> The Legend of Zelda: Equestria > by James > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Chapter 1 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Link walked across the foggy floor towards the pedestal that held the blade that blotted out any type of darkness it hit. The hero in green stopped in front of the pedestal and stared at the blue hilt of the sword. Memories started to rush into the front of his mind. He remembered driving the blade through Ganondorf. He remembered saving Zelda. He remembered the sorrow he felt when he thought he had lost her. Her. That person that he would possibly never see again. Link knew that without her, he would've never been able to save Hyrule. Her name was Midna. Link sighed and prompted to take his leave before he could think anymore about the sad memory. Suddenly, he felt himself lift up. He shockingly realized that he was floating. Then he looked up. Above Link's head was a black portal. It started to lift him higher and higher, slowly sucking the hero in green in. Link panicked and grabbed the first thing he could reach, the Master Sword. But as his feet were lifted above his head, the blade started to slide out of the pedestal. Before Link knew it, he was rushed into the black abyss of the portal, sword in hand. The portal then immediately disappeared. The savior of Hyrule and the Master Sword were gone. Fluttershy hummed a soft tune as she walked along a path in a big grassy field that led to her cottage. She was carrying a bundle of carrots in her saddlebag to be given to her little friend, Angel. The white rabbit was devastated when he found out there were no carrots left and refused to eat whatever other food there was left. Fluttershy tried to convince Angel that eating a variety of foods will make him healthier, but after practically begging the yellow pegasus to get more carrots, she relented. She chuckled softly to herself at the thoughts of the rabbits funny pose when he begged Fluttershy. But the chuckle turned into a quiet "eek!" when a sudden crashing noise was heard behind a hill not far from her. The pegasus realized that it sounded like somepony fell from the sky. Worried that it might've been Rainbow Dash, she rushed towards the hill and ran around it only to stop in her tracks as she saw the creature in front of her. The first thing she noticed was green. It wasn't a pony. It looked bipedal like Spike! Although it didn't resemble the baby dragon at all. The bipedal creature wore a green tunic over its chainmail armor. It had long, dirty beige colored pants that were tucked into its brown leather boots. It also had a brown leather gauntlet over its left forearm. It had a belt that held two pouches against the creatures back. It had a long, triangular green hat that sat on top of its gold hair. Its ears were unusually pointy. Then Fluttershy saw its sword and shield. She shook in fear but felt safe due to the unconscious state the creature was in. She thought too soon. Link opened his eyes only to shut them back from the blinding sunlight. He was lying on his side and looked at the ground before him. Grass? Field? I'm in Hyrule Field. Then he saw hooves. Hooves? Epona? No, they're yellow. Wait. Yellow?? The hero in green sat straight up to look at the startled yellow pegasus. Wings. Link looked in shock at Fluttershy's now shaking form. Link slowly stood up, eyeing Fluttershy in the process. Fluttershy really started shaking now. Link was twice as tall as the mare, maybe even possibly a bit taller than Princess Celestia. They looked at each other in silence for a couple minutes. Link broke the silence. "Hello?" Fluttershy squeaked and backed away. It was at that point that Link realized he was still grabbing onto the Master Sword. He sheathed it and Fluttershy seemed to relax a little bit. Only a little bit. "Are you a pegasus?" Link asked. The yellow mare hesitantly nodded, who was also a bit surprised that she understood this creatures speech perfectly, but did he understand her? "D-d-do you know w-what I'm saying?" Fluttershy asked. Link nodded "Yes, I do." "H-how?" "I used to be an animal that understood other animals." Fluttershy was dumbfounded. Link sighed, trying to think of a way to explain it, but realized he can just show her. He reached inside his pouch and took out a small locked chest. Link unlocked the chest with the key that was hanging on the Master Swords hilt. Inside of the chest was the Shadow Crystal, the rock that had the ability to turn Link into a beast. Link touched the crystal and his body immediately changed to that of a large black wolf. Fluttershy screamed at the top of her lungs and ran towards Ponyville, dropping her saddlebag. Link, realizing how careless he was, gathered his things and ran after the mare to clear the misunderstanding. As Link ran, he looked around him and discovered something. This was NOT Hyrule. It was a fine afternoon in Ponyville for Twilight Sparkle. She was reading one of her many favorite books and sipping on a spot of tea. It was nice and quiet in her library, just how she liked it when reading. Nice and- "TWWIILLIIIGGGHHHHTTT!!!" -quiet. Fluttershy burst through the door. Literally. "TWWIIIIIIIIII-mmf!" Twilight stuffed her hoof into Fluttershy's mouth before her ear drums could explode. "My door! I just had it fixed after Rainbow Dash broke it down again!" Twilight scolded. "Oh, I'm so sorry...but Twilight! There's this creature that seemed okay at first but then he touched this rock inside a chest and he turned into a scary monster and igotreallyscaredsoicametoyoubecauseiknowthatyouwouldknowwhattodo." Fluttershy said in one breath. Twilight eyes widened at this, and realized if what Fluttershy said was true, this could threaten the lives of Ponyville! "Fluttershy! Quick! Gather the girls!" > Chapter 2 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- As Link, still in beast form, ran up a hill to get a better view of where the yellow pegasus had gone to, thoughts began to race throughout his head. That was a real pegasus! That creature is supposed to be a myth! Where did that portal transport me to? When Link reached the top of the hill, he looked over at the landscape before him. He saw a town off in the distance. A town! Maybe someone can tell me where I am. But before that... Link used the powers of the Master Sword to return to his Hylian form and then set out towards the town. After a few minutes of running, the hero in green spotted six figures in the distance. Link used his Hawkeye mask that he bought from Malo and examined the figures. His jaw dropped when he saw the two earth horses, two pegasi, and what surprised him the most, two unicorns. Link recognized one of the pegasi as the one he scared earlier. That's when he had a realization. He scared a innocent pegasus. The innocent pegasus has innocent friends. The innocent friends get revenge by hurting the