//------------------------------//
// Preparing for War 
// Story: Equestrian Epona 
// by Shritistrang 
//------------------------------//

As Ghirahim sat on his seat, looking over the construction site of his tower, a dark shadow fell over his face. He looked up at the figure in the black cloak standing behind him.

"Ah, minion." the demon lord said in a good mood. "What do you have to report?"

"Construction is proceeding at a slow, but steady rate, my lord," the figure said in an eerie, raspy voice. "Eventually, the tower will be finished, but much later as we anticipated."

"Ah, that is too bad," Ghirahim sighed. "I wish I could have put the next step in my plans into motion from my new seat of power."

"Shall I assign more taskmasters to improve the slaves'… morale?" the servant asked.

"No, I don't want to weaken my troops just to whip a few more slaves into submission," Ghirahim said. "At worst, the tower will be finished after my master sets foot onto this world. Just make sure to finish the summoning circle as fast as possible. And maybe cut the dog's rations in half… maybe that will improve their motivation."

"As you command, my lord," the cloaked figure nodded. Ghirahim levitated a glass of wine from the small table next to his seat to his lips and took a sip, expecting the minion to leave him in peace. But the dark shadow was still upon him. "Is there anything else?" he asked, slightly annoyed.

"Yes, my lord," the servant nodded. "You said you wanted to be informed as soon as our eye in the sky reaches its destination near the cloud city."

"Eye in the… oh, I get it. Very funny, minion!" The demon lord chuckled. "Good, then give him the order to attack immediately."

"Right now, my lord?"

"Yes, right now!" Ghirahim narrowed his eyes. "Do you have a problem with that?"

"No, my lord. I just wanted to point out that the last monster you sent was defeated by a much smaller group of ponies. My advice would be to send some reinforcements."

"Are you questioning my judgement on this one, minion?" Ghirahim said in a dangerously low voice.

"I would never dare to attempt such a thing," the servant said, lowering his head. "I merely wanted to ensure victory for our dark master by sending in my swarm to assist the eye."

"Hmmm, might not be a bad idea," Ghirahim pondered. "I still want to hold back sending in any of the Bokoblin and Moblin troops… especially since they would be pretty much worthless in a city made of clouds they can't even walk on. Absurd Equestrian laws of nature… Very well, you may send in your little pets. Oh, and take my newest pet with you. It will give her something to do, and seeing her in action for the first time should be pretty entertaining." He tried snapping his fingers, only to realize that he didn't have any. With a sigh, he settled with stomping the ground once. The Flutterbat looked up from the spot where it was lying on the floor.

Ghirahim pointed at the cloaked figure. "Go with him. Do whatever he commands you to do, as if I were the one giving the commands. Oh, and feel free to satisfy your hunger on any living creature you come upon during your mission."

The Flutterbat hissed obediently.





Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were playing a game of hide-and-seek, when the skies over Sweet Apple Acres were suddenly darkened by a flock of bat ponies that were on their way to Ponyville.

"Woooooow…" Apple Bloom said in awe as she stuck her head out of the barrel she was hiding in and watched how the first row of the flock began to descend and land on an empty plain close to the orchard. "I've seen bat ponies pull Princess Luna's chariot on Nightmare Night, but never this many at once. Have you, girls?"

"Nope," Scootaloo said, shaking her head. "Found you, by the way."

"Oh, come ooooonnn!" Apple Bloom shouted. "That so didn't count!"

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"That looks amazing," Sweetie Belle said as she crawled out of a bush and, like Apple Bloom, watched the landing of the bat ponies. "The way they're flying… sure makes you wish you could fly just like them, doesn't it?"

"Yeah…" Scootaloo muttered. "I wish…"

"Oh… I mean…" Sweetie blushed. "I didn't mean it like that, Scootaloo."

"It's okay," the pegasus filly sighed. "I'm not that upset about it anymore. And who knows, maybe I just need a bit more time than others."

"Wow, being in Fluttershy's group really helped you," Apple Bloom said.

Scootaloo nodded. "I just wish there's something I can do… we can do to help her."

"Yer not thinking of what I'm thinking, are ya?" Apple Bloom asked.

"I dunno… does it involve sneaking after Rainbow Dash and the others when they set out to help Fluttershy?" Scootaloo smirked.

"I don't know, girls," Sweetie Belle sighed. "I really think we should sit this one out. Applejack is right, we're not that big of a help when it comes to fighting bad guys."

"But we beat up Ahuizotl!" Scootaloo shouted. "The big bad of all the Daring Do books! Doesn't that count?"

"Sure we did, but… in the end, he was just a big wimp, wasn't he? And he doesn't have any sort of magic. And this evil unicorn guy seems to be pretty powerful. And what can I do so far? Levitate a broom…"

That's when I decided to jump in. "You know, it's good to see that you girls want to be responsible, but that doesn't mean you should sell yourselves short," I said. "You are young, you've still got a lot of potential to discover."

