What was going to be a simple vacation ends up going horribly wrong.
The Mane 6 have led a pretty fast-paced life ever since they all came together, but recently, things have been pretty laid back. The most recent world-saving feat had been accomplished by somepony else, and all has pretty much been quiet since then. It sounds nice, but Rainbow Dash quickly grows bored and demands adventure! So they all quickly come up with an idea and pack their bags, but when they embark on their new adventure, something goes horribly wrong, and they end up getting puled into a world very different than the one they're used to.
Twilight Sparkle stretched out by the fire in one of her castle's sitting rooms, contentedly rereading Little Mares while her friends amicably chatted around her. They had all finished their work early that day and had opted to spend the evening together, enjoying a small meal before moving to a more comfortable spot and just relaxing in the warmth of each other's company. Rainbow Dash lay on the couch above her with the latest Daring Do installment, Rarity was trying out different braids in Applejack's mane while the farmpony simply relaxed under the seamstress's gentle massages, Starlight Glimmer was writing her in her own friendship journal she had started, Fluttershy sat next to Twilight, grooming Owlucious and humming a gentle lullaby, and Pinkie Pie was furiously scribbling down ideas for her next party while sitting upside-down in one of the plush chairs.
Overall, the atmosphere was one of quiet contentment; a little slice of perfection.
Rainbow Dash Threw her book down in disgust, startling everypony in the room.
"Rainbow, darling, is something the matter?"
"Yeah. I'm bored."
"Bored?" Twilight was shocked. "But you love Daring Do!"
"I'm not bored with Daring Do!" Rainbow took to the air as she ranted. "I just wish I could go on an adventure like her! We used to save the world like every other day! First with Nightmare Moon, then Discord, Tirek, the Changeling invasion during Shining Armor and Cadence's wedding, all the way up to the time when the Cutie Map sent us to Starlight's vilage! But the last time we had anything remotely close to that was Flurry Heart's Crystalling almost three years ago! I need adventure!"
"What about when Starlight and I went back in time?" Twilight pointed out. "Or when she, Trixie, and Discord stopped another changeling attack, even dethroning Chrysalis? Don't those count?"
"No! Well, yeah, I guess, but I didn't get to go on them!"
"You know," Fluttershy interjected, "It would be nice to get away for a while."
"Indeed," Rarity agreed. "A change of pace right now would be good for us, I think. And I know just the place to go!"
She quickly galloped out of the room and down the hall, everypony else promptly following. The room they all ended up in was just down the hall, but boasted a very different setting. A series of boxes, tubes, wires, and meters sprawled interconnected to each other around the room, creating a very complex-looking machine which was hooked up to a tall mirror standing amidst the chaos.
"The human world?" Applejack questioned, her half-done braid hanging loosely around her face.
"The human world!" Rarity dramatically responded. "I mean, think about it darlings. We've all wanted to go there before, but we couldn't because we were worried about the confusion of having two of each of us all in the same school. But it's summer now, and our human selves will be out of school until Autumn. All we would have to do is send Sunset Shimmer a message through Twilight's journal informing her as to our arrival, pop in for a week, see their world, and then safely return when we are through. It's the perfect plan for a change of pace!"
"Hmmmm. Traveling to another world, getting to see what it's like to be human, pranking the entire town with my other self...count me in!"
"Sounds good to me."
"It would be nice to see Sunset again."
"Yay."
"Double Pinkie Party!"
Twilight sighed and let out a small chuckle. "Alright, alright. I'll write Sunset tonight. Maybe we can study those geodes she's told me about together. Everypony get your things together and we'll leave at dawn."
Everypony cheered in unison before bidding her and Starlight farewell and heading home to get ready for their new adventure. Twilight simply shared a laugh with Starlight while heading to the library to let Sunset Shimmer know about this recent turn of events.
The next day, Applejack was up bright and early. Well, early, but it was still before sunrise, so maybe not bright. She went about her daily routine: taking a shower, brushing out her mane, and tying it in its typical knot before brushing her teeth and heading downstairs, letting her nose lead her straight to a stack of Big Mac's apple flapjacks. She greeted everypony good morning before sitting herself down and slathering a layer of pear butter on her breakfast.
As she ate, she sat back and took in the world around her. The farm was a might bit busier these days than it had been not too long ago. The Sweet Apple Admirers had seen to that. Even this early, she could hear them in the barn, where they were staying until more homesteads could be built, getting ready for the day's work. It hadn't been easy at first. Several of the Admirers had just wanted a free ride as part of the Apple Family, and had quickly been sent away. A sizable group, however, were earnest about their desire to join the family, and after the first blank-flank colt earned an apple cutie mark working in the fields, how could they say no? And thanks to the newly added pear fields, they actually had enough work to keep everypony busy.
Applejack sipped her coffee. She wasn't too worried about taking the week off. She was still the best applebucker on the farm, but they could manage without her. Besides, it wasn't even harvest season yet.
She turned her sights away from the window and surveyed her family around her. Big Mac was taking the last batch of flapjacks off the stove, Granny Smith was rocking quietly in the living room, sipping her coffee and giving her old joints a chance to stop aching, Grandpear was, against her insistence, packing a large basket of foods for her and her friends, and Applebloom....was nowhere to be seen.
"Hey Mac, y'all seen Applebloom this mornin'?"
"Nope."
"Here I am!" Applejack turned to see the young mare coming down the stairs. She had outgrown the pink bow she used to wear in her mane, and instead opted for a hat similar to AJ's, which had been a gift from Grandpear. She looked good in it, and it suit her spunky personality perfectly, but Applejack didn't like it. It made her look too grown up.
Applebloom trotted into the living room with a spring in her step and set her hat and a pair of saddlebags down next to Applejack's before joining her at the breakfast table. Applejack raised an eyebrow at her around her coffee mug.
"And where do ya think yer goin'?"
Applebloom chewed her lip for a second before sheepishly meeting her eyes. "Um, with you?"
AJ shot coffee out her nose. "Excuse me?!"
"Rainbow Dash and Rarity are taking Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, so I thought that I could go with you!"
The farmpony slapped a hoof across her face. Of course Rainbow would want her sister and number one admirer with her on her new great "adventure," and Rarity had been looking for new ways of bonding with Sweetie Belle ever since that disaster of a day when she realized that all their old activities just didn't cut it anymore, but Applejack didn't need an admirer, and the farmwork they did together was their bonding activity. Besides, she was well aware of the chaos the Crusaders were capable of causing just in Ponyville; she didn't want to find out what kind of trouble they could get themselves into in a whole other world. But, if Rainbow and Rarity were taking their sisters...
"Ah just know ah'm gonna regret this. Alright, y'all can come, so long as ya behave yerself."
The young mare let out a very filly-ish squeal of delight before grabbing her hat and bags, hugging her family goodbye, and galloping out the door in the direction of Twilight's castle. Big Mac let out a low chuckle as he watched her go, then hugged Applejack goodbye as she quickly rushed after her sister.
