Whither Must I Wander

by thelegendarytoothpaste

Fuck the what what number is this

When Link first met the pegasus, he knew there was something strange about her.

She seemed to possess the ability to put him at ease impossibly quickly. Link wasn't known for trusting anyone immediately, but he felt a peace around her that he hadn't felt since he and Saria became close friends.

He missed Saria. He missed her dearly. Mentally, he had apologized to her repeatedly the night prior until he fell asleep, clutching the broken ocarina to his chest. When he saw just how damaged it was, he knew there would be no playing it again; not with all the tender loving care in the world.

It didn't mean he wouldn't keep it, though. It was priceless to him and given to him by the Kokiri who acted like a big sister for him.

As he eyed the crack in the ocarina and a tear splashed onto it, he could hear Saria's voice in his head.

That's okay, Link. I know we will be friends forever!

Link choked out a gasp when he heard clopping from upstairs, and he wiped away his tears. Link was good at stopping himself from crying. He was also good at making himself cry if it meant he could manipulate adults into letting him do something he had to do. He used that tactic on the guards in Clock Town more times than he cared to admit and even tricked Tatl the first time he did it.

"Good morning sleepyhead," smiled the pegasus. "How did sleep?"

Link was dumbfounded. Did she know how to speak in his language all this time? Perhaps it was some sort of spell? He simply did not know.

He eyed her silently for a moment, and gave a short nod. She smiled, and returned to speaking in her native tongue. Though he had no clue what most of what she said was, he was able to understand the words "breakfast," "milk," "recovery," and what sounded a lot like "Fluttershy."

She carefully moved his chin up with her hoof so he was looking at her. When he was, she pointed a hoof at herself.
"Fluttershy."
She pointed at him. "Se nambre?"¹

He was able to figure out what she was saying. Link was not that bright when he first got where he was now, but he was also not stupid either. She was saying her name was Fluttershy, or at least sounded an awful lot like it. It stood to reason then, that she was also wondering what his name was. He swallowed, and uttered his first word since his near death at the claws of the wooden wolves.

"Link."

Fluttershy smiled, and began to chatter some more in her language. He was again having difficulty keeping up with what she was saying. All he heard was "food."

With that, his stomach growled audibly and she giggled. She said something else that he did not understand, and turned to go into a different room.
"Need me, call," she said.
Then, she smiled at him again. "Taj lah, Hinka."²

---

Link was having the most difficult battle of his life.

It was not against a wooden wolf. It was not against Ganondorf. It was not against Majora. It was not against the pegasus, and it was not against the Fierce Deity.

It was a battle to not scratch the incessant itching of his butchered leg. And he was losing.

Link wanted desperately to relieve the itch in some way, but every time he so much as lay a finger on the bandaged wound, pain exploded through his leg. It was a dull roar when he was idling, but unbearable when he touched it.

Yet, the itching was driving him crazier. He knew it was a good sign, as it told him his injury had begun to heal. He wasn't out of the woods yet, pun intended.

It was then the pegasus, Fluttershy, returned to him with a bowl of something that smelled tasty, a glass of milk, and what appeared to be a shotglass full of something smelling vaguely of thyme.

She hoofed over the thyme smelling liquid first. Link eyed it curiously. It was completely clear, but had a syrupy texture to it.

She did not need to say anything to him. He saw in her eyes no sign of malice, and Link was excellent at reading people and determining ulterior motives. From what he could tell, Fluttershy had no motive for helping him beyond it being a good thing to do.

He resolved, given the time he had already spent with her, to trust her judgement. In one fell swoop, he downed the shotglass and gave a shutter. Was that alcohol? It didn't taste like any he'd had the displeasure of sampling. Why was Tatl so obsessed with it in Termina, anyway? It was disgusting!

Within seconds, however, the pain in his leg had dulled almost completely, and he felt warm, as if he could just go right back to sleep. Truth be told, he was considering it.

"Sláinte," said Fluttershy.³ Link only eyed her curiously, and she pointed to the milk. "Arkaloola?"⁴

Link hovered a hand over his mangled leg. Though the pain was gone, the itch was not. He was not willing to risk a world of hurt again by touching his bandages. He made sure Fluttershy was looking at him, and pantomimed scratching his injury. It was driving him insane.