Surprised, they turned around to look at me.

"Ah! It's a monster!" Sweetie Belle shouted.

"A Diamond Dog without a tail!" Scootaloo shouted.

"A furless Sasquatch!" Apple Bloom shouted.

Oh, right… I still was in my Hylian form. I almost forgot about that. And the three fillies had never seen me like this before. "Take it easy, it's just me," I sighed.

"Mom?" Apple Bloom asked. "Yer looking pretty weird."

"That's what the inhabitants of Hyrule look like," I told them. "At least most of them. And I don't blame you for not recognizing me. But I thought I taught you better than to call any creature you've never seen before a monster," I scolded. "You've met Ruto and Darunia, right? And they are no monsters."

"Yeah, but at least they kind of resemble ponies… they walk on four legs and everything," Scootaloo said. "This is just… weird."

"I'll go to Twilight right away and ask her to take away the enchantment," I said. "I just heard you talking about the bat ponies." I looked up at the swarm that was still busy landing, one wave after another. "Are they all on our side?"

"I think so," Apple Bloom nodded. "I saw some of them when Princess Luna visited Ponyville. I never knew so many of them existed. Looks like they're on their way to the library."

"Well, then I guess I better head there, too," I said. "See you later, girls… and try not to worry too much. We grownups got everything under control."





The front lawn of the Ponyville library looked a lot different from the last time I saw it. Bat pony troops were standing around everywhere, a big table filled with battle plans, marching orders and strategic maps was standing in front of the door and one soldier was handing out weapons of all kind. The ponies of Ponyville were gazing at the spectacle with bewilderment. One or two even tried to come closer to get a better look, but they were held back by the troops. As for me, the soldiers looked at me skeptically, but once I told them who I was, they agreed to take me to their commander, who was standing at the table, together with Princess Twilight and the other Element Bearers… minus Fluttershy, of course.

My daughter was there as well, of course. I saw her and Rarity take some weapons out of a crate and experimentally lift them up with their mouths and hooves.

"Is this really what we should use in battle?" Rarity asked with a frown as she hefted a hand axe with her magic. "Seems awfully uncivilized. I'd rather not get my hooves dirty…"

"That's not what you said when you kicked that manticore in the face, Rarity," Applejack chuckled. "I betcha it still as a pair of hoof prints on his face even today."

Rarity coughed in embarrassment. "W-well, it seemed appropriate at the time… I still think some finesse helps a lot more than brutish strength."

"Feel free to do what you wanna do, partner," Applejack replied with a smirk. "As for me, I can imagine it must feel mighty good to smash some monsters with this here thing." And she picked up a huge war hammer.

"Good choice of weapon, sister-in-arms," Darunia smirked. "This weapon reminds me of the ancient Goron weapon of legend. I would wield it myself… but alas, Link has it in his possession right now."

"If you ask me, Rarity got it right," I said as I stepped onto the scene. "You can always trust your bare hooves in battle. I just wish I had mine back already."

"Mom, yer back!" Applejack looked up at me with joy and relief. "That was fast… how did it go in Hyrule? Where's Link? Didn't he come back with ya?"

My heart sank a bit as soon as Link was mentioned. Even though he and I reconciled, it was still a touchy subject. "Let's just say things didn't turn out so well…" I said. I decided not to tell them about Ganondorf just yet. There was no need of worrying them with even more bad news… and Ganondorf was probably not even interested in Equestria. All he ever wanted were Hyrule and the Triforce, right?

"But what about Link? Didn't he want to help us with that magical sword thingamajig of his?" Applejack asked.

"He… has some matters that need to be handled back at home," I said. "He'll come after me as soon as those are handled." While I tried to sound convincing, I wasn't exactly able to reassure myself.

"I'm sorry to hear this, but I'm still glad you're back," Twilight said as she came over from the war table. "I assume you would like to be turned back into your pony form now, right?"

"Yes, if you please," I nodded. "It was interesting for a trip to Hyrule, but I'd rather be in my old body while I'm here."

"Just a moment…" Twilight concentrated and her horn started glowing. A short moment of uncomfortable feelings crawling over my skin, and I found myself back on four hooves.

"Good to have ya back, Mom," Applejack smiled as she gave me a quick nuzzle.

"It's good to be back," I said as I returned the gesture. "But I see a lot has happened while I was gone… what are all those bat ponies doing here?"

"We are here on order of Princess Luna," the commander said as she stepped next to Twilight. "The enemy is gathering a huge amount of troops and resources in the Diamond Dog territory, so we need to be prepared for everything."

"Yeah, good thing I polished my party cannon for the occasion," Pinkie Pie said as she pushed a colorful cannon onto the scene.