Twilight rushed around the room, checking, re-checking, and triple-checking all the meters and dials on her machine, as she always did whenever she used the mirror. The Dash sisters had finally arrived, which meant that everypony was present and ready to go, though Rarity was unsurprisingly more prepared than the rest. Satisfied with the readings, Twilight levitated the journal into its slot and nodded to Spike, who pulled a series of levers and started the machine, which churned and hissed before the swirling purple gateway appeared across the mirror's surface.
"Everypony ready?" she called.
"READY!"
"Canterlot High, here we come!" With that, they all took off toward the portal. Ten ponies and one dragon later, the room stood empty once again, with only the hum of the portal to disturb the crystalline silence.
Inside the portal, Twilight found herself within the burning rainbow vortex that was the aether. Most of the other ponies were freaking out at the uncomfortable distorting sensation, but she greeted it as an old friend, closing her eyes and just relaxing as their group was guided toward their destination. A second later, however, she felt a different odd sensation that caused her to snap her eyes open once again.
Then came the voices.
Now my moment has finally come.
She looked around at the others and could tell by their expressions that they, too, had heard the voice.
Brace yourself, Ganon, for the sting of my revenge!
There was a strange buzzing sound, followed by a massive BOOM! It reminded Twilight of the sound of a large spell being charged and released. Judging by the tingling in her horn, she guessed that she wasn't too far off. Suddenly, the voice was joined by another, then another, and another!
This will be our final opportunity. We will not fail! bzztBOOM!
Let's go, little guy! Now! Open up wide, Ganon! bzztBOOM!
A hundred years in the making....Hold on, Princess. Our moment has arrived! bzztBOOM!
With each successive boom, Twilight's horn tingled more and more. She could see the exit portal approaching fast, but she also felt the magic releases pulling at her and the others, trying to pull them towards the source. Finally, with a loud whoosh and a final concussive BOOOOM!, her horn fully ignited as the magic forces drew each other in, and Twilight could only watch in horror as she, Rarity, Starlight, and Sweetie Belle were violently wrenched away from the portal to the human world and dragged in another direction through the aether. In a desperate attempt to save their friends, the other ponies (and dragon) latched onto their tails and tried to pull them back on course, but whatever magic that was reeling them in was overwhelming in strength, and all they succeeded in doing was pulling themselves along with them. The ten ponies and one dragon let out a collective scream in pure terror as they found themselves rocketing toward another portal, passing through the bright light and into the unknown world beyond.
The spirit of King Roham Bosphoramus Hyrule hung above the ruins of Hyrule castle, the spirits of the four champions at his sides. In front of them stretched the great fields of the Central Providence, scarred with trenches and scorches from the hero's battle with the Calamity only two weeks past. The castle below them was almost completely collapsed in on itself, and the ruins of Castle Town now had fresh debris littering its grounds, though the Malice that had spread across both locations was finally gone, the crimson fog that had swirled around the area had dissipated, and the Guardians had returned to a dormant state, so the area didn't seem threatening anymore at all. It simply stood there, a reminder of the failures of the past.
Turning his gaze back to the marred fields, he watched as his daughter and the hero mounted their steeds and rode east as the sun began to set, and his heart swelled with pride at the woman she had become and the path she had set out before herself, and he finally felt that it was the right time to leave this world behind. The Calamity was defeated, no new threats loomed on the horizon, and the future of the once-great kingdom rested on two of the most capable individuals there were. At last, their work was done, and he and his Champions could claim their well-deserved rest.
As the forms of the Champions around him faded away and he released his spirit from its worldly anchor, he glimpsed a flash of light in the town ruins before him, and as he watched, a multicolored sphere grew near the old fountain before fading away and leaving several dark shapes in its wake.
As he, too, faded from this world, he uttered one final sentiment.
"My dear Zelda, Champion Link, may the winds of life blow in your favor."
Starlight's entire body ached, but she didn't feel the strange sensation of being in a human body, like she did last time. What she did feel was a massive hornache.
"Ooooooh," she moaned. She tried to open her eyes and get a look at where she was, but they stubbornly refused to comply. Trying again, she started with one eye, then the other, and turned her gaze forward to see...
...an unsightly curtain of purple and turquoise. Groaning, she moved her disheveled mane out of the way with a hoof and took a look around. There wasn't much light, but it wasn't necessarily completely dark either, so she guessed it was just before dawn. In what little light the grey sky offered, her surroundings took on an eerie atmosphere. She tried igniting her horn, which only added to the creepiness, but also lit up her immediate surroundings. She seemed to be lying in some sort of stone basin. Above her, a stone sculpture rose out of the center of the basin.
Not a basin. A fountain.
The sculpture of the fountain seemed to depict a pair of outstretched wings, though one side was almost completely gone. The water spouts were exposed on two sides where the stone had crumbled away and rusted beyond any hope of use, and dried moss covered bits of the fountain. Looking out at the area around the fountain, she saw that everything else was pretty much the same. Crumbled walls standing freely and disconnected, rusty bits of metal scattered here and there, and dry, crusty moss growing between the cracks in the stones. A hooffull of bulky metal shapes also rested randomly around the landscape.
A weak groan reached her ears, and her instincts kicked in. Her friends needed her, and she wasn't going to let them down. Against the strong protests of her entire body, she slowly got to her hooves. Sweet Celestia, she was stiff! Rolling her joints around a few times and stretching her back with a satisfying crack-crack-crack-crack-crack, she slowly and painfully turned around and came face to rump with Fluttershy, who was laying draped aver the side of the fountain. The others were all scattered around as well. Scootaloo laid on top of a nearby wall, Applejack and Rainbow Dash on the ground below her. Rarity and Sweetie Belle rested in a patch of exposed dirt to her right. Rarity was not going to be happy about that. Pinkie Pie hung by her tail from a bit of metal framing, while Spike drooled from what appeared to have once been a window below her, the shards of glass not seeming to bother him. Applebloom was sprawled out next to where Starlight had been. Twilight laid in the midst of them in a pool of dried blood, her wings draped across her unmoving form.
"Oh no. Dear Celestia please no!"
All soreness forgotten, Starlight jumped out of the fountain basin and galloped over to her mentor. There were no obvious wounds on the exposed side, so she carefully rolled her over to get a look at her other side. Once again, their were no obvious wounds on her body, but there was a great deal of blood matted into her fur and feathers. Her left wing was definitely broken. Two bones jutted parallel to each other through the skin on one side of the break, with the other halves of the bones pushing against the skin from the inside. With a sigh of relief, Starlight realized that this is where the blood had come from.
As much as she wanted to help Twilight, Starlight didn't know the first thing about fixing a broken wing, so she decided to be helpful by going around and checking on the others. Everypony so far seemed to be mostly alright, though Rarity, as predicted, didn't take well to waking up in the dirt.
"Uh! How dreadful! My mane!"
"Unngh."
