//------------------------------//
// Chapter 1: Found 
// Story: Red, Blue, Green, Violet, 
// by LittleSnowCloud 
//------------------------------//

Fluttershy hummed quietly as she walked away from her cottage. The day was beautiful and she'd gotten up early so she could get a head start on feeding all her animals. A few birds twittered around her head and she sang a few notes to them, giggling as they repeated her song and flew off, chasing each other through the clear blue sky. Fluttershy looked around, enjoying the mild spring air, when she spotted something in the long grass a little ways towards the Everfree Forest. 

Now, Fluttershy has always been a rather fearful pony. But the thought of the 'Something" being a hurt animal was sufficient motivation to get her little yellow hooves trotting towards the Forest. As she got closer she realized that it wasn't just one 'Something'. It was Four. Four Somethings. She carefully crept closer. Fluttershy now knew that the Somethings were, indeed, a kind of animal. Each one had four limbs, the back ones ending in something almost hoof-like, while the front had a strange appendage, almost like a raccoon's paw, but larger and more spread out. All four were wearing similar garments, but each had their own color. Their long, pointed ears looked a little like pony ears, though on the side of the head instead of the top. 

Fluttershy walked over to the one dressed in red. She gently nudged it in the side in a half-hearted attempt to awaken it. It shifted, making a strange muttering noise before going still again. Fluttershy, determined now to wake it up, nudged it harder. Her ears twitched as a rustle came from behind her and she turned to look. The one in blue was standing up, it's piercing blue gaze matching it's clothes. She saw it's eyes flicker to the red one next to her, and a flash of emotion played across them. He looked angry and maybe a little scared. 

It started to move toward her slowly, fore-paws extended. A slow murmur came from it, the deep tone suggesting to Fluttershy that it was probably male. He continued to move closer, making the noise that seemed to be an attempt to calm her. His 'hooves', which now seemed more like covered paws, made little to no sound on the grassy earth.

Suddenly nervous, Fluttershy stepped back, wary of this strange creature. She thought she saw something like triumph in his eyes. He jumped forward a step with a harsh bark. Fluttershy squeaked and jumped into the air, her wings working on autopilot. He ran forward, standing between the red one and Fluttershy. Understanding washed over Fluttershy like a wave. "Oh, I see." She said, slowly lowering to the ground. "You just want to protect your friend."

"You can speak?!"

Fluttershy's eyes widened as he spoke her language. She had come more than willing to talk to the critters, but she had expected to be using her ability to understand the languages of animals. This was certainly unexpected. "Um.. Y-Yes I can speak... S-so what's your n-name?"

The critter narrowed it's eyes and said "Blue. My name is Blue."

"I'm Fluttershy." Fluttershy took a step toward the critter, Blue, and he jerked something from the side of his belt that she didn't notice before. As he lowered the sword at Fluttershy's chest she could see the anger and mistrust burning in his gaze.

"Back!" Fluttershy obeyed, stepping back again. Blue slowly crouched down, making sure his weapon was always pointed at the pegasus. He wrapped his foreleg around the red one and muttered, "Don't worry Red, I gotcha."

Red? Fluttershy took that to mean that these critters were named after their colors. Or perhaps they were colored after their names.

Blue picked up Red and carefully backed away, laying down his friend closer to the others. The purple one was starting to stir. Blue nudged him and said, "Come on Vio, wakey wakey, we got a situation here." Vio groaned and pushed himself into a sitting position, rubbing his head with one fore-paw.

"Blue? What happened? Where are we?"

"I dunno, I'm not a map! But there's something you need to take a look at."

"And that would be?" Vio, as he seemed to be named, turned his head and caught sight of Fluttershy. "Ah. That. What a curious creature..." He stood up and walked toward Fluttershy, one fore-paw extended. 

Blue caught him by the belt. "Don't touch it, Vio! It's a demon!"

"What makes you say that?"

"It speaks man. Says it's name is Fluttershy."

"And have you ever heard of a demon with a name like 'Fluttershy'?"

Vio swatted Blue's paw away and walked closer before he could answer. "Hello there. Fluttershy is it? I apologize for my friend here, he's rather... Excitable. My name is Vio" He held out his paw for a second before chuckling and saying, "I suppose you can't shake hands, seeing as you only have hooves."

"Hands?"

"Ah, yes." Vio held up his strange paws. "These awkward things here."