"Miss Pie… I doubt the enemy will be impressed by shots of confetti and streamers," the bat pony frowned.

"To Pinkie's defense, it worked wonders in the battle against the changelings, Commander Night Glide," Twilight snickered. "Don't ask me how it works, though. I don't really understand it… It defies all scientific logic."

Applejack shrugged. "No need to understand anything. It's Pinkie Pie, enough said."

"So, what's the situation?" I asked as I took a quick glance at the battle plans. I really didn't understand half of the things I saw.

"The enemy hasn't made its move yet," Night Glide explained. "The mountains they dwell in are guarded here, here and here." She pointed at a few spots on the map. "I say our best bet is to strike first, so we can get the element of surprise."

"Hey, that should be my element!" Pinkie shouted suddenly. "The Element of SURPRISE! Doesn't that sound sooo much better than Laughter? On the other hoof, I do love to make my friends laugh… hmmmmm… choices, choices…"

Night Glide rolled her eyes. "Could we stay on topic? Princess, you have three squadrons of the Nocturnal army at your command. Squadron A is right in front of you, they will lead the attack. Squadron B is the flank squad, they will attack from the sides after the battle has commenced. And then there's Squadron C, the stealth squadron."

"Where is Squadron C?" Twilight asked. "I can't see it anywhere."

The commander smirked. "That's why they are the stealth squadron.

"Oh… right. What else?"

"Well, if you are attacking the enemy's stronghold, I want to be part of it," I said. "I am battle experienced and I have the right to defend Equestria as well."

Night Glide frowned. "You are not part of the military."

"So? Neither are we," Applejack said, pointing at herself and her friends. "In fact, we have much less battle experience than my mom here."

"But you are the Element Bearers, you are a special case… never mind," Night Glide sighed.

"She is a special case as well," Impa intervened. I almost didn't notice she was present, too. "She is the companion of the Hero of Time. Excuse us for a moment…" She looked at me and tilted her head towards the door. I guess she wanted to speak to me in private.

"Um, of course," I said. "I'll be right back."

I followed her inside. I could already tell what she wanted. As soon as I closed the door, I looked at her. "I guess you're wondering what happened in Hyrule."

"Yes. Princess Zelda promised we would assist our new allies with the Master Sword against Ghirahim. It is not her to break her word. So what happened?"

"More or less the worst possible thing," I sighed. "Twinrova released Ganondorf from his prison and they escaped to Gerudo Valley."

Impa uttered a curse in the native language of her tribe. "The situation is getting worse by the minute," she grumbled. "You know I cannot stay behind and help in the fight under these circumstances, right? I need to get back to assist Princess Zelda."

"But she gave you the order to stay with Princess Twilight, didn't she?" I asked.

"Yes, but… she did that back when she had no reason to believe that Ganondorf would be back. I have to get back to Hyrule… I'm sorry to put it this way, but the safety of my own world comes first. I'm sure you understand that."

I understood only too well. "Very well," I said. "Go ahead and help them. At least that means I know there's one warrior more who helps Link. And what about the other sages?"

"It is their duty to use their powers to protect Hyrule," Impa said. "But I can't force them to come… if any of them decide to stay here and help, it's their decision. I'm still going to tell them."

"Just don't tell Princess Twilight and her friends about Ganondorf yet," I said. "We have enough troubles on our hooves as it is. And we have a battle to focus on."

"All right, but don't wait too long with telling them," Impa said. I nodded and went back outside.

"Sorry about that," I said as I arrived back at the war table. "What did I miss?"

"We were just going through the final steps," Twilight said. "Rarity was in Canterlot while you were gone and asked some of her contacts if there was any way they could support this fight."

"It was Fancy Pants who contacted the armorer's shop and helped deliver all these weapons," Rarity said. "He will also take care of sending supplies to the front lines."

"That's one problem off our back," Night Glide said. "What about support troops?"

"I sent a letter to Princess Celestia and asked her if she was going to send the royal guard as well," Twilight said. "But didn't get an answer yet. But Rainbow Dash went to Cloudsdale to ask if the Wonderbolts were willing to assist. She hasn't come back yet…"

A bat pony sergeant then stepped up to us. "Commander? I have a couple of individuals here who said they wanted to speak to the princess. Apparently, they've been sent from Canterlot."

"Finally, some reinforcements," Night Glide said with relief. "Where are they?"

"Right here, Commander!" The sergeant stepped aside to reveal… a whole of four ponies standing behind them. A pair of pegasi, an earth pony and a unicorn, to be precise.

Night Glide narrowed her eyes. "Only four? Is that supposed to be some kind of joke?"

"No joke, ma'am," the white pegasus stallion said as he stepped forth with a salute. "I'm Captain White Wing and this is my team… Princess Celestia sent us to assist in whatever way possible. These are Light Beam, Splinterhoof and, um…"

"Sparky!" the female pegasus next to him said with a smirk.