Starlight shot Rarity a glare dirtier than the muck in her mane.
"Great, you woke her up!" she whisper-yelled. "Do you have any idea how much pain she's going to be in, with her wing broken like that?"
"Broken wing?" came a slurred voice from her left. She turned and saw Rainbow Dash stumbling over to them, obviously still groggy. "Let me see."
As they trotted over to where Twilight lay, the alicorn, apparently oblivious to her injured appendage, attempted to lift herself to a sitting position. She quickly let out a cry of pain and collapsed back onto the ground with tears filling her eyes. For the first time, she seemed to notice the blood mixed into the dirt, and, following the pain with her eyes, caught sight of the bones jutting out of her wing.
"Easy, Twilight," Rainbow soothed as Twilight began to hyperventilate. "Easy. Don't freak out. Let me take a look at it, okay?"
Twilight hesitated, then nodded and eased herself back down to her stomach. Starlight came and sat in front of her as Rainbow circled around to her side, and Twilight rested her head in her student's lap. Rainbow began gently feeling around the wing, much to Twilight's dismay.
"Hmm."
Starlight glanced up. "What's 'hmm?'"
Rainbow met her eyes before circling back around to Twilight's head and heaved a heavy sigh. "Both your Ulna and your Radius are broken, but they're both clean breaks, and nothing else is broken, as far as I can tell."
"Can you set it?" Starlight asked. Rainbow nodded.
"Wing trauma care is a mandatory course for any prospective Wonderbolts. I can set it, for the most part. I'm not a doctor, so it won't be perfect, but it'll be better than letting it stay like that."
"Do it," Twilight grunted.
A brief flash of what Starlight thought looked like fear or concern shone in Rainbow's violet eyes, before quickly being replaced by a look of grim determination.
"Rarity, Fluttershy, Spike I need you over here stat!" The requested ponies (and dragon) quickly rushed over as Rainbow grabbed two small bottles of water from Twilight's pack. "Starlight, I need you to keep her still, no matter what. Fluttershy, gently stretch out her wing so I can set the bones. Rarity, I need a steady horn to hold that wing perfectly still once Fluttershy has it stretched out. Spike," she handed him one of the water bottles, "Heat this up please. It needs to be hot enough to clean the wound, but not so hot that it burns her."
They all set to work. A turquoise aura surrounded Twilight's entire body, keeping her from moving. Fluttershy gently took the tip of her friend's wing between her lips and slowly stretched it out to a nearly full wingspan, eliciting several cries from Twilight in the process. As Spike heated up one bottle of water, Rainbow handed the other to Rarity who, upon request, cooled the water to just above freezing before steadying Twilight's wing in her own blue field. With everything set, Rainbow Dash put her game face on and prepared to do her part.
"Twilight, I'm not going to lie to you. This is going to hurt. A lot."
"Just do it!"
Rainbow gripped the bottle of hot water in her teeth and slowly poured half of it over the area. Twilight screamed and strained against the two magic fields holding her down. Rainbow placed the half empty bottle back on the ground and traded it out for its frosty companion. The hot water had cleaned the wound well enough, but it had also thinned the blood in the area and dissolved any clots that had already formed, causing Twilight to start pouring blood like Neighagera Falls. The cold water would help to re-thicken the blood and stem the bleeding. Emptying only a quarter of its contents, Rainbow winced as Twilight once again cried out in pain.
Great. Now came the hard part. Placing both hooves on one of the protruding bones, Rainbow Dash grit her teeth...
It took half an hour, but after much blood and many screams and cries, Rainbow had Twilight's bones set back close to their proper position, and Rarity had cannibalized one of the outfits she had brought along in order to fashion a makeshift sling. It wasn't as good as an actual cast, but it was all they had, so it would have to do. On the bright side, nopony else had any major injuries. It seemed that they all just had minor cuts and bruises and sore bodies, but the stiffness was wearing off the more they moved around. With that settled, the group took the opportunity to take a look around.
It was still pretty dark, but from what they could tell, they were in some sort of town, or at least what used to be a town. It had obviously been destroyed for a very long time. The crumbling fountain in which Starlight had woken up was in fairly remarkable shape compared to the surroundings buildings, which were mostly just freestanding walls with rusted pipes and bars sticking out at odd angles. It looked like there had once been a magnificent castle at one end of the town, past a massive pair of iron gates, but it, too, had crumbled, with most of it collapsed in on itself and several large pieces scattered around the town. Rainbow noticed that there were also a scattering of rusted or broken weapons here and there. What caught all of their attention, however, were the monsters.
Most of them were in varying state of ruin, but from what they could tell, they seemed designed to resemble large mechanical spiders, with the more intact ones boasting six long legs, massive armored bodies, and a single eye. Most of them had several, if not all of their legs destroyed and a few of them looked like some of their parts had been stripped away by scavengers. Rainbow tried approaching one but, much to everypony’s relief, they seemed to be completely inactive.
“What do you think happened here?” she asked.
“Something horrible.” Twilight stood, grimacing from the pain in her wing. Drying a few stray tears from her eyes, she looked around at the ruined town. “It looks like the aftermath of a war. These machines attacked this town and the ponies here tried to fight back.”
“It doesn’t look like that went too well for them.” Applejack kicked a piece of rubble with her hoof. “This place looks like it’s been this way fer ages.”
“But…where exactly is here?”
Everypony turned to Scootaloo as the young pegasus trembled where she stood. Now that everything had calmed down somewhat, everyone in the group realized that they hadn’t really stopped to think about what had happened to them or where they were. Taking a closer look at the land around the ruins, it became clear that they weren’t in Equestria anymore, but this place didn’t look anything like the human world Twilight and Starlight had come to know, either. Twilight was the first to break the silence.
“I’m not actually sure, Scootaloo.”
“Ya mean this isn’t the human world?” Applebloom piped in.
Twilight shook her head. “No, it isn’t. I have no idea where we are or why we got here. I’ve been through that mirror many times, and it’s always come out in front of Canterlot High, nowhere else. Plus, if this were the human world, we would all be human by now.”
Everypony stopped as a puzzled expression came over their faces. Even Rainbow Dash stopped flapping her wings and lighted next to Scootaloo. Suddenly, Sweetie Belle perked up.
“Wait a minute! Did anypony else here those voices after we went into the mirror?”
“Yeah!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed. “They sounded so cool! They were all like ‘Now is the time!’ and the BOOM!”
“Come to think of it,” Starlight added, “That might have something to do with all of this. Every time one of those booms happened, I felt a surge of magic pulling at me.”
Rarity groaned. “Don’t remind me, darling. My horn still aches from that.”
“You might be onto something Starlight.” Twilight looked deep in thought. “Those surges were definitely magic in nature, and they seemed to get stronger with each pulse. Wasn’t there a big one at the end as well?”
Sweetie Belle nodded. “Yeah, that one made my horn light up on its own.”
