We will succeed where that wretch Demise could not! Imagine how your beloved friends will react… Oh, there will surely be war between Equestria and Hyrule with your death. They care too much for you to let such a grievance slide. By the time some measure of sense returns to their heads it will already be too late. Hyrule will burn. Equestria will burn. Majora will rule, and your friends will die!”

Vaati’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “Not if I have anything to say about it!”

Vaati hunched forward, allowing the change to overtake him that would unleash his most powerful form.

Only…it didn’t. Nothing happened.

As Vaati’s eyes widened in shock and mounting horror, the demon snickered ominously.

“You do not know who we are, do you, boy? What power we wield over dreams? Of course, Hylia’s meddlesome little incarnation helped by binding you in chains strengthened by light magic to suppress your powers in the waking world, making it easier for us to suppress them in your dreams. Gwoh hoh hoh hoh hoh hoh…mm, your helplessness is…tempting, admittedly. The irony of you dying at the hands of the Hero despite your ‘reformation’ is so satisfying, and yet…why should we let him have the honor of dispatching you? We brought you into this world; we should be the one to take you out for the disappointment you caused us, and the trouble you caused our master. But we will take our time. The Hero would do it too quickly. There would not be enough suffering on your end. Yes…we have time. And perhaps the Hero will even thank us for doing the work for him!”

Before Vaati could even do anything to defend himself, he felt an invisible force sweep him off his feet and slam him onto his back, and in the blink of an eye, he found that he was pinned to a stone slab that looked like one meant for primitive sacrifices inside a dark room. Though there were no bindings, Vaati could not move his arms or legs, no matter how fiercely he struggled. He whipped his head back and forth as he struggled, and then he stopped as he saw who else was in the room with him, and it was enough to make him retch, and tears sprang to his eyes at the gruesome sight.
Hanging from the ceiling on bloody meathooks like slabs of beef, arranged around the sacrificial table, were all of Vaati’s friends and family. Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Scootaloo, and Luna all swung limply on their chains upside down, their hooves tied together, their bellies slit open, their mouths hanging open slightly, and their eyes gazing emptily into his own. Vaati unleashed a strangled gasp at the sight of their mangled, defiled corpses displayed mockingly around him, frozen stiff in his horror. And then, directly over his head, the single green eye of the Demon King of Nightmares emerged from the darkness, glaring evilly down at him.

“Gwoh hoh hoh hoh…welcome, our son, to the nightmare from which you will never wake! The torment we inflicted upon your friends all those years ago will pale before what we shall do upon you!”

Vaati’s eyes widened in realization. “Good Goddesses…i-it was you…you were the one who gave Twilight and the others those nightmares during our search for the Elements!”

The demon rolled its ponderous eye. “Only now are you figuring this out? Fool.”

The nightmare entity chuckled deeply, its evil intentions clear. “We were the one who brought back King Sombra and sent him the Hounds of Majora to aid his reconquest of the Crystal Empire. It was we who possessed that miserable little wretch Diamond Tiara and used her to try and kill that disgusting little piece of filth you call your daughter and then freed her from Tartarus as a monster to try again. Ganon’s arrival in Equestria? Us too. And the one who put that teensy little child your sweetheart doted so much on and the cousin of that pigheaded peasant Applejack in their graves, just to make that loathsome moon witch suffer for standing in our way. All us!”

Rage clouded Vaati’s mind as the long-unsolved riddle was answered at last. “You…! Murderer! BASTARD! I’LL KILL YOU! I SWEAR BY DIN’S FIRE I’LL KILL YOU!”

Vaati screamed as he tried to pull himself free of whatever force was holding him down, but then, from out of the surrounding shadows, a tendril of deepest-black darkness emerged and smashed into Vaati’s gut, knocking the wind out of him and stunning him with a grunt of pain.

“That’s better,” the demon hissed. “We’re afraid you’ve got that backwards, Wind Mage. You see…we are the one who’s going to kill you. And we’re going to do it slowly, and painfully. And in the midst of your agony, take a moment to appreciate your surroundings, because this is how you will see your beloved friends for the last time! As slabs of meat to feed our dogs of war!”

