And so thus did Skyward began her training, learning the secrets of Hayrulean magic from her mentor, Princess Zelda. It was not just magic however she learned about...she also learned the history of Hayrule, how it was created by the Goddesses, and the old prophecies and legends behind the Triforce, also meeting with the Zora and Goron ponies from time to time as well. The young mare often sent letters to her family in Fiador Village, and to Jade Mist and Dark Wind in Bridleriko as well. However, the war in the Wastes was not going well, and Zelda feared she would have to send her own pupil to the front lines sooner than later. Now two years later, Skyward had grown into a fine mare, skilled in magic and blade, but had still not yet earned her cutie mark. Not only that, but she had also learned the hard way how some stallions can be two faced about their intentions. Zelda had found out that Jade Mist and Dark Wind had made a bet with one another, the goal finding out who could bed her pupil first. The princess knew she had to warn her pupil about the two dishonest stallions, and though it pained her, she disguised herself as a common servant, kept plying the two stallions with ale until they got stinking drunk and with her pupil hiding in the shadows, got them to confess their true intentions.

It had been three weeks ever since that terrible event and Zelda herself had personally stripped the two stallions of their ranks, given them both a dishonorable discharge and had sent them back to Bridleriko in disgrace. Yet, during that time, the princess had stumbled upon some very old books in her personal archives...

Books that would either seal Hayrule's fate...or be its salvation...

"This cannot be. Goddesses, no...this...this is impossible..."

The princess gazed at the blood spattered letter she had just received from one of her generals...who was even now lying dead at her feet in a pool of his own blood. The pegasus stallion's wounds were most grievous indeed---sword cuts, terrible third degree burns--hay, his cracked and broken armor was all that was holding back his entrails from spilling out onto the throne room floor. The letter was in truth, a demand for surrender from Ganondorf himself. She had commanded her guards to prepare General Loft Wing for a hero's burial and had locked herself in her chambers, throwing the letter itself onto her desk as she sent for one of her personal handmares.

"What dark magic did thou tap into, thou vile beast," Zelda muttered, shaking her head as she paced back and forth as she passed her gaze over the letter, then over one of the moldering old books she had out as well.

The book in question was quite old, and dated back to long before Hayrule had first been founded by her sire before his untimely death. Haylian alicorns weren't immortal: they could live very long lives, but they were mortal, just like everypony else. The princess gazed at the yellowed pages of the tome, staring at the ancient Haylian words in front of her. Her horn began to glow as she turned pages, studying the words and the pictures in the book before her intently...so intently in fact, she almost didn't hear the hiss of a dagger being drawn...
Zelda quickly teleported, letting out a pained whinny when the dagger scratched her side, tearing her gown some and a crimson bloom stained the expensive fabric. The attacker in question was a rose red pegasus female, with a fiery red mane and tail. Gold eyeshadow adorned her eyelids and she held a wing-dagger in her mouth, the tip of it gleaming scarlet, and a deadly smile adorned the pegasus mare's face.

She was no servant at all; in truth a Gerudo pony! As Zelda summoned her own weapon, a large gleaming sword to defend herself, she now heard the alarm bells ringing out throughout the town, a knell she had prayed never in her lifetime to hear.

It meant that Hayrule Castle Town was under attack.

(Below the castle)

Chaos reigned supreme this day.

Skyward's horn blazed silver as she swung her sword in a wide arc, cleaving the unfortunate Keese in twain. The winged creature screeched, a scream that was cut off by the blade's bite and the spurt of dark blood that erupted from the beast's insides. Skyward paid no mind to the vile substance sticking to her mane and face, turning to charge a Moblin who was attacking another guardpony. She cursed High Chancellor Gilded Lock's egotistical arrogance, wishing for the umpteenth time she could kick his plot up around his ears and then throw him into Death Mountain Crater to rid Hayrule of the fount of all stupidity, for most of this mess was indeed his fault.

Ganondorf had bided his time during the last two years, abruptly withdrawing his forces and his tribe away from the Barren Wastes, apparently giving the Hayrulean forces the victory. Unfortunately, this ruse had lulled many of the nobles into a false sense of security, and they had urged Zelda to end the war, Gilded Lock at their head. But it had all turned out to be a grand trick; and now they were paying the price. The Gerudo had managed to infiltrate Hayrule Castle Town overtime, and now they'd sprung their trap. Goddesses only knew how many innocent ponies had perished at their hooves because of it...the gory evidence was there for anypony to see with their own two eyes. By now Skyward hoped the other guards had managed to evacuate the town proper by this point. Dead ponies lay in the streets, blood washing the once white stones crimson, body parts still seeping blood, entrails lay steaming out of body cavities. The screams of the dying and the cries of terror echoing in her ears as she joined the guardsponies at the perimeter they had managed to set up. Other guards were escorting civilian ponies to a checkpoint where basket chariots and wagons awaited them so they could escape out of the eastern gate. The few Goron ponies who had been in the town at the time of the surprise attack were also helping here, their powerful rock magic creating barriers to deter the Gerudo attackers...as well as crushing any that got too close. However, some of the Gerudo mages were sending dark beasts into the town; and they couldn't allow them to get to the evacuation checkpoint. The pegasi were in the air dealing with the Keese and Helmarocs, while on the ground...

