Chapter 3
Friends
Twilight was puzzled. "How will that…?"
"…ocarina" Link filled in for her.
Twilight continued, "How will that ocarina get you home?"
Link gladly answered her question. "This ocarina is imbued with magical properties, and it can perform different feats of magic by playing certain songs. One of them can teleport me to the ruins of the Temple of Time deep in the Lost Woods, and I remember how to play the tune!"
Link excitedly gathered his belongings and stood in the center of the library. "Thank you for your courtesy, Twilight Sparkle." Spike cleared his throat, obviously irritated. "…AND Spike," Link amended, and a smug expression appeared on Spike's face. "I apologize for imposing myself upon your lives so abruptly, and I hope we may someday meet again, but for now, I must go home. Take care, and farewell."
And with that, he began to play a mystifying melody that captured the other occupants of the tree with its simple beauty. Twilight could have even sworn other instruments joined in the brief tune. When he finished, he waved goodbye as a divine light enveloped him, and he began rising.
Twilight was a bit sad to see him go so soon. He seemed like such a nice pony, and all that undiscovered knowledge about a different world would have been so exciting to learn! There was so much they could have done together, but, alas, she knew Link had to go home.
As she watched him, a subconscious part of her brain sensed that something was not right. The light surrounding Link was growing brighter, and then she heard him say, "That can't be good," before the entire thing exploded.
Twilight and Spike were thrown back as Link fell to the floor, dazed by the sonic boom that originated from inside the light that surrounded him.
All across Ponyville, the citizens looked around, confused, as the sound of thunder reached their ears. Those closer to the library were much more startled as the windows of the building blew out with a thundering BOOM.
As his hearing recovered, Link sat up, a dejected look painted on his face."I don't understand what went wrong…" he muttered weakly.
Twilight felt bad for him. All that excitement and anticipation, and the whole plan blew up in his face… in quite the literal sense. Something tickled the back of her mind, and she slowly drew forth information from a book she had read long ago. Her blood ran cold as the realization hit her.
"Umm, Link?" she addressed him softly, preparing him for the news to follow. Link looked up at her with sad, hopeless eyes. Twilight felt tears forming in her eyes as she tried to formulate a way to break the news to him lightly. "I think I know why it didn't work." She took a deep, shuddering breath, and said, "I read it in an old spell book once…that implosion is characteristic to a failed waypoint-teleportation spell."
"What would cause it to fail?" Link asked, hoping it was something that could be fixed.
Unfortunately, it was not so. Twilight's heart sank at the question she had hoped he wouldn't ask. "It's caused when… umm…well…" She couldn't bring herself to say the rest.
"When what?" Link encouraged, his hopes rising.
"It's caused when the destination..." she took a deep, shuddering breath. "when the destination...doesn't...exist." She choked out before she turned away, ashamed of telling this poor pony that he had no home to return to. "I'm so sorry, Link."
Link processed the information, and his hopes fell, dead before they hit the ground. Everyone he knew, everyone he loved, and everything he had ever done, was gone. He would be stuck as a horse in a strange, colorful, magical land forever. An unfamiliar wetness streamed down his cheek as the extreme sadness overwhelmed him.
Twilight could not sleep that night. The guilt of shattering the hope of the very pony she took in was weighing on her like a ton of bricks. She heard that pony turn in his sleeping bag to face her bed.
"Twilight?" Link was addressing her.
This time, she turned in her bed to see him propping himself up with his elbow. "I'm so sorry Link. I just wish there was another explanation, but I—" she began, but Link cut her off.
"No, no it's fine. I can still hope that some of them made it here like I did. So don't beat yourself up over it. Okay?" A friendly smile crossed his face.
Twilight smiled back. "Okay." Link laid back down with his back to her, but she continued to stare at the strange stallion on her floor. She felt the weight of guilt lift from her body, and she slipped into a peaceful sleep.
Link however, did not. He couldn't blame Twilight for telling him why it didn't work. He would've done the same, and he could see that she felt guilty. Everything he said was true, but the hope he had for the others was slim. He silently grieved for his friends as he slowly, but surely, fell into a restless, exhausted sleep.
The next morning, Twilight awoke to find her new friend missing from his sleeping bag. Strange. She thought as she stretched the stiffness of sleep away. After rising from the bed, she walked down the stairs to the main floor of the library.
