//------------------------------//
// 4 Hours of Excess 
// Story: Sleepless Nights And Speechless Angels 
// by thelegendarytoothpaste 
//------------------------------//

Link was a very light sleeper when it came down to it. As he grew up, there would be times when someone would try to pull a prank on him while he was asleep, either good naturedly or not. He wasn’t always so light a sleeper, but he learned quickly.

When he was on his journey, there were days where Link was so into what he was doing that he would either not sleep for days at a time or would fall asleep with his eyes open. He covered 14 miles one night and got woken up by a stalchild that had come out to play with him, saw his state, and had to stop what it was doing to check if he was okay.1

He was more than capable of detecting three clumsy fillies attempting to dog-pile him. His first hint that something was amiss was that the bed was empty and infinitely less warm than it had been that night. His next hint was clopping that was trying and failing to be silent, hushed whispering, and giggling.

He kept his eyes shut and pretended to still be asleep.

And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in the bedroom about the space of half a minute.

“BANZAI!” the girls shrieked. Link’s reaction was instant.

The girls had leapt and upon landing on the bed erupted into additional giggles.

“I got him!” 

“No, no, I’ve got him!”

“That’s my wing, let go!”

“Huh? Wait a sec, what’s- “

Link cleared his voice. The girls untangled themselves and looked off the side of the bed. He was standing with his arms crossed, one bare foot tapping against the carpet. He had a small smile on his face, and his hair was an absolute mess.

The girls blinked simultaneously.

“Dude.”

“Good morning,” he said.

The girls simultaneously looked under their pile again, then back at him.

“How?”

Link tilted his head. 

“How are you so fast?”

“It’s not that I’m fast. You three are noisy.”

They puffed up their cheeks a bit. “Are not!” 

Link stretched his arms back and rolled one shoulder. Sometimes it got stiff. He sighed in relief when it popped. Rarity called them from downstairs. The fillies vanished in a blur and for a moment Link wondered who really was faster.

The quadrupeds most likely.

Applebloom reappeared in the room and yanked him out by the collar.





“Flour.”

“Flour.”

“Eggs.”

“Eggs.”

“Sugar.”

“Sugar.”

Rarity had deemed them worthy to attempt making pancakes unsupervised. Each of the girls wore a chef’s toque. Link remained with his favorite green hat. Rarity had laundered his wet clothing the night prior.

The fillies decided to work on the pancakes with a surgeon-like focus. Hinka, though he was more than capable of cooking, had never made pancakes before. He did his part by washing the dishes and cleaning up as they worked.

It was probably for the best, since a cloud of dust would come up every time they added an ingredient. Sweetie was the one adding the ingredients and stirring. Scootaloo and Applebloom were fetching what was needed. Beside Sweetie on the counter was an opened cookbook.

“Chocolate chips.” Sweetie held a hoof out and Applebloom placed a bag of chocolate chips in it, but not before sneaking a few for herself.

“Chocolate chips.”

Link didn’t mind cooking either, but his version of cooking tended to equate to soups, stews, roasted meats and vegetables, and the like. For long trips, he often made himself pemmican2, because it kept well and was sufficiently filling. In a pinch, he always carried a small jar of salted offal too, though he hated the stuff so much he wrote “Salted Awful” across the face of the jar. The jar was in his room at the castle. He sometimes opened it and wafted it under the Fierce Deity and Majora’s masks because it stunk to high heaven, they couldn’t move out of the way, and he found that to be very very funny.

Point being, he didn’t think the girls would particularly appreciate his fine cuisines. Especially not the salted awful or black broth.
“Cinnamon.”

Come to think of it, he wondered if Zelda would have had him summarily executed if she knew he brought a jar of offal the first time he met her. It wouldn’t have surprised him if bringing something so vile before royalty was seen as a war crime.

Not even Ganondorf would stoop so low.

Interestingly, the ranch girl Malon loved that he brought offal or Pemmican with him whenever he visited her; she thought it was cool he could cook for himself. He had a bit of a crush on her. The night after he had liberated the ranch from Ingo’s influence, she had him come back to celebrate. 

She had no problem eating the black broth3 he had prepared. Interesting. A woman after his own heart.

“…to go with it. Like a nice drink! Hey, Hinka?” 

He looked over his shoulder for a moment before going back to work on the dish he was cleaning.

“Rainbow Dash says you know how to cook. Do you know how to make any tasty drinks?”

He shrugged. Most of his cuisine valued function over form. He was good at making tea, come to think of it.

“Cool! Do you know how to make a fruit cordial?”

It seemed like everything fell silent in the kitchen for a moment. He stopped working on that particularly stubborn stain as he thought about how to answer the question, until finally he said:

“Be nice to him, I guess.”





Bad news. It turns out the Crusaders were not destined to make pancakes. Hinka was still impressed though. It’s not every day you find someone who can simultaneously cremate and undercook pancakes.

The first one didn’t come out that bad, admittedly. Beginners luck, he supposed.

The remainder came out black but goopy in the middle. Rarity elected not to touch any of them, but the girls and Link each had a quarter of the good one.

After that it was just cereal. Though she was stunned the Crusaders screwed up the waffles this badly, Rarity was all the same grateful that her home did not burn down again, and she was pleased with Hinka’s clean up job.

Shortly after they ate, Twilight came to pick him up and Hinka gulped. He was certain Rarity told her about his little spat with that random girl yesterday. No, he didn’t consider it a fight. In Link’s mind, it isn’t a fight until you’ve almost killed him. The last fight he had was with the Timberwolves, and as far as he was concerned, he lost that one.

Point being, Link remembered the incident with Spike not long after he first arrived here, and how upset Twilight was with them both afterwards. He didn’t want to deal with that again. Looking up at her while she issued her farewells (Hinka had already said goodbye to the Crusaders, who had gone back upstairs to play), he couldn’t see any signs of irritation. Perhaps that was because she was talking to Rarity, not to him. Maybe he was going to get it once they left.

He just hoped there were witnesses outside.





“…and then when you’re done cleaning the hallway, I need you to pack your bags.”

There it was. Clean up the place and then get out. So be it.

Twilight took a sip of a water bottle offered to her by Rarity, then put it in her bag.

“We have to catch the 5 o’clock train to Canterlot and can’t be late.”

Link looked up at her quizzically. “Train? Canterlot?”

She smiled at him. “That’s right! My big brother, his wife, and their daughter are going to be visiting my parents for a few days, and I’d like to introduce you to everypony.”

“What about Spike?”

“Spike’s already met them,” she quipped. “He mentioned something about a few days of nonstop comic books.”

She looked at Hinka again curiously. “By the way, are there any comics that you might find interesting? I’m happy to buy you any.”

What? Now he was even more confused. Where was the irritation? Surely Rarity told her what happened. Did she have a fever? Craving for cowbell? He guessed it was time to find out.

“Twilight?”

She smiled.

“Aren’t you upset?”

The smile went away, and she tilted her head. “What do you mean?”

“Yesterday. Did Rarity tell you?”

She was quiet a moment and blinked. “Huh?”

Recognition flashed in her eyes. “Oh! Your fight with the filly yesterday?”

He nodded. Twilight put a hoof on his shoulder. “Yes, Rarity told me all about that, and no I am not upset.”

He was silent. “You didn’t start that fight, and I know you didn’t start the one with Spike either. You went too far in that fight, but Rarity spoke highly of your behavior in this one.

“That girl was trying to bully and belittle you. She was dunking you under the water even though you didn’t want to be in it, and she was calling you a lot of names according to the others. You acted only in self-defense, and above all, you stopped as soon as you sensed she had enough.”

She hugged him. “Hinka, you never have to worry about getting in trouble with me for defending yourself. Just don’t start fights and know where the line is.”

He cautiously returned the hug. “And quite frankly, I’m proud of you for standing up to that bully. And for your teaching Spike some of your moves.”

Link sighed. He’d asked Spike not to bring that up. Spike wasn’t particularly good yet, but he was learning anyway.

Now that Link thought about it, though, while he understood defending yourself against one, who in their right mind would pick a fight with a dragon? 

Images of him picking a fight with Volvagia flashed through his head.

Oh yeah.





Twilight’s teleportation spell always left a smell of burning in the air for a few moments, and a stray bit of smoke here and there. She usually preferred to perform such magic outdoors but wasn’t above using it to get around in the castle. Taking the stairs all the way to the top most floor of the castle would take her over 20 minutes. Given Link’s small frame, it was more like 40.

Now though, she was teleporting all over the castle so quickly it was starting to set off a few smoke alarms.

Meanwhile, Link had already finished packing a bag. He took with him the Fierce Deity and Majora. If they were going to be away for a few days, he didn’t want to risk anything until he could store them somewhere safer. 

He made sure to place them at the bottom of his bags. He could swear he could hear their muffled complaints. Well, Majora’s. The Fierce Deity hadn’t said word one to him since they “met.” 

He hated Majora, but he was truly afraid of the Fierce Deity. Why Majora had such a mask in her possession escaped him.

He looked back at his bag. The others had offered to get him something bigger, but he preferred the green rucksack he came with. It was given to him by Malon after his old Kokiri hand-me-down from Mido tore. 

His rucksack was old, ratty, and was stained with everything from molasses to blood. He’d done his best to get it all out, but it was impossible.

The bag was not pretty to look at, but it was a gift from a friend, and that was all that mattered to him.

There was a knock on the door. “Hey, Hinka? Mind if I come in?”

Oh. There was a voice he didn’t expect. He zipped up the bag and opened the door.

Starlight smiled at him. “How’s everything going up here? Twilight’s… well, you can probably smell the smoke.”

As if in reply, Twilight shouted something to the effect of “I’m going to be late for the train, get your sorry butt out of my house, Chrysalis!” A crash from downstairs followed. Both Hinka and Starlight elected not to investigate.

Starlight put a hoof to her mouth while she looked at the wall that held almost all his masks.

“You take after my own heart, Hinka. I love masks.”

She appeared in study of a long gray mask.

Hinka swallowed. That mask carried potent magic but was also among the most stable in his possession. The magic of that mask only worked in the mysterious temple of Ikana Canyon and was inert anywhere else. He couldn’t even feel the magic of the Everfree Forest reacting to it. It was good, too. That mask could make you as big as one of Termina’s Giants. He didn’t think the ponies needed to get any bigger.

She looked at him again. “Are you familiar with the Zebrican culture?”

He shook his head. She smiled.

“Many tribes in Zebrica consider masks to be holy relics. They’re often made in the image of departed Zebras, and are kept by their families. Wearing such a mask is believed to put you in touch with the spirit world. On special occasions, the family will take turns putting on the mask. They discuss with them the latest news, gossip, good and bad tidings, and the like.

“If a Zebra offers to let you use one of their masks, it is a very high compliment. It means they consider you as part of their family. If you touch one of their masks without permission, however, it is a grievous insult.”

“You speak as if you know them well,” said Hinka. She smiled down on him.

“I’m an Anthropologist. I wrote my dissertation on the Zebrican culture before I…”

She trailed off and looked away.

“…let’s just say I made some mistakes after that.”

Twilight had, when she was telling Hinka about Starlight, mentioned that she was a reformed criminal. Twilight stopped her from screwing around by showing her “the magic of friendship.” It was good, because she was time travelling while doing her utmost to either take over the world or otherwise destroy Twilight and her friends, and, according to Twilight, matched her spell for spell. Hinka wondered what would have happened if she won, and he had to free Equestria from her rule as well. The way Twilight described her, Starlight’s magical talent may have been either on par with, or in excess of Ganondorf’s. 

He supposed it was a good thing Starlight was on the straight and narrow. For both of their sakes.

Starlight began to study another mask on the wall. Linen hung from the edges of that mask. He remembered well the soul he had to heal to receive that one.

“This is quite reminiscient of one of the Zebrican masks,” remarked Starlight. “Who gave this to you?”

“A troubled father. He was researching the undead and how to keep them in check.”

Link never found out what exactly Pamela’s father did to get cursed by the Gibdo. He didn’t think it was the bite that did it. Link had been bitten by Gibdos and Redeads around a dozen times throughout his time in Hyrule and Termina. 

He also never found out Pamela’s dad’s name.

Ikana Canyon was interesting. Link found many ancient weapons laying about in it, and signs of ancient battles fought there. The place had such a violent past even the dead wouldn’t lie. 

Link found many hastily dug graves from eons past, whose headstones were almost worn away. He took his hat off while he walked through the fields as a token of respect, and uttered the Kokirian Prayer of the Dead until he started to notice that more of the dead were standing instead of resting.

He found a large building with two musical horns coming from its roof surrounded by a horde of Gibdo. Link put his hand on his blade.

“Tatl, can you find me any way in or around?”

Tatl didn’t answer his question, instead patting his shoulder and flying off. Creatures such as Gibdo and Redeads held no interest in fairies. 

Link frowned. There were too many Gibdos surrounding the house. The windows were holding together well. A water wheel was on one side of the house, but the river it fed from was dried up.

He was quite tense. While he was far enough from the Gibdo horde that he wasn’t paid mind to, he still felt eyes on him. He spared a look at the unsettling hood he was given by a few con artists running scams near Romani Ranch. It appeared almost identical to the hoods that the legendary Garos Warriors were said to wear in battle. He for a moment, considered putting the hood on; perhaps doing so would help him move forward. As his hand went for it, he felt his skin crawl, and he let his hand fall away again. Whenever he felt his skin crawl like that, it usually meant he would be in mortal danger if he proceeded with whatever he was doing.4 

Tatl returned to him a few moments later, having done a lap of the building. She even checked the roof for good measure.

“The whole place is locked up and reinforced. I can’t tell for sure, but I think there’s someone in there. They might need help.”

Link drew his blade and took a step towards the horde. Tatl got in front of him again.

“Hold up there, kid. I may not be the kindest fairy in the world, but I’m not about to let you get eaten alive by those things.”

“If someone’s in there, I need to help them.”

“How much help will you be if you’re dead? You’re a force to be reckoned with, sure, but there’s too many here. Like I said, I’m not certain. Suppose you fight your way in there, get wounded, and there’s nobody to help?”

He took another step forward. Tatl bopped him in the forehead.

“Listen to me, kid. There’s got to be a smarter way to go about this. Look at the house.”

Link obliged. He took a good long look at the musical horns coming out of the roof, the barricades that were holding strong against the onslaught of the undead, and…

That water wheel. The river was dried up, but if he could find the source of the water, perhaps he could fix things there. The waters of life5in the land of the dead. Of course.

Link began to follow the dried river bed. In the distance he could see a cave. None of the horde paid him any mind. Once he got past them, things fell silent.

Very silent.

It was as quiet as place devoid of the living should be. He didn’t feel like an ambush was coming, and he was right: Nothing jumped out to attack him on his walk.

He still felt very unsettled. The golden triangles began to glow on his hand again. He kept a hand on his blade as he entered the cave.

In his experience, caves like this one typically housed many Keese, or a few Wolfos, or even a stray bear or two. He disliked entering deep cave systems. He came across a black bear once in Termina but was fortunate enough that it didn’t attack him. He backed away slowly while raising his shield and sword high in the air and waving them about, and started screaming at it at the top of his lungs.6It worked, the bear wandered away.

The cave was disturbingly empty. The air was stale and humid, like he had just missed the water. Was this one of Majora’s effects as well? 

He stumbled forward but didn’t lose his footing. He was in what appeared to be a dried pond bed. A drop of water fell from the ceiling.

The temperature abruptly dropped, and a chill ran through Link’s spine. His hand instantly went to the sword.

“What business have you in Ikana Kingdom, land where only the dead roam?” 

He kept his head on a swivel and glanced at Tatl. She shrugged at him and kept looking for the source of the voice.

They didn’t have to look for long.

A well dressed Poe appeared from above. It began to float a few meters above the middle of the pond bed. In its hand was a conductor’s baton, with a dim lantern in the other. It studied Link for a moment. Link found himself studying its mustache. Its facial hair was better kept than some humans he’d met.

“This is no place for one as full of life as you,” it said.

“We’re trying to figure out why the water is not flowing. Do you know what’s going on?” asked Tatl. The Poe barely spared her a glance.

“Water? The dead have no need for water. The living has no need for Ikana.”

Before she or Link could respond, the Poe continued.

“Or do you say that you wish to join the dead?”

Link’s hold on his blade tightened.

“That is fine,” said the Poe. “If that is the case, then sleep gently to the melody of darkness that the great composer, Sharp, shall play, and join the ranks of the dead.”

The Poe, Sharp, allowed no reply. It began to conduct music from out of reach of Link’s blade. Nothing was playing, and yet with each rhythmic movement of his baton, Link could feel his heart heave and skip a beat. His blade hand went to his chest, and he gasped. 

“Kid? You okay? Wingshreds, you’re turning ashen! We need to get you out of here!”

Nothing was playing, and yet he could hear it. He could hear demons playing, and yet he could hear nothing.

His palpitations continued and worsened over the next few seconds. His head began to spin, he broke out in a cold sweat, and he was woozy. He considered loosing an arrow at his enemy. Anything to heal him of this song.

Healing…

He had an idea. What about music for music? Shakily, he took up his ocarina. Sharp paused in his conducting, momentarily curious as to what the boy planned to do.

The Song of Healing echoed through the cave, and Sharp recoiled a bit.

“Hm? Somehow, my heart is eased. This melody has a serenity to it.”

Relief began to fill Link’s aching chest, but it did not last for long.

“Yet,” Sharp continued. He brushed himself off and eyed Link again. “To one of the dead and darkness, like myself, a song like that no longer holds meaning for me.”

Link gasped and stumbled forward but did not fall.

“You shall end your futile resistance and quickly join the ranks of the dead.”

Not good. Back to square one. He had to think quick. What about…

The waters of life. Storms. Storms! That’s- of course! Oh, he was such an idiot. Link met Sharp’s brother, Flat, in a graveyard. He freed that particular spirit from a curse placed on him by, well, Sharp. His reward was a song that would control the weather; the same he played on his first night at Twilight’s.

Flat had requested that Link tell Sharp something. He recalled it for a moment and held a hand up at Sharp.

“Stop.”

Sharp paused in his conducting of the cursed soundless melody.

“So many say, but I never reconsider.”

“I have a message for you.”

Sharp began conducting again and Link fell to a knee.

“I care not.”

“It’s from your brother, Flat!” he exclaimed. Sharp stopped again. For a moment, the darkness enveloping this poe dissipated. 

“Flat? My…”

He shook his head about, as if to clear it.

“That name is of no significance to me.”

Link, shaking, held up his ocarina once more. Blood began to seep from his nose.

“The thousand years of raindrops summoned by this song are my tears.”

Link gathered the remainder of his strength and played the song Flat had given him.

“The lightning that strikes the earth is my anger!”

Lightning struck outside, and Sharp dropped his conductor’s baton and gripped his head. Rain began to pour inside the cave.

“W-what is this? …This song?”

Link’s ocarina dropped into the muddying floor. He supported himself from collapsing completely with his hands. He gasped shallowly. 

“N-no… it can’t be. This song…”

Above him, Sharp began to flicker and for a moment was no longer visible, but the cave remained cold. Though it remained so cold, the aura felt different. More positive.

The pond began to fill again, and the river started to flow.

“Flat, my dear brother…”

Link, shaking, looked up. Sharp had reappeared. He seemed different. His eyes, so calloused before, appeared to have light behind them once more.

“Forgive your foolish brother who dreamt of the revival of the royal family…”

He fixed Link with his kindly gaze.

“Ye who do not fear the dead, with my brother’s song you have broken the curse that was placed upon me. For that, you have my thanks. 

We dead should not be lingering in this land. All of my rage, all of my disgust - It was a trick of the masked one who had upset things. If you truly do not fear the dead, I wish for you to go to the temple of this land, and sever the root of the evil curse that torments us.”

Sharp retrieved his baton, and he held it up for a moment. It glowed, and energy from it flowed to the fallen hero. It continued doing so until Link’s labored breathing was returning to normal, and his heartbeat was no longer erratic. Before long, he was able to stand once more. As he got to his feet, Sharp’s baton turned to dust.

“If you truly wish to help the dead, you must speak to the king of Ikana Castle. He is awaiting the one who will break the curse.”

Link looked to Tatl. She was checking his pulse and wiping the blood from his nose.

“I have made my final request.”

They looked to Sharp again, but he was already gone. Link turned his head partially at the sound of some unusual music…





Link was covering his ears.

The undead surrounding the building had vanished. The horns atop the building were loudly playing the most obnoxious song he’d ever heard. To his side, Tatl was covering her ears too. He gestured towards the house and Tatl sighed. She cast a modified Nayru’s Love to protect her senses, then entered one of the horns.7

He would have much preferred to leave that house to itself, given it no longer looked to be in any danger, but he still wanted to make sure it was unoccupied at least. He wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he never checked and it turned out there was someone that needed help. 

He frowned for a moment and felt a shiver run down his spine. Link was courageous and more than capable of fighting the undead, but that didn’t mean he was fearless. He betrayed little in the way of hesitation, but just for a moment, his hands shook a little.

Tatl returned to him and got close to his ear. The music was so loud from where he stood, she had to cup her hands over her mouth and scream into his ear at the top of her lungs.

“The interior of this building is soundproof. One person inside that I can see. It’s a girl, she’s younger than you are.”

Tatl cleared her throat and continued. “She’s terrified and the doors are locked, but there’s a staircase to the basement and I spotted a small window before she caught me. It’s a tight squeeze, but if you leave your shield behind you might be able to get in.”

Link was about to mutter something about his intentions, but he knew he wouldn’t be heard. Actions speak louder than words, anyway. He approached the window and unbuckled his sword and let it clatter to the ground, and he did the same for his shield, his bow, arrows, backpack…

Tatl barely spared a look at his supplies before she tucked into his hat. In his hand she could see his ocarina and a few bobby pins, as well as his dagger.

She had seen Link pick locks a few times before. It was a skill he learned in Hyrule from Nabooru. He got good enough at it that he could pick most simple locks in under ten seconds.

This lock? It wasn’t a simple lock. Not at all. It was the most complex lock he’d ever dealt with. It was a harder lock to pick than the one that had separated him from Ganondorf! 

Tatl cast her manipulated spell on Link to protect his hearing, and he smiled gratefully at her. 

“This is a tough one,” she remarked. “What’s the deal?”

“I don’t know,” he replied. “There’s something about the pins. I can get a few down, but if I move wrong, the pins I managed already pop back up.”

He felt a pin pop into place through the bobby pin, but two others pop back out of place. 

“Wingshreds,” he muttered. 

“Why don’t you just break it?”

“There’s a reason for the security,” he replied. “If I break the lock, I’m compromising the security of the house. If those monsters come back, nothing will stop them from entering.”

He dragged a finger along the window and frowned. “Besides, this isn’t normal glass. Feels like it’s shatter-proof.”

He kept manipulating the lock and swore again. Tatl approached one side.

“I almost had it,” he said. 

“Scoot over,” commanded Tatl. “I’ll get it.”

Link did as was requested and not a moment too soon. The bobby pin broke apart as he removed it from the lock.

Tatl shut her eyes and held her hands out over the lock and felt the interior of the lock with her magic. A smile crossed her face. She knew this lock type. She helped the Skull Kid break into quite a few houses using this lock. They were some of the most difficult locks in Termina.

Not for the mischievous yellow fairy girl. Her hands, glowing with magic, slowly closed the distance between each other until they crossed sides, and she let out a breath.

She swiped both hands apart again quickly, and the lock clicked open.

She looked very smugly at Link, who, grumbling, tossed a red rupee at her.8

Link opened the window and hopped in. As was his capacity, he didn’t make a sound upon landing.

He was in a stairwell. Before him the stairs went up. He reasoned that was where the girl must be. He took a step forward and paused.

He heard something in the basement, and at the top of the stairs he saw a shadow.

He instantly withdrew behind the wall, but he heard footsteps approaching from the first floor.

The stairwell he was in was narrow. Not impossibly narrow but narrow enough.

He kicked up the wall and held himself in place at the top with his legs just before the girl turned the corner. 

Below him, the girl blinked and looked at the window.

No signs of trespassers.

Meanwhile, up above, Link’s legs began to burn. They shook, but he managed to keep himself where he was.

The girl took a few steps to the basement but paused. She squinted and stared into the darkness for a moment or two before turning back up the stairs.

As soon as Link heard the upstairs door shut, he let himself fall to the ground again and sat with his back against the wall for a spell.

He wanted to check on the girl, but now he had to know what was in the basement. If it was one of those abominations, he’d get his weapons and deal with it. No idea how he was going to remove the body after, though. If it turned out to be nothing, he’d immediately turn around and check on the girl. She needn’t worry about his stealing anything. Link was no thief.

He descended the remaining stairs and felt his blood begin to run cold. His grip on the ocarina and dagger tightened. Tatl tapped him.

“Careful kid. I can sense something that needs to be brought to peace, but I can’t tell if it’s living or dead.”

He said nothing but squinted. It was very dark. All he could spot was a single lonely candle on a workbench. His eyes being adjusted to the light, he was at a significant disadvantage here. He could see no windows, and only the barest shapes of obstacles and furniture in his path. Though the basement wasn’t particularly large, it still felt like he was wandering it for ages.

A musty linen odor hung heavy in the air. Link brought his dagger up and looked over his shoulder; he could hear a creaking sound.

The girl was back. She was squinting into the darkness. Link immediately shied behind a large shelf among the cobwebs and spiders.

“Papa? The monsters outside are gone. The music box is working again. I think the water is flowing.”

She took a few steps forward and looked up at the shelf. Link cautiously peeked over one corner. A spider crawled across his hat and onto the shelf while another landed on his shoulder. He spared it a glance but couldn’t tell what it was. Tatl landed on his other shoulder.

“It’s a brown recluse. Female. Don’t scare her or she might bite you,” she whispered.

Link decided that the one-sided conversation on the other side of this shelf was more important than the brown recluse. In his peripheral vision, he could see it crawling closer to his collar. It stopped a moment on his neck, then continued until it was behind one ear. It left a sticky web behind it with each step it took. There it stopped, behind his right ear. Safe. Dark. 

The girl seemed to rub her hand across the shelf. Odd.

“Papa, you can come out and play. They won’t take you away from me anymore. They won’t take you away and I can make you feel better. You know how you used to always be there for me when I was sick? Now I can do the same thing for you.”

Link carefully peered out from behind the…

Oh, Goddesses above.

It’s not a shelf. It’s a coffin. It’s a coffin! Was he in a Hall of the Dead9?

Out of his view he could hear a plate of some sort clatter to the ground gently. The brown recluse began to walk further up into his hair.

“Goodnight, Papa. I love you.”

The girl’s tiny footsteps echoed up the stairs once more, and when Link was certain he was alone (other than his unauthorized shoulder guest and the brown recluse), he dared to sneak out from behind the coffin.

As he came about one side, he heard the door creak open. Even his brown recluse companion fell still…

There was another gibdo standing with its back to him, but there was something different about this one.

He felt his breath hitch, and his grip tightened on both his ocarina and dagger.

The creature turned its head to him.

It wasn’t completely covered in bandages. Link could see hair, lips, a sickly-looking face but no signs of decomposition. 

Even the groaning didn’t sound very much like that of a gibdo.

It slowly held a hand out to him and took a few steps towards him. He stepped back.

Something was very strange about this one. It wasn’t doing anything to paralyze him. It was advancing on him but it was restrained, as if it was in great conflict with itself.

Link found himself in conflict as well. The brown recluse was still crawling across his scalp. If he started a fight here, there was a good chance of startling the little spider and potentially receiving a bite. Link had a natural immunity to the venom of black widows, but not the venom of a brown recluse. Until the spider was gone, he could make no sudden moves.

Which meant no stabbing or slicing at this foe.

The creature gripped its head while its groans faded up and, in the stairway, stood the girl again. For the first time, she saw Link. She froze.

Link made a split-second decision. The Song of Healing didn’t help Sharp, but it might help whatever this thing was. He dropped his dagger and brought his ocarina to his lips.

The echo of his notes rang through the basement for a short while, and he noticed that the creature before him was no longer trying to advance. Its hands continued to clutch at its skull and it let out a shriek more befitting of the monster it was becoming. Light began to fill the room and it blinded everyone within. 

It was over in a moment. Link saw a mask on the ground at his feet. It looked a lot like the face of a gibdo. He picked it up with one hand, and looked up at the monster.

There was no monster. Not anymore. It was a man in a white coat. He appeared disoriented.

“Huh? I…”

“Papa?”

Link and the man both looked at the girl. She took a few steps forward, her face hopeful. Tears began to well in her eyes.

“Pamela?”

The girl began to sob and sprinted to the man before wrapping her arms around his legs.

“Papa!”

And the man looked confused, but his conflict was over. He won. 

“What have I been doing this whole time?” he asked.

The girl, in between her sobs, responded to his query.

“You’ve been sleeping, Papa. You were just having a bad dream, that’s all.”

Her sobs echoed through the basement, and the man crouched and returned the hug of his daughter.

“Pamela…”

Link had already taken a few steps towards the staircase. He paused before the first step, and looked at the two once more. After a second, he slowly ascended the steps without a word and left the house. The brown recluse was coaxed into his hand and then under the outside steps. As much as he would have liked to introduce himself to the two, there was far more to be done before this place could rest. 

It wasn’t until they had gotten far enough from the strange house and the music had faded somewhat in volume that Tatl spoke.

“Hey, kid?”

He looked up at her in acknowledgement. She was smiling at him.

“It was big of you to leave that house after healing that man. I’m proud of you.”

That was the first time Tatl ever told him she was proud of him. He looked at the newly acquired mask in his hands, then to the dry well in the distance…





Link was drawn from his thoughts by a hoof on the shoulder. There seemed to be a pattern developing there.

He looked up at Starlight. She swallowed once, her horn glowing. He squinted.

After a few moments, the light of her horn faded, and she breathed a sigh of relief. “No signs of dark magic over you. How’d you resist the corruptive nature of the undead?”

Link tilted his head. What? 

“Have you told any of this to Twilight?”

His eyes widened slightly. Had he been speaking his thoughts aloud? Starlight took his silence as an answer.

“I figured as much. I think you should tell her and the others about that, too. If there’s more on your shoulders than what you found in this Ikana Canyon, I’d mention that as well. You’re quite fortunate to have escaped the undead without being hurt.”

He chuckled wryly.

She smiled at him gently.

“I’m flattered you were willing to share with me, at any rate. Like I said, my door’s always open. Say, do you need an extra bag for your luggage? I see you only have the one.”

He shook his head. Link was quite good at packing everything he’d need for a journey efficiently. He could carry all of his arsenal and other supplies in a rucksack and a satchel. When he tripped and fell into Equestria, he was carrying only the necessities, which meant one rucksack, half empty. He also brought his satchels too in case he found something he liked, like a kitsune toy. Link liked the Kitsune. He was on good terms with them in Termina.

“Hinka! Hurry up and get down here, we’re going to be late!”

Starlight offered him his bag.

“C’mon, I promise you’re going to like the train.”

Starlight and Hinka hurried down the steps before Twilight had another outburst. He was fully expecting her to appear completely disheveled when they made it, but she was well put together.

She also only had two packed bags. Spike was going through the packing checklist with her one more time. Link stuck out his tongue. He hated checklist duty. Spike seemed to enjoy it, for some reason.

After Twilight was assured for what was likely the twelfth time that everything she needed was packed, she spoke a little with Starlight about what needed to be done in the castle. Spike smiled at Link and approached him.

“You’re gonna like Twi’s family. They’re super nice. Her dad’s into astronomy, her mom’s a writer, her brother’s a prince and the captain of the royal guard, and if he asks you who the best baseball team is, you tell him the Mareiners. He’ll love you forever.”

“Anything else I should know about?”

“Yeah, Shining and his wife Cadance have a daughter. She’s very energetic and doesn’t have full control of her magic yet. She’s not easy to scare, but, well…”

He breathed out slowly.

“No offense, Hinka, but you’re pretty scary.”

He shrugged.

“Anyway! Train ride’s going to be four hours to get to Canterlot. Not so far that you guys will need a cabin, but you might want to nap or something. I think you should try the window seat. Twi will give it to you if you ask. Shining, Cadance, and Flurry should be there already.”

“Where are they from again?”

“The Crystal Empire,” he replied. “A journey there depends on if the train’s stopping anywhere or going straight over. If they’re stopping, it’s no more than a three-day journey. If they aren’t, it’s more like a day and a half.”

Link didn’t reply for a moment. He hadn’t asked how long that particular trip would take. He decided to be polite. He and Spike’s relationship had improved substantially since he’d gotten here. No need to jeopardize that.

“Thanks, Spike. You’re all heart.”

He chuckled. “Anytime, dude. Want me to do anything special to keep your room tidy?”

Link shook his head. He was always tidy. His room was immaculate. He believed that was what won Rarity over so quickly with him. Apparently, Sweetie Belle was the opposite of organized.

“Hinka, are you ready?” 

He turned his attention to Twilight and turned partially to show her the bag over his shoulder. She smiled and beckoned him to her side.

“Goodbye, everypony! We’ll see you in a few days!”

Link waved over his shoulder, but paused and slowly lowered his hand.

Next to the door, there was a bug-horse shaped hole in the wall.





