//------------------------------// // The Next Step // Story: The Legend of Zelda: Wielders of Harmony // by My Little Epona //------------------------------// Once again, the world reappeared, this time as the border between forest and sandy shore. The lake was—miraculously—brimful of water once more, stretching off into the distance. The sun was low in the sky, licking the top of the gentle ripples with the pale yellow light that would later turn gold. The air had shifted—it was now faintly cool, and tiny whispers of breeze ruffled the lake’s surface and lifted strands of mane off their owner’s skin. Link tapped the large stone platform beneath his hooves. It was unnaturally cold to the touch, as if it had just appeared rather than spending all day soaking in the sun—which Link guessed it had. He didn’t remember seeing it when they first arrived. He attempted a step forwards, in order to back away and examine it more closely. These things really were a mystery to him. He found himself blocked by Ruto, who was clinging tightly to his foreleg, eyes wide with terror. “Hey, Ruto.” Link said gently, all too aware of how his voice rang out in the unusual silence. “Do you think you could let go?” The Zora jolted slightly at his request, stuttering an unintelligible apology as she stepped back. “…you okay?” Link asked, raising an eyebrow. Ruto averted her eyes, nodding. “Are you sure you’re okay?” He insisted. She took a deep breath, letting it slowly, then nodded again. Link reluctantly gave in, but shot her a worried glance. “Well…” Epona said, in an obvious attempt to break the heavy silence. “I guess we should, you know, probably get going now…? You know, return to Ponyville and all that…” “Yeah.” Link glanced up at the sky. The sun was inching ever nearer to the horizon, almost reaching, but not quite yet…that would change soon. “We really should.” “Ugh. All this teleporting is making me nauseous.” Vinyl grimaced. A heavy silence followed her statement—a silence that felt too heavy. Now would be the time for someone else to speak up, perhaps with an agreement…? But no. The moment of silence stretched on, until Link finally raised the Ocarina in defeat. The familiar notes of Minuet of Forest washed over them, and once again the scenery blurred and smudged away, vanishing into glittering green. This time, when the world reformed, it was the familiar forest edge. Link let out a sigh of relief, stretching his back leg—the pain was completely gone. His clothes were still torn and stained, but the skin-toned fur beneath was whole. “What on earth happened?” Ruto asked in a shocked, loud voice. “Where are we?” The reaction of the group was universal. As one, they all turned, shooting her unfriendly looks—even Darunia. Link and Epona were the only ones who didn’t react. Ruto shrank back, looking as if she wished she could hide. Link bit back a sigh, laying a hoof on Ruto’s shoulder. Though his movement was gentle, she jerked upwards, startled. “Come with me.” Link said quietly. “We…should talk.” He lead her a short distance away, along the treeline—close enough to see the others, but far away enough so that hopefully his voice wouldn’t carry. “Look…” He said, trying to think of a way to…gently start the conversation. “I, well…don’t think my friends are…particularly fond of you right now.” “Really. I had no idea.” Ruto gave an eyeroll, at the same time avoiding Link’s gaze. “Of course…” Her head dropped, and her voice quieted to a nearly-indecipherable mumble. “I made the worst first impression anyone could…” “But that can be fixed.” Link said, internally breathing a sigh of relief that Ruto knew what she’d done wrong. “All you have to do is apologize.” “But I am a royal princess, and heir to the throne of the Zora!” Ruto gasped, looking scandalized. “I would never apologize to a bunch of—” “Ruto…” Link said in a warning tone. The princess dropped her head again, staring at the ground. “Come to think of at, your behavior earlier wasn’t very royal or princess…ess…ly.” Link gave a small cough, hoping she wouldn’t notice his slip up. “You were downright rude, in fact.” “Link!” Ruto gave him a hurt look. “I’m just being honest.” Link insisted. “In fact, that’s exactly what they all thought of you.” He jerked his head back towards the group. So please, for the happiness of everyone on this quest, please for the love of Hylia, just apologize.” The Zora glanced away, a stubborn expression settling over her face. Link bit his lip—he had to get to her before she pushed him away. “Just...do it for me.” He said quietly. “Please?” His hoof reached out, resting on her shoulder, and she glanced upwards. Her gaze met his—and she gave a frustrated sigh, looking away again. “Fine.” She grumbled. “...for you.” “Thank you.” Link’s face broke into a relieved smile. Ruto’s expression softened, and she nodded. The two trotted back to the group. When they arrived, the expressions of the others had not changed. Cold disdain was directed at Ruto from