It was bright.
Very, very bright.
Too bright, even.
The creaking song of crickets punctuated the hazy, summer-like feel of the air. The sky above was deep blue, deeper than a river, deeper than a sapphire. Spatters of fluffy clouds drifted lazily through this endless expanse of blue, occasionally shedding small wisps of white.
Link blinked.
That was all he could see right now—the sky, the clouds, the overwhelming brightness.
No wait...there was more.
Now a butterfly flickered aimlessly into his range of vision, it’s vibrantly amythest wings reflecting the sunlight and making him squint painfully.
After the insect vanished, Link let out a shaky, painful groan, making an attempt to raise himself to a sitting position.
Why did he feel so…...weird?
His senses finally seemed to be clearing, and he registered the fact that he was lying in the middle of some sort of grassy meadow. He wasn’t far from what looked like a town, the faint breeze carrying the creak of wagon wheels and babble of voices, even from this distance.
His thoughts were still foggy, but it came to him that this far from a town, monsters usually lurked. The significant lack of a familiar weight on his back told him his sword was missing, as well as his shield.
I lost the Master Sword? He thought, shaking his head in attempt to clear it. That’s really not good. I need to hurry and get to the town before danger strikes.
However, when Link made a valiant effort to stand, his legs buckled and he crashed back to the ground.
Muttered a curse under his breath, he looked up from where he’d face-planted in the grass. What was wrong?
He glanced down at himself, wondering why exactly his limbs felt all wrong and his center of gravity had changed and why….well, why he couldn’t even stand on his own two feet anymore.
His jaw dropped.
Where he was used to seeing….well, his own body, he seemed to have taken on an equine form. His arms and legs had turned into four furry, hoofed limbs. His tunic was still in place, but his inventory pouch seemed to have turned into some type of saddlebag.
SWEET HYLIA WHY AM I A HORSE? He thought, leaping to his feet—er, hooves. Now that he knew...well, what was wrong, he seemed to be able to keep his balance. Wobbling slightly, he balanced on his back legs….all four felt unnatural.
Something was seriously wrong here. He needed to figure out what was happening…..now. This was all way too strange.
What was his last memory? How had he ended up here?
He remembered…..riding Epona. It was just another day, and he had been galloping through Hyrule Field. He was heading for Zora’s Domain, wanting to talk to King Zora about...something. Everything was fuzzy…..it was hard to remember.
There had been some unexpected lightning storm….well, not totally unexpected, as Hyrule was prone to strange and unforseen weather. There’d been lightning all around, striking the ground near them….Epona had panicked….then after that it was all darkness.
Link had a feeling that if his mind didn’t feel like it was wrapped in cotton, he could focus better. Also, he needed to get to the town before he was attacked.
He set off at a hasty clip, although it felt quite strange walking on hooves instead of the two feet he was used too. Maybe he could find someone there who would help him with…...whatever had happened.
As he approached the town, however, he became more and more confused.
It didn’t look like any town in Hyrule that he knew of…..in fact, it had to be one of the strangest towns he’d ever seen. Well, perhaps not the strangest. But it was certainly something he’d never seen beofre.
He was about on the outskirts of the place now, and he still hadn’t caught sight of anyone else. Not a single other person was within sight, despite the cries of the busy marketplace ringing through the streets.
“OH. MY. CELESTIA.”
A sudden, shocked-sounding cry made him spin around, automatically reaching for his sword….except he didn’t have it anymore. He’d faced thieves before, and he wasn’t unused to meeting unsavory characters in alleyways such as this. He was sure that even without his weapons, he could hold his own in a fight.
Now that he was facing whoever had shouted, he realized that perhaps he wouldn’t need to fight. The creature in front of him looked quite like his current form—it, too, was a horse….except...not.
It had a vibrant green coat, pale blue mane streaked with white, and, of all things, a short spiraled horn protruding from it’s forehead.