Link’s familiarity with technology only increased the longer he stayed in Equestria. He was amazed by most of the things the ponies built, though he also remained stuck in his own ways. He disliked TV but didn’t mind the radio. He enjoyed the air conditioner but saw little need for portable phones. 

He was very supportive of the use of trains for transportation. It beats the use of teleportation and your own two feet. 

Link had never used the train before, but he had been introduced to them shortly after Twilight took him in. He wondered how long it would have taken him to get to Hyrule Castle Town from Kokiri Village if he used a train. 

The train that was in the station was shining like a new rupee. It was well built and black with gold trimmings. The carriages were two stories, with Twilight pointing out the sleeper cars. 

“We won’t need a sleeper car today, but you’re welcome to nap if you want.”

She smiled down at him. “I’ll wake you when they bring dinner.”

He looked up at her curiously. “Dinner? Does it have to stop somewhere?”

She shook her head. “They have a kitchen on board. This is the most luxurious train in Equestria. It’s also quite expensive, but money’s no issue.”

Twilight had, in the past, off handedly mentioned to him that her family was one of the wealthiest in Canterlot even before she became a princess. She wasn’t bragging so much as trying to convince him that his allowance wasn’t excessive, so stop trying to get her to lay off.10

There were many ponies around them at this station. By now, Link had been seen around town so often, even the most stubborn of the ponies had let go of their suspicions of him. He was on the receiving end of many friendly smiles and waves. He felt a smile pull at his lips somewhat. Ponyville was a lot more accepting of him than Kokiri Village was. They saw him as a friend. They saw him as a normal(ish) child.

They saw him as another pony.

He would never admit it to himself, but he was beginning to enjoy his time in Equestria. Sure, there was a chance that it was Stockholm Syndrome, but you can catch more flies with honey than vinegar.

He enjoyed the company he kept more so than being there, come to think of it. If he hadn’t made any friends, he doubted he’d be happy.

Heh. Happiness. In his darkest hours, he wondered if he’d ever be happy again. He disliked how it felt to wallow, though, so he made a promise to himself long ago to never mope and feel sorry for himself. He was alive, most of his enemies were not, and he always had the venerable Goddesses.

Someone blew a whistle and he jolted. Twilight guided him onto the train by her side. At the doors, a well-dressed stallion bowed to her.

“Good evening, your highness. Do you have your ticket?”

She reached into her bags with her magic and pulled out two, then moved aside slightly so he could see Link. His eyes widened slightly.

“Ah! Your highness, I believe there’s a mix up.”

She tilted her head. “Huh? This is the Excess Express train to Canterlot, right?”

“Yes, but you have two passenger tickets here.”

Twilight blinked confusedly. “Yes, one for me and one for Hinka.”

She gestured at the boy with her wing. The other ponies around the station started to look their way.

“I can get you the proper pet’s ticket. It’ll be kept safe among the other passengers’ animals during the trip. Pets are not permitted to sit in the passenger cab. They tend to make messes.”

Link had been mistaken for many things before. He’d been mistaken for one of Ganondorf’s minions, he’d been mistaken for an accomplished fisherman, he’d been mistaken for a Goron, Deku, Zora, Zelda, a stone, a bush, a grasshopper, and even a big green eagle by a drunk highwayman.

He had never once been mistaken for a pet before. He mentally added that one to the list. Fortunately, Link had been called pretty much every mean thing under the sun both during his journeys and before. He learned a long time ago that if he answered every slight, he’d never get anything done, so he compartmentalized. 

If he wanted your opinion, he’d beat it out of you. If he didn’t want your opinion, he wouldn’t listen to what you said. He’d already half-forgotten what the stallion had called him when he learned that Twilight cared very much for insults. She cared more about insults directed towards him than he did. She took a step closer to the stallion.

“What did you just say?” she asked.

The stallion didn’t pick up on the venom in her words.

“Next time you ride with your pet, you should get a ticket for the pet cab. They’re as decadent as the rest of our cabs, but better suited for animals.”

She jabbed a hoof in his chest. “Now, you listen here! He is a legal Equestrian citizen just like you or me. I got him that ticket because he’s a passenger. Your job is to let us board as we have valid tickets and reason to be here!”

The stallion appeared to be alarmed. He needed to choose his next words carefully. He was dealing with a royal.

“Eh, of course Princess Twilight! No offense intended. I just feel that it might be more comfortable among its own…”

He trailed off when he saw the look on Twilight’s face. Link could swear he saw flames beginning to lick at her wings. He took a step back from her.

“I will not say this again: Hinka is an Equestrian Citizen. He may not be a pony, but he’s not a pet! He is a friend! He is a citizen!”

She got right up in his grill.

“He is my boy!” she shouted. “Now, punch these tickets and let us through!”

The stallion, shaking, did as he was told. There were more eyes on him than just hers and Hinka’s. Many of the other ponies were scowling at him; they had heard everything. He ushered them aboard and offered an apology to Twilight. She shook her head and led Hinka away to their seats.





Something about Twilight and her friends made him associate certain alcoholic beverages with each.

Applejack must like cider, given her rampant apple addiction.

Rainbow Dash struck him as someone who would enjoy a good old-fashioned beer.

Fluttershy? Drink? Please.

Pinkie probably had a fondness for vodka or maybe she mainlined battery acid.

Rarity? Wine. Easy.

Twilight struck him as another teetotaler.

He learned quickly that he was dead wrong.

Applejack liked cider, but she loved a good wine. Even then, she didn’t shy away from trying other things. When he asked her about her preference, she made it abundantly clear that he wasn’t having a drop until he was an adult. He made it abundantly clear in turn that he wasn’t even remotely interested in drinking the stuff anyway. He tried a sip of vodka courtesy of Tatl once and that was enough for him.