all around…well, except from Saria. Saria’s face had a look of downright loathing. Ruto backed away slightly, kicking a hoof against the ground, looking tempted to run in the opposite direction. Link gave her an encouraging nudge. The Zora princess took a deep breath. “I have something I want to say to everyone.” She blurted. She inhaled again, letting it slowly, then continued. “I’m…sorry.” Unfriendliness changed to surprise. “Really, really sorry.” Ruto pressed on, her words gathering speed, like a horse beginning a race. “I didn’t mean to insult you, or seem so pushy, or drag you into danger…I was just…really scared.” The surprise moved to an odd mixture of shock and confusion. “Scared of a multitude of things.” For a second, the princess’s words tripped over themselves, and she had to pause a second. “Scared of suddenly showing up in a strange place, scared of being stranded and alone, scared of this new body…I spent days like that. All I could do was cower at the bottom of that lake. Then Link came, and…I don’t remember a time when I’d ever felt more relieved. But then…I saw you all.” She gestured at the group with a hoof. “And I had a new thing to be afraid of. I…was scared you would take Link away from me.” A ripple of emotion went over the group. Ruto seemed to sense this, and picked up courage for her next words. “I know, I know, it’s ridiculous now that I look back on it. But…I was scared—no, terrified. At that moment, Link was my only…heh, link to sanity. No pun intended. My way of dealing with that fear was to act in a way I’m definitely not proud of. I’m a princess. I should have known better, should have had better control over my emotions…” She straightened her back out, raising her head. “I’m not expecting you all to forgive my behavior—in fact, I don’t know if I’ll ever forgive myself for it. But…if you could just give me a second chance…” She trailed off, leaving the implied question mark hanging heavily in the air. The others exchanged glances, but ultimately, silence reigned. Then Lyra stepped forwards. “I understand losing control sometimes.” She said, patting Ruto’s shoulder. The Zora jolted slightly at the contact, but didn’t pull away. “I forgive you!” “I guess it’s cool.” Vinyl shrugged. “I mean, you didn’t bother me all that much. I have a pretty thick skin.” “I suppose I can forgive you.” Octavia nodded. “That was an excellently worded apology…” “You want a second chance?” Bon Bon said. “Yeah, I think I’d be willing to offer that.” “I certainly forgive ya!” Darunia grinned. “Just glad ya apologized!” Epona merely nodded, but a smile crossed her face all the same. There was a second of silence. The group all looked at Saria. “No.” She scowled, standing up and walking away. “Oh, dear Hylia, here we go again.” Link groaned, rolling his eyes. “I’ll be right back.” He trotted after the rapidly-departing Kokiri, who’d sped up once she noticed Link following her. They stopped a long distance away from the group, just under the treeline. Saria sat down on the mossy ground, her back to Link. “Are you going to make me go back and tell the fish princess I forgive her?” She asked, her voice snide. Link chose to ignore her tone. “I can’t make you.” He said. “But I can’t deny that it would be nice if you would…” “No.” Saria said instantly, her voice almost a growl. Link sighed, sitting down next to her. “And why not?” He asked. “Because there’s no way I’m apologizing to someone like her!” Saria snapped. “…why not?” Link repeated. “Because she’s pushy and arrogant and rude!” Saria exploded, crossing her forelegs. “She refuses to talk to anyone who she thinks is ‘lower’ than her, and worst of all, she treats me like a kid!” “Well, to be perfectly fair, you are kind of a kid.” Link pointed out. “No I’m not!” Saria protested, stamping a hoof. “Technically, I’m older than you! I can be helpful and wise and contribute just like the rest of you ‘grown-ups’.” She paused for a second, an expression of doubt briefly darting over her face. “…right?” “No, of course.” Link assured her. “And you’re right, sort of—you are older than me year-wise, but not physically or mentally. But I digress. You can be helpful—you’ve been very helpful, in fact! But right now…you are acting like a child.” “No I’m not!” Saria screeched, pouting and stomping a hoof, then paused for a second. “…oh.” “Yeah.” Link nodded. “Now you see?” “…yeah.” Saria parroted, kicking a hoof against the ground. “Besides,” Link pressed, “what makes you think all that about Ruto? You can’t tell that at a single glance.” “I do know more about Ruto than you think.” Saria grumbled. “How?” Link asked. “When have you ever had the chance to get to know her?” “The Light Temple, of course.” Saria said. Link blinked, surprised. “Huh?” He said. “How?” “After the Sages enter the Light Temple, we just kind of...stay there.” Saria explained, a sigh plain in her voice. “There’s nothing to do there except for us to talk to each other…which Princess Prissy-scales refused