Work Text:
It happened in the middle of a wrestling match.
Twilight, the current undefeated champion, had once again made it to the final round. The boys were good sports about facing Twilight, even though they always lost in the end. What could he say? He couldn’t just let them take his crown.
Most of them had made it to the last round a time or two, depending on who else was up for it, and how many cheap shots and tricks the boys were willing to employ. Today, his last opponent was Warriors, a frequent contender for the ‘runner-up’ spot. A frequent loser, that is.
The match was fast and quick, neither showing their exertion from the previous tussles. It seemed Warriors was trying to outspeed him today. Which was funny until he actually caught his leg and they both tumbled onto the dirt. They rolled around for a minute, trying to get a good hold on the other to pin them down.
And then, Twilight finally got Warriors trapped in a headlock. It was all over now. The Captain just had to tap out, and Twilight would hold his victory. But he didn’t seem to accept his inevitable defeat anyway. Warriors tried to twist out of it, then pushed against him, squirming like a fish out of water. It would get him nowhere.
Twilight held steadfast, grinning all the while.
Then Warriors went still in his arms.
For a moment, Twilight was convinced he was faking. In anything other than an ‘official duel,’ Warriors would fight dirty if it meant a victory. Feign loss of consciousness so Twilight would loosen his grip and lower his guard. Not happening.
At least not until another few beats passed and the Captain stayed still. Either he was really trying to play it up to win, or this was serious.
He released his hold and quickly moved the Captain onto his back. There was no resistance from his body. Twilight panicked, though he was able to confirm that Warriors was two things:
One: Still breathing.
And two: Completely unconscious.
He could’ve sworn he hadn’t been blocking any air or blood flow. Tight enough to trap, and that’s all. That’s how he played even with the Ordon kids, certainly not rough enough to knock someone out. And if it was really getting dicey, why wouldn’t Warriors just tap and accept defeat? That was… very strange.
Why hadn’t the others come to help…? Oh.
The other few Heroes that had been standing around watching their fight lay crumpled on the ground. Unmoving. Down for the count.
What had happened?
Twilight sprinted over to the nearest one, leaving Warriors where he lay, and began fussing over Hyrule. A quick check only assured that, much like Warriors, his heart was beating and he was breathing just fine. However, he was completely unresponsive to all his poking, prodding, and shaking. The same went for the others. It was almost as if they were all just sleeping, out cold in the way Sky could get when he was utterly exhausted.
At the very least, he made sure they were laid out a little better. Not all folded on top of themselves.
What about Wild, Four, and Time, who had stayed back at their main camp?
He did not want to leave the ones here by themselves. But he had to check on the others.
Unknowing if it was the correct decision, he sent a quick prayer of safety into the heavens before sprinting back to camp. At best, those three would be fine and could help figure out what was going on. That would probably be the case anyway, right?
Right?
He dodged around the trees that lined the edge of camp, hoping and praying that the last of them would be upright and just fine. Awake and… Camp came into sight. His hope deflated in his chest.
Four was crumpled over a book. Wild lay near the fire and cookpot, a wooden spoon in his hands. And nearby, Time sat up against the base of a tree, arms folded and head bowed as if he had been asleep before this incident.
Attempts of arousal were met with nothing. They slept like the dead. That was absolutely frightening.
What could he possibly have missed to have incapacitated the entire group? Sure, he’d been distracted wrestling Warriors, but it had gotten the Captain as well! Was it some kind of magic? A curse? Spontaneous food poisoning?? (Okay, that one was a stretch)
And why had Twilight been unaffected?
Without any hint of a solution, Twilight just had to stand in the middle of it all. He wanted to break something, or to …to throw everything, to punch all the things and then bury them in the dirt. To crumble over himself and let the overflow of emotions out in any destructive means possible.
He wanted to…
Twilight didn’t even know anymore.
No. He didn’t have time for this. He had to make sure his brothers were safe, especially if they couldn’t protect themselves. Who knows what lay in wait for them beyond camp?
He stomped out the cookfire in order to use a bit of his fury in a productive way. Then, he got to work.
One by one, he carried his companions back to camp, laying them out on their bedrolls. There was little exertion necessary on his part. But the weight of the unknown still sat heavily on his shoulders.
It was just so wrong, setting them up and tucking them in as if they were kids who had just fallen asleep after a lake trip, having to be carried back to let them keep napping. Unlike kids, however, they did not twitch or sigh or lean in to get more comfortable as they walked. They were just so utterly, completely still.
