The sun slowly began to rise, its warming golden rays heralding the start of a new day. The translucent lances of gold filtered through the lush emerald veil of leaves and branches, gilding Nature in its golden glory where it went. Birds would soon rouse from their nests, to fill the air with their cheery songs, followed by the lowing of the cattle and goats waiting to be fed. That in turn would begin the shrieks of the cuccos in their pens, then the bustle of busy ponies rising from their beds in the peaceful Fiador Village to do their daily routines...

Or so it would have been, if the alarm bell hadn't been ringing near off its mount, the terrible sounds of battle filling the air, the screams of terrified foals, and smoke rising to the dawn tinted skies above.

Doors all over the village flew open, stallions brandishing various weapons while clad in sleepwear/ hastily donned armor rushing out of their homes to meet the invaders...huge pig like monsters armed with spears, shields, clubs, and the ones in the back had bows and arrows: arrows tipped with burning coals to start fires where they landed. The deep green skinned porcine creatures were easily three to four feet taller than an average stallion, and about three times as wide, half fat, half muscle. They wore crude leather armor that looked to have been gotten off the back of a scrap cart somewhere, and their weapons were either crudely made or clearly stolen, given their decent craftsmanship.

Bearing sword, shield, spear, club or mace, clad in mostly sleeping garb, stallions and not a few mares charged at the oversized beasts while a few chosen others led the foals and elderly away from the battleground deeper into the village proper. Heat shimmered in the air, flames licking at rooftops and chimneys, smoke rising to the skies like living banners of death, the cacophony of screams, shrieks, battle roars and the song of steel enough to make one go deaf.

Pegasi swooped from the skies to divebomb the monsters, harrying them with spear, wind gust and thunder clouds, with the occasional kick to the head if they felt they could get away with it. Snarling, the monsters tried to swipe at their harriers with their own weapons, frothing at the mouth, spitting and hissing curses in the foul tongue of the Barren Wastes. A few of them were lucky enough to clip a couple of the swooping pegasi with their weapons, but that just left them wide open for the earth ponies to come charging in, delivering vicious strikes to their midsections, legs, or even 'sensitive areas'.

"PUSH THEM BACK, MY BRETHREN! SHOW NO MERCY!"

The near leonine like roar echoed through the village; the stallion who had bellowed that order a powerful looking specimen indeed. He was clearly an earth pony, with a dark gray colored coat and a dark green mane, his massive hooves slamming into the gut of another huge pig monster. The beast doubled over with a 'whouf' of expelled foul breath, clearly having been suckerhoofed...only to be blasted backwards and into some of its porcine brethren by an aura covered boulder that had come from just behind the huge muscle bound stallion. More lances of magic: frost, fire, lightning and more rocks erupted from the back, the thunder of hooves signaling the arrival of the unicorns, who lived further back in the village.

Another vile pig lumbered forward, his axe raised high to cut down a helpless pegasus whose wing had been clipped, and he was unable to fly, dazed from his fall. Before the axe could swing down...

Eeeeeeeeeeeeee......

It was faint at first, but slowly growing louder. The whistling noise grew steadily louder, and as such, it got the pig's attention; it paused in its downward swing, stupidly turning towards the source of the noise...

That was when a bluish-silver blur SLAMMED at magically enhanced speed right into its bulging stomach and sent it sprawling head over heels in the dirt before it slammed into the side of someone's house. Stunned, it remained there...and turned out to be easy pickings for a few more earth ponies who were nearby. The pegasus looked up to see a unicorn mare clad in a light linen shift standing close by, chest heaving, flanks slick with sweat, and dripping dark ichor from her sharpened horn point onto her face and onto the ground. The mare's eyes were a beautiful royal blue color, her coat the color of polished blue tinted steel, and her mane matched her eyes, with a streak of indigo running through it. But unlike her pegasus friend, she had no cutie mark as of yet. She snorted, shook her head to rid her horn of the dripping fluid and pulled him to his hooves.

"Art thou all right, Rushing Zephyr?"

The shaken pegasus male nodded, fluffing out his wings and shaking himself out. "Aye, for the moment. I owe thee my life, Skyward."

She shook her head at him. "Neigh, thou owe me nothing. How is thy wing? Art thou good to fly?"

The cerulean blue and silver colored pegasus with a swirling updraft of feathers cutie mark on his flanks stretched his wing, moved it experimentally up and down and winced a little, but nodded his head at her. "I can fly, if not fast. What would thou have me do?"

Skyward pointed to the air with one hoof even as she used her magic to grab a discarded sword with her magic, a shimmering silver aura surrounding the weapon as she tested its edge with one hoof. "Scout ahead, see if thee can find their leader. Report to mine brother Tempest Wing with all speed if thou do, and keep out of sight! If thy injury troubles thou further, make haste to the healers at once!"

Rushing Zephyr nodded his silver maned head and went airborne, soon becoming a speck among the clouds in the now blue sky. Skyward turned her attention back to the battle, running along the packed dirt path, hooves pounding out a savage tattoo as she cast her gaze about for any more of the beasts....

Sudden! Movement!
Out of the corner of her right eye!

