//------------------------------// // Sidequest: 'Gossip' Stoned part 1 // Story: The Hero of Time in Equestria // by Mikoyose //------------------------------// (Extra long chapter! sorry damn writers block stopping me from progressing but here's something that popped into my head while trying to continue so....... Yeah ......... here you go.) Link awoke beneath one of the thousands of apple trees on the Applefamily's farm, Sweet Apple Acres, he looked up into the colorful sky and the juicy red apples hanging from the tree. He stretched his arms and legs before pulling his left leg up to his chest "Ow, ow, ow, cramp!" he laid there rolling side to side before picking himself up and dusting himself off. He looked into the tree searching for the biggest apple of the bunch, he spotted it near the top of the tree, he reached into his pouch taking out his hookshot: a bronze object with a scorpion stinger looking tip. He brought it up in front of the apple before the tip shot out, a chain trailing behind, it hit the apple in the center. Link pulled on the handle which made the chain retract, bringing the tip and the apple to him, he pulled the apple off before returning his hookshot to the pouch and taking a large bite of the apple, he could feel the juice slide down his chin. When he finished the apple he tossed the apple core over his shoulder as he walked towards the farmhouse. As he approached the farmhouse he saw the CutieMarkCrusaders poking,staring, and bucking a large stone. "What the hay is this thing?" Scootaloo said before bucking it again "Ah don' know it was 'ere when i woke up." Applebloom said staring at the stone with Sweetiebelle "Looking at the picture on it makes me feel weird." Sweetie sat with Applebloom. Link walked up behind them "Hi Crusaders! What're you doing today?" he asked not noticing the mark on the stone, his voice made the fillies jump before they turned to him. "We were going to go make muffins with Pinkie and Derpy but Applebloom told us about this rock that appeared next to her house." Sweetiebelle said smiling at Link with the other two CMC. Link noticed the mark on the stone and his eyes shot open "So this just appeared out of nowhere?" he asked the crusaders not taking his eyes off the stone. "Yea' it wasn't 'ere yesterday." Applebloom said before Scootaloo asked "Do you know what it is?" "Well that is from Hyrule it's called the 'stone of truth'" he looked at the picture of an eye on the stone, it felt like the gaze pierced his mind. "Oh no" Link said remembering he had to see Twilight at seven thirty that day. "What?" the crusaders asked together. "I have to go see twilight." he said pulling his sword and hitting the stone as hard as he could making it bounce like jell-o before it spoke "Boinng! Boinng! it is now 9:26:07" the crusaders looked at the stone upon hearing it say the time "Oh no i'm late!" Link said putting the bunnyhood on and sprinting towards Ponyville before the fillies could ask any questions. Running through Ponyville he saw crowds gathering around the gray stones wondering what they were. He saw Twilight's house several yards ahead of him and outside were the Mane 6 standing around another gray stone. Twilight was examining it while the others watched, besides Fluttershy who was shuffling nervously in front of it. Link tripped on a rock while running and rolled to a stop in front of the stone and Twilight, "I'm sorry Twilight,l it's just that I had fallen asleep and woke up a few minutes ago." he said putting the bunnyhood away, getting up, and dusting himself off again. "Oh that's alright, we can do that later." she said still examining the stone "But would you happen to know what this thing is." she asked still looking at the stone "Oh that's a 'Stone of truth' or better known as 'Gossip stones' in Hyrule" he said gaining the attention of Rarity who ran up to Link "Gossip? How does it work?" she asked with a twinkle in her eyes. "Well it's gaze supposedly searches your mind it remembers somethings sometimes useful mostly just things to Gossip about." at this Rarity ran up to the stone leaning into it and whispering "Tell me those secrets you have..." after several minutes of Rarity trying to get the stone to talk Link interrupted her "Well it won't say anything unless you wear the 'Mask of truth'" he said pulling out a white mask with the same eye design on it as the stone. Twilight walked up to the mask her horn glowing as she examined it. "There's a small magical field around it." she said before Rarity took the mask and put it on, going back to the stone. "So stone what do you know?" upon asking this time she heard a voice in her head "I overheard this: Twilight has 'special' romance novels hidden under her desk that she reads when Spike is asleep" Rarity gasped and turned to Twilight "You're hiding 'special' romance novels?" hearing this made the purple mare's face flush "NO! Uh... N-no, no I'm not." she said looking away from Rarity her red face barely noticeable by Link under her lavender coat. Link walked to Rarity taking the mask "These stones aren't good to have around. I'm now regretting telling you this mask let's you hear them." he said putting the mask away "Ooh, ooh, ooh I saw one of these at Sugar cube corner!" Pinkie said running at Link taking the mask from his pouch and running towards Sugar cube corner. "Oh no this can't be good" Link said what the others were thinking. "We better git' that mask back." Applejack said running after Pinkie the others followed close behind. They caught up to Pinkie as she was talking to the stone the mask on her face "I didn't know that! What about Doctor hooves?" she giggled uncontrollably at the answer they couldn't hear. "Pinkie give that back you don't know what you're doing!" Link said reaching for the mask as Pinkie jumped away from him then ran off again. "What in Dins name are we