to. I got to know Sir Rauru and Darunia really well, and sort of Impa…but Ruto isolated herself from everyone and refused to talk to us, calling us ‘peasants’.” She snorted. “Darunia’s the Goron Chieftain and Sir Rauru’s a legendary mage who built the Temple of Time! We’re not peasants!” She paused for a second, taking a breath to calm herself. “I figured Ruto couldn’t be too bad.” She admitted. “Maybe she was just unused to being with others… maybe she’d never had a friend…who knew. But every time I tried to talk to her, she would smile condescendingly and call me “sweetheart” or “sweetie”. She talked to me like I was a three-year-old who needed to have everything explained to her! I hated it. My point is, I gave Ruto a chance. Plenty of them, in fact. I’m not giving her another one now.” “Okay, so I realize that your…acquaintance got off to a rocky start.” Link said, trying to figure out what to do with this new deluge of information. “And…I don’t know what was up with her then, but I can promise you that she’s more than she seems and how she acted. I understand you’ve given her a chance before, and got your feelings hurt as a result—” “It’s not just about hurt feelings.” Saria interrupted, muttering. “Well, what is it about, then?” Link asked. “I don’t want to talk about it.” Saria frowned, crossing her forelegs again. “Well, if you don’t want to talk about it, I can’t help you.” Link pointed out. Saria looked away with a stubborn expression, reminding Link so much of Ruto he had to choke back an incredulous laugh. After a second, Link sighed. “I can’t fully understand your problem,” he said, “but I really wish you’d try just one more time. This time, it’s not just you initiating it—she’s trying as well.” Saria groaned, rolling her eyes. “Do it for me?” Link begged. “Please?” Saria finally caved, letting out a long sigh. “I’ll…try.” She mumbled. “…for you.” “Thank you.” Link gave her a genuine smile, and a tiny smile flickered over her face in return. Link stood up, then stuck out a foreleg and helped her up. They both trotted back to the group, where Ruto was looking nervous, fidgeting restlessly in place. “I’m willing to forgive Ruto.” Saria said, her words rushed like she was forcing them out,. The Zora breathed a sigh of relief, visibly relaxing. “Thank you.” She gave Saria the tiniest smile. The Kokiri’s resolve faltered for a second, and she looked unsure of what to do next. “Now that that’s all over, I suppose we should go see Princess Twilight again?” Lyra said,stepping in. “You suppose correct.” Link bobbed his head in a nod. “Now it’s time for us to go see what our next destination is, and then figure out how to get there, and…yep. All that.” “Adventuring is exhausting.” Vinyl sighed. “That it is.” Link agreed. The journey back to Ponyville wasn’t long—in fact, the sun still hadn’t set by the time they reached the outskirts of the town. Along the way, the group briefed Ruto on what had happened so far, and what possibly came next. Link was glad to see that for the most part, they were beginning to accept Ruto—even Saria. Well, sort of. Saria was lagging behind the group, tail dragging, a sulky expression on her face. She truly was acting like a child at the moment. Link bit back a sigh as he caught sight of the Kokiri. At least she wasn’t staring at the princess with utmost loathing anymore. As they trotted through the town, they attracted even more attention then usual—and Link didn’t have to be a genius to guess why. He assumed it not only had to do with the blue fish pony, but also with the deadly weapons the others were carrying—which he forgot to take back before they entered the town. Ponies began to trail them, whispering to each other while the group’s backs were turned. Link began to feel uncomfortable. After a while of this, they finally arrived at Princess Twilight’s castle. The light-blinded Ruto was lead up to the door, and Lyra knocked, the sound resonating through hall within. The purple, lizard-like creature—Spike, Link remembered—opened the door. “What the—” He began, eyes widening in alarm. “Oh, wait. It’s you guys again. Wait a second, is that a sword?” “No?” Vinyl suggested, quickly tossing the blade behind her. “Maybe I should take these.” Link said, grabbing the weapons from those around him and quickly stuffing them into his inventory. Spike stared the small leather bag like it was possessed. “…Spike?” Lyra said. “Oh, right. Sorry.” Spike blinked rapidly, tearing his gaze away from the inventory. “Uh, c’mon in.” “Thanks.” Bon Bon gave him a smile. “Is Twilight home?” “Yup.” Spike closed the doors behind the group, blocking out the curious crowd. “I’ll go get her—you can wait in the throne room, if you want.” He lead them to the familiar map room, then trotted away, vanishing into a hall beyond. Ruto wandered around in circles, staring at the glittering crystal walls and ceiling, stretching up far, far above them. An expression of unbridled awe was plain on her face. Link turned, examining