It stared at Link with an expression of shock and excitement that bordered on mania.
“Can….I help you?” Link asked, his voice cracking with disuse. It made him realize he didn’t know how long it had been since he last spoke.
“WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT HUMANS?” The strange, horse-like creature flung herself bodily at him, crashing into him and knocking him down from his already precarious perch. “ARE YOU A HUMAN???? YOU WILL TELL ME RIGHT NOW!”
Link let out a loud cry of surprise, scrambling backwards over the ground as the green horse advanced menacingly.
“Don’t go!” The creature begged. “TELL ME EVERYTHING YOU KNOW!!!!”
Naturally, at that, Link fled.
This time he opted to stand on all four hooves, as that was what the horse creature had been doing. Why on earth was she so ridiculously obsessed with humans? He was a Hylian anyway, not a human. Why was she a horse as well? He had so many questions that weren’t getting answered….
Once a safe distance from the overexcited green creature, he paused to get his breath back. He was surprised at the rate at which he was able to cover the ground—it was almost like riding Epona, except he was just running by himself. Had this new form enhanced his natural abilities?
“SURPRISE!”
For yet the second time that day, Link nearly jumped out of his skin.
The vibrant pink horse in front of him had an unbelievably curly, snarled mane and was...grinning. Why was she grinning? It looked so unnatural on an equine’s face. She shouldn’t be grinning. HORSES SHOULDN’T BE ABLE TO GRIN!
“Sorry, silly, did I scare you?” The horse giggled, causing Link’s focus to snap away from his mental breakdown and back to her. “Hi! My name is Pinkie Pie. Are you new here?”
Pinkie….what? Pinkie Pie? Why did the world no longer make sense.
“Hellloooo! Do you speak, strange pony I just met inside this dark alleyway?”
A….pony? Was that what he was…...what this creature and the other was?
Strange.
He’d seen ponies at Lon Lon Ranch, but never in this eyeball-achingly vibrant color. Nor with such an...um….squishy body. Also, last he checked, the ponies in Hyrule couldn’t talk.
“Hmmm. Okay, then. Can I guess your name? Silent Greeny! Greeny Shutmouth! Um….Mystery Green! Ooh, I like that one do you like that one? So, Mystery Green, I need to throw a ‘Welcome to Ponyville’ party for you! So ahead of time, WELCOME TO PONYVILLE!”
Completely overwhelmed by this energetic, bouncy...pony, if that's what she was….Link galloped away again.
What was with this town?
And what on earth was going on?
“Hey, are we playing tag?” The pink pony appeared in front of him, as if she’d bent space and time, again with that disturbing grin on her face.
Link gave a strangled yelp, backpedaling furiously, and caught sight of the manic green pony in the background, galloping towards them.
He spun around, dashing in a direction that pointed away from both the green and pink ponies.
He had positively no idea what those two wanted, but it definitely couldn’t be good. He needed to find someone sane in this town….someone who could help him.
His path of flight took him into what seemed to be the town square—a large, paved courtyard with a fountain in the center. It reminded him vividly of Hyrule Castle Town, his gaze following the fountain as he dodged around it.
His preoccupation cost him, and he slammed into someone in his way.
The pony he’d hit let out a yelp of surprise and pain, falling over and scattering her armload of books on the street.
“Oh!” Link looked up from his new seat on the hard ground, rubbing his head. “I’m sorry—let me help you!”
The pony, one with a purple coat, a horn, and…..were those wings? Well,never mind that that right now…..blinked as Link started gathering the spilled books for her.
“Oh—thank you.” She said.
“Hey, Mystery Green! Are you it, or am I? You have to set out the rules before you start playing, silly!”
“YOU WILL TELL ME EVERYTHING.”
At the call of those two voices, Link froze, his face set in an almost comical expression of pure terror.
“Um….” The purple pony looked between Link’s face and the two new ponies behind him. “Are you okay…?”