"Give the bastards no quarter! For Hayrule, my brethren!" Skyward bellowed as she slashed the Moblin's legs out from underneath him, then focused her magic as her aura surrounded the hapless monster. The creature began to writhe and scream as she forced his blood to boil right under his skin, literally cooking him alive from the inside out...the skin wrinkling and popping, shriveling and dancing in a macabre fashion as her spell did its insidious work. She left the steaming corpse where it was, her own armor clicking as she ran back towards the battle. Steel silver washed armor covered most of her body...it was mostly chainmail, not plate, so she wouldn't be burdened by the weight. Her hoofcovers were also steel washed silver with a gold rim, and her helm was specially made for a unicorn so she could use her magic without being hindered.

"Lady Skyward!"

Skyward finished ruthlessly stomping on a Bulbin, her hooves coated in dark blood up to her knees and turned her armored head to look at the speaker...it was Golden Marble, who saluted her hastily. Golden Marble had become friends with her over time, as had Shatter Point. Both of them she considered akin to family, but she suspected Shatter Point wanted more than just friendship, considering how angry he had been when he had heard of the dishonorable antics of the two Bridleriko pegasi, and how he had given her a shoulder to cry on from time to time, even offering flowers to her at times, much to his partner's amusement...

"Forget titles, Golden Marble, what is it? Speak, stallion!"

"The...the princess...there is...trouble...thou...are needed..."

Skyward's royal blue eyes sharpened and she stomped one shod hoof on the ground with a snarl. Typical they would go after her own teacher! "Take my place, soldier! Get the others to safety!"

Golden Marble saluted her and charged off with a roar, brandishing his spear. Down the empty streets and up to the gates Skyward ran, her sword and her father's Haylian Shield at the ready. Her old sword she had hung up on the wall of her chambers in the castle, when Princess Zelda had gifted her with a new sword for her seventeenth birthday. The sword bore a gold hilt with a deep blue sapphire in the middle, and the blade was forged by the Goron tribe to ensure mastercraft status. She charged into the courtyard, racing up the long flights of stairs--a Moblin popped out of an open doorway further down the way and blocked her path, brandishing his spear and snorting...

Only to grunt in surprise when Skyward vanished in a burst of silver fire. The pig monster looked to the left...

To the right...

There was a 'pop' and a clatter of armored hooves...and the hapless Moblin was sent flying out of the window courtesy of an angry Skyward, who had teleported behind him, twisted around and charged...

And the rest was bloody history.

Skyward whirled on her hind legs and took off towards the throne room. The massive white oak doors gilded with gold and pearl were wide open, one door hanging askew from the hinges. She could hear the sounds of spells being cast and steel clashing against steel, and she poured on the speed, closing in on the throne room...

The doors suddenly crashed shut, fire red and ice blue auras of magic forcing the massive gateway to seal itself right in front of her. Skyward skidded forcibly to a halt, almost smashing muzzle first into the door proper, but she did bump roughly into the closed entrance, shaking her head to clear her thoughts as she backed up to stare up at the magically sealed gate. She turned her head left and right, glancing around and scowling...what sorcery was this?

"Look at her, Koume Twin. Such determination."

Skyward turned around, bringing her sword and shield to bear as she did so. In front of her was a cowled pony...had to be a unicorn from the ice blue glow and the bump that signified a horn she could see under it. Definitely an old mare, from the creaky sound of voice she heard.

"Aye, Kotake Rova. Pity she is not one of us. She would have made a fine warrior for our tribe."

Skyward charged her horn, preparing a lightning spell to fire off against one of them...the other cloaked unicorn was behind her, and that one had the fire red glow coming off her.

"Show thyselves, cowards!" she commanded, and the ice blue glowing one laughed...no...outright cackled.

"What spirit! Ohhh my dear, thou truly are of our tribe in soul if not in body!"

Skyward spit in open disgust and shot a bolt of lightning at the mare...who vanished and reappeared behind her with a 'pop'. She turned to face them both, glaring at them as she prepared for another assault....then lashed out at them with a vicious blast of kinetic energy. The two mares vanished further down the hall to avoid the silver burst of energy, both of them cackling madly...before the red one fired off a searing blast of red hot flame from her horn. The fire was so intense it melted the stone in front of her and Skyward was forced backwards because of it, gasping as she summoned a magical shield to block the waves of intense heat coming at her. So these two mares were unicorns, and powerful ones at that! She knew her sword and shield wouldn't work against these two, so she sheath-locked them both against her back and ducked the next shot of magic; as it passed over her, her breath came out in clouds of white and she shivered reflexively...