the map closely for the first time since he’d arrived. Usually, he just glanced at it briefly, but now he was looking over the full stretch of the land. Equestria…was huge. Hyrule was not a tiny kingdom, but it certainly didn’t compare to Equestria. If Link had to guess, one could probably fit three or four of Hyrule into Equestria’s borders… “Hey, uh, guys?” Vinyl said. “Your cutie marks are flashing again.” She indicated them with a hoof. “WHAT IS HAPPENING?” Ruto shrieked, panicking, jolting forwards as if trying to escape the flashing blue on her flank. Her cutie mark was the sign of water—six spires, shaped something like diamonds, pointing outwards to form a shape rather like a flower. “Calm down.” Link sighed, grabbing her foreleg and forcing her to hold still. “You’re not going to die.” Saria rolled her eyes at the Zora’s reaction, trotting over to the table. Glowing holograms of the cutie marks appeared—five different symbols, all circling round each other. Nine pairs of eyes tracked them as they floated slowly downwards, settling on the map… On the Everfree Forest. “Wait…what?” Epona blinked in confusion. “Haven’t we already been there?” “We have.” Link confirmed, racking his brain. A frown appeared on his face. “I…don’t know what’s going on.” “Hey, you’re all back!” Princess Twilight galloped into the room, shedding feather quills and pieces of paper…somehow. “That was quick!” She skidded to a stop beside them. “…what’s going on?” She asked, apparently just noticing the confused gazes of the others, all fixed on the map. Lyra pointed in silence. Twilight looked over. “Oh, I see you have your next destination already!” She said. “The forest again?” “It doesn’t make any sense, though!” Link said, looking up to meet her eyes. “We’ve already been there…why would we need to go back?” “We can’t just barge in without a plan, too, like we did last time.” Epona pointed out. “Since we don’t know where we’re going, we’d be stumbling in blind.” “And I have no idea what we’re looking for.” Link tore a hoof through his mane, frustrated. “I’m completely lost!” “Well, uh…you don’t have something we can place a tracking spell on, like we did last time?” Twilight asked. “Another instrument, maybe…?” “Only other instrument I have is the Ocarina of Time.” Link sighed, pulling it out to show her. “Would you like me to just try the spell out anyway?” Twilight offered. “Well…I guess.” Link gave a shrug. “I’ve got nothing else…might as well give it a try.” The Ocarina was enveloped in magenta light, levitating through the air to the table—along with Link’s map. The table shimmered, and the three-dimensional hologram of Equestria disappeared. A jet of color hurtled from Twilight’s horn, colliding with the two objects in a burst of sparks. To Link’s surprise, a thick black line appeared on the parchment, pointing at almost the exact same place it had earlier in the adventure. “I honestly didn’t think that would work.” Link admitted. “Huh.” Twilight rubbed her chin with a hoof. “I think I know where you’re going. The Tree of Harmony—it’s in a ravine near the Castle of the Two Sisters.” “So, not very far then.” Link grabbed the two objects from the table, tucking them back into his inventory. “Thank you, your highness.” He turned back to the group. “Guess we’d better get moving.” He said. “I don’t want to be in that forest after dark—so we’d better move quickly.” “Do we really have to do it today…?” Vinyl groaned. “We’ve been through a lot. Can’t we wait till tomorrow? Please?” “The Minuet of Forest healed and re-energized us.” Link pointed out. “I’d rather do it now than wait. We’ll be fine!” “I’m with Link.” Epona said. “Me too!” Ruto piped up. That was when Twilight noticed her. “Oh, is this the other pony you were looking for?” She said, pointing at the Zora. Link nodded. “Princess Twilight, meet Princess Ruto of the Zora.” He said. “The Zora are an aquatic race of fish-like creatures who live in Zora’s Domain, the source of all water in Hyrule.” “Nice to meet you!” Twilight held out a hoof for Ruto to shake, and after a second of hesitation, the Zora took it. “Oh, do you want me to come with you to the forest this time?” Twilight offered. “Since you don’t know what you’re heading into.” “Thanks a lot for the offer, but…I think we’ll be fine.” Link glanced over the group, who nodded wearily, giving in with sighs. “We’ve been through a lot.” Link continued. “I don’t think the forest will prove too much of an obstacle for us.” “Okay, if you insist.” Twilight gave an understanding nod. “Good luck! Be careful.” “Ready to go?” Link asked, turning to the group. There was a general noise of agreement—not very encouraging, but it was enough for him. They turned, trotting out of the castle. They’d defeated Phantom Ganon—though that was more of an accident than anything. They’d defeated Volvagia. They’d defeated not only their shadow forms, but also Morpha. Hopefully, they were prepared for whatever fate might throw at them next.