“That’s also when we got pulled away from the portal. However, only those of us with horns seem to have been affected by those surges. Given that, it seems safe to assume that those magic pulses interacted with the active magic present in unicorns while ignoring the passive magic in pegasi and earth ponies, and that interaction caused some sort of attraction, resulting in our own magic being pulled toward the source of the surges. Everypony else got dragged along when they tried to rescue us, and as a result, we all got pulled into a different exit portal, which means that the magic that pulled us in must have originated in this world.”
It made sense, but knowing how they got here didn’t necessarily help them get back home. Applejack brought this up and Twilight stopped her pacing.
“Well, I’m not entirely sure, actually. Portal mechanics aren’t exactly my specialty, and we don’t really know much about this world’s magic to be able to use it to help us. I’d have to do a lot more research before I could figure out how to create a stable working portal.”
“But what about the mirror?” Fluttershy asked. “You were able to build a machine that opened that portal whenever you want.”
Twilight shook her head. “That machine doesn’t actually create the portal. It just opens it. Even then, I was only able to do that because the portal, conduit, and anchors were all already there. All I had to do was harvest and stabilize the magic to open it. Creating a portal from scratch is significantly more complicated than that. It takes years of study and practice to even open one, let alone aim it or stabilize it.”
The reality of the situation finally seemed to dawn on everypony as they realized that they had no way of returning to Equestria, or even letting their families know they were alright. They were only supposed to be gone for a week, but years…?
“So we’re stuck here? We can’t get home?” Applebloom sounded on the verge of tears. Applejack wrapped a foreleg around her and pulled her close.
“Now now, sugarcube. I’m sure this isn’t permanent. We may have to wait a few years, but I’m sure we’ll be able to get home eventually.” She looked up and cast her gaze on the rest of her friends.
“Listen here, everypony. This ain’t the worst situation we’ve ever been in,” she declared. “We’ve survived Discord tearin’ us apart, Tirek drianin’ our magic, and the Storm King’s invasion, and we’ve always come out on top. If we can survive those, we can handle this!”
“Yeah! We got this!” Rainbow cheered.
“It may not be the most desirable of situations,” Rarity put in. “But we have proven before that we can hold our own in tough circumstances. I have absolute confidence in us.”
Fluttershy held her head high. “I agree.”
Pinkie was bouncing up and down in excitement. “Who knows? This place could be a lot of fun while we’re here!”
Starlight stood beside her former mentor, placing a reassuring hoof on her shoulder.
“We all know that you’ll work your hardest to get us home, and you know that we’ll all help in any way we can.”
Twilight nodded, standing tall and facing her friends with her head held high as the sun rose behind her.
“Right. Let’s do this together!”
Meanwhile, three young mares stood off to the side, watching in awe at the display before them.
“I knew they were strong,” Scootaloo started, “But this is something else entirely.”
“Yeah,” Sweetie Belle breathed. “They don’t even seem afraid.”
Applebloom found that she had developed a new respect for her older sister. To be able to stand firm against impossible odds and push forward was something she had always admired in Applejack.
“Come on, Crusaders. Our sisters are giving this everything they’ve got, and they deserve the same from us.” She looked at her two best friends. “They’re not the only ones who are stronger together. If they can do this, we can help.”
“Well everypony,” Twilight spoke up, “We’re not accomplishing anything by just standing around here. The sun’s up, so we should see what we can make of this place. Rainbow Dash, fly up and see if you can get a feel for the area.”
“You got it!”
With her signature flare, Rainbow burst from the ground, lighting on a cloud above the town. She stayed there for a few moments before bursting back through the cloud to rejoin the group.
“Looks like this area is just one big field for miles. There’s a really tall tower to the southwest, but it doesn't look like anypony lives around there. There’s a river to the east though, and a small building on the other side of it, a little ways south, with a road that leads right to it.”
“Maybe it’s a spa!” Dead silence. “Well a girl can certainly dream.”
“More importantly,” Applejack stated flatly, “The ponies there could tell us more about this place.”
“Well then, what’re we waiting for?” Scootaloo grabbed a rusty spear and tossed it to her older sister.
“Let’s go!” Rainbow finished.
With various muttered agreements, the group swept their belongings back into their saddlebags, hoisting them on their backs, with the exception of Twilight, whose bags were carried by Applejack. Rarity, to everypony’s surprise, discarded several outfits and decorations in order to fit them all into her bags and one extra suitcase.
“What?” she stated as she pulled her main into a ponytail. “We are in an unexpected situation now. I have to pack light.”
With that, they set off, Rainbow and Scootaloo in the sky keeping an eye out for anything dangerous, and the rest of them on the ground. Applejack, Fluttershy, and Starlight taking turns supporting Twilight as she struggled to walk with her broken wing. Spike walked silently next to them with Rarity’s extra suitcase in one claw and a beat-up sword from the ruins in the other, his eyes darting every once in a while. Pinkie Pie walked with the Crusaders behind the rest of them, distracting them with a game of “I Spy.” They may be grown up now, but they were still children at heart, and this was the first time they had faced a situation like this.
The field itself was gorgeous, with rolling hills and lush green grass. The occasional flower grew here and there. Applejack remarked that the ground was quite fertile as well, and stated that it would make prime land for an orchard. A few ruined buildings dotted the landscape here and there as well. Overall, the area had a very rugged wild feel to it, though this visage was marred by large craters and trenches cutting through the plains. They looked fairly recent, with no grass or flowers yet growing in them and trees knocked over wherever they entered the woods. One of these trenches crossed the path they were on as the river came into view through the trees, but as they descended into it, Starlight's horn began to tingle.
"There's magic here." She grunted, starting up the other side, pulling Twilight along with her good wing draped over her back. "It's just residual magic, and its faint, but whatever carved these trenches was magic in nature."
"Must've been pretty pow'rful." Applebloom chimed in, kicking at some loose dirt whit a hoof. "This dirt wasn't dug up anytime recent. Ah'd guess it's been like this fer a couple weeks."
"If it can linger that long," Sweetie Belle mused, "Then it must be pretty powerful."
Meanwhile, Twilight and Starlight were struggling to get back up the other side of the trench. The dirt on this side was wet and loose from being so close to the river and from rocks and broken tree roots keeping it from packing down here and there. Rainbow and Fluttershy flew up to help them from above, gingerly pulling up first Twilight, then the others. On the other side, they found themselvesonly a few paces away from the water's edge, with a bridge just off to the side. Once everypony was out of the trench, Rainbow once again flew up in the air over the trees before returning.
"The building is about a mile downriver on the other side."
Twilight nodded, clearly exhausted. "Right. Let's keep going, but we should refill our water bottles first."
With various mumbled agreements and some voiced concerns about Twilight needing a break, which she refused, Pinkie Pie and Rarity went to refill the water bottles as the others started across the bridge.
"Oh bother." Rarity complained as her hooves sunk into the waterlogged grass. "Now my hooves are all wet!"
