Twilight of Lylat

Chapter 2

Krystal woke up with the sound of something breaking the water's surface.. She opened her eyes to see that the sun was still not visible in the horizon. It was a gray light shining from the setting moon. It was bright enough to see, so she sat up quietly. Link was still sleeping, so she slowly stood up, not making a sound. She looked around the water, and water gently hit the shore with a soft 'whoosh'.

The blue vixen scanned the surface of the water for the source of the waves, and saw nothing. She then heard shuffling. It was Link, turning over onto his stomach. 'Humans are amazingly like us...with out the fur, ears, or tail...' she said to herself. Sitting back down, she felt a pair of eyes on her back. She looked at him again, and she could see the shine of his eyes looking up at her through his fallen dirty-blond hair..

"Sorry if I have woken you, Link." she said with an apologetic voice. He smiled tiredly.

"It's fine." he yawned and stretched.

"Did you hear that splash? It woke me up." she looked back out where it sounded like it had came from.

"Hm? No, I didn't hear anything. I was out cold." he smiled and stood up, putting on his hat that he used as a pillow. "We have nothing better to do, so if you want to wait until the light comes over the horizon, we can."

She sighed. "No, it's fine...It was probably a fish anyways." she put her head down to look at his shadow. "No Midna. It wasn't a dream." the imp came out of his shadow, smiling deviously.

"I wish you couldn't do that...It bugs me!" she stuck out her tongue and floated in between them. "So, what's this splash your talking about?" Krystal smiled.

"You heard the whole thing, I know it!" her ears twitched, and she looked at the lake again. Something silver was shining in the rising sun. Markings all over the thing were glowing. It was long and slender, built for grabbing. Krystal gasped. "My staff!" she ran and leaned over at the end of the rock slab, grabbing the item.

Midna looked confused. "What's a staff?" she said while Krystal was inspecting the item.

"A staff is a weapon. Much like a sword, but it is used with two hands. Mine's different though, I can control certain magic abilities." Link looked at it with an interested look on his face. Krystal held it out. "You want to look at it?" he grabbed it carefully and flipped it over with Midna right next to him. He felt the marking with his fingertips. It slipped from his grasp and smacked into the ground.

A red charge of energy shot out of the end, and missed Midna by a few inches. Her eyes were wide and she sat in the air for a moment or two, still as stone. "S-sorry Midna!" he said while picking the staff back up. Krystal was laughing. "I'm not used to holding such a thin weapon..." he stepped back a few feet.

"What was that?!?" Midna said, her eyes still wide. "It has the same energetic feeling of Zant's power." she looked at the staff. Krystal tilted her head and stared at Midna the way she stared at Link.

"Zant...is the fake ruler of your land? I thought you said that their was only Ganondorf to pass by." Link looked down.

"Yea, we have to find him in order to change Midna back to her true form. She's been stuck like this since before I met her."

"He used...Dark magic? Why did he do this to transform you to this? That must have been an awful reason."

"Yes, the Sages told us that Zant is the reincarnation of the once bloodcraved Ganondorf. He had used Zant to bring himself back to my world...Also letting Zant rule Midna's, while he banned her....That's how I see it in my eyes anyways." Link declared. Midna's expression showed anguish.

"I can't go back like this. My people wouldn't like to see their princess as a little imp." everything went quiet as quick as it started. By now, the sun was one-fourths over the horizon, and it was visible enough to see. "We had just taken a day's break to catch up on what he have to do. Luckily we did, or a person's life would have been lost."

Krystal smiled "I believe this is what had splashed out of the water. It must have been loose enough in the cockpit to get to the surface. So, I guess we could continue on what you two had been working on." she looked around. "But how do we get out of here?"

Link sighed and pointed over by a huge structure floating on a buoyant dock. "We have to shoot out of that cannon...house thing and onto that platform way up there." he directed pointed even higher to another spot. Her eyes went wide. "Don't worry, I've done it countless times....I just can't get used to the feeling though."

"So, you're sure that we'd make it without dying?" Link grinned. "I mean, I've done things like this...but the gravity on your planet than what I'm used too." she began to follow him as he walked onto the dock where Fyer and Falbi's Watertop Land of Fascination was, where a short and hunched over man was standing in a clown costume. The man waved.

So, whadd'ya want? Oasis Flight, or up normal route? No madder what, it'll be Thirty rupees...." Krystal came out from behind Link. "Well, well? Is she the one who came from that thing that fell from the sky?" she smiled sheepishly. "Well, now with the fine lady, it'll be sixty rupees from ya." Link pulled out purple and yellow rupees and gave them to Fyer. The man took them greedily and opened a safe-like door.

"Go inside Krystal. It's fine!" she walked in and Link followed her. Fyer waved as he shut the door. It was pitch as black, and they couldn't see each other. Link's breathing was a little ragged, while Krystal was actually calmed. A tune was barely heard from the enclosed area, followed by an unlatching. The thing began to turn, and it fired the two out of the cannon. Krystal squealed while Link only thought of himself being a projectile.