Link didn’t respond.
“Okay.” She sighed, rubbing the point of her muzzle with a hoof. “What’s going on now?”
“He knows.” The green pony raved, a sort of mad glint in her eye. “He knows, princess. And I’m going to find out.”
“Clarification, Lyra, if you please.” The purple princess pony rolled her eyes. “What does he know?”
“Humans.” That one word was enough to make the princess slam a hoof into her forehead, groaning.
“Well, we were just playing tag, Twilight!” Pinkie Pie said innocently, bouncing up and down. She seemed to possess this kind of boundless energy, and couldn’t hold still.
Princess Twilight gave a long, patient sigh.
“First of all, Lyra.” She said evenly. “Humans. Do. Not. Exist.”
“But-but—he was walking—!”
“No. They’re not real, okay? Just fantasies. Now please….stop annoying this poor stallion.”
“But—”
“Lyra! Please!”
Lyra subsided, slinking away, but not without a fair share of dirty looks and muttering.
“Okay, Pinkie, what do you want?” Twilight asked.
“I just want to throw a ‘Welcome to Ponyville’ party for the new guy!” Pinkie said, bouncing up and down on one leg.
“Oh, right.” Twilight turned to Link, who was standing with an awkwardly held armful of Twilight’s books, completely lost as to what just happened. “What’s your name?”
“What? Oh, it’s Link.” He said.
There was a moment of awkward silence.
“Link….” Twilight said, waving a hoof. “Link what?”
“Just….Link.” He said.
“Well then, welcome to Ponyville, Link!” Pinkie Pie leapt upwards, throwing her forelegs wide and scattering confetti through the air. Confetti that she’d seemed to pull from nowhere.
“Um…..right.”Link said, handing Twilight her books back. “Could someone kindly point me to the nearest inn?”
“The nearest what?” Pinkie asked, looking confused.
“‘Inn’ is an old word for hotel.” Twilight explained to her energetic friend. “And if you’re looking for hotels, there are two of most significance in Ponyville. There’s the Mareiot hotel, but if you’re looking for something more fun and foal-friendly, there’s always Great Horse Lodge.”
Link blinked, looking utterly confused.
“Oh…kay...” Twilight said, rolling each syllable over her tongue. “I can show you to Mariot hotel, if you like...”
“Oh! Um,no, it’s fine.” Link said politely, stepping back. “I can just find it on my map. Thank you for your help!” He craned his neck to the side, flipping the saddlebag open, and pulled out a scroll of parchment. After unrolling it, he frowned at what it seemed to entail.
“Something wrong?” Twilight asked.
“My map...isn’t working.” Link said, turning it upside down to look at it from that angle.
Twilight and Pinkie exchanged looks.
Pinkie twirled a hoof in circles next to her head, indicating the universal sign for “crazy”. Out of the corner of his eye, Link noticed their confusion, and decided to explain.
“I have a map that’s enchanted.” He said. “Whenever I come to a new place, it automatically documents it. But now….” He lifted the piece of paper to show what seemed to be a blind earth pony’s attempt at a portrait of Discord’s head while the god was sneezing.
In other words….she couldn’t make heads or tails of it. It was a giant, scrawly mess of ink.
“There may be something wrong with the spell used on it.” Twilight suggested. “If you like, I can try running a magical scan and see if the problem can be fixed.”
“You can do magic?” Link said hesitantly.
“Um….well, yeah.” Twilight frowned, raising an eyebrow. “I’m an Alicorn. Anypony with a horn can do magic...”
Link nodded, handing the map over, eyeing her horn curiously. Twilight squirmed, a little uncomfortable with the scrutiny, but then tore her focus away from him and centered it on the map.
Her horn lit up with a sparkling magenta aura, and she focused it into a wide beam of colored light. This spotlight moved back and forth over the surface of the paper, piercing through the intricate levels of the spell as she searched for abnormalities. But then...something happened.