Rainbow Dash drank cider on occasion, but it was always alcohol free. He asked her one day and she simply told him she didn’t like the taste of alcohol.

Rarity was the beer drinker. Link was stunned by that revelation.

Fluttershy preferred rum and mentioned she acquired a taste for it in the army.

Pinkie liked tequila. She had a drinking hat that read “1 tequila, 2 tequila, 3 tequila, floor” across the front.

Twilight, on the other hand, enjoyed bourbon and scotch. Not at the same time. She drank bourbon when she was feeling stressed about something and scotch when she was angry or upset.

None of the girls, however, drank to excess. They only drank for special occasions or for parties.11

The train had just started moving and neither he nor Twilight said a word to one another. He was in the window seat, and she was in the aisle seat. An attendant had come down the aisle and took drink orders. Twilight requested a scotch for herself and milk for him.

He hadn’t looked out the window too much yet. His eyes were all but glued to Twilight. The mare he lived with the most. The one who had taught him the lion’s share of Equish. The one who he did errands for, ate with, played occasional games with, who he calmed when she was agitated and was calmed by when he had his flashbacks.

She called him her boy. Just like Spike. She’d never done that before. She had been plenty kind to him since they met, but he never knew just how much he had grown to mean to her in the months since his arrival.

Yet, the signs were there.

She always made sure he was fed; she dressed his wounds if he got hurt near her. She took him to the doctor and took care of him when he got sick. She comforted him when he was hurting, scolded him when he did something wrong, and praised him when he did something right. When something was bothering him and he managed to work up the confidence to bring words to it, she would drop whatever she was doing just to listen to him.

He didn’t even realize it until now: He had two moms if you don’t count Navi. When the hell did that happen?

Ponies, man.

He reached a hand out to her for a moment but hesitated. What if she meant something else? What if she did indeed consider him family, but not in the way he had construed it? What if he was walking into a potentially embarrassing conversation?

Past Link would have probably just kept his mouth shut, but present Link, though he was still very reserved and quiet, would actually open his mouth and say something unprompted now. He really had changed since he got here.

He tapped her arm gently instead of using his words. Okay, maybe he hadn’t changed all that much.

Twilight looked down at him with a smile. 

“Hi! How are you feeling about the train so far, Hinka?”

He shrugged. She tilted her head. 

“Still need time to take it in, don’t you? That makes sense. If you start feeling nauseous or anything let me know. I know a few counter motion sickness spells, and most of them don’t even turn you into a plant.”

His silence made her smile fade slightly. “Is something wrong?”

He cleared his throat and shook his head. “What you said to that stallion before we got on the train.”

Anger flashed across her features, but it faded. “Yes, and I hope you know that none of us think of you as anything less than a citizen. You are an equal here. You’re nopony’s pet.”

“No, what you told him.”

She was quiet for a moment. “What I told him? What did I say?”

Link sighed. She was going to make him say it, however unintentionally. 

“You called me your boy.”

Recognition flashed across Twilight’s face, and she blushed slightly and looked away. “Oh! Of course, that. Yes, I call Spike the same thing. I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable.”

He shook his head. “It didn’t make me uncomfortable. It felt nice.”

She looked at him again, and he turned his head to the window.  He had an idea why it was making him so emotional.

“It’s new to me, I guess. I mean, I’ve been called something like that before when Navi was with me. Saria was good at making me feel like I belonged. So did Tatl, in her own way. So did Neki, Darmani, and Mikau.”

“Neki, Darmani, and Mikau. I remember them. Who are these three to you?

He was silent as he tried to gather his words. He could have told her who Darmani and Mikau were again- he had done so a few nights after he told her about Neki. That wasn’t what she asked, though. She asked who they were to him. Nobody ever asked questions like that before he got here.

“They felt like different kinds of brothers,” he said after a few moments. “Neki was like a little brother. Innocent. Darmani was like a brother in arms, and Mikau a brother in guardianship.”

She smiled at him and rubbed his hand gently. “I think Spike’s starting to look up to you in much the same way as Neki.”

Link squinted. “Isn’t he older than me?”

“Yes, but you’re certainly the more mature one. Talking with you is a lot like talking with another adult…”

Twilight trailed off. His maturity was something that impressed her and the other girls greatly, but also made them feel sad. Children can be more mature than others, but what kind of children are as mature as Hinka?

The ones who were not given a choice but to grow up before their time.

And she knew. She knew there was little chance of him becoming a normal child. He seemed to pride himself on his reserved nature, and that was okay. 

Strange as it was, she sometimes wished he would go against her desires, or those of the girls. Misbehave a little, be a kid. Spike did it enough that he could have written a book on the topic. Hinka? If somepony asked him to jump, his response would be, “How high?” She wanted him to do his chores, but also to be himself.

She was happy that he always spent his free time doing something instead of wasting away in the castle. He loved going outside. She’d never seen him watch TV or play the game console she got Spike last Hearthswarming. Pinkie had asked him about his gaming preferences (she was good at Mareio Party), but he expressed disinterest in them. He was very stuck in his own ways. He was a lot like her brother in that regard.

She moved her arm around his shoulders, and he cuddled closer to her and rested his head against her. She wrapped her wing around him with a smile.

Whatever his flaws were, or whatever she wished she would see him do, she still cared about him. She cared for him just like she cared for Spike. Nothing was going to change that. She liked him just the way he was.

She noticed that his eyes were drooping. He loved his naps. Must have been why Rainbow thought so highly of him.

“Sleep well, Hinka,” she whispered. “I’ll let you know when dinner comes.”

She hesitated a moment, then took a page from Fluttershy’s book.

She gave him a kiss on the head. “I love you.”

She wasn’t sure if he replied, or what he said if he had, but that was okay.

Everything was okay.

End of Chapter