Fluttershy nodded and smiled. This one wasn't so bad. He kinda reminded her of Twilight. "Alright then. Hands it is. Though I still think 'paws' sounds better."

Vio laughed and nodded. "Yes, it rather does, doesn't it? Would you mind telling me where we are? And a place we could stay for a while?" 

"Oh, I would love to!" Fluttershy exclaimed. "You can stay with me at my cottage! Um, that is, if you want to, I mean..."

"That sounds lovely." Vio turned to speak to his companion, who had successfully roused the other two. "We will stay with Fluttershy for a bit. Blue, I expect you to be polite."

Blue glared and looked away. 

"Alright, Fluttershy," Vio said. "Lead the way to this cottage of yours and we can all be properly introduced. And some food wouldn't be too bad, if that isn't too much to ask."

"Oh, not at all Mister Vio! It's right this way."

~~~~

"Ewhatstria?!"

Blue spat out the tea he'd been drinking with his exclamation.

"Equestria." Fluttershy corrected, gently wiping the spat-out tea off Red's face. "Ponyville, to be exact."

"Well, that's definitely no place in Hyrule." Green said. "Even I know that."

Vio nodded. "Quite right, my friend. I'd say it's no place in our entire world."

"What are goin' on about Vio?" Blue spat. "Did someone spike your drink?"

Vio sighed. "No, Blue, no one 'spiked my drink'. But have you ever heard of pastel colored ponies that could talk? I can only conclude that we are no longer in Hyrule. At least not our version of it. Perhaps some force pushed us to another realm. It's not the first time something akin to this has happened. You would know this if you bothered to read."

"Speak plain Hylian!!" Blue roared.

"I am. You just can't comprehend proper language."

"I don't know exactly what you said, but I know when I've been insulted!"

"Calm yourself, heathen! You're scaring Fluttershy."

Vio motioned toward the yellow pony, who had taken refuge behind the couch. "O-Oh no. I'm f-fine."

Red reached back and gently petted her mane. "Hey guys?" He said quietly. "Do we have to start fighting again?"

Red's voice seemed to calm Blue, who looked away from Vio and mumbled something that might have been an apology. Vio gave a terse nod and picked up his tea-cup. Green got up and moved closer to Red, rubbing the gentler one's arm. "Don't worry buddy," he said. "We won't fight. Okay?" The others nodded and Red gave a relieved sigh.

Fluttershy came out from behind the couch, warily sitting next to Red, who seemed to her to be the only one who didn't like to start shouting for no apparent reason. She started to say something, but then somepony knocked on her cottage door. "O-Oh! Excuse me," she told the four, "I need to get that..."

They nodded and Vio motioned for her to go ahead. Trotting away, she pulled open the door a crack and peeped out to see who had come a-knocking. A cyan pegasus with a mane of rainbow stood on the doorstep, shifting from hoof to hoof with unspent energy. "Hiya, Flutters!" Rainbow Dash proclaimed, flapping her wings and hovering a few hoof lengths off the ground.  "I just had the BEST idea for a prank on Pinkie Pie!" The over-energized pegasus started to continue, but then she caught sight of the four creatures sitting in Fluttershy's living room. "Umm... Fluttershy?"

"Yes?"

"What are those?" Rainbow Dash waved her hoof, motioning into the cottage.

"Oh." Fluttershy nodded thoughtfully. "They're Blue, Red, Green, and Vio."

Rainbow Dash, who likes to pretend she understands things even when she doesn't, nodded like the answer made any sense to her. "Uh-huh. Well. That's just... Er... Precious, Fluttershy. And where did they come from?"

"They said somewhere called 'Hyrule'."

Rainbow Dash came back to the ground and leaned closer to Fluttershy. "Are they evil? Do you need assistance?" she whispered, her eyes lighting up at the prospect of a fight. 

But Fluttershy quickly shook her head. "Oh no! They've been nothing but kind, if a little loud." She said with a small smile. "But I've never seen anything like them! Do you think you could go get Twilight and see if-"

"Twilight? Okay!"

"-she knows..." Fluttershy watched as the rainbow streak that was her friend shot away before she could even finish her sentence. "Okay then."

Turning, she went back inside and closed the door, returning to the four Hylians in her living room. "Is everything still going okay?" Four heads nodded in confirmation and Fluttershy smiled, retaking her place by the table. 

Something soft brushed along her wings and she looked to see Red gently petting her feathers with a wondering look in his eyes. "Your wings are really pretty, Miss Fluttershy. Is it nice, being able to fly?"

