//------------------------------// // Questions and Answers // Story: The Legend of Zelda: Wielders of Harmony // by My Little Epona //------------------------------// The journey through the Everfree was surprisingly quick, as well as completely uneventful. Perhaps too uneventful. In any case, it made Link worried. The trees were silent on either side of them, betraying none of the usual scurrying, crackling, rustling noises you would expect from a forest. Not even a breath of wind reached through the branches, though one would have been welcome in the heavy, thick quiet. Even the sound of their hooves crunching on dead leaves and fallen sticks underfoot seemed stifled, as if they were wrapped in fabric. They followed the map to the best of their ability, though the trees were thicker than ever and blocked a majority of the sun’s light—not to mention the sun had been hidden behind heavy cloud cover when they lost sight of it, and it didn’t seem like it’d changed now. The marked path lead them safely through the darker part of the forest, till they burst out of the trees and were presented with a deep gorge inches from their hooves. A crude, winding staircase was chiseled into the rock, leading downwards to the canyon floor, many, many feet below. The group was silent as they descended, single-file, down the rough, uneven steps. Link glanced uneasily at their faces, but as far as he could tell, there was no leftover hard feelings from the temple…they were simply…silent. Maybe they sensed the magnitude of this moment too. Link couldn’t tell why, but something about now felt extremely important. Once they reached the bottom of the gorge, it was much easier going. There were no trees in their way, the only obstacles were perhaps the large stones that dotted the path. They quickly reached the end, coming across a tall, sheer cliff wall…as well as a tree. Before they’d reached the forest, Lyra had told Link everything she knew about the tree. It was a source of magical energy for Equestria, as well as a place where Princess Twilight and her friends laid the “Elements of Harmony” for safekeeping. Of course, when Link had asked what the Elements of Harmony were, that lead into a whole new story, and Link’s head was still spinning from the deluge of information. But he couldn’t deny the truth that the tree really was awe-inspiring. It’s tall, thick trunk was deep purple, glowing with an ethereal light that reminded Link of the Ocarina of Time. Crystalline branches stretched out above their heads, dripping strings marked with balls of silver light. Five symbols sat in various places among the branches, colored gems that looked as if they were part of the tree itself—a deep purple diamond, a sky-blue balloon shape, a ruby lightning bolt, an orange apple—which seemed backwards—, and a pale pink butterfly…but all were dwarfed by the massive magenta star glowing in the center of the trunk. Link felt someone’s elbow dig into his ribs, and he glanced over, seeing it was Epona who had nudged him. She pointed a hoof towards the bottom of the trunk, and his eyes followed it, catching sight of what she was staring at. His mouth dropped open. Blade buried deep in the stony ground, rich, amethyst-colored wings glinting in the light of the tree…was the Master Sword. Link trotted slowly over to it, his hoofsteps loud, the sound echoing against the barren walls. “How on earth did this get here?” He asked of no one in particular, voice heavy with disbelief. “What is it?” Lyra asked curiously, taking a few steps forwards. It looked as if she wanted to come closer, but also as if she was wary of the blade. Link could feel it too. A powerful, pulsing energy that went straight to his core, deeper and more ancient then anything he’d ever felt before… Even from Princess Celestia, who’s presence had stuck with him even after she’d gone. “It’s the Master Sword.” He said simply. He knew they wouldn’t understand, but his mind wasn’t on his words—it was focused on the sword. “Pffft.” Vinyl snorted. “What a dorky name.” Link tore his gaze away from the blade to shoot her an annoyed look—but he had to admit, it probably would sound strange to someone who’s never heard of it before. “It has the power to cut back evil and seal it in the Dark World, not to mention it was once used to carve an island of land from the earth and send it above the clouds.” He said. “And that’s just some of the legends surrounding it.” “…significantly less dorky.” Vinyl gave the sword a nervous look, taking a step back. A tingle of energy went up Link’s spine, making him pause in his pacing. His eyes roved over the length of the blade that was above ground, fixing on the golden gem set into it’s handle. It felt like it was…speaking to him. “I think…I have to pull it up.” “I think you’re right.” Epona agreed, trotting up next to him. “I mean, I can’t think of anything else you would do with