//------------------------------// // Mother is doing a good job at picking off all of Laine's friends, but is doing a rather shitty job at stopping Laine from cutting the mouth stitches, even though she can apparate around and it's imperative that Laine doesn't do that. // Story: Whither Must I Wander // by thelegendarytoothpaste //------------------------------// Link picked at one of his scabbed over wounds. It was a habit he developed not long into his first adventure. Navi would chastise him for it whenever he did it. He knew it was kind of gross, but he never liked scabs anyway. They only reminded him of the scars that were left on his body. A little known fact about healing fairies is that they can heal even the most grievous injury, but they will still leave behind a scar. Link's body was marred with everything from slices to stab wounds, burns to bites and scratches. He saw the worst that two worlds had to offer in his short life- technically three, now that he thought of it. It was more than most elders lying on their death beds would be able to say. He recalled one of his worst injuries. It was at the hands of Ganondorf in their first battle. Link had gotten the fight into a rhythm of sorts. He would counter Ganondorf's attacks, and leap to wherever the evil king may have fallen in order to work on him more. The room they did battle in was at the top of his castle in some sort of sub-ceiling. As they began the fight, Ganondorf punched the ground below him with a fist, sending all segments of the ground but for a few pillars crashing into the darkness below in a show of power. The only things that survived were the support beams for that same sub-ceiling. Link did not know how far the drop was, and he did not want to find out. The storybooks did not tell of the battle in its entirety. All they said was the hero soundly defeated the evil king. In reality, Link came very close to his own end that night. It happened at the end of the battle. Link's sword had opened many a gash on the evil king's body, and they both were exhausted by the fight. It was going okay for Link. Oddly enough, he had managed to come so far with just some bumps and bruises to show for it. It was going well. Too well. Ganondorf managed to solve that in one fell swoop. Apparently he too had taken note of the pattern that the battle was developing. Towards the end, he dropped out of the air and to a knee as if stunned. Link believed it was his chance and he leapt over the abyss to deal the coupe de grace. His blade was in hand held high. Ganondorf had one final trick up his sleeve. With one hand, he grabbed Link by the throat and instantly the young man was fighting for oxygen. He could hear Navi's screams for his well being, but it mattered little to the evil king. He got to his feet, lifting Link by the throat off of his, and with all the power his piece of the Triforce had granted him, he slammed Link spine first into the concrete pillar they stood on a moment ago. When his back connected, Link could hear popping and snapping, and all of a sudden he could feel nothing below his neck anymore. He couldn't wiggle his toes, he couldn't swing his blade- he couldn't even raise his little finger. A bottle tumbled out of his pocket and rolled off the pillar to the darkness below. Link barely registered its shatter. For a moment, Ganondorf was silent. Navi was hysterical and Link himself said nothing. Suddenly, the evil king threw his head back and began to laugh a demented laugh, the wont of all evildoers. He had no words yet for Link; only empty promises of power and glory for Princess Zelda under his thumb. Link still felt nothing. He only hoped Ganondorf would make his finish quick, but he did not hold out hope. He already knew his head would soon adorn a pike outside the castle. Ganondorf drew his own sword, a blade as dark as night. He steadied it just above Link's heart, but hesitated. An evil grin crossed his face once more, and he slowly sheathed the weapon. "How fitting," he said. "Would it be for me to kill the so called Hero of Time with his own blade?" Link said nothing, but he did scowl. To kill someone you did battle with with their own weapon was extremely disrespectful. Had the battle concluded the other way, Link would have at least used his own blade to finish the... His eyes widened slightly and hope bubbled within him. Ganondorf's hatred for him may be working to his advantage. He watched as the evil king knelt to grab the Master Sword from Link's paralyzed hand. In his extraordinary hatred and contempt for Link, Ganondorf had forgotten the cardinal rule about the Master Sword: It was the blade of evil's bane; the weapon that those with dark hearts could never touch. As soon as Ganondorf's hand came in contact with the holy weapon, he seized up as a strong current racked