Chapter 4:
In Brightest Day...
----------------------------------------------
The first rays of the sun gently woke the sleeping figure. Hastening to start the day, he quickly rose, dressed, and left, apparently leaving his nightcap on...
-It's so perfect,- he thought. -The sun is shining, the birds are singing, smoke is billowing from the forest...-
His eyes suddenly widened at the realization of what he had just seen. Spinning around, he dashed back into the house, only to emerge again moments later and jump onto a horse running by.
"Of all the places to catch fire!" the exasperated man shouted. "Those kids are always careful with torches, so someone must have done it on purpose!"
----------------------------------------------
Meanwhile, another figure woke, but it was due to a small fire starting on his sleeve. Fox hastily put himself out with a glove-covered hand, but immediately regretted his jerking, panicked movements as pain shot through his limbs.
-Guess I shouldn't have been so eager to land... could've killed us all... I hope the others are alive.- Fox quickly examined his state of health. -No broken bones at least, just bruises.- He heaved a sigh of relief.
"What in Nayru's name?!"
"Who's there?" Fox called to the unseen voice. "What's going on?"
"Nothing to worry about. It was dead before I got here."
"What was?"
"This strange, winged, metal beast."
"WHAT!?" yelled Fox, jolting upright. Despite his pain, he managed to stumble out from behind the bushes he landed in, only to discover...
"AAH! MY ARWING!" he wailed.
"AAH! A Wolfos!" the man [who you know as Link] yelled back, drawing his sword.
"AAH! Man in tights!" Fox shouted, shielding his eyes.
"AAH! I'm blind!"
"Falcon is that you?" answered Fox, deciding that the sword-wielding blonde guy wasn't going to fight. "Thank goodness you're alive!"
"What kind of life is it if I can't see!?" Falcon moaned.
Fox shoved a large piece of debris off the source of the voice.
"I can see... I CAN SEE!"
"Shut up," quipped Fox, kicking Falcon in the ribs. "Help me find Mewtwo."
"Ow... I'm going, I'm going," he muttered.
Link shot a few arrows at the small fire patches, freezing them into solid ice.
"How'd you do that?" asked Fox.
"I'll ask the questions for now. Who are you and why were you trying to set the Kokiri Forest on fire?"
"Fair enough. I am Fox McCloud, and this is Captain Falcon. I've come from the Lylat system with--"
"Lylat system?" repeated Link, raising an eyebrow. "Where's that?"
Fox suddenly took notice of the simple metal sword the elf carried, in stark contrast to the gun hanging on his own belt, which he started carrying with him ever since after the first fight with the Zeg'ra. He heaved a sigh. "We come from a different world. We didn't mean to start a fire, but our, uh, method of transportation failed."
"*Your* method of transportation," Falcon added, even though he was now standing a good distance away from the conversation.
"Why are you here?" Link inquired.
"Well, I'm sure if Mewtwo were here, *he'd* be able to--"
"Found him!" announced Falcon. "Sheesh, Fox. Your ship's wing nearly sliced his head open!"
Link examined the large gash. "What race is he?" he asked.
"You're asking us?!" cried the other two in unison.
"Put him on the horse," Link ordered. "We'll take him to be healed."
Falcon complied, laying the poke'mon's still form on the horse's back before following the green-clad figure. He led them through several tunnels made from hollowed-out trees, which connected small clearings in the forest. The group walked through many of these clearings, each looking almost identical to the last, before finding a stone entranceway, which they went into. It led to a large cave, which seemed to be filled with walkways, doors, strairs, and the like, but no people could be seen. Falcon did notice a few boulders that seemed to be snoring however.
"Interesting..." Fox noted, breaking the silence while staring at his wrist computer's holographic display. "We're still in the Lylat system."
"That can't be," argued Falcon. "No one's ever put this planet on any navchart, and the whole system's been thoroughly explored!"