one who scared the innocent pegasus. The one they need to hurt is him. He can't fight back because they're innocent. But what he CAN do... "There it is! Capture it girls!" Twilight ordered as she spotted Link in the distance. All six bearers of the Elements of Harmony charged towards the hero in green. Suddenly, Twilight saw the creature hold something up. Is that... a boomerang? Twilight's thoughts were interrupted when the creature threw the boomerang at the six mares. Twilight's eyes widened in surprise as a whirlwind formed around the boomerang and proceeded to toss all five of her friends, but not her. The impact of the whirlwind dazed the five mares, but didn't hurt them in anyway. Relieved, Twilight proceeded to chase the creature, forcing to leave her friends behind. The Gale Boomerang flew back into Link's hand, who turned around to hopefully see no one was still chasing him. Link cursed under his breath when he saw Twilight still in hot pursuit and started to argued with the spirit inside of the boomerang. "Why can the Fairy of Winds target only five things at a time? Can't you make the boomerang target at least ten?" The Fairy of Winds spirit replied "I have my limits, o brave youth." Link rolled his eyes. He turned around only to start panicking when he realized how close the purple unicorn was getting. The hero in green acted quickly and touched the Shadow Crystal inside one of his pouches. Now in his beast form, Link moved faster, but now maintained the same speed as Twilight. Fortunately for Link, his sudden change in physical appearance left Twilight in awe and made her steps falter, giving the hero in green a bit more distance from her, before fixing her composure and continuing the chase. Twilight chased beast Link all the way across the grassy field under Celestia's bright sun. As Link ran, he saw a forest in the distance. I can lose this horse in there! Link thought. Beast Link leaped threw the trees and continued to work his four legs, easily dodging the tree roots and branches that got in his way. Twilight was not so fortunate. She tripped and bumped into every tree related thing in the forest. Eventually, she couldn't see the creature in front of her anymore. The unicorn stopped in her tracks and looked down in defeat. She turned around to go back to Ponyville, but froze in fear. She was in a clearing that was surrounded by a dark, vast array of trees in the middle of the Everfree Forest. But that wasn't what caused her to freeze. It was the growling, vicious, and hungry barking of the Timberwolves. Twilight Sparkle screamed. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Link, now back to Hylian form, turned towards the noise. It was the purple unicorn! Without any hesitation, the hero of Hyrule sprinted back to the source of the scream. Twilight tried defending herself by shooting bolts of magic at the ravenous Timberwolves, but there were too many. With her magic and energy low, she used the rest of her magic to create a barrier around herself. The barrier was weak and was easily broken by the Timberwolves. This is it? My life ends here? But I still have so much to do! I still need to keep sending Princess Celestia friendship reports. I also can't leave my friends! I can't leave Spike. I can't leave everyone. I don't want to leave... A tear trickled down the side of Twilight's cheek as a Timberwolf was about to pounce on her. Then she heard someone shout. Link shouted at the wooden wolves surrounding the purple unicorn. Wait. Wooden wolves? But before Link could think about it, a Timberwolf pounced towards him. With a clear head, Link quickly unsheathed the Master Sword with his left hand and struck the blade diagonally down across the Timberwolfs face. As it immediately broke down into a pile of splinters and wood, the hero in green grabbed his Hylian shield in his right arm. Another wolf pounced behind Link. With his quick targeting skills, he turned around at lightning speed and brought his shield towards the wolf in the air. He then used one of the Hidden Skills taught by the mysterious Golden Wolf, Shield Attack. Link jerked his shield violently against the wolfs face which completely shattered by the brute force of the Hylian shield. At that point, the entire pack of Timberwolves started to circle around Link. If a normal person or pony were to see this, they would think it was all over for the young hero, but you never underestimate the one who bears the Triforce of Courage. Link closed his eyes, concentrating. The surrounding Timberwolves all began to pounce. You have at your disposal the basic sword technique known as the spin attack. You now have in you the ability to magnify the power of your spin attack. But the only time you can draw out that power is when your life energy is brimming full. -Golden Wolf Link opened his eyes. The hero in green crouched with one foot on the ground farther from him. He stuck his sword out, blade tip facing completely away from him. Then in one fell swoop, he used his leg to spin his body around with incredible force. Using the momentum that was created by his leg, the blade cut threw every single Timberwolf in the area. The Great Spin's reach was big enough to cut down even a nearby tree. Not only did Link do this once, but four times. This utterly reduced the vicious Timberwolves into the outcome product of a wood chipper. This was all witnessed by the five of Twilight's friends, who all stared at Link, who was caked in wooden dust. They arrived a little bit after Link initiated the fight with the pack of Timberwolves and tended to their purple friend. Link slowly approached the group of ponies who were still tending to Twilight. An orange mare with a blonde mane was gently cradling Twilight's head. The orange mare looked up at Link, who stopped his advance towards them. Link didn't want to look like he was gonna hurt them, but that thought was pushed away when the mare put on a sad smile. The expression told Link that the mare was grateful for what he's done, but why was it sad? It made sense when he got closer to Twilight, who was lying on her back, looking upwards. The purple unicorns breathing was very shallow. She had a small pool of her blood around her. There were claw and bite marks around her body. A white unicorn mare with a beautiful purple mane had big splotches of Twilight's blood on her coat. She was desperately trying to use her magic to heal Twilight's wounds as she used her hooves to stop the bleeding. A cyan pegasus mare with a rainbow mane was desperately trying to hold back tears as she silently hoped that her friend would make it. A pink mare with a flat, pink mane was looking directly down as tears fell from her eyes and onto the ground. Then there was the yellow pegasus, the one that Link met before. She had a worried look on her face, but no tears were in her eyes. Instead, she had confidence. Confidence