The demon’s eye narrowed as more dark tendrils appeared from the shadows, surrounding Vaati like a horde of black snakes. As they slithered over his body, they felt ice-cold to the touch, making the sorcerer shiver involuntarily. And then the tendrils latched onto his tunic, and with a resounding rip, they tore open his clothing, exposing his chest and belly. Over the last few years, a little more muscle had made its way into Vaati’s frame, but his abs were only just barely noticeable as his stomach undulated with each desperate, fearful breath Vaati took.

“Geheheheheheheheheheheheheheheh…” the demon hissed, anticipation bleeding into its chorused voice. “Oh, how we will enjoy this. Such fear, boy…you’re afraid to die. You’re afraid of the pain you know is coming. Oh…and of course, you’re afraid that we will do the same to your friends.” The demon’s eye emerged a little further from the dark ceiling, leering maliciously over Vaati’s helpless body. “You are right to be afraid. One by one, we will hunt them down, and only after we have grown bored with their suffering will we snuff out their pathetic lives. Now, onto business…”

As the nightmare demon’s eye eased back into its place in the middle of the ceiling, all of the other tendrils withdrew save one, which arched back like an angry cobra, its tip hovering over the stone slab holding Vaati captive, slowly pointing downwards towards Vaati’s helpless body.

Vaati’s fear-stricken eyes darted between the looming tendril and the eye of his monstrous father watching over the procedure like some scientist observing a particularly sadistic experiment. He was going to die, and no matter how he tried to rationalize it, to steel himself, his fear could not be hidden. He wanted to stare death in the face defiantly, to not give his enemy the satisfaction, but he failed miserably. His eyes darted between the hanging bodies of the most important people in his life before he finally allowed himself a brief glare at the omnipresent eye, silently begging it to just get this over with.

And then, as though triggered by his last thought, the tendril plunged downward, and there was a sickening, brief ‘splurk’ as solidified shadow pierced through skin and flesh, burrowing deep into the center of his navel.

The pain was unlike anything he had ever felt before in his life. Not even the Light Arrow could compare to this magnitude of sheer agony. It started in his gut, where the spear of shadow had made contact, and as though it were pumping some sort of dark poison into his system, quickly began spreading throughout his body, seeping into his innards, penetrating his every muscle, and pulsing through his veins with enough force to begin pushing out his own blood. His body spasmed intensely as a bloodcurdling scream tore from his throat. He screamed so loud and so long that his throat quickly became raw, but he still kept going, for the pain was unimaginable. Vaati writhed and twitched as he howled in agony, but the tendril in his belly held fast, pumping the very force of Dethl’s hatred and sadistic lust for torture into his body.

The Nightmare King laughed over Vaati’s agonized screams, that giant, single eye now wide open, a wild, almost insane glint in it. “Gwoh hoh hoh hoh hoh hoh! Now we find ourselves wondering what will happen first. Will you suffocate from all the screaming? Or will your heart give out from all the strain being forced upon it?” Vaati’s only reply was to scream even louder, causing the demon to chortle in sadistic amusement once more. “Yes! YES! Weep! Howl! Declare your agony to the Goddesses above! No one will save you! Die! Die in pain! Die, die, DIE!”

And then, with blood dripping from their wounds, the hanging bodies of Vaati’s friends began to laugh at him. An empty laugh, devoid of soul, that could only come from the voices of the dead. They joined the demon’s own mocking cackles to create a cacophony of madness as Vaati slowly began to feel himself slipping away…

XXXXXX

The lone guard on duty still standing motionlessly outside the door of Vaati’s cell could hear the prisoner muttering weakly inside. He forced himself to not turn around, for he feared that the Wind Mage might try to cast some sort of spell on him too like he had those strange, talking ponies with wings and horns. And speak of the devil, the door to the dungeons opened with an ominous, echoing creak. The guard stood up straight as he saw Princess Zelda enter. Alongside her were Impa and one of the ponies in question, a purple one with a horn.

Zelda cleared her throat and declared, “We have come to see the prisoner. We require only a few minutes of privacy, so if you would kindly wait outside until we finish, I would much appreciate it.”

The guard, a little suspicious, stammered, “U-uh, Princess? Are you sure i-it would be w-wise to be alone w-with that…that thing in there?”

“I’m not alone,” Zelda reminded the man. “I have Impa and Miss Twilight Sparkle here with me as well. Now please…”

The soldier sighed. “Alright, Your Highness. If you insist.”

With that, the guard handed Zelda the keys to the cell and left the dungeon to wait outside. Standing outside the heavy oak door, Zelda called out, “Vaati? It’s me, Zelda. I’m here with Twilight Sparkle.”

Strangely, there was no response. Furrowing her brows in suspicion, Zelda stuck the key in the door and unlocked it, slowly pushing it open as Impa slowly rested her hand over her dagger. But to their surprise, Vaati was still in there, slumped against the wall with his arms and legs restrained by enchanted shackles that suppressed his magic. His head was bowed, his hair falling over his face and hiding it. Other than some spastic twitching, Vaati did not move.

“V-Vaati?” Twilight called out, trotting gingerly towards him. “It’s me, Twilight. A-are you okay?”

Vaati did not reply. The three visitors glanced worriedly at each other before Twilight took another hesitant step forward. “Vaa…?”

However, before she could finish, Vaati’s head snapped up, his unseeing eyes as wide as dinner plates. He let out a loud, strangled gasp.

And then the screaming began.

XXXXXX

Telma’s Inn…

Luna was sitting alone in the room she and her sister shared. Celestia had gone out to attempt to mingle with the townsfolk, to learn a little more about them, but Luna didn’t feel like socializing. Though she was relieved at the news that Vaati would indeed be getting a trial, deep down, she still feared that the people of Hyrule would refuse to see the Equestrians’ side of the story, and all would be for naught.

And then, like a dagger in her heart, she felt it. That familiar violation of the world of dreams she had come to know, fear, and despise in equal measure. And it was coming from the dungeons of Hyrule Castle. Luna’s eyes widened. “NO! VAATI!”

XXXXXX

Vaati was screaming and writhing in his shackles as though he were in indescribable pain. Gasping in horror, Twilight screamed, “W-what’s going on?! What have you done to him?!”

Zelda’s eyes were just as wide with horror and confusion. “I-I don’t know! Impa! Twilight! Hold him down!”

The Sheikah and unicorn did so, latching onto each of Vaati’s arms and pinning him back against the wall. Trying to get his attention, Zelda got in his face and cried, “Vaati! Vaati, look at me! What’s happening to you?!”

And then, to her shock, blood began to pour from Vaati’s nose, and then his mouth, and even his tears were starting to turn red. Zelda recoiled, her hand flying to her mouth in horror. “W-what…?”

“OUT OF MY WAY! NOW!”

The three of them turned around in time to see Princess Luna barrel past them, her horn already glowing as she aimed for Vaati’s forehead. “Grab onto me!” Luna demanded. “We will confront this twisted evil together!”

Deciding to trust Luna in this, Twilight, Zelda, and Impa all grabbed onto Luna’s wing as she tapped her glowing horn against Vaati’s forehead.

XXXXXX

Luna, Twilight, Zelda, and Impa opened their eyes to find themselves in a dark room with featureless stone walls hidden mostly in shadow. However, their attention was almost immediately captured by the sounds of Vaati continuing to scream his throat raw just ahead of them. Twilight and Luna fought back a horrified retching fit as they saw their own mangled bodies displayed alongside the bodies of their friends over a sacrificial stone slab to which Vaati was magically pinned. The sorcerer’s shirt had been ripped open, and a tendril of solid darkness had pierced him through his belly button, seemingly pumping some sort of poison into the mage’s system, if the multitude of black veins spider-webbing out under his skin from where the tendril had impaled him was any indication. Luna could also sense the fringes of the dreamscape beginning to fade and break down, which meant that if Vaati endured much more of this, it would kill him.

However, their entrance did not go unnoticed. Up on the ceiling, a large, pale green eye snapped towards them, widening in shock, as it had not expected to be interrupted.

“What?! You…how?!” Dethl roared.

Luna acted first, firing an intense beam of energy right at the tendril, severing it. While one severed half retreated back into the shadows, the other half still stuck in Vaati writhed like an agitated snake, spewing a hideous-smelling black ichor. Dethl bellowed in anger as the monstrous demon detached itself from the ceiling, taking its true form before them. It towered over the four dream intruders, glaring with unfathomable hatred through its predominant eye.