"Yes, but the planet is enclosed in a field of ion clouds, so nothing could detect it. I can still detect things outside the field though. Odd... Anyway, There's an entire self-sufficient solar system in here, with one yellow star and two planets--"
"Termina?" Link asked himself.
"Say what?" Falcon inquired.
"Nothing. Never mind."
Fox started his scientific rambling again. "Like I said, there's two planets in here, but something - the ion clouds perhaps - is making them rotate abnormally fast."
"...Which would explain the two sunsets in the past thirty minutes." Falcon concluded, squinting up at the noticeably-moving sun. While he said this, he took Mewtwo onto his shoulder and followed their guide up a steep mountain slope, which he knew the horse couldn't travel.
"Those get really annoying sometimes," muttered Link, hauling Mewtwo up a sheer cliff with a strange, chain-like device.
Finally, the group reached the mountain's summit, entering the door on the left. The tunnel seemed odd to Fox, as he noticed it was well-made on the inside, but the entrance appeared to have been blown in by dynamite.
Soon, they entered a breathtakingly beautiful fountain room, where water seemed to form the walls themselves, and the ceiling was nowhere in sight. Pearl-white tiling covered the floor, and a flowing pool of crystal-clear water lay before them.
Link stood upon a golden symbol by the fountain, and played a short tune on a small, flute-like instrument.
Suddenly, a tall woman with long, red hair, and dressed in leafy vines seemed to leap out of the inch-deep water. Her beauty was indescribable, but the laugh of joy she gave made you want to cover your ears in agony.
"Greetings, Link!" she welcomed. "I shall heal your wounds!"
"No, no, its him who needs it," replied Link, gesturing towards the fallen psychic.
"Very well," she replied, casting Mewtwo in a ray of light that sealed the gash on his forehead and eased his unconscious look of pain. "When you are weary of battle, come see me again." With that, she vanished back into the fountain with a laugh, leaving them only a memory and ears that would be ringing for another hour.
Falcon whistled. "Wow. She was *hot.* OW!!"
Fox slapped the back of the Captain's helmet so hard it got stuck over his eyes. He sighed at his behavior, then hurried to catch up with Link. "Who are you, anyway?" he asked.
"I am Link, and this is my home, Hyrule." he answered with a sweeping gesture of his hand that revealed the wide valley spread out before them, bordered by a forest, a lake, a river, a desert, and even a magnificent castle. It was a wondrous view to Fox, but Link seemed nowhere near as impressed by it, as if he had looked down upon it a hundred times before.
"Looks like the castle's our next stop," Falcon guessed.
"Thank you, Captain Obvious," quipped Fox, as he made haste to begin their descent from the mountain.
"I'll go with you," said Link.
-------------------------------
As they walked through the castle's grand halls, Falcon leaned over and whispered in Fox's ear. "Is it just me, or did those soldiers seem overly eager to open the doors to Link here?"
"He must be someone important."
"Doesn't look like royalty to me. He's wearing a nightcap, not a crown."
"Point taken. Still you never know what customs they may have here. Let's just see where this goes."
At length, the three were taken into a dining hall, while the royal physicians attended to Mewtwo. A blonde woman in a rose-pink dress appeared before them and curtseyed. "Welcome to Hyrule," she said. "I am Princess Zelda of the Royal Family. Please, join us for dinner while we talk of your purpose here."
Falcon licked his lips. -Yes! Real food! It's been so long since I've eaten anything but packaged rations...-
While they took their seats, Fox lightly elbowed Falcon to get his attention. "Don't even think about talking unless they ask you something," he muttered. "I've had more experience with higher social classes than you, so just let me do the negotiating."
"Yeah, I got it," sighed Falcon.
The four of them passed the food around and ate while Fox explained everything he knew of their situation. Zelda and Link listened with concerned faces, but did not interrupt him.
"...So I guess why Mewtwo brought us here is because one of the 'warriors' lives here..."