that told her that Twilight will not leave now, that she will stay with us. She didn't want to believe in the possibility of Twilight leaving. But then the shallow breathing grew quicker. Blood continued to flow out of the wounds. Twilight had no strength left to speak. She simply smiled, hoping to give one last happy memory to her friends. Fluttershy started to cry. Light left Twilight's eyes. Game Over. Twilight Sparkle is dead. > Chapter 3 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The five friends of the purple unicorn slowly got ready to start carrying the body back to Ponyville. Link did not follow them. After he couldn't see them, he took rest at a nearby tree trunk, specifically the one he cut down. Link dug around through his inventory, hoping to find some food to replenish his body. Then he found what he was hoping for, a bottle of Yeto's soup he was saving. He drank the entire contents of the bottle and tossed it back in his storage, only to make a loud clink! He looked inside to see what the bottle collided with, only to stare at the object. It was another bottle, but it didn't contain more of Yeto's soup. The contents of the bottle reflected a pink light against Link's face. Thoughts began to race throughout his head. Should I really use this? I mean, it really wasn't my fault! I should save this for myself. When I need it. Why would I use this on someone I don't even know? But then again, I did save her. No. I failed saving her. Link sighed and closed his eyes. He made his decision. "This way." Applejack directed. The five ponies carefully carried Twilight's body towards the exit of the forest. They didn't expect what was on the other side of the exit, and it was the last thing the five mares wanted to see. Princess Celestia gasped as she saw the sight before her. She quickly ran to Twilight's side, hoping that it wasn't true, but tears started to form in her eyes when she saw that it was. After she wiped her tears away, Rarity spoke up. "P-p-princess Celestia! H-how did you get here?" "Twilight sent me a letter informing me that a strange creature has appeared near Ponyville and that she was going to investigate. Then I heard a terrible scream and I came here as soon as possible, but, it seems that I was too late." She looked sadly at her student's face, which had a peaceful smile that warmed her heart, but broke it also. Suddenly, Princess Celestia's sad expression turned into one of angry revenge. "Where is this creature? I will make this thing suffer the consequences for what it has done to my precious student." Rainbow Dash spoke up, "No Princess, you see, Twilight was still chasing this thing after we all got left behind. She chased it all the way to the middle of Everfree. By the time we got there, the thing was protecting Twilight from a pack of Timberwolves. The thing got rid of them, but Twilight..." She looked down to hide her oncoming tears. Princess Celestia sadly nodded her head in understanding and turned her head back towards her student. She started to gently cradle Twilight's head, looking down at her closed eyes and small smile. Suddenly, a pink light was seen from the corner of Celestia's eye. All six mares, including the Princess, turned their heads towards the light and gasped in unison. It looked like a round pink ball of light with transparent wings. Small bits of pink light radiated from the strange creature. It softly floated towards the purple unicorn. The creature floated around her body and floated towards her face. The face which was slowly starting to move. Celestia and the five mares watched in awe as Twilight's wounds started to fully heal in a matter of seconds. The purple unicorn's eyes fluttered open and made direct eye contact with her mentor. Twilight, slightly delirious, said, "Oh...hi there Princess." All the ponies surrounding their beloved Twilight cried in joy and embraced their revived friend. During their joyous reunion, Princess Celestia sensed an unknown being nearby. She looked up towards the Everfree Forest to see the bushes nearby the trees rustle. The alicorn slowly got up and walked towards the bushes to clear them away. There was something on the ground. An empty bottle. After Link confirmed that the fairy had done its job, he quickly ran back into the darkness of the forest. Unfortunately, he dropped his bottle in the process and he didn't want to risk going back and getting it. It was still partially his fault for leading the purple unicorn into the danger zone so he didn't want to face the consequences of what the horses might do to him. It seemed stupid to him though, since he just saved their friends life. The hero in green shrugged it off and took out his lantern, looking for a place to set up camp. Unfortunately, every single ideal place for a campsite was always crawling with the dangerous creatures of the forest, some of which that the hero in green has never seen before. It didn't completely weird him out though, since he once met a certain talking bird with an afro that ran a shop in Faron Woods. Link chuckled at the memory of Trill but was interrupted when a sharp pain was felt in his right arm. He looked towards it to find a bright red spider. Link quickly smashed the spider with his left hand but then started to feel very tired. He started to stiffen up, and fell to the ground completely paralyzed. The hero in green's vision started to fade, and the last thing he saw was the floor of the forest before he blacked out. Link's eyes shot opened. He was laying down on a soft fabric on the floor. The hero in green quickly sat up only to crash back down from the pain that shot throughout his body, especially his right arm. With great effort, he lifted his head up to take in his surroundings. The room he was in was large and circular. It was slightly dim, with only flickering candles lighting the room in the darkness. There were shelves all over the walls. The shelves contained various items that looked like potions and other kinds of ingredients. Traditional looking masks that looked like it was crafted from a far away land hung on the walls. In the middle of the room was a cauldron over a fire. Stirring up the contents in the cauldron was a female zebra. The zebra wore a pair of large round gold earrings and several gold neck rings. She also had gold rings around her front left hoof. The zebra turned to start walking towards the shelf, but stopped herself when she noticed the hero in green was awake. "Ah, you are lucky you are alive, for the rare Death Spiders poison bite is not a lie." The zebra grabbed the potion from the shelf and walked over to the cauldron, spilling the contents inside, while Link watched cautiously. "Do not be alarmed, besides, why would I help you when you were harmed?" Link seemed to relax at that and the zebra smiled. "Zecora is what they call me, may I ask what is thee?" "Link." He