But this was better than leaving them where they had been.
Just as he finished pulling Sky’s sailcloth over his frame, something dark flashed in the corner of his eye.
Twilight was on his feet, lunging forward for his scabbard.
Dark Link.
It stood on the edge of their campsite, expression cocky and eyes sharp like a predator's.
Then it pulled out was that Legend’s bag? And tossed it toward him. The pack fell short, landing somewhere in between them. In his peripheral vision, some things spilled out. Though he wished to make sure his brother’s belongings were not broken or missing, he knew better than to take his eyes off an enemy. Especially one that had to have the answers to what was going on.
Slowly, he unsheathed his sword, feeling the ‘hrum of the blade against the sheath. The scabbard fell to the ground.
The Dark seemed to enjoy the standoff, throwing up its hands as it began to spout nonsense from its lips.
Lipreading was not a skill he was very proficient at yet. Whatever words were being spoken had as much meaning as the placement of the stars in the sky. Only, the stars were worth the time spent observing them.
Since villain monologue was a bore anyway, Twilight pounced. He swung the blade toward his enemy, letting momentum carry him forward. Though Dark Link stumbled back, the edge of the sword still sliced at its arm. Its foxy grin melted into surprise.
For all its hubris, the Dark sure was slow to pull out its own weapon, barely bringing up the twisted mirror of the Master Sword to block another swing from Twilight. But Twilight was not in a very forgiving mood. He wrapped his leg around his opponent and brought both of them to the ground, much like Warriors had done to him only an hour before. And just like earlier today, Twilight was not in a fight he planned to lose.
The Dark’s sword was knocked out of its hand, and he kicked it out of reach. Twilight pinned the Dark down, one arm pressed tight against its neck, and the other aiming his sword tip a hair’s breadth from cutting it open. The Dark only stared up in fear. Twilight leaned in close, baring his teeth.
His message was clear: The Wolf would always be able to kill a Fox.
Another beat.
The Dark spoke, the shapes upon its lips looking like, ‘Wait something something tell you.’
Twilight pulled his sword back enough to give it room.
Instead of trying to immediately get away or pull a fast one, it reached down to its belt and tugged on something tied to it. Making sure that it would still be pinned hard to the ground, Twilight let his eyes follow.
It was an oddly-shaped thing…
An ocarina?
Wait! That must’ve been why Dark Link had Legend’s bag. Because it was a magic ocarina, much like Time’s.
Legend’s magic ocarina had somehow put everyone to sleep.
Of course. That had to be the answer.
He released the Dark to harshly pull the ocarina from its belt to himself. Then he rolled off to the side, letting it free.
And like the coward it was, the Dark Link scrambled to its feet and fled. Having what he needed, Twilight could only watch him go. And send a rude gesture at his retreating backside.
Okay, okay, magic ocarina. Legend and Time had talked about them before, though Twilight didn’t understand much of it (and Wild hadn’t been there to interpret). But he did remember them writing notes and sharing their pieces of information behind the instruments. Could that help him figure out how to wake everyone up?
He picked up the bag. Legend would forgive him, right? If not, then Twilight would hang over his head the fact that he had saved them. With that in mind, Twilight began digging through the mess that was in the Vet’s bag, looking for that stupid little notebook that he hadn’t seen in like three months.
He found five different ones. Of course.
Flipping through the first and biggest one only revealed pages and pages of notes in a different language. He tossed it away. If the other ones were also not in Hylian-
The second one was, gratefully. Though it only held pictures of maps and places, names and continents.
The third… There! ‘Song’ and ‘magic’ on the same section of journal, with musical notes and letters filling the margins. More pictures, detailing of all sorts of instruments. Plenty of musical terms and lingo he didn’t understand.
Then, ‘Awakening’ followed by a string of letters. He flipped back to an ocarina diagram illustrated on one of the first pages. It showed where and how to play each of the notes.
Man, was he glad Legend was a chronic note-taker. This could very well be what saved their lives.
Twilight was way in over his head. But he would try to play if it brought his brothers back to him.
He brought the ocarina to his lips, and followed the notes.
B…C#...D…
He felt the breath of his lungs fill the ceramic, and also felt the pressure leaving from all the little holes. Fingers moved over the worn holes in the same way he remembered seeing it played by his brothers.
B…C#...G…
So he played. And could only pray that this would work.
F#...E…F#
The song ended. And finally, his brothers stirred.