"Yeah, but at least we can do this!" Pinkie jumped up and crashed back down, splashing Rarity in the process. "Plus, now you'll stay cool in the sun!"
"Pinkie! My mane! Oh well, hopefully I can fix it when we get there. Let's just fill these and catch up."
As they were filling the bottles, Rarity thought she saw something on the other bank of the river, but when she looked again, she couldn't find anything. Dismissing it as nothing, she turned and trotted back to the group with the bottles in her magic grip.
They continued across the bridge quietly, a few of them taking a dring of their refilled waters, all of their hooves hurting from being on them for so many hours. Twilight leaned heavily on Applejack, the clopping of her hooves slow and staggering on the stones. She nearly fell forward going down the steps on the other side, but Applejack was able to keep her upright. The path over here was drier and noticably devoid of trenches.
They were getting ready to start down the path once again when a noise from behind them caught Scootaloo's attention. Turning around, she let out a piercing shriek as she saw something leaping at her.
In an instant, Rainbow turned around with her spear in hoof, batting away some sort of weapon that had been about to impale Scootaloo. Not missing a beat, Spike leaped over Scootaloo's back as another of the creatures charged, sweeping his sword in front of before spouting an emerald stream of flames. Both creatures leaped backward several yards, landing in the wet grass and hopping in place, as if waiting for an opening to attack. Now that she could get a closer look at them, Fluttershy could see that they resempled some form of reptile. Standing on two legs, they had beady eyes, armored backs, and curved horns protruding from their faces. They were very scary-looking, with spikes growing from their joints and crude weapons clutched in their claws. She made an undignified squeak and hid behind her mane.
Spike didn't know what they were, and quite frankly, he didn't care. They had attacked his friends, and that was all he needed to know. He watched as two of them separated from the other two and started circling around them with their spears poised to strike. Spike moved with them, hefting his sword in both claws as he kept himself between the creatures and the girls as Rainbow remained focused on the other two. One of them drew back its sword, as if getting ready to throw it, while the other knocked an arrow in its bow. Starlight watched worriedly as they found themselves between both sets of monsters. She stepped closer to Twilight as she and Rarity ignited their horns, waiting for the creatures to attack.
What happened next could not have been predicted by any of them. It happened so fast, most of them didn't even see what had happened. To them, it seemed as if a blue lightning bolt suddenly struck from the sky as another creature appeared in front of Spike.
To Rainbow Dash, however, time seemed to slow down as she watch everything unfold. Being able to move around in the blink of an eye, this often happened during moments of intense excitement. She turned in shock as a hooded figure leaped from the trees nearby with a bow in its grip. Reaching behind his back, he pulled out three different arrows and took aim at the two creatures in front of her before firing all three arrows in a single breath.
Tracking the arrows, she watched in fascination as they struck. The first was a golden arrow with a forked head. It struck the ground between the creatures and erupted in an electrical discharge, which travelled through the wet grass before reaching the monsters, who dropped their weapons and started writhing in shock.
The second arrow had an intricately shaped tip and gave off a blue glow. It, too, struck between the still-writhing lizards, but instead of electricity, this arrow shattered in a burst of frost, ice quickly spreading through the water and across the monsters' bodies, leaving them frozen statues of ice.
The third arrow had no head, but rather there was a small sack attached to the shft and a lit fuse feeding into the sack. When it struck, it exploded violently, sending chunks of ice through the air and leaving no sign of the monsters.
All this happened in the span of an instant, giving the illusion of blue lightning striking the monsters as the hooded figure soared past her.
Applejack watched in awe as that same figure landed in front of her, trading his bow for a sword and shield as he rolled out his momentum. The motion caused his hood to fall back, revealing a shaggy blonde mane pulled into a small wolftail. The creature stood between them and the lizard things. This new creature stood upright on two legs while wielding his weapons with his forelimbs. He wore clothes over most of his body, and the exposed flesh was covered in pink skin, not fur. With a start, she realized...
The human stood between the ponies and the two remaining lizard creatures, the girls still in shock from what had just happened. The three groups just stood there, watching each other, until the monsters once again started to circle their prey, this time targeting the more dangerous human. One of them had some sort of forked sword, while the other held a barbed spear in both of its claws. Twilight watched in fascination as the human shifted its gaze back and forth between the two of them, always making sure to know where each was. When her brother was in training in the royal guard, she would sometimes visit him in the barracks or watch him spar with his comrades. This reminded her a lot of that, the way this human was acting. From switching his attention every few moments to the way he shifted his stance as the creatures moved to the tensing and relaxing of muscles waiting to spring into action at a moment’s notice, everything this man did reminded Twilight of a trained soldier, well versed in the art of combat.
Without warning, the one with the spear opened its mouth and lashed toward the human with a brightly colored tongue. The slimy muscle shot forward several feet, nearly hitting their rescuer in the back of the head until, at the very last moment, the human launched his counter. Ducking under the attack, he dropped his shield and grabbed the creature’s tongue, wrapping it around his arm to keep his grip as the other monster charged the man with its forked sword. The human knocked the sword aside with his own and quickly retaliated with a slash of his own, severing the creature’s head from its neck, before turning around and yanking hard on the tongue still in his grip. The remaining lizard, caught completely off guard, dropped its spear as it lurched forward several feet, impaling itself upon the human’s waiting blade.
With a final surprised squawk, the lizard’s eyes closed and its body slumped to the ground, its colorful tongue unraveling itself from the human’s arm as both bodies, plus whatever was left from the two behind them, began to seemingly dissolve in purple smoke. The human sheathed his sword and turned toward them.
“Is everyone alright?”
The ponies stood in shock at the scene they had just witnessed. Rainbow Dash and Spike stood slackjawed at how awesome this human was, while Fluttershy looked like she was about to cry for the dead lizards. Applejack regarded him with what looked like solemn respect in her eyes, Twilight leaning heavily upon her out of exhaustion. Rarity had fainted and was now lying in the dirt, and Pinkie Pie was bouncing up and down in excitement. The Cutie Mark Crusaders didn’t seem to know how to feel about what they had just witnessed. Starlight simply stared wide-eyed, studying the human.
He looked to be about twenty, if she remembered the human growth cycle properly. He had alluring blue eyes and a shaggy mop of blonde hair, some of which was held back by a blue hair tie. His clothing consisted of A rugged red tunic, dust-colored pants, and floppy boots with a black hood hanging off his shoulders. Pieces of armor were strapped to his shoulders, gloves, and boots, and he had an impressive looking arsenal slung across his back consisting of a bow, a sturdy-looking shield, and a sword with a leather-wrapped hilt. A quiver of assorted arrows hung from his waist. What really caught Starlight’s eye, however, were the man’s ears. They were long and pointed, a simple earring looping around the left earlobe. As far as she could remember, none of the humans she had met had pointed ears, but rather small, round ears that folded against their head rather then sticking out.
The man seemed a little uncomfortable with the way they were staring at him, clearing his throat and repeating his question.