Ice!

Bloody haystacks, these two were masters of elemental magic!

She screamed when a lance of intense cold raked across her right side, and she forced a surge of magic through herself, shattering the semi-thick layer of sparkling ice that had covered her entire right side and part of her flank, wincing at the cuts that the ice shards had made in her legs. Gritting her teeth, she brought her own magic to bear, hurling globs of the molten stone at her attackers. One of the mares teleported behind her...hearing the telltale 'pop' she turned her head and whipped the glowing glop as hard and fast as she could mentally throw it...

"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH! IT BURNS, IT BURNS! CURSE THOU, YE FOALISH CHILD! RAAAAARRRRGGGGHHH! KOUME, MAKE THAT LITTLE BRAT PAY!"

Skyward dodged an incoming fire blast, hissing in pain when the leading edge seared her leg, and fired off an ice spell from her horn. It made sense---ice against fire, fire against ice! She looked up, trying to track her attacker since the other one was still rolling about in agony...and choked in disgust and horror when she was able to see one of her assailants. The mare in front of her was a withered old nag...positively ancient, given the mass of wrinkles she possessed and how her skin and coat resembled that of a slowly rotting green apple. Her eyes were beady glowing embers in her sunken face, and her skin was a deep, vile olive green color. A gold ring set with a red gem surrounded her horn...

Koume's cruel beady eyes narrowed at her dangerously even as a snaggletoothed grimace of a smile made itself known.

"Thy visage is as vile as the magics thou bear, fiendish witch, thou and thy sister both. In the name of the Princess, prepare to die!" Skyward spat as she readied another ice blast with her horn. The nag all but sneered at her as she began to glow a menacing crimson red...not just her horn, but all over her body! Narrowing her eyes, Skyward raised a silvery shield around herself...

The aura around Koume Twin's horn suddenly turned black, and the burned Kotake Rova's aura had done the same. Skyward braced herself, glaring savagely at them even though her heart trembled in fear. They weren't just masters of elemental magic..they had the forbidden magics at their command as well? They began chanting in a language Skyward could not understand, and she grimaced, folding her ears back against her head. Physically it sounded like gibberish but to those who were magically sensitive, the words carried a driving force behind them that relentlessly beat against her like waves on the shore. Her shield began to fracture--the cracks spread, slowly, then the sound of crystal shattering filled her ears as her shield finally gave way. The dark energies grasped her, and she cursed as she struggled to put up another shield...

Koume put an end to that by grabbing her none too gently with her magic, making her scream in agony at the searing touch of the evil she could feel coursing through the witch's aura, and Kotake cackled as she gestured with one wizened hoof. "Look upon thy end, little foal, and despair! Die knowing thou fought in vain and...."

"ENOUGH!"

The shout was enough to shake the walls and the ground underhoof, and the doors suddenly flew wide open to reveal a battered, somewhat bloody Princess Zelda. The alicorn's cerulean eyes narrowed before she lit her horn...

"Kotake! Now! Do it now, my sister!"

Kotake swiftly gestured with one hoof at a glassed over surface of one of the walls that had been hit with her sister's fire magic, and in turn had been super cooled by an ice blast from Skyward. The surface twisted and began to swirl ominously, almost like that of a whirlpool.

Zelda's eyes darted between her trapped pupil and the newly opened portal: the alicorn made a split second decision as her horn began to turn from gold to blinding white...

The princess unleashed a golden blast of light from her horn...and just as Skyward was thrown into the portal, the golden beam slammed into it as well. A great flare of light and the sound of shattering stone resounded, along with the cackling of the two nags as they rose into the air and vanished. Zelda coughed, shook off the dust and rushed towards the wall where her pupil had been thrown into...
Skyward was gone. The wall was laced with cracks but it was still standing, remnants of her magic holding it together, telltale wisps of white and gold light dancing along the surface of the chunk of stone. Zelda bowed her head, stamping one hoof against the floor in grief; she hadn't been able to get her student out of the portal. But, because of her spell, she had hopefully been able to give her student salvation, even if she hadn't been able to pull her out of harm's way completely. The two wicked witch-nags had not been able to send her pupil to the Dark Realm and into their lord and master's clutches as they had intended. The book that Zelda had been reading before the attack had broken out, had been the key she prayed that would save her student from a terrible fate at his vile hooves.

"I am so sorry, Skyward. They may have been able to banish thee from this realm, but I will make sure you do not perish as they intended...my spell shalt send thee to a realm where thou may find peace..."

Zelda gently ran one hoof over the glossy, warped wall, tears in her eyes; one escaped to trail down her cheek. "Be safe, my little pony...be safe, until I can find a way to bring thou home..."