--And he's been rather modest of his social status so far,-- interrupted Mewtwo, materializing behind Link, much to his surprise.
"Good to see you up again, Mewtwo," complimented Fox.
Mewtwo nodded with a smirk.
" 'Social status,' eh? I knew he was the prince!" stated Falcon.
An awkward moment ensued as both Link and Zelda blushed.
"No... I'm the hero," corrected Link.
Fox politely wiped his mouth with a napkin, folded it, stood, and proceeded to drag Falcon into another room. "You idiot! This is why I told you not to talk in advance!"
"Shut up! We're lucky either one of us can still talk, thanks to your little stunt during landing!"
"Like its my fault the Arwing got damaged?"
"Haven't you ever heard of something called a maintenance check?"
"That does it! I've got your maintenance check right here!" Fox challenged, rolling up a sleeve.
------------------------
--Will you help us, then?-- asked Mewtwo.
"Of course!" the Hero of Time replied. "I can't just sit around and wait for those things to come here! Count me in."
--Excellent. We will depart as soon as these two finish their dispute,-- said Mewtwo, gesturing at the fight in the hall.
"Show me your moves, wimp!"
"Taunt this, windbag!"
Link dashed into the room and pried the two apart. "Enough! There's more at stake now than bruised egos! Can't you understand that?"
Mewtwo glided over to a window and concentrated on opening a portal, as he did before.
"Wait, Link," said Zelda. "Don't you need the Ocarina of Time?"
"No, Zelda. If the Zeg'ra reach Hyrule while I'm not around, it'll take everything available to stop them. I know that leaving here will make Hyrule vulnerable, but it's even more foolish to sit here and wait for them while they gain strength elsewhere. I promise I will return, but I cannot promise to prevent an attack. If that happens, it's all up to you."
Zelda nodded dutifully as Link followed Fox, Mewtwo, and Falcon, still unsure of his decision. He paused at the window and looked back, as if he had remembered something else to say, but decided against it, and entered the vortex into adventure.
In Brightest Day...
----------------------------------------------
The first rays of the sun gently woke the sleeping figure. Hastening to start the day, he quickly rose, dressed, and left, apparently leaving his nightcap on...
-It's so perfect,- he thought. -The sun is shining, the birds are singing, smoke is billowing from the forest...-
His eyes suddenly widened at the realization of what he had just seen. Spinning around, he dashed back into the house, only to emerge again moments later and jump onto a horse running by.
"Of all the places to catch fire!" the exasperated man shouted. "Those kids are always careful with torches, so someone must have done it on purpose!"
----------------------------------------------
Meanwhile, another figure woke, but it was due to a small fire starting on his sleeve. Fox hastily put himself out with a glove-covered hand, but immediately regretted his jerking, panicked movements as pain shot through his limbs.
-Guess I shouldn't have been so eager to land... could've killed us all... I hope the others are alive.- Fox quickly examined his state of health. -No broken bones at least, just bruises.- He heaved a sigh of relief.
"What in Nayru's name?!"
"Who's there?" Fox called to the unseen voice. "What's going on?"
"Nothing to worry about. It was dead before I got here."
"What was?"
"This strange, winged, metal beast."
"WHAT!?" yelled Fox, jolting upright. Despite his pain, he managed to stumble out from behind the bushes he landed in, only to discover...
"AAH! MY ARWING!" he wailed.
"AAH! A Wolfos!" the man [who you know as Link] yelled back, drawing his sword.
"AAH! Man in tights!" Fox shouted, shielding his eyes.
"AAH! I'm blind!"
"Falcon is that you?" answered Fox, deciding that the sword-wielding blonde guy wasn't going to fight. "Thank goodness you're alive!"
"What kind of life is it if I can't see!?" Falcon moaned.
Fox shoved a large piece of debris off the source of the voice.
"I can see... I CAN SEE!"
"Shut up," quipped Fox, kicking Falcon in the ribs. "Help me find Mewtwo."