He landed first, falling to his knees before Krystal went head first. She held her arms out and did a somersault, letting herself stand up completely. The ripped patch of her clothing had torn almost completely across her shoulder, making the slice even larger. Link stood up by that time, his face in shock.

"Wow, that was an impressive landing...Better than I could've done anyways." he opened the door and let her through. She smiled.

"Thanks. So, how do you know where you're going around this place? I would have gotten lost already without my gauntlet...Hyrule must be big if Lake Hylia was just that size...!" they climbed down the ladder and went out the other door, where the sunlight filtered. She walked up the stairs with interest as the new air filled their nostrils.

They reached the top of the stairs, and Krystal leaned over the railing that saved people from falling to their doom. She gasped. "That is a really deep spot...I wonder if a crater had made this!" Link looked over the edge along with her, puzzled.

"A 'crater'? What is that?"

"A crater is when a chunk of rock from space makes it through the burning atmosphere and lands and creates a deep, empty space. That's what it looks like to me anyways... Such a beautiful land you have here." she sniffed. "It reminds me of my home planet..."

"So, you mean if I had saved the ship thing, you would be able to make it back to your planet?" She looked down over the edge again.

"No...my planet had strangely exploded...I think it was because of my father's enemy. I had been told by a spirit that before I was born, my father had met the most beautiful woman in our city. But another man had always loved her too. His name was Andross...Before he had been killed and turned into a space dweller, he was a scientist that had wanted to study metaphysics...He had found out the secret of existence, and in return had lost all sanity." she paused. "Afterwards, however. He still loved my mother, and a month after I was born, when my parents had married, Andross had tried to kill my father by planting a bomb in the car.

"Turns out that my mother had gotten in the car before my father did, and she died in the explosion. Only my father to take care of me, he kept me well fit and healthy. I was sent away when my father feared that something was going to happen to the planet, to be found on a planet called Sauria. Not even a split second after I had left the gravitational pull of my planet, it blew up...I think because of Andross. So, I grew up on Sauria, to learn their ways and language." Link looked down with a pain-filled face.

"That must have been horrible. I don't remember my past...I've been in a small village for as long as I can remember. They took care of me, but whenever I asked them about my parents and where I came from., they go quiet and act differently the rest of the day...All I know is that they had died when I was a baby, and our sword smith Rusl saved me from a terrible storm that was spreading throughout the land."

He stood up and continued walking, the silence being felt between them. He picked up something from the ground that resembled a horseshoe, and put it on his lips. A beautiful note spread and echoed through the stones and ground, making a song. He pulled it down, and a returning sound came back. Krystal looked at the thing in his hand, intrigued.

"What is that thing? Why did you blow it?" he lifted it up to show her.

"It's to call my horse. She should be coming any time soon now...Ah see? There she is!" She looked at the bridge and a strange animal was running towards them. It got about twenty feet away from the two of them, when it stopped and stood on it's hind legs. "No, Epona, it's fine! She won't hurt you!" he smiled.

Krystal walked up towards the creature slowly, but the animal was still moving around. "Ewam kiatsu hikanu...Oiribo ka stin." the horse looked at her from one if it's shining eyes. She put her arm up and gently went towards the frightened animal. The horse calmed down and snorted, moving it's feet around. "So, should we get going?" Krystal climbed onto the back of his horse, and waited.

He nodded and jumped onto the front of the horse. She stirred a little, snorting again. Link moved the reigns, and kicked his boots into her sides, causing her to go.

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By the time they had entered the Kakariko Gorge, Krystal's ears twitched. "Wait, someone's saying something...Someone's calling you, Link." she put her head down a little and lifted her ears. "Link, stop! Someone's calling you!" he pulled back on the ropes, and Epona stopped.

"...hey.....Hey!....Heyyyyy!" a man with a bunny-like hat came closer from the distant side of the field. Krystal giggled as the man stopped and waved. "Hello! I have some mail for you, Link...Two actually!" he pulled them out and sung a small song. He looked at her. "Heyyy! Whose this fancy young girl...anyways, take this!" he handed her a small piece of paper. "Thank you for using the mail service!" he turned around and ran.

"That's your mail service? I'm used to trucks..." she looked at the paper, and then put it in one of her torn pockets. She tsk'ed. "I need a change of clothing...Do you know where I could get something different? I stand out a little too much."

"Yea, as soon as we get there, we can find you a change of clothes...but right now, we have to go to Kakariko Village over there...The message I've gotten is important." she got off of Epona, and jogged in place for a few seconds.

"I think I'm going to try and run for a while, just to get off some extra energy." She waited for him to go. He gave a look and dug his boots into his horse's sides again, and she began galloping. Krystal hoped in place and took off running. She smirked as she caught up to Link, running with her hands behind her. He looked over, shocked, as she was sprinting next to him at unbelievable speeds. She grinned, and ran ahead of him, looking around at the setting sun.

