Link broke from the Everfree forest at a moderate walk, and headed for the farm where Epona was staying. It was a nice farm, so he thought, and he greatly appreciated that Applejack had been agreeable to him coming around and seeing Epona, so long as he did not scare any of the other farm animals off. Since he had no intentions of running around and doing such a thing, it worked out nicely.
On his back, Midna stretched, then patted his sides in a friendly gesture.
She was different now, than the little imp that had coerced him to help. It wasn’t easy to pin down where or when it had happened, but recent events seemed to have made the most impact on her. Mortality, it seemed, was something that she had needed reminding of. She was less manipulative, more honest with him. Like he was friend now, as opposed to a convenient tool to get what she wanted.
It seemed that she was also getting a bit less shy about appearing with him, more willing to help him out. As evidenced by the fact that she was riding him around in broad daylight, as opposed to his earlier escapades when she had lurked in his shadow, barely lifting a finger to help him.
It was a welcome change.
Epona was not in the barn, but this was no great surprise. It was the midday, after all. A few quick sniffs revealed the newest scent trail leading into town. He quickly weighed going after her, the panic he would cause versus finding his friend for a little down time. Or perhaps not, the ponies had seemed wary but not overly hostile to him last time, unlike most places he visited.
Bored and wishing to get a slightly closer look around town, Link decided to follow his nose.
The buildings were looming large on the road when Link got the shock of his life.
“Hey!”
---
Pinkie Pie is a rather unusual pony, on that most everypony would agree. Bad, certainly not, but she was able to do inexplicable things, even in a land where a third of the population could do magic. So it was that she was able to get the drop on Link, and his rider.
“Hey!” she greeted suddenly, popping up next to him. A box of cupcakes she had been in the process of delivering bounced to the ground, completely unharmed from its flight.
Link yelped in surprise and flinched so hard he nearly fell over. But Pinkie suddenly didn’t care about that.
Because the creature that was riding him let out a high-pitched shriek and then jumped into Link’s shadow!
“Wait!” she cried out. Then she tried to jump into his shadow too.
The result was that Link and Pinkie ended up in a tangle of limbs on the ground. Link snorted once then growled, irritation clear in his eyes, but Pinkie wasn’t paying attention because she was already back on her hooves and still trying to jump into his shadow after the creature. And trying to talk to his shadow too.
“Wait! I just wanted to talk to you and find out your name and your birthday and your favorite place in Ponyville and invite you to a ‘Welcome to Ponyville Party’ and…”
Link was not amused. He began to walk away, taking his shadow with him. Unfortunately, that was the wrong thing to do because Pinkie was still trying to jump into it.
He whined as he picked himself up off the dirt again, a long suffering whine that conveyed the torture this pink pony was putting him through.
Then his shadow jumped off his body, forming into an inky black version of the creature that had been riding on his back before and leaving Link, inexplicably, with no shadow at all. Said shadow creature then tried, in a language that not a single pony could understand, to shoo the pink pony away. It failed.
“Welcome to Ponyville!” she exclaimed, throwing confetti into the air. “Here’s an invitation to your party, I figured since you hang out with Link and Epona that you would like… to…”
Pinkie trailed off in confusion as the shadow creature produced an invitation of her own. Scrawled, in her own hoofwriting, was Link’s name.
“You were at Link’s party?” she asked quietly. The creature nodded and pointed at the name.
“But… I didn’t have a cake for you,” Pinkie said sadly. “And you weren’t there. How can you make friends with ponies in town if you don’t have a super-funnerific party where you can meet everypony?”
The shadow looked confusedly at Link. Only to discover he was no longer there.
Link licked his lips as he gazed down at the cupcakes in the dropped box. They weren’t his, but those cupcakes at the party had been so good… he could dream…
“No! I’ll give you a cupcake later Linky, but this is a delivery for Clear Weather!” Pinkie told him, scooping the box out of his reach. For some reason, it still felt lighter even as he whined at her…
A quick check confirmed that there was a cupcake missing. That fiend the cupcake thief had visited again! When she got her hooves on him she was going to…
Giggling cut off that thought as both Link and Pinkie turned to the sound. They found the creature, no longer a shadow, floating in midair, and etching lettering on to the frosting of the cupcake with her fingers with careful motion. She gave a satisfied nod, then floated down and held it out for Pinkie to see.
It was some sort of writing, she could tell, but why would-
Pinkie’s eyes narrowed.
“You’re trying to get out of your ‘Welcome to Ponyville’ party, aren’t you?” she asked the creature suspiciously. There was an innocent smile on the creature’s face as she held up Link’s invitation.
Pinkie scrutinized the cupcake carefully. Then the letter. Then back to the cupcake. A hoof came to her chin as she thought.
“I suupppoooossseee that since you now have a cupcake just for you, and you were at Link’s party the whole time, and met all the ponies that Link met, that I can let it slide.” Her eyes narrowed dangerously. “This time.”
She raised a hoof threateningly at the little floating creature.
“But don’t think this means I won’t forget this! Next time there’s a party, you have to come out and talk to ponies just like him!”
The creature shot a confused look at Link. Link nodded his head, so she did the same.
“Okei-dokie, Smokey!” Pinkie grinned. “Now, I have to go find that cupcake thief and give him a piece of my mind! Toodles!”
---
Link and Midna watched silently as the pink pony bounced her way back into town, the rest of the cupcakes in their box bouncing along with her.
Link shook his head. Every time he met that pony, she came up with new and interesting ways to surprise him.
A sudden weight on his back caused him to turn his head and growl at the source– but it was only his companion, as usual. She took a bit from the cupcake, smiled, then pointed. Turning his head, Link saw it was Epona and Applejack, heading out of town towards them. Epona had also noticed them, as she had picked up her pace to a light trot, forcing Applejack to a slow gallop to keep up.
Link sat down and waited for his faithful companion as Midna enjoyed her frosted treat.