"Good morning Spike!" she greeted the little dragon cheerfully as he poured himself a bowl of cereal.
"Morning Twilight!" he responded as he sat down to eat.
Twilight chuckled at the contradictory statement her little friend just made as she looked around the library. "Hey Spike, have you seen Link?"
"Yeah, he said he was going to get some fresh air," he replied as he walked to the table with a bowl of bran flakes, rubies and milk.
Worried, the unicorn went outside to search for Link. She was just about to call out to him, when she heard a short, unfamiliar song. Her ears automatically pricked, turning towards the source, but by then the song was through, dissipating into the atmosphere.
She suddenly had the strangest urge to go left, and she did without question. Several other ponies were walking in the same direction, murmuring confusedly to each other as to what compelled them to do so. Twilight saw a familiar cyan pegasus flying above the crowd and beckoned her over.
"Hey, Rainbow Dash!" she said, waving her forehoof
"What's up Twilight? Did you get that weird urge to go this way too?" Rainbow Dash dropped to the ground next to Twilight and began walking with her.
Twilight's face screwed up in contemplation. "Um… yeah. It's a little worrying. That song must have put a spell on us or something."
Rainbow looked at her, surprised. "You heard it too? For a second, I thought I was going crazy."
"I guess that's why we're all going this way."
Link sat atop a hill staring into the distance holding the horseshoe-shaped charm around his neck. For old time's sake, he played Epona's song to try and cheer him up, but only accomplished in deepening his depression at the memory of his dear friend. After a few minutes of waiting, he sighed sadly, got up and began to turn around.
"What in the—" Link exclaimed as he fell backwards in surprise. About twenty or so confused ponies were standing behind him chattering and trying to find an explanation for their sudden compulsion to come here. He looked at his charm, and chuckled. At least I know it works.
The group had stopped at the top of a hill in an open field.
"What in the—" Everyone heard it, but nopony recognized the voice. Nopony except Twilight Sparkle, that is. She and Rainbow made their way to the front of the crowd, and emerged to see a beige stallion with a messy blond mane and strange green clothing.
"Who's this guy?" Rainbow Dash not-so-quietly whispered to Twilight when she saw Link.
"Link! Did you do this?" Twilight said accusingly, while eying him warily.
Rainbow Dash regarded Twilight strangely. "Hold up! You know this pony?"
"Yes, Rainbow. This is that pony that got hit by lightning, remember?" Twilight replied.
"I sure do…" she mumbled with a grouchy expression and crossed forelegs. She had gotten in huge trouble for that storm, mostly because it zapped that pony, even though it had appeared out of nowhere, and every weather pegasus (including her) had tried their hardest to move the clouds away to no avail. In the middle of the night, no less.
"Umm, sorry about that. I didn't know it would draw everybody to me. I thought it only worked on Epona." Link said as he got up.
"What the hay is an Epona?" asked Rainbow Dash as Twilight told all of the confused townsponies to return to their homes.
Link rubbed the back of his neck with his forehoof, before saying, "Umm, she's a—" he started, but before he could finish, they heard the drum of hoofbeats. Familiar hoofbeats now that Link thought about it.
"Hey! Link!" an unfamiliar girl's voice sounded from a brown dot farther down the field.
Link, Twilight and Rainbow all gazed at the brown speck in curiosity, and as the unfamiliar pony got nearer, she became increasingly familiar to Link. Her body was a rich, earthy brown color. Her coat faded from brown to grey as it got closer to her hooves, and her silver mane flowed in the wind as she galloped towards the trio. Link couldn't believe his eyes.
"Link, I came as fast as I could when I heard my song!" she stopped in front of Link, before seeing the two confused mares accompanying Link. "Ummm…who are you two?"
"I think it's fair to ask you the same question," Twilight responded warily, slightly narrowing her eyes at the newcomer
"Twilight, it's okay. She…" Link gestured to the silver-maned mare. "…is Epona."
"I've known Epona ever since I was a child, and we grew up together. It might have sounded strange in Hyrule, but she sort of felt like the sister I never had." Link explained. The four ponies had met up in the library so that he could introduce Epona.
Rainbow spoke up impatiently. "I'm not sure what's going on, but I sure as heck don't understand any of it. You were a human? Aren't those, like, giant hairless monkey things? And your magical blue potato somehow brought Epona here?"
Link sighed. "First of all, this is an ocarina, not a potato. An ocarina is a musical wind instrument that is nearly impossible to play with these Nayru-forsaken hooves…" he held out the appendages in question for emphasis. "..and a potato is a root vegetable that is quite tasty in vegetable stew with tomatoes and carrots. There's a big difference."
Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes, while Twilight and Epona chuckled at Link's lengthy explanation about the differences between an ocarina and a potato.
"Second of all, yes; humans do slightly resemble monkeys, but we are far, far more advanced in comparison. Thirdly, my ocarina didn't bring Epona here, this did." Link held up the horseshoe necklace. Upon closer inspection, small holes lined the surface, and a mouthpiece was visible at its peak.
"Ohhhh, it's another instrument thingy," Rainbow Dash said, before asking, "What's up with you and wind instruments? I mean – you have that ocarina, that necklace, what-"
"Epona" said Twilight trying to change the topic. "How did you end up in Equestria?"
"Let's see…" Epona took a deep breath "Wow, it's only been a few days and the memories are getting all fuzzy and distant. It's SOOOO weird! Anyway, I remember I was in the Hyrule castle stables, and one of those weird jelly things got in there, so I squished it. Then, some Moblin tried to ride me, but I bucked him off. Then I trampled in his face which was kinda gross, but also kind of badass if you think about it because I just kinda showed him who's boss and all that. Anyways, so, um, I looked up, and I saw the ground and the walls and trees and everything disappearing and I was thinking 'What the heck is going on?' so I ended up trapped against a wall and I was like totally freaking out because I thought I was gonna die you know, and I fell into the pit, then all of a sudden I woke up in that field and I was like 'Wow this is like every pony's dream!' and I found a pond and saw my reflection and I looked a LOT cuter than I did in Hyrule, then I found out that I could talk and I was soo excited because I've always wanted to talk! Anyways, I wandered around for a few days, eating berries and enjoying nature and stuff, then I heard my song and I was all like OH MY GOSH LINK! So I ran and I saw you and…holy crap! You're a horse too! This is so cool! Now we can be like actual brother and sister and it won't be weird because we're the same species now!"
The overwhelmed silence that followed stretched on for nearly a minute as Epona caught her breath. Twilight and Rainbow Dash were slightly shocked by Epona's casual description of brutally killing two living creatures, so the silence stretched for a bit longer than it normally would have.
Twilight looked at Dash and said, "I like her. She reminds me of somepony, and I bet you couldn't possibly guess who."
Rainbow Dash snickered, saying, "Yeah, who could ever guess?"
Epona frowned, cocking her head to the side slightly. "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"
"Don't worry, she's a good friend of ours," Twilight clarified. "Anyways, were you a human too before you got here?"
Epona thought for a bit, and said, "Nope. I remember being a horse since my memories began! This whole talking thing is REALLY cool, don't you think? I mean, I may have been able to talk to you when you were a wolf, Link but all I ever said was 'Turn back into a human! Quickly!' or something like that. After that whole thing died down I eavesdropped on lots of human conversations and improved my vocabulary A LOT, and—"
"Wait, did you say wolf? You were a wolf? I thought you said you were a human!" Dash was getting nervous. What if he IS a wolf? And he tries to eat me, and- She realized she was overreacting, and shifted embarrassedly in her seat. Maybe it's just sleep deprivation. Stupid freak storms in the stupid middle of the stupid night... she thought, irritated, although couldn't help but be a bit unsettled.
Link saw the fear in Rainbow's body language, so he knew an explanation was in order. "Okay. At ONE point I was a wolf, but I turned back into a human."
Twilight and Rainbow Dash's eyes widened, as they leaned forwards, urging him to go on.
Link sighed. "Okay. It happened around five years ago, when I was seventeen. I lived in a village called Ordon Village in the Faron woods. I was chosen to deliver a package to Castle Town, the town that sits in the shadow of Hyrule castle, and I was going to ride Epona to get there."
Twilight and Rainbow looked at him, with confused expressions.
"Humans aren't as fast as horses, so they ride on our backs to cross distances faster. We don't mind, really. It's kinda fun!" Epona clarified.
"Thank you Epona," Link continued. "The day I was about to leave, I met my childhood friend, Ilia to say goodbye." Link's expression turned stoic. "We were attacked by monsters. They took Ilia, and stunned me with a club to the head.
When I recovered, I ran after them, but after a while I encountered this enormous black wall that seemed to cut the entire forest in half, and stretch all the way to the sky. Glowing golden runes shifted and glowed on its surface, and a malevolent aura surrounded it.
Before I could react, a creature's arm reached out and grabbed me, pulling me through the barrier. Once inside, I fell to my knees as pain rocketed through my body. I could feel my body changing and shifting, and my screams turned into howls as I turned into a wolf, and collapsed."
Link continued to recite the events in exquisite detail, all the while keeping the listeners riveted. He told him about how the evil man named Zant caused eternal Twilight to befall the land, and meeting the imp-like creature named Midna, who turned out to be the princess of the Twilight Realm, and how with the help of Princess Zelda, he defeated the Gerudo King Gannondorf, who had escaped his imprisonment in the Twilight Realm with the help of Zant.
He also explained that the horseshoe amulet he wore was a gift from Ilia when he rescued her and helped her get her memory back.
When he finished everyone stared at him in awe, even Epona. Twilight and Rainbow Dash had never met anypony who had fought their way almost single-handedly through such horribly unfair odds to save the kingdom, and possibly the world.
"You're an amazing storyteller, Link. I could picture everything in my mind as if I was there…" Twilight said before looking outside, and seeing that the sun was barely peeking over the horizon, casting a deep orange glow across the sky. "Wow! Time sure flies. The sun's almost set." She recounted the story Link told and shuddered at the thought of those terrible events, wishing that she wouldn't have to encounter anything remotely like that.
"That was an awesome story Link! You were like, a real life adventurer! Like Daring Do! Well, I'm gonna head home Twi'. See ya tomorrow!" and with that, the cyan pony flew out the window.
"Daring Do?" Link asked, unsure as to the reference.
Twilight chuckled. "Oh, don't worry. Daring Do's a fictional book character. She's the best comparison to you I would've come up with. You should read the series one of these days."
Link shifted nervously. "Erm, there may be a little problem with that proposal." Seeing Twilight's questioning look, he went on. "Although the Equestrian and Hyrulean dialects are remarkably similar, the written language is much, much different."
Twilight nodded in understanding. "Don't worry, Link," she said cheerfuly. "There are plenty of children's books here to help you learn the language."
"Thank you, Twilight." Link smiled gratefully.
"If it makes you feel any better, I can't read anything! 'Who needs words' is my response to reading!" Epona joked, eliciting a laugh from Link and a confused look from Twilight.
Twilight gasped suddenly. "I'm sorry Epona. I don't have any more spare sleeping bags, so I don't think you can stay here." she paused for a moment. Epona's bubbly, energetic personality reminded her of someone else she knew who would adore the company.
Pinkie Pie was just finishing brushing her teeth for the fifth and final time that day, for when one consumes close to three times their body weight in sweet confectioneries, proper oral hygiene is a must. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.
After a deep excited gasp, and exclaiming, "Visitors!" the hyper pink mare raced downstairs and flung open the door to see her bestest friend Twilight Sparkle. "Twilight! Ohmygoshwhatareyoudoingheredoyouwantacupcakeorapie oranACTUALcakeormaybeasodaorsomehotcoacoaorhowabou tIsaveyouthetroubleofdecidingbygettingyouEVERYTHIN Gormaybeyouwanttohaveasleepoverandwecanplaygamesan dstayuplateandwatchtvand-oh, wait, tv'shaven'tevenbeeninventedyet! Silly me! Anywaysmaybewecan—"
"Pinkie!" Twilight had to stop the hyperactive pony's barrage of questions before her guests had second thoughts. "I have some new friends I would like you to meet."
"OoOOOOoooh… come inside! No use standing out there in the cold! It's not like you're vampires or anything." She suddenly put her face microns away from Twilight's, and staring straight into her eyes. "Are you?" They stayed like that for a full three seconds, until Pinkie was satisfied that they weren't the undead, and let them in.
Twilight cleared her throat. "Pinkie I would like to introduce—"
"Link the human who got sent here from another dimension and his sister-like companion Epona yeah, yeah, the readers already read past that part." Pinkie interrupted.
Twilight was thoroughly confused now. "Pinkie, how did you—"
"Come on Epona! We're gonna have soooooo much fun together it'll be like a sleepover except it will be EVERY NIGHT!" Pinkie squealed in delight as she bolted upstairs to get everything ready.
Twilight grinned nervously at Epona whose face had a bewildered expression plastered onto it.
Suddenly, Epona turned to Twilight and beamed, saying, "Oh my GOSH SHE'S PERFECT! Thank you soooo much!" before she bolted upstairs with Pinke.
As they were walking home, Link asked Twilight, "Are you sure she's fine over there? That pink pony was a bit…" he searched for the right word, "eccentric."
"Eccentric? Isn't that usually used to describe old pawn-shop owners?" Twilight replied with a grin, and they both shared a lighthearted laugh, before Link asked, "What's a pawn shop?"
Link, for the first time in a long time, felt as if he had a chance at a somewhat normal life in this strange land. As normal as it can get if you were a talking horse. He smiled at the possibilities.
That night, Twilight stayed up late listening to Link tell her about his life in Hyrule. When he began recounting Tales about Ilia during his childhood, she saw a distant, sad expression in him that told her that he missed her dearly. Eventually, the clock read 2:00 AM, and she decided that they should get to sleep.
"Twilight," Link called softly from his sleeping bag.
Twilight turned to face Link. "Yeah?"
"Thank you for letting me stay here. I really appreciate your hospitality towards a total stranger."
"Stranger?" Twilight chuckled, "You're no stranger, Link; you're my friend."
Link was surprised. "Really? I just met you yesterday. We can't possibly be friends already."
"What do you mean? Of course we're friends! You humans must be very… erm…" She tried to think of a word that wasn't offensive.
"Cautious? Untrusting?" Link completed for her with a somewhat less positive tone. "Those both apply. There are some people who only pretend to be friends to use you, and manipulate you, and when they're done, they stab you in the back."
Twilight gasped in shock.
"Sorry, it's just an expression."
She relaxed a bit, but was still worried. "Does that mean… you don't want to be my friend? Because you don't trust me?"
Link shook his head. "Of course not. You are as much a friend to me as I am to you. I can tell that you have a kind heart, and are one of the most trustworthy peop- ponies," Link corrected himself, "that I have ever met."
Twilight sighed in relief. "Thank you, Link. I can tell that you're a very nice pony as well." Twilight went quiet for a moment, but Link could tell there was something on her mind. "How did you do it?" She soon confirmed his suspicions.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"How were you able to…kill…that stallion – I mean, man - Gannondorf? I know that he was bad and all, but did you really have to kill him?"
Link sighed. "He was no man. No, he was too far gone to be worthy of such a title. He was a monster. He killed thousands, and ruined the lives of countless more. He cared not for the devastation he left in his wake. For centuries he'd plagued our lands, and I fear he will for centuries more if not in my lifetime then in some poor child's generations away from me. I didn't kill him. Not in a true sense. I merely delayed his reign of terror."
They were both silent for a long moment, Spike's faint snores and their soft breathing the only sounds in the darkness.
Twilight broke the silence after several minutes. "I had no idea he was such a monster, but I don't know if I would be able to do the things you had to, so I respect your decisions." She paused, before continuing, "I can't imagine a world as violent as yours, Link. All of that death and destruction..." Twilight was silent for a moment. "I can't help but wonder if there could have been other ways to deal with Gannondorf, but if he was really as far gone as you say, I doubt any ideas I come up with would be adequate." She chuckled lightly. "Oh, listen to me, thinking out loud. Sorry, I tend to do that sometimes."
"Well, let's stop all this gloomy talk and get to sleep. It's pretty late already," Twilight said with a yawn.
Link's only response was more soft steady breathing. Twilight blushed, realizing that she had probably just talked her guest to sleep, and laid back down on her bed.
She pulled the covers up to her neck, feeling the comforting warmth of the sheets as she planned out their day tomorrow in her head. She would treat them to Applejack's apple cinnamon pancakes for breakfast, and have Rarity fret over his clothes, and have a picnic in the park with Fluttershy, and- her thoughts soon faded as she drifted off to sleep.
A pair of scarlet eyes in the shadows were focused on the purple unicorn as she fell asleep, but soon wandered to the sleeping bag on the floor. The owner of the eyes frowned slightly, before sighing. "Good luck Link…you're going to need it very soon…" The eyes closed, and the otherworldly presence was gone, dissipated into the shadows of the library.