“RRRRAAAAGH! Equestrian wretch! YOU HAVE MEDDLED IN OUR AFFAIRS FOR THE LAST TIME!” Dethl outright howled with fury.

“YOU HAVE THREATENED THE DREAMS OF THE INNOCENT FOR THE LAST TIME!” Luna bellowed right back in the Royal Canterlot Voice, her eyes glowing pure white. “NOW YOU DIE!”

Dethl thrust one mighty arm at Luna, who threw up a powerful shield and deflected it with a resounding crash. Impa leapt into the air, unsheathing her dagger and raising it high. Dethl saw her coming and ducked its head down, and Impa’s dagger drove through its body all the way to the hilt. Snarling in anger, Dethl bucked and swung at Impa, even as it tried to block Luna’s continuous salvos of energy blasts. “Princess, Twilight, hurry! Get to Vaati!” Luna commanded in a tone that brooked no argument.

By this time, Dethl thrust its head back with enough force to throw Impa off, taking her dagger with her. But the Sheikah warrior nimbly landed on her feet next to Luna, crouching into a fighting position. Dethl howled with rage as its eye glowed a bright whitish-green. Impa leapt aside and Luna teleported out of harm’s way right before a huge burst of energy incinerated the spot they had been standing in a split-second before. Luna reappeared over Dethl’s head and sent a salvo of piercing stars raining down from the sky. Dethl raised a single arm, blocking its face as the stars sliced into its shadowy skin. However, they failed to do much harm, as Dethl’s body was made of shadow energy, and thus not entirely tangible. Impa seized this moment to leap forward and plunge her dagger into the glowing palm of Dethl’s left hand. This time it elicited more of a response from the enraged Demon King, as it whipped around and tried to bludgeon the Sheikah with its other arm. Impa, however, strafed aside yet again, too quick for the giant demon to hit.

Meanwhile, Zelda and Twilight rushed over to the stone slab holding Vaati, trying to ignore the bodies of Twilight herself and her friends hanging limply above them. Vaati was twitching spastically, no longer having the strength to scream. “Ggh…gnngh…” we weakly uttered, his gaze distressingly far-off.

Glaring in determination, Zelda seized hold of the still-flailing severed tendril and tore it out of Vaati’s navel. Strangely, there was no blood, as though the wound hadn’t been truly physical. But its effects were very real: the poison-filled veins spider-webbing away from the cursed injury were not fading fast enough. Zelda threw the tendril to the ground and blasted it to nothingness with a well-placed beam of holy Triforce energy. Twilight jumped onto the table and inspected the hideous wound with a critical eye, her heart pounding against her ribcage as she ran a hoof over the blackened veins. “I-I’ve never seen anything like this before!” Twilight whimpered frantically. “Princess Zelda, can’t you do something?!”

However, the moment Twilight said this, the bodies hanging above them collectively twitched once, the clinking of their chains noticeable even above the din of Luna and Impa’s battle with Dethl in the background. The princess and the pony looked up to see the once-dead faces contort into expressions of pure, mindless fury. Their eyes went pale white, and their bodies began to slowly turn pitch-black like Dethl’s body as they began writhing furiously. Drawing upon a long-buried memory as the Goddess Hylia, Zelda breathed in horrified realization, “Shadow Nightmares…”

Zelda suddenly threw up a shield of light just as the Shadow Nightmares leapt down from the ceiling and attacked, erecting it around herself and the table to which Vaati lay gasping feebly. Some had taken the appearance of dog-sized, inky bats, while others took on the appearance of two-legged chameleon-like beasts. Two became clouds of darkness with tendrils trailing out from behind, and the largest, formerly Luna’s body, became a human-sized beast with two arms that had large, shadowy hooks in place of hands, and floated in the air without any legs. All glared with white, pupil-less eyes gleaming with malice.

Dethl drew back, hissing angrily as Luna and Impa got back into their fighting stances. “Wretched curs,” it snarled hatefully. “This is not the last you have seen of us! We will pay you back ten-fold for this embarrassment!”