"Well… if Princess Celestia says you are enough, then I have faith in you," Twilight said, ignoring Pinkie Pie's chuckling at the pegasus' name. "Will you join the Nocturnal forces when they attack the enemy?"

"I suppose they can assist Squadron B," Night Glide muttered.

"Sure, we can do that," Captain White Wing nodded.

"Just one question, princess," I said. "How are they going to do that? I mean, they have two pegasi, but what about the unicorn and the earth pony? How are they going to join up with a flying squadron?"

"Hey, you worry about yourself, got it?" the female earth pony Splinterhoof grumbled.

Light Beam the unicorn mare gave her companion a slight nudge. "What my friend wanted to say is that we'll find a way to help. We won't stay in anypony's way."

"For now, I guess only… Sparky… and me will join the attack," White Wing said.

"You drag us all the way here just to leave us behind?" Splinterhoof shouted. "No way, I've come here for some action and I will get it!"

"That's no way to talk to a superior officer, soldier!" Night Glide snapped. "You have your orders."

Splinterhoof looked like she wanted to throw an insult into Night Glide's face, but Light Beam quickly put her hoof in front of the earth pony's mouth. "And she'll be happy to carry them out, ma'am," she said.

"I hope you'll be capable of keeping your soldiers in line, captain," Night Glide said. "We can't win this war with a disorganized army."

"Oh, no worries, commander," White Wing chuckled. "She's just a bit cranky because she's bored."

Splinterhoof managed to shove Light Beam's hoof aside. "I'll show you who's cranky, you goose-feathered brat of an ang… mmmmmmph!" She flailed around as the unicorn's hoof was once again in front of her mouth.

"Um, give me a moment to calm her down," White Wing grinned sheepishly. "Won't take long…"

The pegasus and his team withdrew from the meeting, muttering to each other quietly. I couldn't understand everything that was said, but I clearly heard the captain say: "See? This is why I shouldn't be the leader…" What a group of weirdos.

"Is there anything else we need to discuss or can we start the attack already?" Ruto asked. "Who knows what Ghirahim is doing to Fluttershy while we're wasting our time here."

"Wouldn't you rather go back to Hyrule with the other sages?" I asked Ruto.

The Zora princess shook her head. "No. I know my people are waiting for my return, but I know they are strong and can take care of things without me. Also, Fluttershy is my friend and I let her down when that creep took her away… I won't let her down again."

"We still have to wait for Rainbow Dash to come back from Cloudsdale," Twilight said. "As soon as she's back, we can go and…"

"Look out below!" came the already familiar shout of a blue pegasus with a multi-colored mane as she came crashing down from the skies, into the war table.

"That was another crasheriffic landing, Dashie!" Pinkie smirked.

"Yeah," Applejack muttered. "But next time… could you maybe try not to land on top of me?"

Rainbow Dash didn't respond. She quickly jumped off Applejack's back and shouted: "Twilight! You guys! Quick, you have to come… it's Cloudsdale!" I could see the panic in her eyes.

"What? What's the matter with Cloudsdale? Weren't you just there?" Rarity wondered.

"Are the Wonderbolts coming to help or not?" Applejack asked.

"That's just it… they need our help first," Rainbow Dash said. "Cloudsdale is under attack by monsters! The Wonderbolts are doing their best to fight back the invaders, but they need help. So hurry!"

"It makes sense Ghirahim would want to take out anyone and anything that could oppose him," I said. "The Wonderbolts are Equestria's best flyers… so he's attacking Cloudsdale so they can't help us."

"Commander, we need to leave now," Twilight said. "Can you send your troops to Cloudsdale to assist the Wonderbolts as quickly as possible?"

"Right away, princess," Night Glide nodded. "Squadron A… Attack formation! To Cloudsdale!"

"I'll go with them and help," Rainbow Dash said. "I wanted to stay and fight, but somepony had to go and get help… and well, I am the fastest."

"I'll come along too," Twilight said. Then she turned to Pinkie, Applejack, Rarity and me. "You guys wait here. I'd like to perform the cloud walking spell on you so you can help as well, but we don't have enough time for that."

She had a point there. I was ready to fight everything that might threaten Equestria… but I was still unable to walk on clouds. So I had no choice but to leave this fight to them.

Just then, Sparky appeared next to us, followed by White Wing. "If you need some help, the captain and I are always ready to lend a helping hand."

"Hoof!" White Wing whispered.

Sparky nodded. "Right. That's what I meant. Hoof."

"We'll gladly accept your help," Twilight smiled. "Now, let's go!"

And Twilight, Rainbow, White Wing, Sparky, Night Glide and a whole squadron of Nocturnal soldiers took off into the skies, leaving the rest of us behind.

"Great, now I feel useless," I muttered.