She raised the sword in her magic just in time to block a deadly overhead slash from a pig monster lurking in the shadows in between two houses close together. The porcine creature heaved against the unicorn's parry, trying to break her ground or upset her balance. The smell coming off of the creature was disgusting indeed: old blood, feces and piss to name a few. The smell threatened to make her choke, but she grimly held fast, eyes burning with hatred and fury. Baring her teeth in defiance and rage, Skyward pushed back against the beast, digging her hooves into the ground to further her resistance. Inch by inch, however, the monster was beginning to overpower her...she being a mare she didn't have the raw muscle a stallion had.

Spotting an object close by, she reached out with a little more magic, and picked up a small clay pot from to the left and behind the pig. She allowed herself to be pushed back--juuuust a tad, just enough for it to think it was going to win...and brought it crashing down onto its head from above. It didn't faze it too much, but it did distract it long enough for her to push it away and deliver a killing strike to the chest, her sword burying itself between the monster's ribs to seek the vile heart beneath. Eyes bulging, its grotesque tongue hanging out of its foul maw as blood spurted from its lips, face frozen eternal in a mask of pain and disbelief, it crashed to the ground with a wheezing squeal and lay still.

Dark blood spattered her face, mane and her linen shift, but she paid it no mind as she shook it off, a terrible smile tugging at her lips as she yanked her blade free and charged off after the main host of fighting ponies.

The sun had risen by this point, and as a result it was much easier to see now. The pig creatures knew this too, and their raid being largely unsuccessful, had decided to retreat. Some of the unicorns were putting out the fires on the houses, aided by some of the pegasi, while the rest of the pony village chased the monsters into the surrounding woods. Once the last one was gone, the herd stopped their pursuit, chests heaving, hooves stomping, wings flapping...

"Mossy Boulder, art they gone?"

The huge dark gray pony with a cutie mark of a rolling moss covered boulder on his flank turned to look at the magenta and ocher unicorn stallion who had approached him. His great brown eyes bored into the unicorn's crimson ones, a grim look on his rugged features.

"For now, Blazing Dawn. But we must be vigilant and step up patrols. We can not rely on aid from the Haylian Army, stretched thin as they are from the war in the Barren Wastes."

Blazing Dawn nodded his head as a black and gold pegasus with a triple winged thunderbolt cutie mark on his flanks shot down from the heavens, landing next to the unicorn male. "Rushing Zephyr reported to me earlier, Father. He spotted their leader...he's twice as big as the others and carries a huge battleaxe, and better armor as well. He lost sight of them once they rounded the bend into Hayrule Field given his wing is injured."

Mossy Boulder gave a single nod to his winged son, thumping his son's shoulder in approval. "Well done, Tempest Wing. Where is thy sister?"

"I am here, Father." Skyward approached the group, the sword held low and to her side so she wouldn't hit anypony with it. Mossy Boulder regarded his daughter, a faint smile touching his mouth. "Got a few of them then, did ye?"

"Aye. I'll not stand idly by while these beasts defile our home." She stomped a hoof to emphasize her point, and Mossy Boulder nudged her gently. "Ye fight as well as thy mother once did. Ye have made me proud, my daughter."

Skyward inclined her head to her sire, and Mossy Boulder began barking orders to the other villagers to begin cleanup and restoring the village. Pegasi began to clear away the soggy, dirty shingles that covered some of the roofs, unicorns levitating up tools and such as earth ponies clambered around to mend and inspect damage---groups of ponies helping to haul away the dead bodies of the beasts for disposal.

Tempest shook his mane out and coughed a little, turning towards his sire. "No casualties, Father?"

"None this time 'round, Tempest, thank Din, sadly we do have many injured this time. Take a squadron and patrol the forest, right away. The bastards may decide to return after dark, and we must be ready for them, if they do decide to 'visit' anon."

"Aye, Father. Oi, Sky, mayhap thy might earn thy cutie mark the next battle?" Tempest playfully tugged at his sister's mane in passing, who aimed a kick at him in turn, snorting at him as he grinned, waved down to her and flew off.

"Oooohhh....next time I shalt braid and be-ribbon his Goddesses-bedamned mane for that..."

Mossy Boulder laughed heartily, nudging his daughter's shoulder as he indicated for her to walk with him. "Pay him no mind, my child. I have a special task for thee."

"What would thou have me do, Father?"

The huge stallion was silent for a time, the only sound their hooves on the earth beneath them. The scent of the woods rose around them--rich loam, dry leaves and twigs, fresh grass and water as he led her to the Emerald River. He lowered his head to take a drink, Skyward moving a little downstream to wash the blood and sweat off of herself. She removed her torn and stained linen shift, using her magical aura to wash her fur and mane, before she strode out and shook herself somewhat dry like a dog. She draped her ruined shift over herself, out of modesty, and glanced at her sire.

"Father? What ails thy thoughts?"

Mossy Boulder seemed to be thinking very hard about something, because he did not answer his daughter right away. He turned to look at her, a serious expression on his rugged features.

"I know thou have not obtained your cutie mark yet....but it must be thou, there is no choice. Ye must leave the village. Ye must run with all haste to Hayrule Castle."

