Author's Note: I don't own any of the Zelda characters or games, Nintendo does. The characters and story I add are my own. Please read and review.
Chapter 1: The Twilight Strikes Back
I was heading home from college one morning in July. I took summer classes so I would have the credits to transfer to a university in the fall. In the meantime, I had been taking my classes at a community college not far from my home. I say not far, but it was about a thirty-five minute ride on a bike. At least heading home, it was downhill. I took a breath as I waited for the traffic light to change. It wasn't getting too hot yet, but in Arizona, it didn't take long.
It was getting close to 11a.m., so my brow furrowed when I saw a line of orange ahead of me. What bothered me further was how the line was rising up into the air. It couldn't… I tried to shake it off as I crossed the street, continuing south towards home. But the line was right in front of me and I couldn't summon the doubt needed to make me think it was something else.
To say that I was surprised was an understatement. I was in total shock. Only a few blocks from where I first spotted it, a wall towered above me. My heart was racing and my breathing became ragged. A wall of twilight? Here? But it was impossible! My mind stopped working as I stared at the golden barrier before me. I don't know how long I just stood there before one thought made it through. It was happening again.
I snapped back to life when I heard others nearby. Drivers were getting out of their cars to inspect the wall, pushing against it and uttering complaints and observations. I realized that I had never actually touched the wall before. I reach up and put my hand to it, not knowing what to expect. I was perfectly smooth and firm, the glow of the arcane lines casting everything in an orange hue like a streetlight. I gasped and backed up as I remembered what could be on the other side.
"Get back from the wall!" I yelled, heading for a lady near me. She backed up a few steps, giving me a look of confusion, but she didn't question me. I didn't stay around to find out if she would, and moved on to a man who was pounding on the wall. "Get back. It's not safe!" I told him.
"Why? Do you know what this thing is?" he asked, his brow furrowing.
"You wouldn't believe me," I said, holding back a sigh. This wouldn't be easy. But before I could say more, a black arm shot out of the wall, grabbing a woman and dragging her back through the magic. "Okay, maybe you would," I added.
A few men and the woman's children ran up to wall, banging and yelling at it. Everyone else backed away; fear pulling screams and wide-eyed looks from faces. I looked back at the wall, gently laying my hand on it. I needed to get in. It was the only way to stop it, or at least I hoped. This wasn't a game anymore and this wasn't Hyrule. The same rules that had applied there wouldn't apply here. Or would they? I closed my eyes and sighed. If only Midna were here now. My eyes snapped open again when the thought occurred to me that she might have come too. I then shook my head, feeling that I had worse things to worry about.
I turned to my right, heading for the group gathered at the wall. "Back up everyone! That thing could come back."
"We can't just leave her!" protested one man.
"We can't get through the wall unless one of those things takes us," I explained, getting ready for an argument.
"Do you know what it was?" asked a woman who was trying to console the crying children.
"A shadow monster." The looks I got from that answer were less than encouraging. "I know it's hard to believe, but monsters live inside walls like this. It's all twilight inside."
"How do you know?" scoffed a scowling middle-aged man.
In hindsight, I'm glad I didn't have to answer his question, because it would have destroyed any credibility to my story. The way things turned out actually worked out for the better. All I can remember were large fingers wrapping around my torso, pinning my arms to my side and knocking the wind out of me, a sudden jerk backwards, and leaving the world of light behind.