going to do about her?" Link said putting his bunnyhood on to keep up with Pinkie's speed. Rainbow dash and Link were the closest to Pinkie as she stopped again for another stone. When they got close she giggled and sped off again "Pinkie get back here!" Rainbow yelled before Pinkie began taking as many turns as she could in the Village losing them after a few minutes. "We lost her." Rainbow said sitting down "And i really wanted that mask." she sighed deep in thought until Link snapped her out of it "You shouldn't use it it could ruin your friendships back in Hyrule it actually ruined seventeen marriages or was it twenty three?" this shocked Rainbow dash "What? it ended that many marriages? What happened?" she asked "Well most of the stories are the same the wife or husband see's one and it tells them about the other and usually it isn't good, the stones tend to bend and twist the truth a little. I think the only way to get that mask is to sneak up on her so i'll use the stone mask." he said pulling a rock with a crudely carved face on it "How's that thing going to help?" Rainbow asked "Turn around then you'll see." she gave him a curious look but did what she was asked "Okay now look at me." she sighed "Fine but I still don't see what's going... to... happen." she looked around seeing she was alone beside a large rock "Where'd you go?" she said aloud looking around for Link, turning her back on the rock when he spoke Rainbow jumped "I'm right behind you." he said taking the mask off allowing Rainbow to see him "What? where'd that rock go?" she looked around "Well that rock was me. This mask makes you look like a rock to others it was very useful when I was surrounded by monsters." he put the mask back on changing into a rock "That's so cool! could I use that sometime?" she asked the rock making other ponies look at her like she was crazy. Twilight and the others had caught up to Rainbow and Link, they stopped when they saw Rainbow dash was talking to a rock, Applejack asked "Why the hay are yah talkin' to that rock?" she shared a confused look with the others. "Oh this isn't a rock it's Link! He has this mask that makes him look like a rock!" she said making the other ponies exchange nervous glances again Rarity went up to the rock "Is that really you Link?" she said to the rock before they saw Link appear, as they blinked, holding his stone mask "Yep that was me. I can use this to get the mask back from Pinkie." he said watching the mares close their gaping jaws all besides Rarity who stared at the mask in disgust "That thing is hideous." she walked back to the other mares. "We lost her, have you seen Pinkie?" Link asked them, they shook their heads, he sighed "Well let's start searching." he walked to the nearest building brought out his hookshot and shot the roof then pulled the handle causing the chain to drag him onto the roof so he could get a better vantage point, as he reached the roof he heard Rainbow dash "That is so cool!" he smiled looking down onto the ponies searching for Pinkie's unmistakable color. They began searching Rainbow and Fluttershy from the sky Rarity and Twilight on the ground and Link using his hookshot to go from roof to roof looking for the pink mare. Link saw Twilight near the town hall "Hey Twilight! See her?" he yelled down, Twilight looked up and yelled back "Not yet, have you?" "Nope we have to hurry who knows what she's doing right no-" Link was interrupted by Fluttershy, who had tapped his shoulder "i-i'm sorry but i found her she's at the library." Link smiled "Thank you Fluttershy." he said before telling Twilight "Alright I'll get the mask, you get the others and meet me there!" he yelled before jumping from the roof, scaring Twilight and Fluttershy, and rolling himself into a run. He arrived at the library seeing Pinkie talking to the gossip stone, he put his mask on and walked over to Pinkie, when he got right next to her she looked at him "Hello Mr.Rock when did you get there?" she said through the mask. Link reached out and grabbed the mask pulling it off and putting it away "Why did you take that from me Mr. Rock? That wasn't nice." she said giving Link/rock an angry stare he took the mask off and said "BOO!" making Pinkie fall onto her back before she started giggling "That was f*Hiccup*un Li*Hiccup* ink, I didn't know *hiccup* you could tur*Hiccup*n into a rock!" "I can't without-" he cut himself off so she wouldn't take that mask "Yeah but I can only do it once" he said Pinkie kept her trademark smile "Okie dokie lokie." she said as the other mares arrived "So you got it back?" Twilight said Link nodded in reply "Okay then let's go inside and you can tell us about these stones." she said "And the stories of the marriages." Rarity added "Rainbow dash told you about that? Alright after you." he said holding the door to the library open heading in after the other mares walked in. "Okay the stones were made by a tribe of people called the Shiekah they made them, but the reason for I can't remember." he said taking a sip of the tea Twilight had made "This is pretty good thank you." "Your welcome. Now please continue." "Alright the stories are usually all the same the wife or husband had proposed or been proposed to had to be separated until the marriage in that time one of them is given the mask of truth which they decided to use when they did the stone would tell them that the other is." he stops to take another sip of tea sighing "Either cheating, lying, or planning to murder them for money. This makes the one paranoid and these stories usually end up with them not getting married or killing each other. What's the next question?" he asked no pony in particular as Twilight was about to say something the CMC ran in and over to Pinkie "Pinkie you said you were going to help us bake muffins!" Scootaloo said while Derpy stood at the entrance. Link stared