Fluttershy understood quickly, to his surprise. She left the room for a moment, only to return with a cloth she had filled with ice. Gently, she pulled back his covers and placed the pack on his leg. Then, she offered him the food she prepared.
"Hinka, need know some stuff. You answer, yes?"

Link blinked, and looked back down at the breakfast she prepared him. It was a dish he had never tasted before, but had seen in Hyrule: Oatmeal.

Realizing he had been asked something, he looked back at Fluttershy and gave a short nod. She seemed pleased.
"How many years are you?"
Link, without hesitation, held up nine fingers.
"Nine?" she parroted, to which he nodded. "You child of your kind. Yes?"

He nodded. Technically he was. He just no longer was one at heart. It was the big down side to being forced to grow up before your time. You can never go back to who you were before after you do the things Link did.

Fluttershy let out a soft "Eep." Link eyed her curiously. Was it something he said? Perhaps he needed to say thank you for the ice pack? It was helping wonders.

She looked him in his eyes. "Where Màtter? Pàtter?"⁵

Link blinked. He shook his head. Fluttershy looked contemplative for a moment, then walked to a shelf nearby and picked up a picture of her with her parents.

"Màtter," she said, pointing to her mom. She smiled lovingly at the picture. It had been taken the day she met Rainbow Dash. Then, she pointed at her father, her smile never wavering. She would have to visit them sometime soon. "Pàtter."

When she was done, she looked to Link again, who seemed to understand what she was saying. Nonetheless, however, he shrugged.

It was an issue for Fluttershy. She couldn't, in good conscience, let a young creature leave on its own. Animal or not, if it was young and had no parents, she wouldn't let it leave unless it was going with somepony who would take care of it. The same rule would apply to him as well. Call her a mother hen, but Fluttershy never was able to say no to a creature in need, and she currently had one recovering on her couch.

She spared a look at the collection of masks resting at the opposite side of the couch and hid a bit behind her mane. The one poking out of the burlap sack he was found with made her feel very uneasy. She was doing her best to avoid making eye contact with it. She didn't dare move it though. For all she knew it was a sacred artifact to the child and to move it would be greatly offensive. When the speech barrier broke down more (or the alien learned their language) she would have to ask him about it.

She looked at his broken instrument and frowned. She saw him shed some tears from atop the stairs. Poor dear. It must have been an heirloom or something to him, but she did not press the issue. She had a feeling he didn't want anypony to see him.

She frowned a bit. Many young foals do not like being seen showing emotion. It makes them feel weak or vulnerable, and Fluttershy believed it to be quite the opposite. She thought it required a lot of strength to be able to present emotion in front of others. It was another thing she would help Hinka with if he would let her.

It would take time, though. For now, she wanted to get him used to seeing ponies like her. He seemed to feel more at ease around her, which was a good sign. Now if she could just introduce him to her friends without Pinkie being all Pinkie about it. She's good company, but new users must slowly build up an immunity to her antics.

In addition, they should ask their doctor before switching to Pinkie if they experience a phobia of parties, illogic, cannons, or the color pink.

She smiled while the alien finished the last of the oatmeal. The milk was again the first to go. He really loved his milk!

"Still hungry? I make more," she said. He shook his head, and she took his dish.
"Must go outside. I bring you paper first. You draw if like. Yes?"
He nodded, and she turned away to clean up the dish before any remaining oatmeal became like cement.
"Thank you," she swore she heard behind her. She smiled.
End of Chapter

Author's Note:

1- What is your name?/What are you called?
2- Good morning, Link.
3- Good health.
4- Thirst
5- Mother, Father

Comments

[Nova Blaze]

It was a battle to not scratch the incessant itching of his butchered leg.

I know your pain brother. I'm fighting the same battle right now.

[WhoNeedsAUsername]

"Good morning sleepyhead," smiled the pegasus. "How did sleep?"

Wat

[thelegendarytoothpaste]

8808993
Think of it as the speech barrier being too much even for her. So she has to shorten sentences and lose a few words in order to get a point across.

[WhoNeedsAUsername]

8809179
k

[thelegendarytoothpaste]

8813186
lmnop