//------------------------------// // Prologue // Story: Legend of Epona // by Tethered-Angel //------------------------------// I snorted, pawing at the ground. The black stallion across from me did the same. I flattened my ears and bared my teeth. I felt Master’s calming hand on my mane. He said nothing, but then he never did. That is okay. I would not have understood his words anyway. His intentions, however, were always as clear as Lake Hylia. I eyed our opponents. I knew them well. We had been pursuing the one called Ganon for many weeks, and finally caught up with him. The stallion, Nightshade, had been with him even longer than I had been with Master. He is several hands taller than me, with a coat like coal and a mane and tail like fire. Rather handsome, if I am completely honest, if only he had not been twisted by his years with the dark sorcerer. “Nightshade!” I cried, “It is time to end this. Give up the dark one!” He snorted. “Not likely, little Epona. As you serve your master, so I must serve mine.” I nodded. That was not the first time we had had that exchange. Master and I would have caught Ganon long before if it were not for Nightshade’s loyalty. Despite that I had no wish to see the stallion harmed in defense of that man. The one that had turned the sky red. The one that had made the water bitter and the grass black. The one that had killed the world. I hated that man. He deserved to die by my master’s blade. But Nightshade only served his master, as any warhorse does. As I did. The dark one spoke, causing Master to tense up. I felt him on my back, ready to protect me from whatever dangers the enemy threw our way. He tightened the reigns. “Wait for it,” I told myself. “Wait for it… Now!” I charged ahead at the same moment as Nightshade, barreling toward him. We passed a hand’s breadth apart, and I heard the sharp clash of steel on steel. I wheeled around to face the enemy, my pulse pounding with adrenaline. A light kick from Master spurred me into another charge, with Nightshade mirroring my action. We rush at each other once again, hooves thundering against the hard earth. We met and our masters clashed. I felt Master’s weight shift considerably. I twisted away violently, anxious to get him out of harm’s way. On turning, I saw that it was not MY master who was harmed. Lying on the ground was the dark one himself. I snorted, glad to see him in the dirt where he belongs. Nightshade had just turned around, eyes wide with shock. He could not believe that my master bested his. My saddle shifted as Master dismounted, moving to stand over his downed foe. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a flash of white. Ah, the princess. Zelda. She was watching, determined to see her enemy destroyed for good. Master brandished his sword, that legendary blade with the power to banish evil. With a shout he plunged the blade into Ganon’s chest, eliciting a final enraged scream. I heard another cry, one of anguish. Nightshade’s head was raised to the crimson sky, a mournful whinny escaping his lips. Suddenly I did not feel quite as good as I had a moment ago. Master did not seem to notice the stallion’s anguish as he turns to the princess. Nightshade silently, gingerly stepped up to Ganon’s body. He sniffed at his master, and cast a baleful glare at the sword still embedded in his chest. I approached the body myself. I did not regret the man’s death. He was evil, and brought nothing but death. But Nightshade, well, he had had no more choice in it than I did. I stood silent for a moment, allowing Nightshade his space. A startled shout from the princess broke me out of my reverie. The strange marks on her and Master’s hands were glowing brightly. Another glow caught my eye and I looked down to see Ganon’s hand glowing with the same mark. The light brightened to the point I had to close my eyes. Once the light faded I opened my eyes to a totally different world. The sky was blue, and the grass was green and sweet and beautiful. I inhaled a deep breath, taking in the fresh air. The colors were not the only change. Three golden artifacts hovered in the air between Master and myself. I recognize them instinctively. The Triforce, holy artifacts of the creators. I could sense their power. Looking around, it was clear everyone else did as well. The princess wass, of course, the first to try to reach for it. She stretched her hand out to touch it- And screamed as a huge stallion nearly trampled her. Nightshade had charged the artifact, shoving the princess aside. He reared up onto his hind legs, neighing loudly and nearly smashing her head in with a wild swing of his forehooves. She fell to the ground as Master rushed to get between them, raising his shield in a feeble attempt to stop the assault. I charged, tackling the stallion before he could land a fatal blow. That was the last thing I saw in that world. I remember a blast of energy from somewhere, and a sensation of falling. Lights and colors swirled around me in a chaotic dance, and unbelievable noise assaulted my ears. My eyes darting frantically, I searched for some sort of reference to orient myself. I managed to stop my tumbling, but I still felt like I was being swept away by some raging river. And I heard laughter. Ganon’s laughter. It seems his dark magic had one more surprise in store. A silver glint caught my eye. Master’s sword! I tried to reach it. I found that by doing a sort of paddle, as if I was swimming, I was able to reach the weapon. Stretching my neck, I managed to grasp the pommel in my teeth. I cannot exactly use it, but having it made me feel better. I heard a familiar whinny to my right. Twisting around to look, I was just in time to see Nightshade stretching his muzzle desperately to reach something. Was that? No, how could it be! The Triforce, THERE? “Nightshade!” I tried to plead around the sword in my mouth. I could see a mad glint in his eye as he made contact with the artifact. There was an even brighter flash of light followed by nightmarish screams. His screams. I watched as the Triforce dissolved, becoming pure energy and streaming into his open mouth and eyes. His flank glowed, and a trio of golden triangles appear on it, nearly identical to the marks on Master’s and the others’ hands. He finally looked at me, a feral grin on his face. I saw other changes too. He seemed shorter somehow. Stockier. But despite his new stature, a dark miasma of energy surrounded him, giving me the feeling he had become far more dangerous than anything I had yet faced. With one last spiteful look, he turned his back on me, and walked out of the stream, as if he had been standing on solid ground rather than falling through an endless void of arcane energy. One moment he was there, and the next he was just… gone. I continued falling for goddesses know how long. There was no real sense of time there. After a minute, or maybe a decade, I heard a voice. “What is your wish, child?” My wish? I had never thought about anything like that before. My whole life my wish had been to follow Master. His wishes were my wishes. Without him? I’m not sure. I supposed getting out of there was a pretty good wish. But, somehow I got the feeling I was not supposed to wish for something so short sighted. Not many wishes could come true here, after all. I thought about it for a year. Or was it a few seconds? What do I truly want? Finally the answer came to me. “I want to be a hero. I want to battle the darkness in the world, and protect the innocent. I want to be like master.” I hear the voice giggle. “I think that is a good wish. I will give you my power.” Another flash of light. I was getting a little sick of that by that point. Without warning, I felt my teeth vibrate, as though I had bitten into a magical conduit. The sword between my teeth vanished. My mouth gaped in surprise, but before I could utter a word I felt a river of energy flowing into my mouth blinding me and overloading my senses. Suddenly I felt great pain. It was like my muscles were being torn from my bones and my skeleton rearranged. My legs seemed to shorten, and my eyes felt ready to pop out of my skull. My flanks burned like they were on fire. As the pain reached a crescendo, I was finally blessed with unconsciousness.