replied. "So you can talk, for not a lot of Everfree wanderers can, that walk." "Where am I?" "You are in my hut in the Everfree, you are far from home I see?" Link nodded. "I have traveled the land far and wide, but I have never seen you at any side." "I am from a different kind of place. I would like to leave it at that Zecora if I may." Link didn't want to tell the truth about being transported to another world otherwise she would think he's crazy. Zecora nodded and grabbed a wooden bowl. She used a ladle to pour the contents of the cauldron into the bowl. The zebra then carried the bowl to Link and instructed him to drink it in one gulp. The bowl was held to his mouth as he did what he was told. The taste was foul and caused Link to recoil in disgust, but he felt the pain in his body start to fade. "Thank you, but why help a complete stranger like me?" "I always help all of those that are in need, but you especially are a special breed." Link had a puzzled expression, telling the zebra to explain. "A strange but good aura comes from you, also that mark on your hand gives me a special view." Surprised, he looked at his right hand. On it was the mark of the Triforce. She was referring to his power that was blessed by the Goddesses. Is she a sage? Link thought. "Anyway, you should take a week for a rest, for that would be the best." Link nodded and laid his head back down, closing his eyes. But what Zecora said was bothering him. Can the creatures in this world sense the bearers of the Triforce? Just what kind of powers do they possess? This world is very different from mine, so I have to be careful. I need to get home. Soon. It has been 3 days since the revival of Twilight Sparkle. After Twilight got back home, she received a bone-crushing hug from Spike. Spike saw Twilight as his big sister so he would've been devastated if he had lost her. She asked her friends and mentor how she was revived, but they were as baffled as her. The only thing they could say was that something that looked like a bright pink parasprite came along and Twilight just woke up. Although she was relieved that she wouldn't leave all her friends and family and was happy when they all celebrated a party just for her, she couldn't help but be curious about the thing that brought her back from the dead. She was also curious as to what happened to that strange creature that protected her. Twilight had a feeling that they both were linked together somehow. After looking up and reading every single book there was to try and find a logical answer only to find nothing, she decided to visit Zecora. Twilight hoped that the zebra would have new information since she traveled a long way from her native area to the Everfree Forest. It was no surprise when all five of her friends and Spike insisted on going with her. They all left Ponyville and were walking through the Everfree together, talking about the mysterious creature clad in green as they walked. "...and then the thing spun around so quickly I thought my head was going to get knocked off!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "Yeah Rainbow, you already said that like four times now." Applejack remarked. "Which was the EXACT number of times it spun!" Applejack facehoofed. "I must agree with Rainbow Dash. What the individual did was quite heroic, considering the fact that we were chasing him not a moment before. It was a 'he' right?" Rarity asked. "I'm pretty sure it was a guy but his face looked kinda pretty. Almost like he would've had a girls name like... Zelda?" Pinkie Pie explained. "Now how'd you get that sorta' name?" Applejack questioned. "Just a hunch." "But then if he helped Twilight, why did he turn into a scary monster when I met him?" Fluttershy asked. "Maybe you can ask him when you meet him Fluttershy." Rainbow Dash joked. "There it is!" Spike announced from the top of Twilight's back. They all looked forward to see Zecora's hut not far from them. When they reached the door, Spike hopped down and Twilight knocked on the door three times. The familiar voice of a zebra was heard from behind the door. "Who knocks at my door, while I was waiting on the floor?" "Zecora? It's me! Twilight! I brought my friends with me too!" "Ah, come in, for I must wait for my cauldron's boiling to begin." Twilight opened the door and walked through. "Sorry to bother you Zecora, but I really need to find out the aaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! IT'S YOU!" Zecora, Spike and all five of Twilight's friends looked between Twilight's and Link's surprised expressions. Link only thought of one thing. Uh oh. > Chapter 4 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Link's first idea was to run. But the idea was quickly removed when he realized he still couldn't move his legs. The lingering effects of the spiders poison was still there and he knew that he would not get far. Twilight noticed that the creature visibly started to panic. "Wait! Uh... don't be scared! I just, um, I just want to ask a few quest- he can talk right?" "Oh, uh, y-yes." Fluttershy stammered. "Yeah!" Twilight turned back to Link. "I wanted to ask a few quest- where'd he go?" Although it took Link great effort, his arms were healed enough for him to operate his double clawshot. The first clawshot was aimed through the window towards a branch that was thick enough for the claw to hold onto. He was propelled through the window and was now hanging onto the branch. With his other clawshot, he aimed it at another branch and soared through the air again. After he kept maneuvering his way from branch to branch, the hero in green looked behind him to see if any of the ponies were following him. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw no one on the ground. Link turned back around only to turn back again when he heard a loud battle cry. "CHAAAAARRRGEEEEE!!!" Before Link could react, a cyan pegasus rammed right into him, causing him to fall to the ground with a THUD! Dazed, the hero in green tried to get up, only to fall back on his face. He heard the sounds of hooves hitting the ground in front of him and slowly lifted his face up. In front of him were the ponies he met the other day, Zecora and... a purple dragon!? There's dragons here too? At least it's not like the one that attacked Ooccoo's home. What else does this place have? But his thoughts were interrupted when the unicorn he revived spoke up. "Um, please don't run. My name is Twilight Sparkle! I've never seen your kind so may I ask a few questions? I promise that we won't do anything bad to you. I also wanted to properly say thank you as well." Link cautiously got up. He looked into Twilight's eyes with suspicion, but he slowly nodded. Twilight and the rest of her friends sighed in relief. "Let us discuss in my hut, for talking here is for a nut." Twilight nodded to Zecora and the whole group started walking back to Zecora's