#poor twilight

Four: His treasure. The one who taught Twilight that the world consisted of more than pain and cruelty. He often goes to Four to curl around him and satisfy his deep protective instincts. Four’s refreshing, cool, electric scent tickles his nose and makes his body relax, secure in the knowledge that his treasure is safe. During these times, his second oldest brother usually gives an amused snort and allows Twilight his protectiveness, his clever little fingers giving the best scritches between whatever task he’s occupied with. But Twilight knows that Four does more to protect him than the other way around. Four always has, ever since he was harshly punished for sneaking over to save Twilight from his initial, lonely, pain-filled existence. Though Twilight idolizes Time, what he feels for Four is much quieter but foundational to his being. Twilight can usually count on Four to help him keep order when Wild is being, well, himself, and Sky and Time are egging him on, but there are times his little big brother is too curious or absorbed in his own projects for his own good, and Twilight despairs for all of them.

Time: Is absolutely terrified of Time at first. After all, Cia was several inches shorter than him and caused him great harm. He knows Four is too short and kind to hurt him like she did, and while he doesn't know Sky as well, the oldest aspect’s whole demeanor is too soft and calm for Twilight to be too afraid of him. But Time towers over them all, and Twilight’s first instinct is to protect his new friend and treasure from the giant. Only after Time holds Twilight in his arms as he recovers from one of Cia’s worst beatings and smells a rich, musky, earthy scent souring with worry does he realize that the giant wants to protect him. That Time feels the same way about him as Twilight feels about Four. Twilight immediately perceives he can follow the giant’s example to get better at being a protector. Twilight does wish his role model and mentor would be more helpful in corralling Wild (and occasionally their other brothers) to keep him safe from his worst impulses, but he is inordinately, exceedingly happy whenever Time praises him or calls him “pup.” A fact Time will shamelessly use to distract him. Twilight despairs at how easily it works every time. Especially when Time once again gets away with encouraging Wild to do something twice as stupid as the younger aspect originally intended. Still, he wouldn’t trade his giant big brother for the world.

Wild: The first younger sibling Twilight ever had, and he was determined to use everything he had learned from his older brothers to keep this one safe. Sadly, this little brother has negative survival instincts and is somehow turning Twilight’s hair more and more gray with each passing day. Especially when it comes to Cia. How the then-youngest could believe her to truly, genuinely love him, Twilight did not know. Even when she had centered Twilight’s own world, he had not believed she loved him. She smelt too rancid for that. So, to smell his younger brother’s verdant, woodsy scent sharpen and intensify at Cia’s approach turned Twilight’s stomach. But that same lush, bracing scent withering and rotting after Cia’s true colors were revealed at both Twilight’s younger brothers’ expense was so much worse. Through it all, though, Twilight makes it very clear that he loves his annoying wildling of a little brother no matter what. Even when he seems determined to break his neck by jumping through the window for the third time that day.

Warriors: Fears a Wild 2.0 when Warriors first appears in the Chain’s lives, which Twilight just knows would drive him into an early grave. Instead, the aspect is pleasantly surprised to find that his youngest brother is actually sensible. Responsible, even! He might have wept when he first sees Warriors scolding Wild for trying to backflip on a shield while sliding down the stairs, and he dares to hope he might finally have some proper backup in his ongoing efforts to keep his foolhardy cub alive. However, he soon realizes that while Warriors would walk through fire to keep his brothers safe, he all too easily overlooks the value of his own life. Twilight, like most of the Chain, wishes he could take the favorite status away from his baby brother. Wishes he could do more than offer himself when Cia needs a whipping boy to “teach her perfect hero a lesson.” Would do anything to stop smelling blood and steel on Warriors’ warm, spicy scent when the younger aspect is all alone in his room. But in the end, all he can do is offer a shoulder to lean on, an ear to listen, and flowers that remind him of his beautiful, perfect, baby brother, and hope that will somehow be enough.

Triforce Heroes: Has no idea what to make of or how to treat any of them. He tries hard to resist his kneejerk instinct to bite them whenever they got too close, especially the mean oldest one. He barely keeps from growling every time he sees him, from lapsing into the feral state Cia preferred when the mean hero keeps insulting his baby brother and is generally dismissive of the entire Chain. The rest of the Chain advises Twilight stay away from the sharp-tongued hero and keep an eye on Wild instead, who has since decided to make the tallest hero his responsibility. 

Twilight will not allow Wild to suffer the young man’s attention alone and so dutifully accompanies them both during their wild jaunts around the heroes’ property. But of all the Chain, Twilight has the least idea of how to solicit attention from prospective lovers, too used to having no choice with Cia and having her seek him out every time she wished to bed him instead of the other way around. He lacked the subtlety to seduce her away from his brothers, usually having to use more direct methods to get her attention. Ones that Wild refuses to let Twilight use, but really, how does he expect Twilight to gauge the hero’s temperament if he doesn’t bite him first? And in the meantime, the taller hero unfortunately has turned the nightmare of a Wild 2.0 into a reality and easily charmed Twilight’s cub by displaying a strong love of nature and exploration. Twilight fears a repeat of Cia with Wild’s tentative hopes that the hero’s apparent kindness was genuine and that he might actually care about the Chain on some level. Every day that passes without the hero breaking the illusion was a day Twilight’s fraying nerves grow more painfully rigid and the pit of dread in his stomach becomes deeper.

The third, smallest hero becomes the target of Twilight’s growing tension in a moment of unrealized terror. However, instead of giving Twilight a beating or forcing him into a bed to properly teach him his place, the strange young man merely acknowledges Twilight’s fears and deals with the results in secret from the other two heroes, likely sparing Twilight a harsh punishment. When discussing the hero’s actions with Time later, he learns that the youngest of their benefactors was younger than any of them had thought. Twilight grows more curious about the youngest hero and wondered if Wild might have actually been right. Before he can figure it out himself, the Incident occurs, and Twilight learns that the three heroes have no interest in owning the Chain. That the trio had meant to help them from the very beginning.