A Link to Equestria

by Wandering Quill


Midnight Talks

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They say that there is a pony in Equestria who travels through time,’ the voice spoke.

“Page 193… Gem cutting…”

Rarity scoured the page again for useful information. And just like before, the thick tome remained scarce regarding anything remotely similar to a ‘Gossip Stone’, as if Pinkie had made it up in the moment – which Rarity didn’t put beyond the party pony.

With an explosive sigh, she closed the book and turned to the lonesome eye etched upon the globular item.

They say that the male to female ratio in Equestria has an incalculable discrepancy,’ the voice spoke.

“This is simply impossible,” she decided. Her absentminded gaze drifted to the boutique’s windows. The rainstorm from earlier that night fell once again. “Sweetie Belle should have returned home by now…”

Her comment was followed by a knock on the door, and the unicorn rushed to answer the call. She opened it, and out in the cold of the night stood the shivering form of Fluttershy, her face half-hidden behind her soaking wet mane. She uttered a very quiet greeting. Despite her initial disappointment, Rarity quickly regained her composure and ushered the pegasus inside. “My my, look at your mane… why did you go outside during a storm like this?”

“I-I… I couldn’t sleep…”

“Yes, I suppose the weather really is dreadful…” the fashionista commented, leaving for her room and returning with a towel floating beside her. “Your animals must be giving you such a hard time right now.”

“N-No… it’s because of the… the…” She shrank back to the mane’s protection with a squeak.

Rarity momentarily stopped wrapping the towel around her friend’s head to smile grimly. Their encounter with the Stalponies was still fresh in her mind, and she was certain that the experience had been ten times worse for a pony as meek as her friend. “I understand.”

After she was done, the unicorn took a step back to appreciate her work. There was an eerie quietness, with Fluttershy averting her gaze and pawing at the floor while Rarity continued engrossed on the windows.

“Is, hum… everything alright?” the pegasus asked hesitantly, approaching her friend.

“Yes, yes, dear… I’m just… concerned about Sweetie Belle’s well-being,” Rarity sighed, gazing sadly at the floor. “I know Twilight said that Ponyville would be safe because Princess Luna promised it, but…”

“Don’t worry,” the pegasus reassured in a soft but surprisingly confident voice, placing a hoof on the unicorn’s shoulder. “Applejack is probably looking for Applebloom right now. They’ll be okay.”

“Yes, Applejack really is, ahem… competent, isn’t she?” Fluttershy gave a nod, and Rarity allowed herself a faint smile. “She was the one who helped me with Sweetie before…”

The silence that befell the two mares quickly wilted the moment of happiness. When Rarity began to stare down again, Fluttershy lowered her head as well to look at her friend in the eyes.

“Is that, hum, everything? You can tell me… I-I mean, if you, huh, want to.”

They say that each of the three kinds of pony was once assigned a great power,’ the voice spoke.

“I, huh…” Rarity’s mouth opened and closed several times, no words escaping her throat. Was there really anything bothering her? “It’s… silly. I am being silly. Perhaps I just need to calm down.”

“A-Are you sure? If you have a problem…”

“In fact, why don’t we stop by the spa? Maybe Lotus can let us in! Oh, I know a bath would do wonders to me!” she added with a tone of musicality as she trotted back into her room, leaving a baffled Fluttershy with a foreleg hanging in the air behind.

The pegasus smiled to herself; perhaps the most important thing was that she had regained some peppiness.

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“Tsc… hero…”

For the nth time since she arrived, Rainbow turned upside down on the bed, forcing her face against the pillow in hopes that sleep would come to take her soon. She hadn’t wasted any time at the library; the moment Twilight locked herself away, she took her leave and flew straight home.

Despite her efforts, she still couldn’t sleep. Her thoughts irremediably revolved around the swordsman that her librarian friend had deposited so much trust on. Sure, he made a giant archway appear on a wall out of thin air, and according to Twilight, he had also fought back many of the monsters that attacked them on the way to Ponyville.

“If you’re such a big ‘hero’, why can’t you just take down those creeps?” she muttered into the pillow, reversing her position again when her lungs begged for air. “What makes you a hero? I could be a hero too if I had a sword or something!”

Tossing the blanket adorned with her cutie mark away, Rainbow took off into the air, stopping to hover in the middle of the room and strike a heroic pose.

“In fact, I don't need a weapon! I'd be Rainbow Dash, Hero of Equestria!” she announced, proudly beating her chest with a hoof. “I’d be like Daring Do in ‘Daring Do and the Earth’s Essence’!”

She narrowed her eyes at the blue pillows on the bed. “I’d show you, Ganondorf!”

She let out a war cry and plummeted towards one of the cushions, grabbing and hurling it upwards before flying up and kicking it away while vocally mimicking the sound of the man crying in pain.

“That’ll teach ya! You’ll get no sympathy from me: Rainbow Dash! And you, Nightmare Moon! Prepare yourself!” The other pillow was quickly swiped off the bed, but Rainbow kept this one in her forehooves. She treated it with her most ferocious glare and proceeded to rapidly kick it with her back legs. When her strength began to waver, she knew it was time for the finishing blow, so remembering her weather pony training, she shouted with all her might, “Apply FORCE! BALANCE your wings! PUSH!”

The pillow rocketed across the room shortly before flopping helplessly to the ground, and Rainbow wasted no time in darting towards it.

"Another dungeon boss defeated by the-"

It was the distant sound of Rainbow's name that saved the cushion from being 'completely destroyed' by the pegasus's devices. She stopped halfway through her flight and looked around, seeking the origin of the call.

Maybe it was just the rain, she thought to herself, only now realizing her room's messy condition. It was curious, but her bed suddenly seemed more appealing. Cloud houses had these little perks: they were just the right temperature all the time, so her blanket was nearly obsolete. Taking the pillow she almost killed in her hooves, she set down on the mattress and closed her eyes. The little exercise really had been all she needed.

Of course, the world still plotted against her, even when the peacefulness of slumber was ever so closer, and it reminded her of one of the fundamental flaws of a cloud house: they barely filtered sound.

A powerful thunder cracked just outside her window, and once more her name echoed across the skies, this time in a very recognizable voice, "RAAAAAAAINBOOOW DAAAAASH!! ARE YOU THEEEEEEERE?"

"Oh, please... Why Derpy..." she grumbled in the most annoyed voice she could muster, tightly covering her ears with the pillow. "Why now..."

"PLEAAAASE! RAINBOOW DAASH!" the mailmare continued to call downstairs, knocking on the door so fiercely that not even the pillow could muffle the sound of her hooves. "I NEEED YOUR HEEEEELP!"

"When don't you?" the pegasus sighed; she knew that Derpy was a tough one to dissuade from her goals, so the sooner she had her way, the better.

Reluctantly, Rainbow leaped off the bed, grumbling under her breath about the mailmare's continuous pleas outside.

"WHAT, Derpy?" she impatiently demanded once the door was open. She instantly regretted the harshness of her demand when the other pegasus came into view.

From the way she lied on the cloudy floor, pawing desperately at the door, it was as though her legs couldn't handle the weight of her body. Soaked from prolonged exposure to the rain, her golden mane seemed to be the definition of chaos.

It was the drops that trailed down either side of her muzzle that got to Rainbow. They weren't regular raindrops, she could notice that just by looking at her bloodshot eyes, and she felt her ears droop at the sight of the other pegasus's condition. "A-Are you alright? What happened?"

"T-They took her, Rainbow Dash! They took my little muffin!"

Rainbow suddenly regretted having worried about it, and the urge to return to the warmth of her home surface. "Derpy, please, there's plenty of muffins at Pinkie's, and I'm really tired right now..."

"W-Wait! Rainbow Dash!"

The other pegasus continue to make her way inside. "Please, Derpy, not now. Go to sleep."

"No!" The wave of sobs that ensued this call nearly broke Rainbow's heart. She did seem to put a lot of importance in this thing. "You don't understand! Please! You're the only one who can help me!"

"Look, I'll ask Pinkie to bake some-"

"T-They took D-Dinky, Rainbow Dash!" The door bolted open. "I-I don't... Don't... Please..."

Rainbow's sense of urgency returned instantly. "Derpy... Who is... 'They'?"

"I don't know, I don't know... Pegasus ponies... They came from everywhere... We were just hiding in Cloudsdale..."

"...you flew all the way from Cloudsdale?" Derpy replied with a faint nod, earning a groan from Rainbow. "Why didn't you ask for help there?! Why didn't you ask the Wonderbolts or something?"

"I-I don't have anypony who can help me there... A-And the Wonderbolts are gone..." Derpy abruptly embraced her, catching Rainbow by surprise. "Please! You're the only one who can help me!"

An opportunity to be a hero...

"Lead the way!"

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"Urgh..."

The world turned and turned, around and around, in an increasingly sickening manner for the Hylian boy. His hand felt numb, and surely the bottle he had held had already rolled across the floor - that is, if it hadn't broken from the fall.

There had been only one other time when he felt like this: when Malon offered a cask of the finest Lon Lon Ranch alcoholic milk and left his mind soaring at the end of the second mug. Damn. Those Hylians did know how to do a beverage. The previous tries at the substance had turned out better; Link had managed to stay on his feet, even when a cluster of damned Cuckoos came flying through all the windows just because he had the unfortunate absence of mind to strike a chicken with his sword.

Wait, had that really happened?

Naturally, he knew he could hold his liquor this time. How much worse could Equestrian alcohol be, right?

Oh, how he regretted his ignorance.

What did Twilight keep in this basement anyways? He saw machines, books, all sorts of inventions and assorted items decorating the wood walls.

And it all spiraled around him. He wished the walls were bare; maybe then he wouldn't know whether or not they were spinning nauseously around him. It was all just a big, brown blur mocking him for ingenuously chugging down the contents of that bottle.

"Yippee ki-yay, I got an Empty Bottle."

"Come on, boy. Get up," a voice spoke from his side. With a point in space to focus, the world stopped its maddening trip, and Link was allowed to turn his head to the left - or rather, let it slump like deadweight on the floor.

"...no," he spoke despite knowing he was alone. "MY bottle."

"Sweet Apple Acres Cider? A whole bottle of it?"

"Well excuuuuuuse me, princess. I was thirsty."

"Urgh, you have Captain Degroot written all over you. Get up, kid. This is no way for a warrior to be."

"I don't care! HIC!" the boy hiccuped, raising a closed fist and slamming it on the ground beside him with the strength of a newborn. "Not even the Goddesses want to help me! It's me and those miniature horses up there against a demon! HIC! And just who are you, anyways? What's your game, barging into other people's houses in the dead of the night? Next thing you know, you're gonna be breaking POTS! ALL sorts of POTTERY!"

The incorporeal voice went quiet, and for the briefest moment, the world whirled before his eyes once more. There was a calm chatter in the air, and then some objects were heard scraping against the wood.

When the voice returned, it seemed to have distanced itself from Link. "There's something you can use in the drawer under to the stairs. Get it."

“If you found it,” The boy paused to hiccup. “Why can’t you bring it?”

“Because ghosts don’t have hooves to pick them up,” the voice deadpanned.

“Hey! HIC! That attitude isn’t getting you any friends!” Summoning the virtue he represented, the hero rolled over. A minor queasiness assaulted his being, but he prevailed in the fight against sickness. With both arms stuck firmly to the floor, he heaved his body off the ground. One immeasurably powerful push later, Link stood on both his feet. Wobbly, but standing!

Not willing to waste a moment more, he set foot forward, eyes locked on the wooden drawer just under the staircase. A deed worthy of a hero it was, to achieve such a feat in such a state. No status ailments would hold him back though!

Step by step, the stairs drew closer – but so did the ground. Was the floor crumbling beneath his feet?

“My kingdom for a - HICkshot!” he cried to the heavens, and the heavens replied with silence.

Suddenly, he lost his footing entirely, and was forced to crawl what remained of the way. He threw an arm forward and grabbed the knob, pulling it back with all his strength to reveal a sea of bottles extending as far as the eye could see.

“The blue one,” the voice said, and Link complied, grabbing the first bottle with blue contents he found. The boy removed the cork and hungrily swallowed the liquid. Though its taste was less than agreeable and too warm, he could feel whatever this medicine was working. “Let’s see if Zecora still has it in her.”

Surely enough, the numbness that had impeded his leg movement faded away, and the world no longer spun around him at crazy speeds. Even the exhaustion he had felt before taking the bottle of cider disappeared as that wave of comfort washed upon his body.

The potion’s effects wore off, and Link sighed happily. Nasty though it may be, Link had begun to miss this taste.

“You said you’re a ghost,” he spoke, rising to his feet again. He was sweating, he realized; the beverage really had done a number on him. “Who are you?”

“Before I can give you such information… I must ask a favor of you.” The ghost’s sudden change of attitude planted doubt in the boy’s mind, but he nodded regardless. “I wish… I wish only for a grave.”

“A grave?” Link echoed.

“Indeed. I was… killed… in combat. It is said among Equestrians that one’s soul may only find peace when their affairs in life have been accomplished. Our world has grown more complex over the years, and perhaps…” the voice turned gloomier. “Perhaps that is why so many souls wander aimlessly throughout this world…”

“Why come to me?”

“Because… you are part of my affairs,” the ghost spoke somewhat disappointedly.

Link ruminated on the information for some moments. He hadn’t been in Equestria for that long, nor had he met that many ponies…

Except for the Canterlot incident…

“I’ll do it,” he confidently replied. “Where do you want the grave?”

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The orange pegasus flared her tiny wings under the cape to make sure her annoyance reached her friend. "Took you long enough!"

"I'm sorry, but Miss Heartstrings insisted in practicing another song, and Rarity never wants me to sing around her while she's working," Sweetie Belle answered, approaching the two other crusaders before squeezing the rainwater out of her cape.

"It don't seem to matter, anyways," Applebloom added, lowering her forelegs from the window. "It's rainin' cats n’ dogs out there. Ah dunno if we should do any crusadin' today."

"Aw come on!" Scootaloo's complaint had been so expected that Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes. "What's a little rain going to hurt?"

"Miss Heartstrings says that this rain isn't normal, Scootaloo."

"Pfft, do you seriously believe in those things adults say? They're just trying to keep us from having fun!"

"Ah gotta agree with Sweetie Belle on this one, Scoots." Applebloom piped in, much to the pegasus's annoyance. "It's been rainin' somethin' fierce fer hours now. Ah don't think Ah've even seen the sun."

"So? Maybe Princess Celestia fell asleep!" Her suggestion earned her a pair of glares from her friends. "Fine! We can stay!"

Silence fell on the Crusader's headquarters, with Applebloom resuming her watch out the window while Scootaloo stared the door down and Sweetie Belle warmed herself next to the lantern that provided light to the house. The pegasus filly did hate rain because of things like this; for her friends, it was always a reason to spoil fun. For her, it was a reason to go out there and do whatever she wanted.

"Yer sister back yet, Sweetie Belle?" Applebloom spoke at last, breaking the silence. The unicorn filly shook her head, sending droplets flying at random, and returned her gaze to the lamp."Y'think... Somethin' happened?"

"Nah, they go out like that all the time, and nothing ever happens to them,” Scootaloo replied, waving a hoof dismissively.

Applebloom’s grimace confirmed that she wasn’t convinced by the answer, and she opened her mouth, only to have Sweetie Belle speak instead, “Hey, do you hear that?”

The two other ponies raised an eyebrow and perked their ears up. They heard it. It was a song, a tune that was mixed with the soothing sound of the rain clicking on the tiles on the house’s roof. Sweetie Belle’s trained ears were accustomed to this sound: it was the unmistakable melody of a lyre.

“Miss Heartstrings?” she gasped, running towards the window, pushing Applebloom aside. Indeed, walking towards the tree house in the cold of the night was the mint green unicorn, her signature lyre floating right beside her as she moved.

Sweetie Belle promptly took off the cape and ran out of the house, rushing to meet her mentor despite her friends’ calls.

“Miss Heart- Huh, Lyra! What are you doing here?!” she quickly asked, placing the crimson cape over the other unicorn’s head. “Come on, you’re going to catch a cold if you stay here.”

“Ah, hello, little filly,” the mare replied instead, her tone unusually calm. “The weather certainly is fierce tonight, is it not?”

“Hum… do you feel alright, Miss Heartstrings?”

“Hey Sweetie Belle!” Applebloom called from above, capturing both ponies’ attention. “Think ya could come up’ere? T’s a mite cold with th’door open.”

“I’ll be right there! Come on, Miss Heartstrings!” Sweetie Belle cheerfully hopped towards the stairs before adding with a hint of pride, “I’ll show you the house of the Cutie Mark Crusaders!”

“Please, Sweetie Belle…” Lyra spoke with a smile. “Just call me Natural Scale.”

The filly stopped on her tracks.

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“Thank you ever so much for letting us in at such late hours, Lotus.”

The light blue earth pony grinned. Though she was obviously off-duty, her mane retained its soft, pale rose glimmer. It was still pulled back, even without the white band she wore on her forehead and neck.

“It is my pleasure, Rarity,” she answered as the unicorn slowly entered the hot waters of the large, wooden tub. “I heard something terrible has happened in Canterlot,” she continued, trotting anxiously around the container.

Rarity’s ears drooped as soon as the name was spoken. “Yes… it was unfortunate…”

Fluttershy took note of the other pony's crestfallen voice. "What's the matter, Lotus?"

“Aloe was there…” The unicorn looked up to see Lotus covering her mouth with a hoof. “Oh, I hope nothing happened to her…”

Fluttershy and Rarity exchanged saddened looks, knowing that they were both thinking the same thing. They had been there. They had seen the extent of the damage, of the desolation that had taken over the capital city. Despite their greatest efforts to think otherwise, they knew that the promise of their friend's mere survival in that condemned place was a hollow one.

“She’s okay, Lotus,” Fluttershy softly spoke regardless, approaching Lotus with her forelegs spread out. "She'll come back."

Element of Kindness right there, Rarity fondly thought. She watched as Lotus accepted the pegasus's reassuring embrace, the first few tears she'd ever seen from the spa pony appearing in the corners of her eyes.

"Thank you," Lotus spoke, breaking the hug. "Perhaps I need to relax as well."

"Feel free to join us," the unicorn offered in her warmest voice. Lotus smiled at her.

"I'm afraid not even Princess Platinum's fountains could ease my anxiety," the spa pony added with a certain pride. "But I shall take on your offer." No sooner has she spoken than somepony knocked on the spa door, inciting a tiny giggle from Lotus. "Right after I answer the door! My, seems a lot of ponies like night baths!"

Just as they were about to close their eyes, shouts were heard from the lobby, followed by hooves clopping on the ground. The moment Applejack galloped into the room, the two other mares knew that the time for relaxation had come to an end.

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"So lemme get this straight," Applebloom rubbed her forehead with a hoof. "Ye're sayin' that yer teacher thinks she's somepony from real long ago?"

Sweetie Belle nodded, casting a concerned look at the mare in the back of the house. She still played the lyre, and it was always the exact same tune. "I-I think she has amnesia."

"Really?!" Scootaloo blurted out in sincere surprise. "Miss Heartstrings, did you get to that part where Daniel-"

"Ah thought they didn't let ya read that stuff?"

Scootaloo gave a sheepish smile. "I, huh, found it in Miss Cheerilee's trash can in school. Hey, how do you know who-"

"Girls! Amnesia's not a book, it's a medical condition! She lost her memory!"

"...Ah knew that," Applebloom quickly added, scrunching her nose.

"...you're a terrible liar, but that's not important right now! We need to help her!"

"Okay, so hold on jus' a minute, if she don't remember who she is, then why's she sayin' she's this Natural whatsit?"

"Natural Scale!" The look she got from Applebloom could only translate to 'Thanks, dictionary,'. "She was a singer many, many years ago, and she was Princess Celestia's student, just like Twilight is."

"...yer point?"

"Maybe all she remembers is Natural Scale's history and she thinks she's her!" The idea sounded better in her head.

"Very good. I see you are well acquainted with my past," Lyra's voice startled the three fillies and prompted them to sharply turn around. The song had ended, and the lyre was resting against her flank. "That is good."

"Should we, huh, play along?" Scootaloo suggested in what she thought was a discreet whisper. Sweetie Belle nodded and coughed to clear her throat.

"So, huh, Natural Scale," she started, stepping forward. "Why were you looking for us- me?"

"Quite simple, young one." A smile found its way back to the mare's features. "I have come to pass my legacy."

Sweetie Belle raised an eyebrow. "Legacy?"

"That which you deserve for your talent." The lyre was enveloped in a shimmering lime coat before floating up. "My place. My duty. My power."

“I-I don’t get it. What duty? What power?”

Lyra seemed genuinely surprised for a brief moment. Then, as though realization had struck, shock became sadness. “Ah. It truly must have been many years since I was last outside.”

The conversation was starting to deviate from the unicorn filly's knowledge. Rarity had never mentioned any of this in her stories about Natural Scale, and she was certain that her sister had effectively poured onto her every last bit of information she possessed about the first musical student of the princess herself; if anything, to boast about their similarities.

"W-What are you talking about?"

Lyra chuckled lightly and focused her gaze on the rain outside. "I do not know how much about me still remains in this day. Though the Temple of Time shelters my soul from the effects of time itself, it is like an impenetrable bubble. None can go in, but I cannot go out either. That is, of course, unless the temple's doors are opened."

"W-Wait, you're not making sense. What's the Temple of Time? What are you talking about?" And why do I feel afraid of it?

"It has taken different uses throughout the years, and no two ponies hold it in the same regard. Some will say it is a museum, a memorial to those like me. Others will think of it as our everlasting connection to those who bestowed the Light Force upon us. And others..." her tone became stained by sadness. "Others will think of it as the end and the beginning of lives. Its true purpose is only ever unveiled to those like us. Those worthy of becoming what my tutor called 'The Aides of the Sun and the Moon'."

“Aides?" the filly echoed. The sun and the moon… “Princess Celestia and Princess Luna?”

The mare smiled brightly. “You catch up quickly. I am certain that even a young filly like you is aware that Princess Celestia has been alone in the throne for many years.” Sweetie Belle repressed the wish that burned within her to correct her tutor. “I saw her banish Nightmare Moon with my own eyes. I was but your age when San Palomino was attacked. She arrived in the nick of time, shunning the shadow beings that had already devoured our forests.”

“But… San Palomino’s just a desert…”

Lyra halted completely at the sound of Scootaloo’s voice, slowly turning her head to face the pegasus filly. “A desert, you say?” Scootaloo nodded, and the mare acquired a heavy frown. “I should have known that nothing would ever grow again in those cursed fields.”

She remained silent for a few moments, as if to allow the fillies to digest the information. Lyra observed Sweetie Belle with satisfaction; she bore an intrigued look as she gazed out the window, frowning in reflection. The mare’s expression grew increasingly serious as she spoke, “That is why helping Celestia was so important. She was always so tired after all that had happened… I suppose one mare can only do so much. And to raise the sun and the moon, one needs incredible power. A power that Princess Celestia generously shared with me so that I could help her.”

“…You’re not Miss Heartstrings at all, are you?” Lyra’s smile widened exponentially at Sweetie Belle’s sudden question.

Scootaloo narrowed her eyes in incredulity. “Wait, you’re telling me that she’s the Natural Scale?”

“No,” the unicorn filly replied, shaking her head. “Miss Heartstrings is… being possessed by Natural Scale.” The other two fillies gasped, and Sweetie Belle turned around abruptly. “Don’t you see? I-It’s the only way she could know this much! I bet not even Miss Twilight knew about all this!”

“But… how do you know?” the pegasus filly asked again, to which Sweetie Belle responded by pointing a hoof at the window.

“There aren’t any clouds in the sky anymore,” she slowly spoke. “Just a while ago, there wasn’t any moon either.” Pausing, she turned to face Lyra. The mare was unsure whether the filly felt impressed or, for some reason, saddened. “She did it. Just like she did back then. She helped Celestia raise the sun and the moon. This time… she did raise the moon!”

Lyra closed her eyes and chuckled quietly. Her lyre floated to her side once more, and its chords were strummed. They knew this melody now: Lyra had played it while they argued on their own. “The rising sun will eventually set, a newborn’s life will fade,” she sang. “From sun to moon, moon to sun… give peaceful rest to the living dead.

When she opened her eyes, she was once again satisfied for observing that Sweetie Belle’s mouth hung open, and that the filly’s horn was now enveloped in a soft gray light.

“Restless souls wander where they don’t belong,” Lyra spoke, this time without the aid of the song. She stepped forward, and leaned towards her. The two horns connected at the sound of the words, “Bring them calm with the Sun’s Song.”

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The grave wasn't the fanciest one Link had ever seen; that honor was reserved to the magnificent tomb of the Royal Family of Hyrule in Kakariko Village, haunted though its location may be. But it was surely the best one he had ever built.

Using a cache of marble white stones he had been led to by the ghost, Link had managed to construct a pile about his height. The rocks grew smaller the higher they got, giving it the impression of a pyramidical structure.

It stood before a lake, one not far from Ponyville, secluded beneath the dense treetops of the Everfree Forest. Barely any light reached the undergrowth of that grove, and whatever little did created round patches of luminescent blue shrubbery on the otherwise murky woods.

The ghost had shared the forest's silence throughout the process, leaving the details to the young boy's discretion. As a finishing touch, Link picked up the flattest stone he could find and placed it at the bottom of the grave, perching it against the stone structure. "I will write your name here."

Not a sound came from the incorporeal voice, as though it was analyzing the result of his work.

"I need you to write something else first," it said instead. Link took a sharp stone and prepared to etch the ghost's words. "'To my dearest son, so that you may find your way when darkness obscures your path'." The ghost waited for Link to finish the sentence before continuing. "That is enough. No graveyard in Trottingham will hold as much significance in the future as this singular lake. Thank you, Link, for granting this mere grave such a great meaning."

Despite his confusion, Link nodded slightly.

"I would like to thank you properly, however. I have something to offer you," the ghost then added. "Enter the lake's waters, and look closely at the water."

Abiding to the ghost's instructions, Link walked closer to the edge. The extremely cloudy skies were clearly reflected on the lake's crystalline surface, the rain causing ripples to distort this image wherever it fell.

"Enter the lake. Watch your step; those plants are dangerous," the ghost warned just before Link took his first step into the barrier of deep azure flowers that surrounded the lake.

Link kneeled to look at the glittering plants, taking care not to touch their light colored stems. "What are these?"

"They are called Poison Joke. They have mysterious effects on those who touch them. Seldom does it play the same trick in two different ponies," the voice explained. "Avoid them at all costs. Treating a Poison Joke infection is very difficult."

Link rose to his feet and stepped around the flowers, heeding the ghost's advice, before proceeding into the water. The boy was about knee deep when the ghost spoke again, "That is far enough. Look closely into the water."

With another quick nod, the boy bent down, carefully searching the ground underwater for anything besides rocks and soil. "I don't see any-" he was about to say when a dim light shone beneath the water. He dug his arms into it, the ice cold temperature stinging his skin.

What surfaced was a bow. It was about as long as his entire arm, and it had obviously been crafted by skillful hands - or hooves. He immediately recognized who the potential owner had been from the night blue shimmer it possessed, "The Night Guard?"

"One of their finest," the ghost spoke forlornly. "I suspect it was washed all the way down from the Canterlot Mountain rivers."

Link took a closer look at the bow, taking in the perfection of its two handles. He had seen the Night Guard use this weapon: their back hooves would be set here, pushing the bow away while the string was kept in place by their mouth. Luckily, a third grip was situated where the arrow would rest. "That's why you wanted to build the grave here."

"...Perhaps," the ghost's distracted tone left Link pondering about the answer's credibility. Before he could question it any further, the ghost spoke, "There is one more thing I must ask of you. Surely, you are already aware that Miss Sparkle has a brother. Captain Shining Armor."

The boy nodded, clearly recalling Twilight's argument with Olivia.

"He is currently off-duty, and spending his vacation in the city of Van Hoover. The problem is that…” Link could almost feel the ghost whispering the next words just next to his ears. "Van Hoover is about to be attacked. An army is headed to the city."

"How do you..."

"I saw it, just like I saw the potion, the bow, everything! I saw the army with my own eyes! Thousands upon thousands of those damned creatures! They've crossed the Unicorn Range already, all the way from Canterlot, and are headed to Van Hoover as we speak!" This time, Link was sure that the ghost was grabbing him by the arms. Had it any physical form, it would be shaking the boy off his feet. "Save my captain! Repay my life debt! Please! That is all I... I..." the ghost began to trail off. "Pray tell... Do you hear that?"

Link’s brow furrowed at the sudden change of attitude. The only thing he heard was the rustling of the leaves overhead, perhaps even the lake’s waters if he really focused.

“A… song…” the ghost continued. “A light… it is talking to me…”

“What is it saying?”

“…that it is time.”

Link’s head arched back in surprise. “But you still haven’t told me your name!”

If the ghost answered anything, the boy was unable to hear it, for the distinct shrillness of a howl invaded the forest’s otherwise peaceful atmosphere. Link stood petrified, eyes shifting left and right in an attempt to trace the sound’s origin.

His answer came in the form of a rising column of ugly, dark smoke. The scent of wood burning did not take long to reach him, just like the crown of a great flame peeked from above the treetops. It grew greater and greater; at one point, all of the sky in the horizon had acquired a bright orange aura.

When a strident cry for help echoed across the land, the hero knew he had all the reasons he needed to run headfirst into the moonlit woods.