A strange sensation gripped her, like plants entwining around her horn, trying to worm their way into her mind. The invisible vines tightened their grip, yanking on Twilight’s horn like they were going to rip it out of her head.
Twilight cried aloud in pain, breaking the spell.
There loud crackling noise, a flash of sparks, and a burst of light exploded between the princess and the map, throwing each backwards.
“Twilight!” Pinkie cried, bouncing over to her fallen friend. Link ran over the where the map lay on the ground, perfectly unharmed, and stuffed the offending item into his saddlebag. Then he galloped over to Twilight’s prone form.
She lay spreadeagled on the ground, her mane sticking on end, eyes wide with shock and wisps of steam curling off her horn.
“I’m so sorry.” Link apologized profusely. “Are you okay? I honestly had no idea that would happen.”
“Neither did I. I’ve never felt magic like that before.” Twilight’s expression was dazed. “Where in Equestria did you get that?”
“What?” Link asked, startled at this abrupt change of subject.
“Where did you get that? It was a new form of magic!” Twilight said again, trying to her eyes to focus.
“Um….a friend.” Link said, keeping his words vague.
“Yeah, but who?” Twilight pressed, her curiosity temporarily overpowering her sense of respect for others.
Link blinked at this sudden interrogation, taking a step back.
“I’d….rather not mention it right now.” He said slowly.
Twilight sighed, getting unsteadily to her hooves. Pinkie Pie, as usual, bounced up and down.
“Now can we throw a party?” She begged.
“Well, about that.” Link hedged. “I thank you for the offer, but….I’m afraid I do not have time for play right now. I have to find out where I am.”
“Oh!” Twilight said. “Well, thisis Ponyville.”
“…..where’s that?” Link asked.
Twilight raised an eyebrow.
“Equestria…?” She offered.
“...right.” Link said. “And where, exactly, is that?”
“Geezy wheezy, Linky.” Pinkie Pie said, balancing on her forelegs. “Where did you come from?”
“I’m from the land of Hyrule.” Link informed them.
“Well, that’s a funny name.” Pinkie giggled. “Where is High Rules? Is there a Low Rules?”
“I...what?”
“Well, High Rules sounds like a BIIIG place!”
“It...is...”
“Does it have a lot of rules? It sounds like it does!”
“Um…..”
“How do you get around in High Rules?”
“Well, you see—” Link started, then he suddenly jumped, craning his neck around and digging frantically through his saddlebags.
He looked up, panicking, and scanned the ground nearest to them.
“Hey, is something—?” Twilight started, but was cut off as he dashed away.
“Hey! Wait up! I want to hear more about High Rules!” Pinkie galloped after him.
Twilight sighed, staring at the books she was supposed to deliver to her personal library.Well, this stallion had a new form of magic. She could come back for the books, but this stallion might disappear forever.
She stacked her precious cargo in a sheltered corner of the square, then ran after Link and her friend.
He actually left the town, leading them to the middle of one of the many meadows that surrounded Ponyville. He dug desperately through the grass, ripping up clumps of knotted green roots clotted with dirt.
“What..was....” Twilight gasped, bending over as her chest heaved, exhausted from the sudden mad dash. Pinkie Pie was unaffected, but she was Pinkie Pie, and Twilight was surprised that Link hadn’t even seemed to break a sweat. “W-what is going on? What’s wrong?”
“I dropped something really important.” Link muttered in a distracted manner, continuing his mad search. “I absolutely need it.”
“Well, what did you drop?” Twilight sighed.
“My ocarina!”
“Your oca-who whatty what pineapples what now?” Pinkie asked.
“What...who...where….Where did you get pineapples?” Twilight asked, raising an eyebrow. Pinkie merely shrugged, looking as lost as Twilight was.
Link stopped tearing up the meadow, running a dirt-covered hoof through his blond mane.
“It’s not here.” He moaned.