“Did anybody get hurt?”
Several of them shook their heads, snapping back to reality. Applejack approached him, Twilight still leaning heavily against her. “Thank ya kindly fer rescuin’ us. I’m pretty sure we’d ‘ave been a lot worse off if ya hadn’t shown up when ya did.”
By this point, Twilight was exhausted. The princess had suffered a magical overload from some unknown source, fallen into an unknown world, broken her wing, endured the excruciating process of trying to reset the broken bones, and then walked several miles through hills and trenches in that condition before finally being attacked by monsters she didn’t recognize. She had had no food and only what water she had packed in a single bottle. She could barely even process what was happening anymore. All this was too much for the pony to handle, and she collapsed on the spot.
“Twilight!” ten voices all exclaimed at once. The ponies (and dragon) rushed to her side, Fluttershy, dead lizards now forgotten, pushing her way forward and feeling Twilight’s forehead with a hoof.
“She’s exhausted, poor thing.” She turned her gaze to the man standing over them. “Please sir, our friend is badly hurt. She needs help.”
The man snapped out of his surprise, having not noticed the wounded one until now. “Right, there’s a stable a little to the south. It’s pretty much a straight shot from here. They have food, water, and…do you guys sleep on the ground or in beds?”
“On the ground?” Rainbow sounded offended. “She needs a bed, you numbskull!”
The man just nodded, ignoring Rainbow’s insult and maneuvering around the colorful pegasus now hovering in his face. He crouched down beside the purple one.
“Is it safe to pick her up?”
Fluttershy looked over Twilight for a moment before turning back to the man. “That should be okay, just be careful not to move her wing too much.”
Wordlessly, the man slid his arms beneath the unconscious mare and pulled her against his chest, careful to mind the yellow one’s warning about her wing. He started down the road wordlessly, the other ponies following behind him. The one in his arms was surprisingly light.
The trip to the stable wasn’t a very long one, even walking, but it still allowed him time to get lost in his thoughts as he observed these creatures around him.
They look like regular ponies, well, except that one. He looks like a lizalfos hatchling, almost. Wait, why is he eating rupees? Spike had indeed found some gems on the side of the road and was currently munching on them. He burped, letting out a small tongue of fire. Okay, so he's a dragon. The rest just seem to be ponies of some kind, but why are they so colorful? And what's with the wings and horns? Obviously the ones with wings can fly, but what are the horns for? And what about the ones that don't have either? Are they some kind of inferior breed? He looked down at the pony in his arms. This one has wings and a horn, so does that make her superior to the others? Their leader, perhaps? He wasn't too surprised about them being able to talk. There were animals in Hyrule's past who had been known to be able to speak. One owl had even been mentioned by name in the history records. Even so, he'd never even heard of animals like these.
Before long, the stable had come into view: a large tent with horse stalls off to the side, gated livestock, and lots of open space. Crates of supplies were stacked here and there, and a large bird-man stood outside, serenading passerby with his accordion. A young woman dressed similar to himself, minus the armor, was helping one of the stable hands groom the horses, though she quickly stopped and waved when she saw him approaching.
“Link! You’re back!” She had a beaming smile on her face as she approached him, though her cheerful demeanor quickly faltered when she saw the rest of the company. “What’s going on?”
“Zelda,” He grunted. “I need your help real quick. We need to pay for an extra bed.”
“What? Whatever for?”
“Just trust me on this one.” He turned to another of the young ladies tending the horses. “Excuse me, could you help me treat this pony please?”
The group all headed inside, past the young woman the man had called Zelda, who was now speaking with a counter clerk about bedding arrangements. Upon hearing hooves clopping on the wood floor, the clerk turned their way and his jaw dropped.”
“S-sir!” He stammered. “I-I’m sorry, but you can’t bring your ponies in here! They’ll have to wait outside, like all the other horses!”
“No can do, partner.” Applejack stated matter-of-factly, causing both the clerk and the young woman to jump in surprise. “Our friend is hurt, and we ain’t leavin’ her side.”
“O-oh, um, o-of course, whatever you like.” The man left the tent, muttering something about bad mushrooms.
By this point, the man called Link had set Twilight down on one of the stable’s many beds. Her friends all gathered around as close as they could, but they left a fair amount of space for Link and the stable hand to work. After a few minutes of examining her, the stable girl looked at Link.
“Well, I don’t know anything about broken wings, but I do know that this pony is weak and dehydrated, and I suspect the wing is causing her a great deal of pain. I would recommend getting her plenty to eat and drink, rest would help too.”
Link nodded and the girl stood and left, then he turned to the other ponies. “You heard her, she needs to eat something, but I don’t know what your diet is like. If I supply ingredients, could one of you cook something?”
The pink one started jumping around excitedly. “Ooh, ooh. I can! I can!” Her voice was surprisingly high-pitched, hurting his head a little.
Before long, several of the ponies had gathered around the cooking pot outside. Zelda had given them a fair portion of their supplies to work with, and the hyperactive one had wasted no time in getting to work, along with the white one. The yellow one and the lighter purple one had elected to stay with the darker purple one, the orange one and the colorful one had gone to the river to fill some extra water bottles Link had given them, and the three younger ones, along with the dragon, had fallen asleep in the shade of a nearby tree.
Link himself leaned against a cart off by the horse stalls. He had shed most of his equipment, now sporting a more casual tunic with no armor and a lightweight sword on his back. After a few minutes, Zelda came outside and joined him, placing some empty bottles on the cart. She was dressed similar to him in a simple tunic and vest, basic traveler’s garb. Her hair was a few shades lighter than his own, but her eyes were just as blue. Her most prized possession, a stone slate-looking device, hung from her hip.
The two simply stood in silence for a few minutes, watching as the orange and rainbow ponies returned with full bottles of water in their saddlebags and the pink and white ones continued in their cooking frenzy. Link worried for briefly about the large portion of ingredients they were using, but dismissed it after remembering just how many they were cooking for. He could always replace whatever they took at the market at home, anyway.
“It’s incredible, isn’t it?” Zelda spoke up, bringing him out of his thoughts. “They seem to be incredibly intelligent, even as much as our own species. They’re able to cook and communicate, they seem to have some knowledge of medicine, they can craft, if their saddlebags are any indication, and they even style their own manes.”
Link nodded. These ponies were definitely more than they first appeared. “I wonder why they’re so colorful. And what do you think the horns and wings mean?”
“The color variations are probably common among their species. I’m guessing the same goes for the brands they have on their flanks. The wings are obviously for flight.” Link rolled his eyes at her sarcasm. “As for the horns, I actually asked one of them about them—the purple one with the green in her mane. Her name is Starlight Glimmer, by the way. According to her, the horns allow for the conduction of magic. Ooh, look!”
She pointed to the ponies by the cooking pot. The white one was currently levitating several objects and ingredients around them in a blue aura. A matching aura could be seen around her horn.
“Huh. So they can use magic.”