And then Dethl swept its arms out, and a massive explosion knocked everyone off their feet, blinding them as they were collectively forced back into the waking world.

XXXXXX

Luna, Twilight, Zelda, and Impa stumbled backwards, disoriented, as they collectively came to. Luna recovered first, just in time to see that they were not alone.

“NO!” she roared, blasting the largest Shadow Nightmare into the wall of the prison cell before it could skewer the unmoving Vaati, momentarily stunning it.

Meanwhile, the Shadow Bats, Shadow Crawlers, and two Shadow Flayers descended upon them, ready to slaughter in their master’s name. Zelda sent them all flying back with a burst of Farore’s Wind before crying out, “Guards! GUARDS! Quickly! Monsters are in the castle!”

Within moments, several Hylian guards burst into the room, spears and swords brandished, just in time to see the Shadow Nightmares recovering. Hissing and snarling in rage, the Shadow Nightmares descended upon the guards and Zelda’s entourage, and a fierce fight broke out in the dungeons. One guard managed to successfully skewer a Shadow Bat on the end of his spear, but he was quickly seized from behind by a Shadow Flayer, its tendrils wrapping around the unfortunate man’s neck and snapping it like a twig.

A Shadow Crawler viciously tried to get past one guard’s upraised shield, growling nastily. The guard was forced on the defensive, but just as the Crawler’s claws finally rent his shield asunder, Zelda blasted it to smithereens from where she was standing.

The Shadow Soldier directed its attention on Luna, swinging with its hooked arms. Luna conjured her sword and blocked its strike, and with a roar of anger, she swung her sword in a wide arc, splitting the Shadow Soldier in half and dispatching it.

Another Shadow Crawler came barreling towards Twilight, who let out a cry as he knocked it back with an energy beam, slamming it against the wall. Before it could recover, Twilight seized its flailing body in her magical grip and smashed it repeatedly against the wall, a mask of cold fury on her face. Eventually she pummeled the monster virtually to shadow dust, and as its body dissipated, she hissed between heavy breaths, “That…was for Vaati.”

The noises of the fighting eventually drew the attention of more castle guards, which poured into the dungeon and immediately did battle with the remaining Shadow Nightmares. Forged steel defended against dark claws and shadowy teeth. Trusting her guards and the others to hold off the remaining demons, Zelda rushed to Vaati’s side. The sorcerer was still twitching feebly, and his eyes were staring at nothing. His breathing was shallowed, and the look of pain and primal terror in Vaati’s eyes was enough to break the princess’s heart. Reaching under her dress, she withdrew a knife she always kept concealed in her boot just in case and quickly but gently ripped Vaati’s tunic open. As she had suspected, the wound he had suffered in the dream world had carried over into the waking world. Countless black veins spreading outward across the length of his torso from his belly button, discoloring the skin to a dead, ashy grey. Placing her hands over Vaati’s wound, Zelda began to chant under her breath. Her Triforce mark lit up on her wrist, and a weak, golden light sprang from her fingers as she desperately tried to purge Vaati’s body of Dethl’s enchanted venom. She could sense, however, that the Demon King’s magic was resisting her attempts, fighting back in order to maintain its cruel hold over him. She even swore she was starting to feel a nauseating, corrupting pain within her own gut, but she forced herself past this and concentrated on healing the Wind Mage who was teetering dangerously close to death’s door.

However, she was shaken from this as she heard a piercing, high-pitched shriek assault her ears. She snapped her head up, the magic in her fingers fading as she beheld a Shadow Bat coming right towards her, a mouth lined with razor sharp teeth opening up to greet her.

Zelda only had time to gasp.

And then the demon’s body was rent in two by a mighty sword swing from behind, the Shadow Bat’s dying screams drowned out by the sounds of the last few Shadow Nightmares fighting the castle guards nearby. Zelda blinked in shock as she recognized her savior, who was regarding her with an indignant expression.

“Now is someone gonna tell me what in the Dark World’s going on?!” Link demanded with an annoyed huff.

Author's Note

AND WE FINALLY SEE LINK FOR REAL FOR THE FIRST TIME!!!!!

Man, I never let Vaati have a break, do I? Fufufu~

Next week will have the new chapter.