his body. It forced his muscles to tighten up, preventing him from letting go of the weapon. At the same time, Link himself felt nothing, though that was one part his not being evil and another part having his spine crushed like so many twigs underfoot. While Ganondorf screamed his agony, Link saw a pink light in his peripheral vision. It was the healing fairy in the bottle that had fallen to the depths. Link smiled a bit. Without hesitation, the fairy began to pour its essence into his body. Slowly but surely, he began to get feeling back. He started with his toes, then his fingers, and when he was satisfied everything was working again, he stood. The movement was enough to jostle Ganondorf to the ground, and now it was the evil one who was staring death in the face. Or at least he would have been. The current was so powerful that it left Ganondorf with smoke pouring out of his ears and blood running from his eyes. His eyeballs had burst. And yet he was still alive. He was writhing about somewhat on the ground, but he was not going to find his feet again. Link wondered if he should try the same thing Ganondorf nearly did and use his weapon against him, but he quickly decided against it. The only blade that would be able to end him permanently was a holy weapon. Link stepped on each of the dying king's arms, and squeezed his eyes shut. He slowly sent the blade into the man's heart. The ponies sat in silence for a few moments while they thought of what the princess had asked of them. Even Pinkie Pie was silent. The voices in her head weren't, but the others didn't have to know about them. They already knew Fluttershy would be out for a long term solution unless she moved her animal friends outside for the long term. Given how overly dramatic some of the animals she kept were, it would probably lead to chaos. More so than usual, anyway. Rarity believed she could house him too, but only on the short term as the living area above Carosel Botique was very small. Given that he was a child, it wouldn't surprise her if he wanted to do a lot of running around like Sweetie Belle, and that sort of activity did not mix well in her store, no sirree. Applejack was a promising lead, but was not willing to have him stay with her yet. As far as she was concerned, he was still a stranger whether he had the princess' seal of approval or not. She still had a farm to run and a family to look after. Until she got to know him a bit more, she wouldn't feel comfortable. Also, his being an omnivore was somewhat unsettling to her, but she knew that was hypocritical. If she had such a problem with meat-eaters, why did she have a wolf-dog? Rainbow Dash was automatically disqualified on account of living in the sky, though she was somewhat dejected about it. She claimed she would love to have him if it were possible, but the others suspected it was because Hinka was not native to Equestria. He was a real live alien, and if she had him then she would probably see him as an awesome pet or something. It was exactly not what he needed. Pinkie Pie was a possible candidate. Sugarcube Corner's living area was large and well kept, but she did not own the store (though it would be willed to her if the worst ever happened). She believed it would not be a problem, but she would have to ask the Cakes first. Twilight was the only perfect candidate. The castle was huge with plenty of rooms to choose from. Her proximity to town square meant she could fetch Hinka whatever he needed when he needed it quickly, and her friends were of course welcome to visit anytime. She just had to see about how Spike would react to the newcomer as soon as he wasn't sick anymore. Until then, Hinka would barred entry to his room. Eventually, it was agreed. The ponies who were capable of housing him for a short while would take him on certain weekends, but he would spend a majority of his time with Twilight. It was too good a research opportunity to pass up. "So, dinner?" asked Rainbow Dash. The girls smiled at one another. "Dinner sounds lovely," said Rarity. "Why don't we have it with your little patient, Fluttershy?" Fluttershy smiled over at him. "Oh, I think that sounds like a great idea. Maybe we can learn more about him." "Or teach him a few of our words," said Twilight. "He will need them if he is staying with us for a while." Rainbow grinned eagerly. "Imagine us teaching the first alien ever how to speak Equish! Awesome!" The others smiled at her and looked at Hinka. Rarity quickly frowned and gave his hand a gentle smack. He had been working hard at getting a scab off his arm. "Tut tut. No picking," she chastised. He blinked confusedly up at her, but seemed to understand when she gestured to his scab and shook her head. His belly growled, prompting everypony to give him a knowing smile. Hinka grumbled. End of Chapter