hut. The hero in green took position behind the group as they walked. The purple unicorn kept an eye on Link to make sure he didn't try to escape again. When they all reached the hut and settled inside, Twilight got straight to questioning. "What ARE you?" "Hylian." "I've never heard of a Hylian before." "It's because I'm not from here." "What do you mean?" Link sighed. "I think I've been transported to another world." The whole group except Link were dumbfounded. "You see, I used to be in a land called Hyrule. But then, a portal appeared out of nowhere and lured me in. After I woke up, I was in a field and met you." Link pointed towards Fluttershy, who flinched visibly and squeaked in fright. "I apologize if I frightened you. I was merely showing you the answer of how I could speak with you and all the animals in this land. I am able to turn into a beast. The communication from my beast form carried on to my Hylian form." "Please show us." Twilight said, extremely intrigued with the hero in green. Link stared, and then shrugged. He reached into his pouch and touched the shadow crystal. Immediately, he turned into a large, mostly black, wolf. Everyone gasped and backed away from Link. Not wanting to cause more trouble, he quickly used the Master Swords light to restore him back to his Hylian form. "How do you do that?" the orange earth mare asked. "It is a long story that I would not like to experience again." "So let me get this straight. You're an alien from another universe?" The cyan pegasus asked. "Rainbow Dash!" Twilight scolded. "What? That's awesome!" "I do not wish to stay here. There are people I care about that are back in Hyrule and I must go to them before they start to worry." Link stated. "It's strange though isn't it?" Twilight said, "Why would a random portal appear right next to you and suck you in? Isn't it like fate? Maybe there is a reason you're here?" "Perhaps, but nothing significant has happened am I right?" "Actually, something very strange but amazing happened recently." The white unicorn said. "When we carried our previously deceased friend, Twilight, out of the forest, she was brought back by the presence of some sort of flying pink ball." Link shook his head. "No, that isn't strange to me. That fairy belonged to me." "Fairy?!" Everyone except the hero in green cried in unison. "That flying creature was my fairy. Fairies have a unique ability that lets them revive anyone that dies." Twilight's eyes widened. "So that means...oh. Oh my gosh, thank you I-" "Don't thank me. It was my fault for leading you into your death." "But still, you used it on someone who you barely knew and yet you could've used it for yourself." "Not to mention that we were chasing you before." Rarity reminded. "He's not such a meanie-mcmeanie pants after all! Right Fluttershy?" Pinkie Pie said. Fluttershy meekly nodded. Applejack spoke up, "We can't thank you enough for what you did for our friend, but that don't explain why you're here." An idea struck Twilight. "Maybe we can ask Princess Celestia? She might not know exactly why he's here, but she might have some sort of idea." Everyone except Link made sounds of agreement. "You have a Princess too? Can we trust her?" "I'm her personal student. I trust her with my life." "Will she know a way to get me home?" "I'm not sure, but we can ask." After a few seconds, Link nodded. "Perfect! I'd still like to ask a few more questions about your world but for now, let's all introduce ourselves!" Twilight said. "Hi! My name is Pinkie Pie and I looove throwing parties! I'll make sure to throw you one as a welcome party!" "I'm Rainbow Dash! Fastest flier in all of Equestria!" "Name's Applejack, farmer at Sweet Apple Acres." "I am Rarity. I make beautiful dresses for anypony who needs it." "I'm Spike, Twilight's assistant." "Uh, I'm Fluttershy." "Fluttershy! Her name is Fluttershy." Twilight said. "Link." "Well Link, you should come with us so we can get to the train station faster when the day comes to visit Princess Celestia." Twilight explained. "We'll figure a way to get you on the train without any trouble." Link nodded and got up. He walked over to Zecora and took out a shiny, purple rock out of his pouch and held it out to the confused zebra. "This is my currency back in my world. It may not be worth anything to you, but it is to me. Think of it as a thank you gift for saving my life." Zecora smiled and took the rupee from Link's hand. She placed it on the shelf and turned back towards the hero in green. "Good luck to you and everyone else's travels, for I hope a safe journey unravels." Zecora then proceeded to wink at Link, just like Telma did to him. A look of surprise came over Link's face, but it was soon replaced by a small smile. After they all said their goodbyes to Zecora, the six mares, Spike and Link started walking out of the Everfree Forest. Zecora provided Link with a bottle of her poison remedy before he left so he was able to walk more easily. As they were walking towards Ponyville, Twilight spoke up. "Oh yeah, Link, this might not sound very joyful to you after all that has happened but, welcome to Equestria." > Chapter 5 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "So Twilight," Applejack said, "How're we gonna handle the situation with Link and the town folk?" "Hmm, well I know that the next train to Princess Celestia comes in a few days, so we're gonna have to somehow settle Link in with the Ponyville residents." Twilight explained. "How are we gonna do that?" Rainbow asked. "We can throw a party and make Linkie Winkie look like a good guy!" Pinkie said. "That seems like a good idea but how are we gonna introduce him at the party?" Rarity questioned. "Maybe we can say that Link is one of the last of his race from the Everfree and that we all need to let him stay in Ponyville to keep him safe. I mean, if that's okay with you guys." Fluttershy murmured. "That's perfect! Although some ponies may not be completely comfortable around Link, it still might let him stay with us. The atmosphere of Pinkie Pie's party will also ease some ponies around Link." Twilight said. "You bet it will!" Pinkie said, then she gasped. "I need to prep the party today then! I need to invite everypony and decorate and make food! Quickly! Gottagobye." Pinkie Pie zipped ahead of the group towards Ponyville, leaving a flaming trail. Link looked with wide eyes and a hanging jaw. He looked towards Twilight for an explanation but all she did was shrug. "That's Pinkie Pie." Link, Spike, and the five mares managed to sneak around Ponyville into Sugarcube Corner. It was easy for them to go through the back of the bakery unseen since all the residents of Ponyville were entering the building through the front, expecting a random party from a certain pink party goer. It was nighttime as well, so it was hard to see them. As the group entered through the back door to the kitchen, Pinkie Pie hopped towards them. "Are you guys ready?" She said excitedly. They all nodded and Twilight spoke up. "Link, you stay here for now until I call you out. The rest of us will go out there. Just wait for my cue." The hero in green nodded. He took off his sword and shield and stood by them, waiting patiently. Twilight nodded and walked out of the kitchen, followed by her friends. The room they were now in was decorated with all sorts of party decorations. Streamers and confetti littered the floor. Balloons floated underneath the ceiling. There were all sorts of refreshments on the large table at the side. Ponies socialized with each other all over the room. Pinkie handed Twilight a mic and she grabbed it with her magic. She cleared her throat. "Hello? Everypony!" All heads turned towards Twilight. "Thank you all for coming! I'm sure all of you are wondering why Pinkie has invited all of you to this party." There were murmurs of agreement and the purple unicorn spoke up again. "Well, me and my friends discovered a rare creature in the Everfree." There were some gasps heard at the mention of 'Everfree'. "He is NOT dangerous! He is the last of his kind and so, I have decided to let him come to Ponyville, to keep him safe. I hope that you can all be okay with his arrival." Murmurs of agreement and sympathy were heard from the crowd as they started to calm down. Then, a random pony spoke from somewhere in the crowd. "What does he look like?" "He is actually here tonight! Make him feel welcome to his welcome party! Come out Link!" Twilight yelled. Steps were heard from the kitchen's entrance. All ponies turned towards the hero in green that walked out. Nervousness started to stir the ponies, but was interrupted when Link spoke. "Hello, my name is Link." The ponies stopped their nervous fidgeting and stared at Link. Then another pony spoke up again. "He can talk?" Twilight spoke into the mic. "Link here, saved my life. Without him, I would not be here." The ponies started to relax more and questions started to be asked towards Link. Questions such as... "What are you?" "What kind of name is Link?" "How'd you save Twilight?" "Why are you so green?" The ponies started to surround Link as more questions were asked. They were all intrigued at the creature clad in green. Link put on a weak, but genuine smile as the ponies started to get more and more comfortable with him when they saw that he was no threat. Link thought of only one thing. These ponies are so...accepting. His thought was interrupted when Pinkie Pie shouted into the mic that Twilight was still holding. "Let's ask questions later! For now, let's get this party STARTED!!!" Music started to travel through the air from the large speakers near a DJ table operated by a white mare with a electric striped blue mane and purple shades. The ponies relented their questions for now and started to dance with the music. Link awkwardly stood at the side of the room next to the DJ table. He looked at the six mares he recently met to see them also dancing with the music, even Spike. Pinkie Pie took notice of him and squeezed through the dancing ponies towards the hero in green. "Linkie Winkie! Come on! It's your party, you have to dance with us!" Link put on a weak smile and shook his head, but was still dragged onto the middle of the dance floor. The crowd made room for Link as he stood nervously still. "Just give it a shot!" Pinkie shouted. The hero in green sighed and started to move to the new song that started playing. He moved in a way that he thought was a dance as the song filled the air. His movements started to get more and more faster as the ponies watched in awe. They then slowly started to dance along with Link. After a half hour of dancing, the tired hero in green walked towards a chair next to the refreshments table, where he was about to pour a drink. But when he grabbed the bottle, his hand was stopped by a purple hoof. Link looked up to see Twilight's serious expression. "I would check the bottle if I were you." Link had a confused look, but it was replaced with surprise when he saw that he almost poured himself a glass of hot sauce. Twilight smiled and took a seat next to the hero in green, who started pouring a glass of punch. "Everyponies reactions were a lot better than I thought it would be, but then again, ponies around here were always very nice and caring. By the way, you can stay at my place for your time here. I live in a library so there should be some space for you to sleep in. It's the least I can do for saving my life. Thank you again for that." Link smiled and nodded his head in thanks. Suddenly, he was tackled and knocked off his chair, sending him to the ground. Dazed, the hero in green looked down to his waist to find a mint green unicorn with the same mint green mane has wrapped herself around Link. "Ohmygosh, you are the most FASCINATING creature I have ever seen. Can I please examine you more? You smell wonderful..." The unicorn said excitedly. "Lyra! Get off him!" Twilight said with a small blush on her face at the mention of Lyra's last comment. When Twilight finally managed to pry Lyra from Link, her five friends walked over, hungry and thirsty from all the dancing. "This is a great party Pinkie Pie, thank you." Twilight said. "Of course it's a great party silly! And don't worry, it was easy for a pony like me!" Pinkie replied. "Those were some nice moves Link!" Rainbow chuckled. "I agree, the way you danced was very interesting." Rarity remarked. "I almost forgot, where are you gonna stay?" Applejack asked. "Twilight said she would let me stay at her library." "Um, if you'd like, you could stay with me and Bon Bon." Lyra suggested. "What are you talking about Lyra?" A beige earth mare with a blue and pink mane had spoke and stood next to Lyra. "You just met him and we don't even have enough room for him to sleep!" "He can sleep with me!" Lyra exclaimed. Bon Bon blushed. "What!? No! How could you even...? Nevermind, it's getting late, let's go home." "NNNOOOOOOO!" Lyra protested, but was dragged out the door by her beige colored friend. "Uh...anyway! Bon Bon is right, it is late, and it looks like everypony is leaving." Twilight said as she looked at the departing ponies. "I'm gonna leave now to let Link know where he's gonna sleep. Good night girls! Come on Spike." The mares said their goodbyes to Link, Twilight and Spike who started walking towards the library. On the way, Twilight started to ask questions about Link's world. "So, this Hyrule, what's it like?" "It's big, and ruled mostly by people like me, Hylians. But there are also the strong Goron tribe that lives in the volcanic mountains and aquatic Zoras that swim in the waters of their domain. There are many different races in all parts of my world, but those are the main ones in Hyrule." "Does everyone get along?" "Yes we do, even the ones that were once enemies became our friends, like the Bulblins." Link smiled at the memory of facing King Bulblin and how he made peace with Link. He was still surprised that he was able to talk. "So, what kind of place did you come from in Hyrule?" "I came from a small village called Ordon. I was working as a rancher." "Why would a rancher need armor like yours?" "Apparently, I am the Hero Chosen by the Goddesses." Link raised his right hand for Twilight to see. "This mark and armor was bestowed to me by them." Twilight was dumbfounded as she stared at the three triangles on the hero in green's hand. Link sighed and tried to explain it the best he could. "Hyrule was in trouble and the Goddesses of my world chose me to save it. There are still many details left out but that is the general idea." "...Wow, that's amazing! You need to tell me more of the details! But it looks like we're here." Link looked forward to see a large, hollowed-out oak tree with various windows and a balcony. "Welcome to the Golden Oak Library! Come on in!" Twilight announced from the front door with Spike. The hero in green had to crouch to fit through the doorway, but the interior was big enough for him to stand comfortably, since the ceiling was high above his head. Link walked around and took in his surroundings. It was a large and spacious room. There were many shelves in the walls filled with books. There was also a table that had piles of parchment and books laying on it. "Sorry about the mess." Twilight said as she tried cleaning up as best she could with the help of Spike. The purple unicorn then begged the hero in green to follow her and Spike as they walked up a flight of stairs at the side of the room. He followed them up to a bedroom where they were setting up a second bed. "I can sleep on the floor." Link said. "It's fine! I still owe you more for saving me!" Twilight said as she finished setting up the bed. She then hopped into her own bed and covered herself with a blanket. Spike also hopped into a large basket with a pillow and blanket. "Let's go to sleep for now. I'm sure you're tired. I would like to ask you more questions in the morning though." Twilight yawned. Link nodded and laid down on the bed across from Twilight's and Spike's. He drank some of Zecora's poison remedy and was soon fast asleep, exhausted from the walk and party. > Chapter 6 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Link woke up. Please tell me it was a dream. The door broke open with a loud SMASH! "Gooooooooood morning Linky Winky!" A certain pink pony announced. Damn. A groaning sound came from the bed across Link's. "Oh! And good morning to you Twilight! You too Spike!" "Pinkie Pie! Is it necessary to burst through the door early in the morning!?" Scolded Twilight. "Well of course silly!" Pinkie replied. "We need a head start on showing Link around town!" Pinkie Pie went over to the hero. "C'mon Link! Up and at em'! Let me show you around Ponyville!" Link rubbed the sleepiness out of his eyes and took another drink of Zecora's remedy. He proceeded to get out of bed and started to stretch when his eyes suddenly widened. "Something wrong Linky?" Pinkie Pie questioned. Link turned his head in panic towards the pink mare. "I forgot my sword and shield at your kitchen." The Cutie Mark Crusaders had slept early the day Link arrived to Ponyville. The reason for this was so that they can wake up earlier. The reason for that was so they can have a longer day. A longer day to them was a longer day for looking for their very own cutie marks. This also meant that they were completely unaware of Link's arrival. Their idea was to try to assist Mr. and Mrs. Cake in running the Sugarcube Corner. The three filly's walked into the bakery. Their senses were assaulted by scents of sweets and treats. They expected to see either Mr. or Mrs. Cake behind the counter, but there was no pony in sight. "Hellooo?" Yelled Scootaloo. "Is that you Scootaloo?" Mrs. Cake's familiar voice sounded from upstairs. "I'll be right down dear! I'm getting some supplies! Wait in the kitchen!" "Okaaay!" Scootaloo yelled back. The three filly's started to wander towards the kitchen. "Let's make this day the day guys!" Said Scootaloo. "Right, we're gonna work real hard for this, right Sweetie Belle?" Said Apple Bloom. "Right Apple Bloom! I can't wait to-" Sweetie Belle stopped in her tracks inside the kitchen. Her wide eyes stared at an object from across the room. The other two filly's looked confused and turned their heads in the direction she was looking. Their eyes widened too. "Coooool..." Link, Twilight, and Pinkie Pie ran as fast as they could. "There!" Pinkie yelled. Link spotted the building where Pinkie looked towards. He started running faster. "Wow this thing is heavy!" Scootaloo said. "Sure ish! But Thif one ain't asf heavyf!" Apple Bloom mumbled through the handle of a blade. "Hey, I wanna hold it too!" Sweetie Belle whined. Apple Bloom ignored her complaints and swung the blade around with her mouth clenched over the handle. Suddenly, the blade slipped from Apple Bloom's mouth and flew towards Scootaloo, blade tip towards her. "Watch out!" Apple Bloom yelled. Scootaloo yelped and hid behind the shield. The blade bounced off the shield and started flying towards Sweetie Belle. With not enough time to dodge the sword, she shut her eyes in fright. But instead of feeling pain she heard the sound of chains and a loud SHHK! She opened her eyes to find a green creature with a long claw at the end of one of its arms. The claw was holding on to the same sword that almost hurt Sweetie Belle. The three crusaders screamed. "MONSTER!!! AHHHHHH-" "QUIET!" The filly's immediately stopped screaming. They looked to where the green creature was to see Pinkie Pie and a very mad looking Twilight standing near it. "You girls should be ashamed of yourselves! You don't touch things that are not yours! You also could've hurt yourselves too! How do you think that would've made everypony feel? You also even called somepony- I mean some individual who saved you, a monster! Apologize to Link!" The crusaders were too shocked to say anything. Twilight sighed and explained to them like she explained to the residents of Ponyville. "WOW!!! SO ARE YOU LIKE AN ALIEN OR SOMETHING?" The three filly's crowded around the nervous looking Link. "Hey!" Twilight scolded. "Apologize to Link first! And don't ask him questions that make him uncomfortable!" The Cutie Mark Crusaders all lowered their heads and apologized. "We're sorry." Link smiled. Their faces brightened up again. "YOU'RE FROM THE EVERFREE FOREST RIGHT?" The three filly's cried altogether. Link nodded. "CAN YOU SHOOT LASERS OUT OF YOUR EYES?" Twilight face hoofed. The Cutie Mark Crusaders were fascinated with Link and wanted to be around him more. Unfortunately, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom were scolded to