“Yes, and I suspect they can probably do much more than that. According to Starlight Glimmer, she and Twilight Sparkle, the injured one, have been studying magic for most of their lives.”
Link let out a low whistle. “They must be pretty powerful then.” Another thought occurred to him. “That reminds me, the one with the broken wing…what did you say her name was?”
“Twilight Sparkle.”
“Right.” What a weird name. “She has both wings and a horn, while the rest have one or the other, and the orange, pink, and smaller yellow ones don’t have either. Do you think that might indicate some sort of social structure? Maybe the ones with both are a kind of superior race while the ones with neither are inferior, and the others are some kind of middle class?”
Zelda let out a laugh at his musings. “You know, before, you probably wouldn’t have wondered about such things. I suppose some of my habits have rubbed off on you. Still, they’re good questions. They don’t seem to treat each other as if there’s any existing class difference, but it’s possible that they could be an exception to their kinds regular social patterns.” The two of them mulled this over for a few moments, though not for very long, as a shrill voice soon called out to them.
Before long, the ten ponies, one dragon, and two humans were each served with a bowl of rice topped with eggs and truffles, plus a few seasonings that Link didn’t remember giving them.
No meat, he noticed. Maybe they’re vegetarians. It’d make sense, I guess.
The dish itself was surprisingly flavorful for its simplicity; those two ponies really knew how to cook. Most of the ponies ate under the trees outside while Link, Zelda, and the lighter purple pony, Starlight Glimmer, all sat inside with the darker purple one, Twilight Sparkle, as Starlight was trying to wake her.
“Twilight. Twilight!”
Slowly, the injured pony began to come around, her eyes opening partially, but not seeming to really be looking at anything.
“Whass goin on?” she slurred.
“It’s okay,” Starlight assured her, “We’re safe now. I brought you some food, so you need to eat and get your strength back.”
Twilight nodded, starting to sit up. For a second, she seemed to be doing alright. That is, until she saw Link and Zelda sitting next to her. Her mind wasn’t fully awake yet, and she didn’t remember recent events, so she let out a yelp and tried to scramble away from them, only for a shot of pain to run through her wing when she tried to use it. She immediately stopped trying to get away, her eyes welling with tears from the pain and her memories returning as Starlight tried to calm her down.
“Hey, it’s okay. We’re safe now, they’re not going to hurt you…”
Link watched as Twilight gradually calmed down, taking deep breaths as Starlight instructed. She apologized to the two of them for freaking out, promising that they would have a chance to talk once she had eaten. Throughout the meal, she kept fidgeting, probably a nervous habit if he had to guess, but it kept causing pain in her wing.
“If you want,” he spoke up, “I could help you with your wing.”
Twilight looked at him with hopeful eyes. “You could?”
Link nodded, getting up from his spot on the next bed and moving to stand behind her. He hovered his hands over the area of her wing causing her the most pain and closed his eyes, took a deep breath, before a pale glow began emanating from his palms.
Twilight visibly relaxed as the magic flowed into her wing, easing the aching muscles and the sharp pain in her bones. “What is that?” she asked.
“Healing magic,” Link chuckled, not . “A gift from a friend of mine. I’m just using it to ease the pain, though. If we want to get your wing properly treated, we’ll need to visit the Rito.”
“The Rito?” The pony was now curious.
“They’re a bird-like people to the west of here,” Zelda explained. “However, that can wait. We haven’t had the chance to properly introduce ourselves. My name is Zelda, and the man behind you is my friend and protector, Link.”
Twilight nodded in respect. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship, and this is my student, Starlight Glimmer.”
“We’ve met already,” Zelda smiled at Starlight, then turned to Twilight and bowed slightly. “It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Princess.”
Twilight blushed. “Please, just call me Twilight. I don’t like being called so formally.”
Behind her, Link chuckled as he ceased his healing ministrations. Her wing felt much better now.
“She’s like you, Zelda.”
Starlight gave them a quizzical look. “What do you mean?”
Zelda seemed to shrink and said, “It’s nothing,” though perhaps a little too forcefully. Something of an awkward silence descended upon the four of them, none of them quite knowing what to say. The ponies were curious about the meaning behind Link’s comment, while Zelda wanted to learn more about where these strange beings came from, and Link, who was once again standing next to her, still wondered about their horns and wings. After almost a full minute of studying each other and trying to figure out what to say, Twilight noticed something about their hosts.
“Wait, your ears are pointed? I’ve never seen humans with pointed ears before.”
“Hmm?” Zelda seemed to have been lost in thought. “Oh, right. That’s because we’re actually not humans, though they are our close cousins. Our race is called hylians.”
Now in full scholar mode, Zelda explained to Twilight how the long ears of the hylians were to help them hear the voices of the gods, which then led to an explanation of the hylian deities and religion, the tale of the creation of Hyrule, and then eventually on to Hyrule itself, talking about its history, culture, inhabitants, landmarks, and surrounding countries. Link noticed that she was very vague in her description of the Calamity and the hero who eventually defeated it, even going so far to completely omit their parts in the whole thing. Twilight soaked up every bit of it, frivolously taking down notes with a quill and paper she had conjured at some point. Once Zelda was finished, Twilight returned the favor by explaining about their own world. She started by calling in the rest of her friends and introducing them, using this method to showcase the magics and differences of earth ponies, unicorns, and pegasi, followed by an explanation of alicorns like herself. After that, she used the dragon Spike as an introduction to the other various species of their world. Link and Zelda listened attentively as she talked about Equestria: the value of friendship across the land, the raising and lowering of the sun and moon, the changing of the seasons, and the Tree and Elements of Harmony.
Before long, it was evening. Link noticed that, as Twilight and Zelda had continued in their excited conversations, the sun had begun to set, and most of the ponies had curled up on the floor and drifted off to sleep, though he couldn’t find the colorful one—Rainbow Dash, if he remembered correctly. When he asked about it, the farmer, Applejack, said she had gone outside to stretch her wings. Shrugging, he carefully stepped around the tired forms of the colorful ponies, making his way to the stable master’s desk. After a short conversation, Link paid for several more beds for the ponies who weren’t already asleep, then made his way outside.
The setting sun bathed the sky in a bloody red light. Horrifying memories came unbidden to his mind; memories of the night sky glowing a similar red. The moon dripped blood as malicious creatures rose from the dead in front of his very eyes. His heart thumped in his chest, adrenaline coursing through his veins as the monsters rushed at him with spears and clubs. In one swift motion, his sword was in his hand, ready to strike anything that came close.
“Hey.”
He whirled towards the sound of the voice, an orange dome forming around his body out of pure instinct. Through the facets of the shield, he could see Rainbow Dash gaping in awe at the spell.
“Awesome…” she breathed.