at this gray pegasus with the strange eyes "Hello, I don't think I've seen you before. I'm Link" he said smiling the mare returned his smile "Hi Link, I'm Ditzy but you can call me Derpy every pony else does." "Hi Derpy what do you do around here?" "Oh I'm a delivery pony." "Come on Pinkie! Let's go." Sweetie said pulling on the pink mares hooves "Yea' we need our cutie marks." Applebloom said through a mouthful of Pinkie's tail "Okie dokie lokie! See you later." she said following the fillies and Derpy out of the library "Bye" Link said before continuing "Okay Twilight what were you going to say?" "Oh yeah i was wondering, can I see the mask of truth?" she asked Link smiled and nodded taking it out Twilight's horn glowed, the mask did also, making the mask float over to her. She stared at it before putting it on and walking outside to the Gossip stone she looked at it hearing the same voice Rarity heard "I overheard this: Pinkie pie can't stay focused" she walked back inside giving Link the mask back "Thank you, um what did the stone say?" she looked at him and repeated "Pinkie pie can't stay focused. That isn't a lie, these stones are strange." They spoke until the sun began to set, Twilight asked Link after the others had left "Link do you have a place to sleep?" "No I don't why?." "Oh then why don't you stay here? It wouldn't be much of a bother you can sleep on the couch there." "Thank you that would be great." he said walking over to the couch, took his pouch, sword, and shield off, setting them nearby as he got comfortable and fell asleep instantly. Twilight brought down a blanket and placed it over Link before she went to sleep. A few minutes later The door glows a light blue before it unlocked and opened letting Rarity inside. She looked around before silently walking over to Link's pouch, using her magic to open it and retrieve the mask of truth giggling softly before leaving locking the door behind her. Through most of the night Rarity was walking around Ponyville with the mask on, speaking with as many of the gossip stones as she could before the sun began to rise, she had heard a lot from the stones saying that Rainbow was into other mares, Pinkie can't be trusted, one of Rarity's new customers had been having an affair with her husband's best friend and his boss, the Cakes foals are exhausting them every night, and Twilight had never been on a date. Rarity fell asleep outside of the Carousel boutique speaking to the stone there, the mask still on her face. Link woke up falling off of the couch and hitting the floor with a thud that had woken up Twilight. She ran down the steps watching Link stand up off the floor, dust himself off and put his hat back on his head. He turned to look at Twilight "Good morning Twilight." he put his stuff back on and, checking his pouch as he always did, froze when he saw what was missing, he looked at Twilight shocked "What is it Link?" she asked hurrying over to him "The mask of truth is gone... again." putting the pouch on "Hopefully Pinkie didn't take it again or else we won't get it back." he ran out of the library with Twilight following "Alright Link go get Rarity from her boutique and Pinkie if she's there. I'll get Applejack and Fluttershy." Link nodded and headed for Sugar cube corner first, while Twilight went to Sweet apple acres. Link ran into sugar cube corner and saw Pinkie standing behind the counter "Hiya Link! What would you like?" she said smiling Link returned the smile and said "I'm going to need that mask back." "What mask?" "The mask you took from me yesterday."' "I didn't take it today." "I thought you might have, would you know who did?" "Nope maybe Rarity would know! let's ask her." Pinkie said jumping over the counter and bouncing out the door Link chased after her. She really is random. Link thought, as they reached the Carousel boutique they saw Rarity asleep on the grass with the mask on. Link walks over to her and pulls the mask off and puts it away before picking Rarity up and slowly carrying her inside Pinkie showed Link to her room where he laid her on her bed, leaving the room closing the door softly so she wouldn't be disturbed. Twilight walked over to Link and Pinkie with Fluttershy, Applejack, and Rainbow dash. "So did you find it?" Twilight asked when she got close enough "Yep Rarity was using it all night." he looked at the boutique "Who knows what they told her." he said with a nervous chuckle. The mares looked at each other before Applejack spoke "So Rarity has been usin' that mask all night?" "I think so or else she wouldn't have been asleep on her lawn." he smiled "Anyway when she wakes up we have to know what she heard, or else things may get really bad here." he said walking back inside and finding a comfortable place to wait for Rarity. Several minutes later the white mare walks down the stairs, shocked at seeing her friends and Link in her store. "Hello why, may I ask, are you all here?" "Well, because you stole my mask and used it all night." "Yes, Rarity we need to know what you heard." Twilight said "Because those stones tend to twist what they say." Link added quickly. Rarity sat down with a sigh and explained what the stones told her (Can't think of what to put here, sorry) every time something came up about each of them they blushed with Link reminding them the stones twist the truth slightly, It ended when Rarity said that Twilight has never been on a date which made her turn the darkest red she could. "You don't have to be ashamed of that, I've never been on one either, being too busy fighting monsters and saving the world." Link said making Twilight feel better until "Yeah but Twi has been studying, and reading holed up in the library. At least you have a reason" Rainbow dash said getting a disapproving stare from Link. "What!? It's true." she was hovering above the others. (To be continued)