it.” “Is it gonna, like…blow up or something?” Saria asked hesitantly, looking as if she didn’t know what to feel. “No. Don’t worry.” Link shook his head. “Well, good.” Lyra sighed. “I don’t know about anypony else, but I think we’ve been through quite enough today, without having to worry about magic swords blowing up.” A chorus of agreement answered her words. Link took a deep breath, clamping his jaw down on the handle. He had to say he didn’t know how he felt about holding a sacred weapon with his mouth, but…the grip was too thin for him to use his hooves with it. He tugged his head carefully upwards, bringing the sword along with it. It offered no resistance, sliding easily from the stone, as if it was coming straight from a sheath. Link lifted it into the air, holding it above his head. A beam of sunlight broke through the clouds illuminating the scene in a flash of dying gold. “Anypony else think he looks like he’s posing for a portrait?” Vinyl asked in a loud whisper, completely ruining the drama of the moment. Link bit back a sigh, lowering the blade, and the chink in the clouds was quickly filled. A sudden, cold wind fanned against the group, making Link shiver. He turned, wondering where it came from, and his mouth dropped open in shock. The sword clattered to the ground, mirroring the click of talons on rock as a massive owl descended from the air, landing next to the others. That was…unexpected, to say the least. A strangled squeak punctuated the air, like a mouse that had been stepped on. It took Link a second to realize that the sound had come from Ruto, who galloped and dove behind Link once again. “Kaepora’s not going to hurt you.” Link sighed, stepping aside to reveal her cowering on the ground. “It’s perfectly fine.” He understood her skittishness—this world was surely alarming, but it was starting to get old. “That is…a big bird.” Lyra blinked several times, taking a step back. “We meet again, young hero!” Kaepora hooted jovially. At his voice, Ruto let out another yelp of alarm, streaking to hide behind Link again. “Aaaand it talks.” Bon Bon sighed. “Of course it talks.” “Calm yourself, princess.” Kaepora’s voice was faintly amused. “I mean you no harm, hoo hoo!” Even with reassurance, it took Ruto a few seconds to crawl out from behind Link, an embarrassed flush on her face. She straightened up, staring at the ground. “It’s great to see you, Kaepora.” Link said, which wasn’t exactly a lie, but it also wasn’t the whole truth. It was great to see him, but at the same time….they could be here a while. “I was wondering when you’d show up.” On the bright side, it was much easier to get a straight answer out of Kaepora than it was to get one out of Sheik. At least Kaepora didn’t talk in riddles. Once he did start talking, however, it was impossible to get him to stop. “You, young hero, have come such a long way on your quest.” Kaepora’s head twisted upside down, as it did occasionally, and Link heard a muffled cry of alarm from Octavia. “It doesn’t feel like I’ve come a long way.” Link admitted. “It feels like I’ve just started, to be honest.” “Remember, you only have two sages left to find, hoo hoo!” Kaepora twittered. “Oh, wow.” Link realized, eyes widening. “You’re right. That’s…wow. Where did the time go?” “Are you sure there are only two?” Saria piped up, eyebrows raised in surprise. “Because…it feels like we just started yesterday, or something!” “You have come a longer way than you realize.” Kaepora said, ruffling his wings. “And I realize that all of you must have a great many questions.” “Hell yes!” Link cried, relief flooding over him. Maybe now they’d finally get some answers. Octavia gave a scandalized gasp, reaching for Saria, but the Kokiri ducked easily under her outstretched forelegs. Link ignored them. “I’m willing to answer as many of them as I can.” Kaepora said. “There may be some I do not know…or that I cannot tell you.” Of course. Link stifled a sigh. Well, some answers were better than no answers. He glanced over the group. “Well, who wants to go first?” He asked. Surprisingly, the first one to raise their hoof was Ruto. Kaepora gave her a nod. “Why are we horses?” She asked, then shot a quick glance at the Ponyvillians. “No offense, of course. I’m just curious.” “Now that is an excellent question to begin with.” Kaepora offered her what Link supposed was a smile, which looked beyond strange on a bird’s face. “Equestria is not only a different land from Hyrule,” the owl said, “it’s also a different world entirely. A different dimension, even. Any creature that enters this world cannot maintain its original self, so it’s turned to a pony.” “But why pony?” Darunia added, confused. “Why can’t we ‘maintain our original selves’?” “Because the majority of the magic-bearing population in this world are ponies.” Kaepora explained. “As you have seen, Hyrulean and Equestrian magic does not mix well. The body