"Oh, yes. It's very nice." Fluttershy extended her wing into Red's lap and the golden-haired Hylian made a small sound of happiness. "I don't fly very fast, like my friend Rainbow Dash does, but I do love gliding along on a warm breeze. It's so peaceful."

"I bet it is!" Red was touching her feathers carefully and Fluttershy looked up from him to see that all three of his friends were silent and each wore identical expressions of fondness. 

"Sorry if he's breaking some code of etiquette." Vio said after a minute or so, a bit of worry in his voice. 

"Oh, not at all! It's fine, really." Fluttershy raised one hoof to stave off any further attempts at an apology. Then there was another knock. 

"Oh!" She stood, gently tugging her wing back to her side. "I think that might be Twilight and Rainbow. Hold on a minute, I just need to let them in." 

Once again, the quiet pony made her way to the front door and opened it carefully, this time revealing Rainbow Dash with Twilight Sparkle in her hooves. 

"Hi again!" Rainbow grinned. "I got her, as asked."

"Thank you, Rainbow Dash. You can put her down now." Fluttershy watched as Rainbow Dash gently set down a dazed looking Twilight. "Umm... Twilight? I understand if you're still dizzy, but there's something I think you'd like to see."

"What? No, no, I'm not too... Dizzy..." Twilight gave her head a few harsh shakes and got to her hooves. "Rainbow Dash said you needed me for something and then just grabbed me!" The unicorn gave her friend an unhappy glance. "So? What is it Fluttershy?"

"Oh. Yes. Well, you see, earlier today I found four animals near the Everfree Forest and now they're in my living room. I think you might like to see them."

"Animals?" Twilight stood on the tips of her hooves and attempted to look into Fluttershy's cottage. "Like Timber Wolves?"

"Umm... No. Not exactly." 

Rainbow Dash landed beside Twilight and gave Fluttershy an excited grin. "Not at all!" The rainbow mare said, nudging Twilight. 

"I think it's best if you just see for yourself." Fluttershy nudged the door open further and started to lead the way inside. She heard as Twilight stopped on the threshold, apparently shocked into stillness. 

"Fluttershy?"

"Yes, Twilight?"

"What are those?"

"This is Red, Blue, Green, and Vio."

Twilight trotted past Fluttershy, ears pricked with interest. "And did you name them that because of these garments?"

"Actually," Blue crossed his arms and gave Twilight a searching stare. "We named ourselves."

"It talks?!" The shock in Twilight's voice was plain and the mare took a few instinctive steps away. Then she let out a squeal of happiness, jumping in place. "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh! A new species that speaks pony! This is SO EXCITING!"

Her horn lit up and Blue lifted into the air, letting out a surprised shout before starting to flail. "I need to study these. Do you mind if I borrow one, Fluttershy?" Twilight looked towards her friend, purple eyes curious. 

Vio, Green, and Red all gave shocked exclamations and jumped up, grabbing at Blue's legs and attempting to weigh him back down to the ground. 

Fluttershy shifted her hooves and said, "They aren't books or sugar, Twilight. It's not my decision. If you want to talk to one, you have to ask them. And please put Blue down."

"Oh. Right. Sorry." Twilight's magic aura faded and Blue dropped down onto his friends. The purple unicorn was jumping from hoof to hood, excitement written in every line of her body. "So?" She moved her violet gaze from one Hylian to another. "Would one of you like to come with me and answer some questions?"

"NO!" Blue spat the answer, ruefully rubbing the back of his head where it had knocked against Vio's. 

Vio put a hand on Blue's shoulder and looked into his eyes for a moment before giving a small shake of his head. Stepping forward, Vio said, "We'll all go, but only if you answer some of our questions in return."

Twilight, who'd begun to deflate at Blue's refusal, squeed in happiness, excitement restored. "Then what are we waiting for?! Let's go! I can teleport us all to the library in a jiffy!"

"Count me in!" Rainbow Dash lifted off and hovered by Twilight's side. 

"Umm... I'd like to come too... If it's not too much to ask." 

Twilight looked around at the small group, three ponies, four Hylians, and gave a small nod, mentally calculated the strength of the magic required. 

Then her horn lit up once more, and they all vanished in a flash of light.