"Ow... I'm going, I'm going," he muttered.
Link shot a few arrows at the small fire patches, freezing them into solid ice.
"How'd you do that?" asked Fox.
"I'll ask the questions for now. Who are you and why were you trying to set the Kokiri Forest on fire?"
"Fair enough. I am Fox McCloud, and this is Captain Falcon. I've come from the Lylat system with--"
"Lylat system?" repeated Link, raising an eyebrow. "Where's that?"
Fox suddenly took notice of the simple metal sword the elf carried, in stark contrast to the gun hanging on his own belt, which he started carrying with him ever since after the first fight with the Zeg'ra. He heaved a sigh. "We come from a different world. We didn't mean to start a fire, but our, uh, method of transportation failed."
"*Your* method of transportation," Falcon added, even though he was now standing a good distance away from the conversation.
"Why are you here?" Link inquired.
"Well, I'm sure if Mewtwo were here, *he'd* be able to--"
"Found him!" announced Falcon. "Sheesh, Fox. Your ship's wing nearly sliced his head open!"
Link examined the large gash. "What race is he?" he asked.
"You're asking us?!" cried the other two in unison.
"Put him on the horse," Link ordered. "We'll take him to be healed."
Falcon complied, laying the poke'mon's still form on the horse's back before following the green-clad figure. He led them through several tunnels made from hollowed-out trees, which connected small clearings in the forest. The group walked through many of these clearings, each looking almost identical to the last, before finding a stone entranceway, which they went into. It led to a large cave, which seemed to be filled with walkways, doors, strairs, and the like, but no people could be seen. Falcon did notice a few boulders that seemed to be snoring however.
"Interesting..." Fox noted, breaking the silence while staring at his wrist computer's holographic display. "We're still in the Lylat system."
"That can't be," argued Falcon. "No one's ever put this planet on any navchart, and the whole system's been thoroughly explored!"
"Yes, but the planet is enclosed in a field of ion clouds, so nothing could detect it. I can still detect things outside the field though. Odd... Anyway, There's an entire self-sufficient solar system in here, with one yellow star and two planets--"
"Termina?" Link asked himself.
"Say what?" Falcon inquired.
"Nothing. Never mind."
Fox started his scientific rambling again. "Like I said, there's two planets in here, but something - the ion clouds perhaps - is making them rotate abnormally fast."
"...Which would explain the two sunsets in the past thirty minutes." Falcon concluded, squinting up at the noticeably-moving sun. While he said this, he took Mewtwo onto his shoulder and followed their guide up a steep mountain slope, which he knew the horse couldn't travel.
"Those get really annoying sometimes," muttered Link, hauling Mewtwo up a sheer cliff with a strange, chain-like device.
Finally, the group reached the mountain's summit, entering the door on the left. The tunnel seemed odd to Fox, as he noticed it was well-made on the inside, but the entrance appeared to have been blown in by dynamite.
Soon, they entered a breathtakingly beautiful fountain room, where water seemed to form the walls themselves, and the ceiling was nowhere in sight. Pearl-white tiling covered the floor, and a flowing pool of crystal-clear water lay before them.
Link stood upon a golden symbol by the fountain, and played a short tune on a small, flute-like instrument.
Suddenly, a tall woman with long, red hair, and dressed in leafy vines seemed to leap out of the inch-deep water. Her beauty was indescribable, but the laugh of joy she gave made you want to cover your ears in agony.
"Greetings, Link!" she welcomed. "I shall heal your wounds!"
"No, no, its him who needs it," replied Link, gesturing towards the fallen psychic.
"Very well," she replied, casting Mewtwo in a ray of light that sealed the gash on his forehead and eased his unconscious look of pain. "When you are weary of battle, come see me again." With that, she vanished back into the fountain with a laugh, leaving them only a memory and ears that would be ringing for another hour.
Falcon whistled. "Wow. She was *hot.* OW!!"