attempts to cope with all the magical energy in the atmosphere, the energy it’s unused to, by changing to that of a creature that can bear it.” “Wait…” A thoughtful frown crossed Lyra’s face. “Does that mean if we went to Hyrule…we’d be humans?” “Yes, you would be.” Kaepora nodded. A huge smile broke over Lyra’s face. “Calm down.” Bon Bon sighed. “We’re probably never going to Hyrule, so don’t get excited about it.” The mint Unicorn deflated slightly. “Coincidentally,” Kaepora added, “the fact that magic does not mix is why the hero’s map was a mess of ink when he first arrived.” “Wait, how did you know it was messed up?” Link demanded. “Actually, know what, never mind. But what do you mean by ‘magic not mixing’? Surely we don’t all have magic, right? Just the Equestrians?” “No, you all have some form of ‘magic’.” Kaepora said. “The breath that passes in and out of your lungs…that is magic. The energy that makes your hearts beat in your chests…magic as well. I suppose you could say that life itself is magic.” “…what?” Saria had an expression of utmost confusion stamped on her face. Link had to agree with her. Maybe he was wrong about Kaepora not speaking in riddles. “Magic is a more…abstract concept in Hyrule.” Kaepora admitted. “It’s not the easiest to explain. Sometimes it takes a more corporeal form, such as in the royal princess’s powers or the triforce, but other times…well, it’s quite complicated.” “Oh…kay then.” Link blinked. “But wait, then why did my map reset when it touched Princess Twilight’s table?” “The map fed off the magic from the table, and reoriented itself with the new terrain.” “Oh well.” Link sighed. “I suppose it makes sense.” “Any other questions?” Kaepora asked. “I’m just wonderin’ why all the baddies from Hyrule keep showing up here.” Darunia admitted. “As well as those temples—and also, why did the temples show up? Well, only one temple so far, but…ya know.” “Ah.” Kaepora nodded. “I’m afraid…I have no answer for that.” “You won’t tell us, or you actually don’t know?” Epona asked, raising an eyebrow. “I truly do not have an answer.” The owl admitted. “No doubt it will be revealed to you later.” “Oh well.” Darunia sighed. Link felt inclined to agree with him. “Now I have a question.” Epona said. “When Link first arrived, he didn’t have the Master Sword. And then, it randomly shows up here. Why?” “That was direct intervention on my part.” Kaepora admitted. “I knew that, in his current form, the hero was unprepared the wield the Master Sword as of yet. I was drawn to this tree, this overabundance of harmonic energy, and left the Blade of Evil’s Bane in it’s care. By that point, I knew that only the Tree would determine when the hero was ready.” “How could the tree determine when he was ready?” Epona demanded. “It’s a tree!” “The Great Deku Tree was also a tree.” Saria pointed out. “…good point.” Epona admitted. “I’ll roll with it.” “Anything else?” Kaepora asked. “My time here is growing short. I must be on my way soon, so I have time for one more question.” This time, it was Link who raised his hoof. Epona’s comment about the Master Sword had lead him to realize what else was missing. All eyes fell on him, as if they sensed something important was about to happen. “Where’s Navi?” He asked. “Ah.” Kaepora shuffled his wings, an odd combination of relief and discomfort on his face. “I was wondering when you would ask that.” “There’s an answer, right?” Link pressed, taking a step forwards. “Please tell me there’s an answer.” “Of course. Don’t worry.” Kaepora heaved a sigh. “First of all…do you know what a fairy is?” “Um…” Link was caught off guard by the question. “…a fairy?” “Wait, really?” Saria raised an eyebrow. “You don’t know what a fairy is?” “I give up.” Link sighed. “What is a fairy?” “Perhaps the Sage of Forest can provide us with an explanation?” Kaepora asked, indicating Saria with a wing. “Well, um…” Saria shifted from hoof to hoof. “I think I can. A fairy is a being of, quite literally, pure magic. They originate from the Deku Tree—he spends years gathering his energy, then crafts it into the form of a sentient orb of magic. Is, um…that right?” “Very good.” Kaepora looked pleased, nodding his head. “And, as I told you before, you know that Hyrulean magic and Equestrian magic doesn’t mix well.” Link nodded. “Therefore, it is physically impossible for a fairy to enter this world. As you yourselves change form, a fairy’s subconscious will try and cope as well, and by that…they enter the body of the nearest creature.” “What do you mean?” Link asked, confused. “Your companion is much closer than she seems.” Kaepora gave a slight chuckle. “Can I get a clearer answer?” Link asked with a sigh. He really is just as bad as Sheik. “Very well.” Kaepora said. “Navi is standing right next to you.” “What?” Link yelped, startled, and jerked his head to the side. Epona stared back at him, looking just as confused.