She stopped in the middle of the bridge, and stood there waiting for him, her breathing hadn't differed. Her gaze was towards the creatures on the other side, which were walking around. He slowed next to her. "What are those things?"

"Nobody knows, really. They've come from another land, along with the rest of these beasts." Midna appeared from his shadow.

"Those flying ones remind me of the birds that came from somewhere else, too. It's weird how most of these creatures seem the same to our land as yours." she hid again.

"So, what do we do about them?" Krystal asked, shifting legs.

"I usually defeat them whenever I'm here, but they never seem to like not having a piece of land. They're easy when you sneak up on them. I noticed that the purple-skinned ones take more blows, while the blue-ish skinned ones take a hit or two."

"That seems easy enough." Krystal began running again, but her footsteps were silent. She drew her staff and her pace began to slow. The creature was unaware that a vixen was behind it. Krystal stopped when she stepped kicked a rock with her boot. It lifted it's head and it's ears flickered, while she inched forward.

It turned around because another one near it pointed behind him, and it swung it's bowie at her. Krystal sighed as she effortlessly dodged the creature and put her staff into it's back, and pulling it out as it dropped to the ground and exploded into a black and orange cloud. The other two came after her, their clubs in the air. She jumped over them and slammed her staff into the ground, creating a small quake. The creatures fell on their backs, joining their other in clouds as she threw her staff back into the case on her suit. She smiled as he walked up to her again, his face a 'good-job' emotion written all over.

They walked the rest of the way to Kakariko Village, while Krystal stared at the oncoming volcano. Link had always noticed when he came here, the air smelled like ash or sulfur, which stung his nostrils. Krystal covered her nose as they got closer to the spring, wincing also. "That smell is overbearing! How can you stand it?"

"You kinda get used to it after a while. When you go into Death Mountain, the whole mine reeks of this smell." she sighed and put down her hands, making a disgusted face while they kept on walking. Renado looked over, and saw Pone, so he waved towards Malo that it is fine. The man walked up to them.

"Hello, Link. I see you've gotten my message..." he looked to Krystal, scrutinizing her. "Who is this young woman?" she smiled.

"My name's from Krystal. I'm not from here, if you saw the flaming orange thing flying to the ground." Renado laughed a couple of times.

"Young Krystal, we have seen a lot of flaming rocks...But yes, I've caught wind of something that had fallen from the sky. I thought it was something that had to do with the goddesses, but I see now that I am wrong! You survived that...amazing. With only a few cloth scratches too."

"No, I was bleeding, it's just that I can heal very quickly...My wounds were closed before I had landed. Just a headache and a few bruises." she put her hands on the tears on her suit. "Yea...that too."

"She landed in the Lake. I had gotten her out before she had drowned. "he blushed slightly. "I had gone there just to think of what to do next....which I'd say was a lucky chance." he grinned when Renado looked at him, then her.

"I say you are a lucky girl! I know that Fyer guy wouldn't have made it in time....Anyways, Link. You had gotten the message I see. It's about Ilia. We think we have might found out a way to get her memory back." his eyes went wide.

"We can? How?"

"She was mumbling something about a 'statue' and something else like that...Shad might be able to help you, but right now he's kinda of busy...He can help you when it's possible." he paused when Krystal was looking at his robes markings. "Oh, and Link, you need to give this letter to Telma. She should know what to do after that." he handed Link a decorative envelope, and waved as he walked away.

"Ilia has lost her memory, and she is in need of help. He has taken care of her as much as he could, but could not help her...only comfort her and keep her so she cannot hurt herself..." Krystal said while she jumped on the back of the horse. "No need to explain anything, I basically got it down."

He kicked his heels into Epona's side, and she began to gallop. "So, do you know what I'm thinking...and wouldn't that kind of be a personal thing you're breaking into?"

"Yea, I know, I shouldn't do that...But it kind of grows after a while...I've found it actually helpful in battle. And I can't read your mind, strangely. It's like this is this..." she held out her arms while they left Kakariko. "...Gigantic wall is blocking any means of entering your thoughts...Sort of like a robber trying to break into a reinforced steel house that can only be opened in from the outside...if that's an easy way of putting it." he nodded slowly and confusingly.

Epona stopped all of the sudden and reared onto her hind legs. Krystal wrapped her arms around Link's stomach. The horse was looking towards something on the horizon, which looked like a gigantic insect. Link, blushing a little, spoke. "What is that? Over there!" he pointed and Krystal hoped off the horse, looking in that direction. A small gasp escaped her throat. The insect like machine was red around it's wings, and hummed silently. It was at a substantial speed. At the front of the thing, a red beam shot out of it, heading straight for them. She put up a shield to block it, and she looked at it closer.

"Is that....a Wolfen?"