//------------------------------//
// The Morning After 
// Story: My Little Pony: Into the Wild 
// by MoonGuard97 
//------------------------------//

Every day for as much as he could remember, Link rose with the sun. Granted, Link's memory was still largely fragmented, but Zelda had told him that he had always been awake before any of the other Champions back before the Calamity.

Today was no exception. Right as the first rays of the morning sun peeked around Mount Lanayru, Link's eyelids snapped open and he pushed himself up off the rough wood of the wagon bed, instinctively reaching for his sword before even stretching the stiffness out of his muscles. Gazing up at the clouds drifting by, a flash of color at the corner of his vision caught his attention. Blinking the sleep out of his eyes and refocusing, he saw that the bright colors were a rainbow colored tail hanging off a cloud positioned over the stable.

Oh, that's right, he thought. The ponies. That actually happened. Seriously, Link had seen some pretty strange things, ranging from overly enthusiastic giant fairies to banana-crazed ninjas, but the talking, colorful, magical ponies from another world took both the cake and the whole bakery with it.

Well, no use just laying here thinking about it. He sat up and grabbed his gear, trekking through the woods toward the nearby river they had crossed farther upstream the day before. He hadn't gotten a chance to wash up after that battle, what with everything that had followed. The pony princess needed to get her wing looked at, and such a large group meant that traveling would be slower than he and Zelda were used to, so he wanted to start the trek to Rito Village as soon as they could, preferably today. He didn't particularly want to travel in the heat of the day with the stench of monster still clinging to him.

No monsters challenged him on his way to the river. Still, instinct had taught him to air on the side of caution, so he kept a Zora-made spear planted in the shallows nearby. The river was cold, but the icy water, along with the brisk hike back to the stables, helped him shake the last wisps of fog from his mind. Upon his return, the camp was still mostly silent; one of the stable workers was tending to the horses, but that was it. He wasn't really surprised. Even after his bath, the morning was still young, and the sun couldn't even be seen behind Mount Lanayru yet. Most stables had sparring dummies for travelers to use, so he picked up his spear and starting going at it, figuring a morning workout was a good way to kill some time.

He had only just started jabbing at the dummy when a very pink figure emerged from the stable. If at all possible, Pinkie Pie's mane was frizzier than it had been the day before as she casually walked over to where he was practicing. The barbed head of the spear was ripping the dummy to shreds, tufts of straw falling to the ground around his boots. Pinkie Pie watched his movements with a fixated fascination as the spear went up, down, in, and out.

"Are you hungry?"

The question caused his stomach to grumble, breaking his focus and causing his jab to go deeper than he meant it to, sinking into the wooden post at the dummy's core. He left it there and wiped the sweat off his face with a sleeve.

"Yeah, actually, I guess I am."

Pinkie was jumping up and down in excitement. "Want to help me make breakfast?"

He was about to decline, but he didn't exactly have anything else to do, so he shrugged and put his spear away as she started sorting through the cart for ingredients.





Zelda awoke to the smell of searing meat wafting through the stable grounds. Lazily, she opened her eyes to the sight of brightly colored ponies everywhere she looked. Twilight Sparkle was still asleep in her bed next to Zelda's with Spike and Starlight Glimmer passed out on the floor next to her, probably not having moved from last night. Rarity had taken the bed on Twilight's other side, and the three younger fillies were all small enough to share the next bed over, though only two of them were still there. Fluttershy was curled up on the floor next to the stable's resident hylian retriever with a bushy-tailed squirrel peeking out of her mane. Rainbow Dash and Link had slept outside last night, if she remembered correctly, which just left Pinkie Pie, Applebloom, and Applejack unaccounted for, whom she guessed were probably already up.

Pushing herself upright and throwing her arms wide in a stretch, she pulled her mess of bedhead into a somewhat decent ponytail and stepped into her boots. Careful not to disturb any of the still-sleeping ponies, she tip-toed her way outside to find Link cooking breakfast with Pinkie Pie, and the Apple sisters packing supplies into a basket off to the side.

"Good morning," she called.

Pinkie Pie rushed over faster than she could blink. "Morning Zelda! How'd you sleep? Is anypony else awake yet? Are you hungry? We've got breakfast!"

Zelda simply stood dumbfounded. The look on her face must have been pretty humorous, because Link started chuckling over by the cooking fire.

"Don't worry," he said casually. "You'll get used to it."

Zelda certainly hoped so. Pinkie hadn't really said much the day before, probably worried for her friend, but now she seemed to have an endless supply of energy. Regardless, as she bounced back over to the fire, Zelda noted that she and Link seemed to have gotten along pretty well, as they easily exchanged jokes and stories while tending to the food.

Oddly enough, the smell of meat was coming from their pot. Zelda had noted last night that the dinner the ponies had made had been distinctly lacking in meat, and Twilight had later confirmed that they were an herbivorous culture, so the fact that Pinkie was cooking meat came as a surprise.

Zelda took a seat on a log nearby. "Pinkie?"

"Yes?"

"I thought ponies didn't eat meat, so how do you know how to cook it?"