Fox slapped the back of the Captain's helmet so hard it got stuck over his eyes. He sighed at his behavior, then hurried to catch up with Link. "Who are you, anyway?" he asked.
"I am Link, and this is my home, Hyrule." he answered with a sweeping gesture of his hand that revealed the wide valley spread out before them, bordered by a forest, a lake, a river, a desert, and even a magnificent castle. It was a wondrous view to Fox, but Link seemed nowhere near as impressed by it, as if he had looked down upon it a hundred times before.
"Looks like the castle's our next stop," Falcon guessed.
"Thank you, Captain Obvious," quipped Fox, as he made haste to begin their descent from the mountain.
"I'll go with you," said Link.
-------------------------------
As they walked through the castle's grand halls, Falcon leaned over and whispered in Fox's ear. "Is it just me, or did those soldiers seem overly eager to open the doors to Link here?"
"He must be someone important."
"Doesn't look like royalty to me. He's wearing a nightcap, not a crown."
"Point taken. Still you never know what customs they may have here. Let's just see where this goes."
At length, the three were taken into a dining hall, while the royal physicians attended to Mewtwo. A blonde woman in a rose-pink dress appeared before them and curtseyed. "Welcome to Hyrule," she said. "I am Princess Zelda of the Royal Family. Please, join us for dinner while we talk of your purpose here."
Falcon licked his lips. -Yes! Real food! It's been so long since I've eaten anything but packaged rations...-
While they took their seats, Fox lightly elbowed Falcon to get his attention. "Don't even think about talking unless they ask you something," he muttered. "I've had more experience with higher social classes than you, so just let me do the negotiating."
"Yeah, I got it," sighed Falcon.
The four of them passed the food around and ate while Fox explained everything he knew of their situation. Zelda and Link listened with concerned faces, but did not interrupt him.
"...So I guess why Mewtwo brought us here is because one of the 'warriors' lives here..."
--And he's been rather modest of his social status so far,-- interrupted Mewtwo, materializing behind Link, much to his surprise.
"Good to see you up again, Mewtwo," complimented Fox.
Mewtwo nodded with a smirk.
" 'Social status,' eh? I knew he was the prince!" stated Falcon.
An awkward moment ensued as both Link and Zelda blushed.
"No... I'm the hero," corrected Link.
Fox politely wiped his mouth with a napkin, folded it, stood, and proceeded to drag Falcon into another room. "You idiot! This is why I told you not to talk in advance!"
"Shut up! We're lucky either one of us can still talk, thanks to your little stunt during landing!"
"Like its my fault the Arwing got damaged?"
"Haven't you ever heard of something called a maintenance check?"
"That does it! I've got your maintenance check right here!" Fox challenged, rolling up a sleeve.
------------------------
--Will you help us, then?-- asked Mewtwo.
"Of course!" the Hero of Time replied. "I can't just sit around and wait for those things to come here! Count me in."
--Excellent. We will depart as soon as these two finish their dispute,-- said Mewtwo, gesturing at the fight in the hall.
"Show me your moves, wimp!"
"Taunt this, windbag!"
Link dashed into the room and pried the two apart. "Enough! There's more at stake now than bruised egos! Can't you understand that?"
Mewtwo glided over to a window and concentrated on opening a portal, as he did before.
"Wait, Link," said Zelda. "Don't you need the Ocarina of Time?"
"No, Zelda. If the Zeg'ra reach Hyrule while I'm not around, it'll take everything available to stop them. I know that leaving here will make Hyrule vulnerable, but it's even more foolish to sit here and wait for them while they gain strength elsewhere. I promise I will return, but I cannot promise to prevent an attack. If that happens, it's all up to you."
Zelda nodded dutifully as Link followed Fox, Mewtwo, and Falcon, still unsure of his decision. He paused at the window and looked back, as if he had remembered something else to say, but decided against it, and entered the vortex into adventure.