Needless to say, Skyward was shocked near silent. Ponies that hadn't earned their cutie marks yet weren't allowed to go out of the village...it went against their traditions!

"...Father, forgive mine objection! I have not earned my mark yet! Who would listen to a markless pony? And, what makes thee think Princess Zelda wouldst be able to aid us? Thou said it thyself, the Haylian Army is stretched thin..."

The mare shut up instantly when her father lifted one great hoof and slammed it authoritatively against the ground, giving her a gimlet look that warned her not to trifle with him.

"Do not question me, young filly. Ye are skilled with a blade and magic, and ye know how to use them well. Go to our abode, dress thyself proper and hie thee to my chambers. In the chest in front of my bed, there is a sword and shield for thee to use, since thou know the way is no longer safe. There thou will also find a sealed scroll...do not open it, tis' for the Princess's eyes alone. You shalt also find saddlebags laden with provisions and tools for travel in the kitchen. Once that scroll is delivered, the Princess shalt instruct thee further. Understood?"

Skyward backed her ears, her body tensing in defiance, but she knew her father wouldn't be swayed, and she nodded mutely. "I shalt do as thou command, Father."

Mossy Boulder gazed at his daughter for a long moment before he reached out with one leg and pulled the unicorn close to him in a fierce embrace.

"Goddesses keep thee safe, my child. One final thing; do not travel through Hayrule Field at night. Stop at Bridleriko Village for the night, then make haste with all speed to Hayrule Castle Town before the next eve falls. You will find plenty of Snaffles in the saddlebags I have for thee."

Skyward nuzzled her father in return, before she turned and began cantering towards the house she lived in with her brother and sire. She ran up the stairs and went right to her room, throwing the ruined sleeping gown aside and opening her armoire. Unlike most mares around the village, she chose to wear tunics and not dresses, she finding them silly and restrictive. She pulled out a dark blue tunic, yanked it on and belted it around her barrel, running a brush through her mane and tail, then she braided part of her mane away from her face, securing it with a pair of polished wooden pins shaped like wings her brother had gifted her one Midwinter Festival. She grabbed a small satchel and began filling it with a few things...a horn sharpening stone, her brush, a set of hoofpicks, a medium sized bag that clinked and clicked lightly before she stuck it inside of the satchel and closed it securely.

Her hair done, she exited her room, walked down the hall and to the left, then opened the door to her sire's bedroom. The oaken chest in front of the massive bed glowed silver as she opened the lid, and stuck her head inside. Sure enough, a sealed scroll bearing her father's cutie mark on the seal lay inside, atop a wrapped bundle. She lifted out the scroll, and then the bundle itself. She removed the length of rough brown cloth that hid the items beneath...

Her eyes widened and she sprang back, the sword and shield dropping to the floor with a loud CLANK-CLATTER as she lost her grip on them, staring at the items with her mouth open.

The shield in question was not made of wood...it was wood bound in worked steel. The background of the shield was a deep blue color, the polished steel work making intricate raised designs in the dark azure field. A crimson alicorn with wings spread seeming to fly upward was at the lower half of the shield, the tip of the horn pointing up to the symbol of the royal family of Hayrule...

The legendary Triforce.

It was a Haylian Shield. Just like one that a Royal Guardsman of Hayrule would bear.

Her mind boiled with questions, but her father's orders rang clear in her head and she bit her lower lip, snatching up the shield, and then the sword in her magic. She unsheathed the blade...a smile crossed her face despite herself at the superb craftsmanship of the sword...sharp and ready to be used for what it was made for. She sheathed it and slung it over herself, securing the strap to her barrel and slinging the shield to her back soon after. She picked up the scroll in her magic and headed downstairs, heading for the kitchen.
A pair of plain leather saddlebags, plus a deep blue cloak with a cowl, awaited her on a peg near the back door that led outside close to the cucco pen, and she removed them, securing both to herself after putting the scroll safely into the left bag and striding out the door. She kept out of the path of most ponies, choosing to go through alleyways and behind most of the houses, not wanting to be seen by anypony, until she got to the Verdant Gate.

This gate was a work of woodcraft in of itself....massive oak trees magically bound and woven from unicorn and earth pony magic to create a living barricade, the pegasi making sure the entirety was kept healthy at the canopy level by removing dead branches and pruning as needed to make sure there was no overgrowth that would go awry or any dangerous creatures nesting in the branches. Sadly, the gate was shattered and broken---it would take a bit of time for them to repair it.

Skyward took hold of one of the gate doors with her magic and pulled it open a bit further, so she wouldn't attract attention. She glanced over her shoulder...

The villagers were still rebuilding and some were even now setting out tables for an outdoor feast, celebrating their victory as well as filling their bellies before rebuilding. The scent of fresh bread filled her nose and it made her eyes sting with unshed tears...

She didn't want to leave. According to their traditions it was forbidden for her to leave.

But her father's orders were clear.

Taking a deep breath, the young mare slipped out of the gate and closed it behind her, striding off through the forest proper before she broke into a swift canter, leaving Fiador Village far behind her.

To Hayrule Castle Town she would go.

Author's Notes: