//------------------------------//
// Tentacle Terror 
// Story: Equestrian Epona 
// by Shritistrang 
//------------------------------//

"Please, make yourself at home. And if you need anything, feel free to call on a servant or maid. They will be at your service," Cadance said as she showed Princess Zelda to her room.

"Thank you," Zelda smiled as she looked around the luxurious guest room. "By the gods, this looks beautiful. And everything is almost like back at home. How fascinating that everything you have, every piece of furniture and fitment looks like it could have been made in Hyrule."

"Are we really that different?" Cadance asked.

"Well, I'd say yes… I mean, you are beings that walk on four legs, unlike us…" She let out a small gasp when she realized what she said. "Oh, please forgive me… I didn't mean it as an insult."

Cadance let out a small laugh. "It's quite alright. And I must admit, I was a bit shocked as well when Aunt Celestia first told us that the delegates we were about to meet were from a kingdom of two-legged creatures. But when I got used to the thought, I was getting excited to meet you. I was kind of surprised, though, when I saw that you decided to take on Equestrian forms."

"It only seemed fitting," Zelda said. "I figured the best way to adapt to your country and your way of life would be by adapting our own bodies. Also, I didn't really know if your castle was equipped with furniture and bedding fit for a non-Equestrian body."

"That's actually a good point, I certainly didn't think of that," Cadance nodded. "Even though I think your rocky companion will need an exceptionally sturdy, super-sized bed."

Zelda smiled in amusement. "Yes, we have the same problem at my own castle back at home. Gorons really have some trouble sleeping in Hylian beds. I know of a case when one Goron wanted to stay at an inn in Castle Town, and the next morning, not only did he have to pay for the night, but for the bed itself. It just collapsed under his weight."

The two princesses shared a good chuckle and kept on conversing for a while. Zelda quickly realized that she had a lot in common with the princess of the Crystal Empire. They didn't know each other well enough that they could call each other friends, but Zelda was certain that she could, given some time, create a bond with Cadance that would be stronger than any political ties Hyrule and Equestria could have with each other. She now wished more than ever that the negotiations would turn out positive.

"And when he came back from the scouting mission, he had to recover from a terrible cold," Cadance just said. "That's when my husband realized that ruling over an empire situated in the frozen wastes of the north does have its disadvantages."

"The poor thing," Zelda said. "But I'm sure you nursed him back to health, didn't you?"

"Oh, you bet I did," Cadance smiled. "Caring for my dear Shining Armor is one of my favorite pastimes."

"It must be wonderful, being married to such a wonderful man… or stallion, in your case," Zelda sighed.

"What about you?" Cadance asked curiously. "Is there anypony in your life you have a liking to?"

"Oh, I don't really…" Zelda stammered, blushing. "I don't think I'm ready for that yet… I still have much to learn about being a good princess."

"That didn't stop me, did it?" Cadance smirked. "I got married even before I had my own kingdom to rule. And having Shiny at my side helped me with everything I did in the Crystal Empire, every little decision I made. Come on, you can tell me. I am the princess of love, after all. So is there anyone?"

Zelda blushed even more. "W-well, there is this brave, young man who saved my kingdom…"





"So I was standing there, over the lava pit, with no way out. Except for the hole in the ceiling. And one convenient updraft of air and steam and I was free," Daring said.

"Reminds me of that one room in the Fire Temple," Link replied. "Can you imagine I had to push a huge stone block on top of that fire geyser to create a lift that would carry me upwards?"

Rarity rolled her eyes. She had been listening to the two adventurers' tales ever since they started walking, and it was slowly starting to get on her nerves.

"This corridor simply goes on forever," she sighed. "How much further until we reach the exit?"

"But we just went through three different rooms before that," Link said with surprise. "It really didn't take us that long to get through… or did it?" he asked, turning to Daring Do.

Daring chuckled. "You have to remember that not everypony lives the lives we chose for ourselves, Link. Going through a dungeon is something Rarity is probably not used to."

"And I plan not to make a habit out of it, thank you very much," Rarity huffed. "Trying to find my way out of that disorienting, ungrateful castle in the Everfree Forest was more than enough."

Link and Daring exchanged a confused glance, but while both of them were wondering at the same time just how a castle could be ungrateful, they decided not to ask the agitated unicorn. For the moment, they kept on walking.

Until they reached a rectangular room with a deep, seemingly bottomless pit in its middle. The only other exit was on the other side of the pit.

Link carefully approached the edge of the chasm and kicked a little pebble into it. He listened closely, but he never heard the sound of the pebble hitting the bottom.

"Well, this is a problem," he said.

"What problem?" Daring grinned, flapping her wings. "I can carry both of you over to the other side, one at a time. No problem at all." She was about to demonstrate it to the others, but Rarity quickly grabbed her tail with her magic, pulling the pegasus back to the ground. "Hey, what's the matter?"

"Look up there," Rarity said, illuminating the upper half of the chamber with her horn.

And then Daring saw it too: Small fans, hidden in little alcoves in the wall. And even worse: Deadly spikes that covered the entire ceiling.

"Just when you flapped your wings… I saw how the fans were spinning. And the whole ceiling was coming down, just a bit. I'm not an expert in adventuring, darling, but my common sense tells me that flying over there would be a bad idea."

"I see it now," Link said. "The draft created by your wings activates the hidden fans, and a mechanism causes the ceiling to lower itself. This is a death trap, Daring."

"Dangit, I should have seen that coming," Daring grumbled. "Whoever built this room doesn't want a pegasus to cheat the system by just flying over. Looks like we need to solve some sort of puzzle to get across."

Link's dungeon instincts kicked in. "Take a look around, guys. Look for anything that looks out of place. A switch, a hidden pressure plate, anything that could activate something."

"But there is nothing here," Rarity says. "Except for those dusty old pots to the left and right of the door…"

"Did you say pots?" Link asked and ran over to them. He took his hammer and raised it up into the air.

"What are you doing?" Rarity asked. "I thought you were trying to find a way out of this room."

"I am," Link said as he brought the hammer down, smashing the pots to pieces, one after the other.

Daring grinned. "I see what you're getting at. I'll take the other side." She went over to the other corner of the room and started smashing pots with her hooves."

"Can you two tell me what in the name of Celestia you are doing?" Rarity shouted.

"Dungeon exploration rule number one," Link shouted back. "If there are pots in the room, smash them. There might be useful items inside or… aha!" He grinned triumphantly. "Or there might be a hidden switch underneath them."

"There's one on this side, too," Daring said. "We're going to have to push them at the same time, aren't we?"

"Looks like it, and the little pots obviously weren't heavy enough. That means the weight of a whole person… or pony… is needed. Let's try it." And Link stepped on the previously hidden floor switch.

"Excuse me, but isn't that a bit rash?" Rarity asked. "I mean, who knows what these switches are for? Anything could happen…"

"If we want to get out of here, we need to take some risks," Daring said as she stepped on the second one. "And if my treasure hunting experience tells me anything, we'll be out of this room very soon."

For a moment, nothing happened. But then, they heard a rumbling noise from inside the pit. And when Rarity took a look, she saw that a long bridge was extending itself over the chasm.

"See?" Daring grinned. "Piece of cake." She wanted to go over to the bridge, but when she stepped off the switch, the bridge vanished back inside the chasm wall. "Oh, just great," she groaned. "I should have known it wasn't going to be that easy."

"What now?" Link asked. "We need something to weigh down the switches, but there's nothing else here. Maybe we need to find the dungeon item first…"

"There you go again, saying something that doesn't make any sense at all," Rarity sighed. "Let me check if there's anything back in the corridor we can use…" She looked through the door they just came through.

"There they are! They can't escape now, get them!"

Rarity gasped when she saw two Lizalfos running down the corridor, in her direction. Panicking, she quickly closed the door. "Guys? I think we have a small problem."

She stumbled backwards when the first Lizalfos slammed into the door from the other side. The seamstress fell down and rolled over the floor… towards the pit. Rarity let out a scream of terror when her hind legs slid over the edge. Frightened, she tried pulling herself up on solid ground, but she couldn't get a good hold. "Link, Daring Do! Help!"

At the same moment, the door was slammed open by the incoming Lizalfos. The first one attacked Link, forcing him to defend himself. Daring, upon hearing Rarity's cries for help, quickly took her whip in her muzzle and threw the other end towards Rarity. Before she could fall, Rarity quickly grabbed it. "I've got it! Pull!"

Link was quickly realizing that he had trouble keeping up with the fast strikes of the Lizalfos. The hammer was heavier than the sword he mostly used for such fights, and on top of that, this was the first fight he fought in his four-legged form, giving him a noticeable disadvantage.

'I don't think this is a good way to get used to fighting in this form,' he thought to himself. 'But I need to take care of the enemies so Daring can pull Rarity to safety.'

While he managed to block another attack with the hammer's handle, he saw that the second Lizalfos had managed to squeeze past its companion and was on its way to attack Daring, who was in no position to defend herself.

'Screw this!' he thought. 'I'm getting sick of this body anyway.'

He pushed his opponent back with a swing of his weapon and then quickly reached up to his face, tearing the pony mask off his face. Hooves turned into hands, tail and muzzle shrunk down into his body and his whole body shifted back to a more upright position. The Lizalfos was startled by the sudden transformation and stopped its attack for a moment.

Link flexed his fingers. 'Perfect! The body I'm used to.' With reflexes honed by countless battles, he reached into his bag and pulled out his boomerang, which he threw at the Lizalfos that was attacking Daring. Stunned, the monster jerked to a halt. Using both hands, Link picked the Megaton Hammer back up and slammed it down twice, once on each Lizalfos' head. Defeated, the reptiles fell down to the ground.

With a grunt, Daring Do pulled Rarity all the way back up to solid ground. Both panted heavily.

"Thank you, Link," Daring said as she turned around to face him. "If it wasn't for you, I couldn't have…" She stopped herself in mid-sentence when she saw Link's changed appearance.

"Gah!" Rarity shouted. "Wh-what kind of creature is THAT?"

"It's just me," Link frowned as he picked up his boomerang. "This is what I really look like."

"But you… you were soooo handsome and now, now you're so pale and skinny and…" She looked up at his face with a gulp. "Giant…"

"Giant? I've seen true giants, this is normal. You're just little ponies," Link said. "Can we go on now or is my true form so shocking that you need some time to recover?"

He grabbed one of the motionless lizard bodies and deposited it on one of the two switches. Daring managed to pull herself out of her stupor and quickly did the same with the second switch. Together, they crossed the bridge and left the room through the door on the other side.

While walking next to Link, the two ponies couldn't help but glance up at him, every now and then. They tried to be subtle, but Link noticed. "Listen, does that change anything?" he sighed. "I'm the same guy as before. Just not as… furry."

"Sorry, but… can you blame us?" Daring asked. "Ever since we fled that room, I thought you were just another adventuring pony like myself, just from a faraway country. But then you turn into… some sort of hairless monkey? I'm sorry, but that's what you look like in my eyes."

"And your nose and ears are so… pointy," Rarity added.

"I'm a Hylian… and we all have the same ears. And you think it's strange to see me transform? Imagine how it must be for me to turn into a pony! I mean, there are no talking ponies in Hyrule.

"No ponies? A land populated with hairless mon… um, I mean… Hylians? Heavens, I could never imagine living in a land like that," Rarity said.

"No? Then imagine turning into one. How weird would that be? Because that's how weird it was for me to turn into a pony. No offense, I know you're all really nice guys. Well… not all of you." He thought back to Caballeron, Ghirahim and the spa twins.

"Me? On two legs? With no tail or hooves and that pointy… thing in my face?" Rarity felt like fainting, but realized in time that this was not the time or place for that.





"Pardon me… your Lordship?"

Ghirahim turned his head in annoyance. "I thought I told you to search for the escapees. Or did you find them?"

"Um, no." Ahuizotl nervously fidgeted around with his hand-tail. "They fled further into the ruins and those useless reptiles were unable to get past the traps that were in their way."

Ghirahim felt a headache coming. "I'm surrounded by idiots," he muttered. "How does my master expect me to set him free if the minions he sends to me are more useless than a wingless keese? Do I have to do everything around here by myself?"

"My lord… I've been thinking…" Ahuizotl spoke up.

"Oh, you did? Did it hurt?" the demon lord asked mockingly.

Ahuizotl gritted his teeth. He had no idea for how long he could stand the endless insults and mocking of the unicorn. 'Patience,' he told himself. 'As soon as this is over, you'll be rewarded handsomely.'

He cleared his throat. "My lord, about those other friends of Daring Do… the element bearers. You said it yourself, luring them here is our best option. But what will we do once they get here? The last time I dealt with them, they proved to be quite formidable…"

"Oh, is that why you are worried? Are you afraid the great and powerful demon lord is unable to deal with a couple of colorful horses?" Ghirahim snickered.

Ahuizotl opened his mouth as he wanted to remind his lord that even together with him and the twin witches, he was unable to prevent three pony prisoners from escaping. He then wisely decided to shut his mouth.

"Just let them come. To get here, they need to cross the ocean first. And that's when we will strike. Indeed, a nice little surprise will be waiting for them in the depths of the sea… a loyal little beastie that will sink whatever vessel they are on, bring the element bearers to me and kill every other equine that dares to cross its path." The unicorn's muzzle was split by a devilish grin.





I stood at the Mary Lou's bow, enjoying the refreshing combination of wind and sprays of seawater in my face. This was my first time on a ship, but the rocking motions of the waves didn't bother me in the least. It was an exciting experience, one that I would have enjoyed a lot more if I wasn't so worried about my friend.

This wasn't the first time I had to wait for Link. Every time he had entered a temple, a cave, an enemy fortress or some area that could just not accommodate a full-grown horse, I had to stay behind and wait. But back then, in Hyrule as well as Termina, I could always count on him coming back safe and sound. But this was different. This was Equestria, a world he was not familiar with. And now that I was back to my original self, I felt as if I had to stay at his side.

I heard hoof steps behind me and looked back. I saw Rainbow Dash stumbling towards the ship's rail, tail and wings dragging behind her. Her cerulean blue face was tinted with a shade of green. "Oooooooh…" she groaned. "Why can't it stop moving?"

"What's the matter?" I asked. "I thought you were a top athlete, skilled flyer and Wonderbolt trainee. At least that's what Applejack told me. Surely you've been through lots of complex air maneuvers, at breakneck speed at that."

"Yeah, I have. But you can't compare an awesome, action-packed flight with cool stunts with a sickening motion like… this…" She made a gagging sound. "And don't call me Shirley." She then moved her head over the rail and I could hear the contents of her lunch remove themselves from her stomach.

"Maybe you oughta lay down inside for a bit, lassie," the captain suggested. "Might help calm yer stomach down a bit."

"Sounds like a good idea," I nodded. "You don't look so good."

"N-no way… I've had worse… th-this future Wonderbolt can take this rough sea on… show it who's boss…"

"Ya sure about that, Rainbow?" Applejack smirked. "Would be a shame if ya couldn't join us for dinner. We're havin' dandelion sandwiches, y'know?"

"Grrrrraaaaaarrrrrgghh!" With that statement, Rainbow Dash quickly leaned back over the rail. "Damn you, AJ, don't talk… about… fooooooood…"

"You're horrible, you know that?" I told my daughter with a smirk.

"Hah! That's just payback for last week when she and Pinkie Pie put stinkweed in my hat," Applejack said.

"But I thought you were friends."

"What's a little teasing between buddies?" Captain Paddock laughed. "Life's too short and must be enjoyed to its fullest. A little prank now and then can't hurt, lass."

In exactly that moment, we heard the voices of the Cutie Mark Crusaders coming from the helm.

"Maybe this wheel can turn much faster if we use some oil on it," Scootaloo suggested.

"Ya think that's a good idea, Scoots?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Wait, I have a much better idea!" Sweetie Belle shouted. "Instead of oil, we'll be using soap!"

"Awesome!" Scootaloo said. "Once we're done with this ship, it will go so much faster. Won't the captain be thankful."

"Cutie Mark Crusaders ahoy!" they shouted together.

The captain paled. "Keep yer hooves from me beloved ship!" he shouted as he hurried after them. "Thousand thundering typhoons, I should have never brought children aboard…"

"I'm starting to have second thoughts about bringing the fillies along," I told Applejack.

"Why, you still think it's too dangerous for them?"

I shook my head. "No, I think it might be too dangerous for us to keep them around."

"Ah, they're not that bad," she grinned. "I've seen them do worse."

"I don't know how that's supposed to put me at ease," I said. "Are they acting like that all the time? I can imagine how they must feel, wanting to find their cutie marks, wanting to find out where they fit in and what they are supposed to do with their life… but a lot of the things I've seen them do doesn't really seem like it's going to help them find their cutie marks. Some of their ideas are just… weird. I mean, a cutie mark for scrubbing planks? Really?"

"Yeah, they get carried away a lot when they do this," Applejack admitted. "And I always try to intervene when I think they're overdoing it. Sometimes it's just hard to keep an eye on three little fillies when there's all this work to do on the farm, y'know?"

"Can't someone else watch over them?" I asked. "What about their parents? Or Sweetie Belle's sister?"

"They're pretty busy themselves. Especially Rarity, with all these orders she's gettin' for her fancy outfits."

"And Rainbow Dash? She said Scootaloo is like a sister to her… and she's a weather pony, so she has to have a lot of free time in-between jobs. Can't she look after them?" I asked.

Applejack frowned. "Where d'ya think they got half of their brilliant ideas from?"

I glanced over to Rainbow Dash, who was just recovering a bit from her seasickness. "Hehehe… I don't know what you're talking about," she said sheepishly.

Applejack raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah? What about hang gliding, zip lining and karate? Those were all your ideas, remember?"

My glance turned into a glare. What was that mare thinking? All those sports were incredibly dangerous if not done correctly, especially for a little filly. I understood more and more what my daughter meant when she called her flying friend reckless.

"C'moooon, those are all awesome ideas for a cutie mark. Let the squirts have some fun while they're at it," Rainbow said.

"Oh, I'm sure the girls will have their fun. I heard they want to try making DINNER tonight… maybe that'll help them get their cutie mark," I said.

"GAAAAAAAAAH! You're both horrible!" Rainbow shouted as she bent over the rail once again. "Oh my gosh… it's getting worse…"

"She's right, it is getting worse," Applejack frowned. "The waves are getting bigger and bigger." She turned to the captain, who just came to us with the CMC in tow. "Captain, is this normal?"

"Not in this weather," he frowned. "That's strange… clear skies and not nearly enough wind to cause waves of such a size. This can mean only one thing…" He leaned over the rail himself and stared down into the water.

"What's going on, Mom?" Apple Bloom asked. "Everything's going to be fine, isn't it?"

"Sure, seedling," I told her. "I'm sure the captain has everything under control." I wanted to reassure her, to make her feel better. But since I knew next to nothing about sailing, I had no idea what to tell her.

A sudden thump against the ship's underside made us all jump in surprise. "Wh-what was that?" Scootaloo yelped.

"We… must have hit a reef or somethin'," Applejack took a guess.

"No," the captain muttered. "This is no reef. This is a sea monster."

And suddenly, they appeared. Long, slimy tendrils that slithered their way up the ship's hull… pale white tentacles as thick as a stallion's body. They rose out of the water and high above our heads, swaying back and forth, as if they were biding their time to strike.

"What is that thing?" Rainbow Dash gasped. "Is it… is it a Kraken?"

"No, it can't be… the last Kraken sighting was decades ago, in the eastern seas…" Paddock said.

Then the ocean seemed to explode. An enormous flood of water shot up into the air when a colossal monster came rising out of the sea. The water came splashing down onto the deck in a big flood. "Hold onto something!" I shouted as I clung to the nearest rail with one hoof, and to Apple Bloom with my other hoof. I heard the screams of the others nearby, but I did not see what happened to them. I was unable to take my eyes off the creature that towered in front of our ship. A giant, one-eyed monstrosity with dozens of tentacles all over its head and body and a gaping maw full of sharp teeth.

I couldn't know it yet, but this was the abyssal leviathan, Tentalus. And it had come on orders of its master Ghirahim.