oblivion by Rarity and Applejack. Scootaloo was also given a hard lecture by Rainbow Dash. Even Fluttershy seemed a little angry at the crusaders, who was passing the Sugarcube Corner when the commotion started. They were all told to go and stay at their home's for the entire day. With defeated looks, they trotted out Sugarcube Corner. But before they exited the bakery, they turned around. "Um, we'd like to ask one more thing before we go." Apple Bloom said with her head down. "Please show us you using your sword!" They all cried in unison towards the hero in green. Applejack replied. "Now hold on a minute-" "Pleeeaasee?" They then proceeeded to give the most adorable faces Link has ever seen. Not to underestimate the power of the Cutie Mark Crusaders puppy eyes, Applejack and the other Elements of Harmony relented. Applejack sighed. "I'm sorry Link, is it okay with you?" Link looked at the crusaders, smiled, and nodded. "Great, thank you." Applejack said gratefully. "Okay you three can watch Link tomorrow at the farm, remember to always be respectful towards him ya' hear?" The crusaders nodded their head rapidly with huge smiles and ran out the bakery. "Are you sure it is okay with you Link?" Asked Rarity. Link replied. "It's fine. They remind me of them." "Of who?" Pinkie asked. "A couple kids." Link chuckled. "And a monkey." > Chapter 7 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- After the situation at Sugarcube Corner, the six mares arranged a meeting at Twilight's library tonight to discover more about Link's world, as well as Link understanding theirs. Although Twilight didn't like the thought of waiting to ask her questions to the hero, she knew that the first priority was to show him around the main parts of town. Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy having other things to attend to, they departed with goodbyes to Twilight, Pinkie Pie, and Link. With the other mares gone, it was up to the purple unicorn and the party pony to give the tour of Ponyville. "Well you already know Sugarcube Corner." Twilight said as she pointed towards the bakery. Link nodded as he looked when he realized. "Is that gingerbread?" "I know right? Isn't it amazing?" Pinkie said excitedly. Link nodded again as they were walking away while thinking of a possible ant infestation in the bakery. Walking down the streets of Ponyville, many of the residents greeted Link with a decent look, but most still seemed a tad uncomfortable, especially when they realized he had a weapon. Still, nopony thought it seemed dangerous due to the presence of Princess Celestia's protege and the pink party pony. The effects of the Link's welcome party also calmed the residents to a degree. As for the ponies that did not know of Link's arrival at all, most of them screamed on sight and ran as fast as their hooves can take them. Fortunately, it wasn't that often. "Here's our first stop Link! Ponyville's town square and town hall! Look! It's the mayor!" Twilight announced. A tan earth pony with a scraggly grey mane and tail walked towards the trio with a warm smile. "You must be Link. So sorry I wasn't able to introduce myself during your welcome party. I may have been a little...tipsy. Anyway, my name is Mayor Mare. I'd like to give you a warm welcome to Ponyville." Link smiled and nodded in thanks. Mayor Mare smiled and nodded as well, but before she walked away, she whispered in Twilight's ear. "He's a handsome fellow." Twilight blushed as Mayor Mare walked away, laughing. "What she tell you?" Pinkie asked. "N-nothing! Okay, where to nex-" Twilight was interrupted when Link was tackled by a certain mint green unicorn. "LINK! Ohmy, it is sooo good to see you again. You still smell wonderful..." "LYRA!" Twilight yelled. "What?" "Stop saying that!" "I can't say it's good to see someone again?" "No! Stop saying that Link smells good-" Twilight smacked a hoof over her mouth. Lyra gasped. "You think that too? You can join my new club~" "Ooh! What kinda club?" Pinkie Pie asked. "The 'I love Link' club." "WHAT?!" Twilight yelled. The blushing purple mare started shouting things at Lyra in the middle of town square. Meanwhile, Link was rubbing the back of his head and slowly backed away, hoping not to be caught in the conversation. While taking a couple steps back, he bumped into a cart full of expensive looking sound equipment, which toppled over from the impact. "Hey! Watch where you're going bub!" A female voice yelled. Link turned around to see a white unicorn pony with an electric blue mane and tail. She was wearing a pair of purple shades and had a mark that Link recognized as a musical note. Wait a mark? This was the first time Link has completely noticed the mark on the flank of the mare in front of him. That's when he realized that he vaguely saw something on the other ponies flanks beforehand as well. What was it for? "H-hey! Get your eyes off my butt dude!" Link snapped out of his train of thought in surprise and realized that he was staring at the mare's flank the entire time he laid eyes on her. "I-I'm sorry, I-" The white unicorn interrupted Link. "First you knock over my expensive ass new stereos and n-now you're ogling me!" "I'm sorry! I-" "My first impressions on you were wrong! I never took you for a- hey, wait a minute." The white unicorn took Link's hand in one of her hooves. She examined it closely as Link grew more and more uncomfortable. She let go and looked at Link with a pondering expression. "I never got to really look at you real close at the party, but you got some interesting hooves or er, something." Link wasn't surprised. Twilight had said before that the only thing that was similar to his hands were the minotaur's hands, which were not common around Ponyville. Only a few ponies know about the minotaur's up close. After some time, the white pony suddenly perked up with an idea. "Even though you're a total perv, your...hooves can be pretty useful for playing some tunes. How about you come by my place when you're free? Think of it as payment for the possible damages you just did to my equipment." Link looked at her, and then at the fallen equipment, which looked like it had no scratches on it, and then back to her. "I'll file a report for sexual harassment." The unicorn said. Link quickly nodded. The white pony smiled. "Nice, name's Vinyl Scratch, other ponies also call me by my stage name, DJ Pon-3!" Link looked very confused. A stage name? And what kind of equipment is that? What is the mark for? This world is so different from mine. Link knew that he would be asking many questions tonight at the meeting. After he helped Vinyl get her equipment back in the cart, she gave him her address and left. Link started to walk back where Twilight and Lyra were arguing, when he was tackled again by the same mint green blur. "I thought you were gone forever my love." Link slightly groaned. I want some milk.