Pinkie Pie let out a lighthearted giggle. "Ponies aren't the only creatures on Equus, silly! There's ponies, yaks, horses, donkeys, griffins, dragons, hippogryphs, sea ponies, minotaurs, and a bunch of other cool creatures! Some of them eat meat, so I make a point to know how to cook it, that way I can cook for any new friends I make!"

"'Sides," Applejack interjected, sauntering over from the wagon. "'tain't like ponies can't eat meat. It's more of a...taboo."

Zelda sat quietly trying to process the sudden rush of information before a single question piqued her curiosity. "So...have any of you ever eaten meat?"

Pinkie's smile faltered just a little. "I have," she started. "I didn't like it very much, but it helps to know what something tastes like when you cook with it."

"I eat it."

They all looked up to see Rainbow Dash gliding down from her cloud. Zelda noticed that she eyed Link for a second before continuing.

"Mostly just fish. Protein is an important part of an athlete's diet, and meat is the best way to get it, so pretty much everypony in the Wonderbolts eats either meat or tofu."

Zelda's ears perked up. "The Wonderbolts?"

Rainbow's face split into a wide grin and she sat herself down on a stump near Zelda. The next little while was spent in relaxed conversation as more and more ponies woke up and joined them. Even Princess Twilight was able to make her way outside, though she still leaned heavily against Starlight. Before long, breakfast was served: pan-seared meat and mushrooms for the hylians and oats and honey for the ponies. As for the dragon...

"Spike," Link called. The little lizard was digging through everything on their cart. "What're you doing? Stay out of that stuff!"

"I smell rubies!" Spike hollered back.

Link looked puzzled. "Rubies?"

"Yes," Twilight spoke up, though a little meekly. "A dragon's main diet consists of various gemstones."

"He eats gemstones?" Realization finally seemed to dawn on his face. Link shot to his feet, scattering the last few mushrooms on his plate in his rush to keep Spike from finding his gems. "Don't touch those gems!"

Spike grinned as he held up a ruby the size of Link's fist.





Link huffed as he helped pack the cart. It had taken him a whole fifteen minutes to run Spike down and get his stupid ruby back. After running around literally the entire stable with everybody else laughing at him, he'd finally been able to talk Spike into an exchange of the Ruby for a handful of rupees. If the drake was going to eat his money, Link would make sure that he would eat as little as possible.

Surprisingly enough, when he had suggested to the others that they start the journey to Rito Village that day, they had all agreed rather quickly, so they wasted no time packing everything up and loading it onto their wagon. Link and Zelda typically traveled light, only taking food, clothes, and a small armory for Link to choose from, with an extra trunk for whatever loot they gained along the way, so there was plenty of room to arrange a few furs and blankets into a makeshift bed for the Princess to ride in, though there arose a rather heated conversation about the "barbaric" practice of hunting animals which resulted in the furs being removed. Once all that was sorted, Link opened his weapons crate, swapping his spear for a more practical broadsword, similar to the standard-issue blade from his knighthood days, and changing into a sturdy tunic while Zelda hooked up the horse.

Zelda had been worried about how the ponies would react to them using a horse to pull the wagon, but none of them even bat an eye at it.

"Erm, Miss Fluttershy?"

The butter-yellow pegasus jumped slightly. "Um, yes?"

Zelda didn't really know how to ask what she was thinking, but she gave it her best effort. "Well, I was kind of expecting some...issues, when I harnessed the horse...from you or your friends..."

Poorly put as that technically-not-a-question was, Fluttershy seemed to pick up on what she was saying, offering a sweet smile behind her mane.

"Oh, don't worry about that," she assured. "Ponies have wagons and carriages, too. In fact, Rarity's neighbors once pulled our carriage all the way to Canterlot for us because Twilight's magic horses ran away."

Zelda blinked. Magic horses?

"Oh, well, okay. I'm glad there won't be any problems."

Behind them, Twilight was struggling to get into the cart, which was just too high for her to climb without hurting her wing.

"Here, princess," Link said, stepping up to her and holding out his arms. "Allow me."

Twilight looked a little annoyed, but accepted the offer without hesitation, allowing the strong human to wrap his arms under her barrel and lift her into the bed of the wagon.

"I hate having to have help with everything," she lamented. "It's like I'm useless." 

"You're badly hurt, princess. It's understandable that you won't be able to do everything you normally could. Zelda and I don't mind helping you, and from what I've seen, your friends are all eager to do so as well."

"Yeah," Twilight smiled, watching her friends fondly as they each busied themselves with one thing or another. "We've been through a lot together, had all kinds of crazy adventures, and saved Equestria more times than I can remember. Ever since I moved to Ponyville, there hasn't been a day that they haven't been by my side."

Link smiled at her far-off gaze. "Sounds like you'd do anything for them, just like they're doing for you right now."

A pause. "Yeah, I guess you're right." She turned to the swordsman. "What about you? Do you have any close friends?"

"I have Zelda." Link responded immediately.

Twilight cocked her head, a puzzled look on her face. "Is Zelda your only friend? You don't have anypony else close to you?"

Link's face hardened, and a dark shadow seemed to pass over his features. The sight sent a cold shill through Twilight's body, but then she blinked, and it was gone.

"You should settle in and get comfortable, princess. We're almost ready to leave."

He turned abruptly and walked away, his posture stiff.

What was that about? Twilight wondered.