Seeing her caused Link’s mind to snap back to reality. He took in his surroundings, once again noticing the red light of the setting sun, as well as the Feathered Edge which was now held in a white-knuckle grip in his right hand. It blade was shaking noticeably, the result of his own unsteady hand. The rhythm in his chest was fast and irregular, and he was sure his eyes probably looked like those of a cornered animal. Lowering his sword, he focused on taking deep, steady breaths, letting his barrier dissolve. Rainbow raised an eyebrow at him.
“You good?”
He nodded, replacing his sword on his back. “Yeah, I’m alright now.”
“You sure? You were kinda going crazy there for a sec.”
He just nodded again.
“Alright, if you say so.” She spread her wings and took off, landing on a cloud above the stable and curling up to go to sleep.
Link took another deep breath. It could’ve been worse. Of all his migics, Daruk’s protection wasn’t the worst thing he could have summoned. Still, it made him more than a little nervous. Shaking his head, he decided to get some sleep as well. He pulled a sleeping roll off the cart, removed his sword, and laid down by the fire, drifting off in a restless sleep.
Every day for as much as he could remember, Link rose with the sun. Granted, Link's memory was still largely fragmented, but Zelda had told him that he had always been awake before any of the other Champions back before the Calamity.
Today was no exception. Right as the first rays of the morning sun peeked around Mount Lanayru, Link's eyelids snapped open and he pushed himself up off the rough wood of the wagon bed, instinctively reaching for his sword before even stretching the stiffness out of his muscles. Gazing up at the clouds drifting by, a flash of color at the corner of his vision caught his attention. Blinking the sleep out of his eyes and refocusing, he saw that the bright colors were a rainbow colored tail hanging off a cloud positioned over the stable.
Oh, that's right, he thought. The ponies. That actually happened. Seriously, Link had seen some pretty strange things, ranging from overly enthusiastic giant fairies to banana-crazed ninjas, but the talking, colorful, magical ponies from another world took both the cake and the whole bakery with it.
Well, no use just laying here thinking about it. He sat up and grabbed his gear, trekking through the woods toward the nearby river they had crossed farther upstream the day before. He hadn't gotten a chance to wash up after that battle, what with everything that had followed. The pony princess needed to get her wing looked at, and such a large group meant that traveling would be slower than he and Zelda were used to, so he wanted to start the trek to Rito Village as soon as they could, preferably today. He didn't particularly want to travel in the heat of the day with the stench of monster still clinging to him.
No monsters challenged him on his way to the river. Still, instinct had taught him to air on the side of caution, so he kept a Zora-made spear planted in the shallows nearby. The river was cold, but the icy water, along with the brisk hike back to the stables, helped him shake the last wisps of fog from his mind. Upon his return, the camp was still mostly silent; one of the stable workers was tending to the horses, but that was it. He wasn't really surprised. Even after his bath, the morning was still young, and the sun couldn't even be seen behind Mount Lanayru yet. Most stables had sparring dummies for travelers to use, so he picked up his spear and starting going at it, figuring a morning workout was a good way to kill some time.
He had only just started jabbing at the dummy when a very pink figure emerged from the stable. If at all possible, Pinkie Pie's mane was frizzier than it had been the day before as she casually walked over to where he was practicing. The barbed head of the spear was ripping the dummy to shreds, tufts of straw falling to the ground around his boots. Pinkie Pie watched his movements with a fixated fascination as the spear went up, down, in, and out.
"Are you hungry?"
The question caused his stomach to grumble, breaking his focus and causing his jab to go deeper than he meant it to, sinking into the wooden post at the dummy's core. He left it there and wiped the sweat off his face with a sleeve.
"Yeah, actually, I guess I am."
Pinkie was jumping up and down in excitement. "Want to help me make breakfast?"
He was about to decline, but he didn't exactly have anything else to do, so he shrugged and put his spear away as she started sorting through the cart for ingredients.
Zelda awoke to the smell of searing meat wafting through the stable grounds. Lazily, she opened her eyes to the sight of brightly colored ponies everywhere she looked. Twilight Sparkle was still asleep in her bed next to Zelda's with Spike and Starlight Glimmer passed out on the floor next to her, probably not having moved from last night. Rarity had taken the bed on Twilight's other side, and the three younger fillies were all small enough to share the next bed over, though only two of them were still there. Fluttershy was curled up on the floor next to the stable's resident hylian retriever with a bushy-tailed squirrel peeking out of her mane. Rainbow Dash and Link had slept outside last night, if she remembered correctly, which just left Pinkie Pie, Applebloom, and Applejack unaccounted for, whom she guessed were probably already up.
Pushing herself upright and throwing her arms wide in a stretch, she pulled her mess of bedhead into a somewhat decent ponytail and stepped into her boots. Careful not to disturb any of the still-sleeping ponies, she tip-toed her way outside to find Link cooking breakfast with Pinkie Pie, and the Apple sisters packing supplies into a basket off to the side.
"Good morning," she called.
Pinkie Pie rushed over faster than she could blink. "Morning Zelda! How'd you sleep? Is anypony else awake yet? Are you hungry? We've got breakfast!"
Zelda simply stood dumbfounded. The look on her face must have been pretty humorous, because Link started chuckling over by the cooking fire.
"Don't worry," he said casually. "You'll get used to it."
Zelda certainly hoped so. Pinkie hadn't really said much the day before, probably worried for her friend, but now she seemed to have an endless supply of energy. Regardless, as she bounced back over to the fire, Zelda noted that she and Link seemed to have gotten along pretty well, as they easily exchanged jokes and stories while tending to the food.
Oddly enough, the smell of meat was coming from their pot. Zelda had noted last night that the dinner the ponies had made had been distinctly lacking in meat, and Twilight had later confirmed that they were an herbivorous culture, so the fact that Pinkie was cooking meat came as a surprise.
Zelda took a seat on a log nearby. "Pinkie?"
"Yes?"
"I thought ponies didn't eat meat, so how do you know how to cook it?"
Pinkie Pie let out a lighthearted giggle. "Ponies aren't the only creatures on Equus, silly! There's ponies, yaks, horses, donkeys, griffins, dragons, hippogryphs, sea ponies, minotaurs, and a bunch of other cool creatures! Some of them eat meat, so I make a point to know how to cook it, that way I can cook for any new friends I make!"
"'Sides," Applejack interjected, sauntering over from the wagon. "'tain't like ponies can't eat meat. It's more of a...taboo."
Zelda sat quietly trying to process the sudden rush of information before a single question piqued her curiosity. "So...have any of you ever eaten meat?"
Pinkie's smile faltered just a little. "I have," she started. "I didn't like it very much, but it helps to know what something tastes like when you cook with it."
"I eat it."
They all looked up to see Rainbow Dash gliding down from her cloud. Zelda noticed that she eyed Link for a second before continuing.
"Mostly just fish. Protein is an important part of an athlete's diet, and meat is the best way to get it, so pretty much everypony in the Wonderbolts eats either meat or tofu."
Zelda's ears perked up. "The Wonderbolts?"
Rainbow's face split into a wide grin and she sat herself down on a stump near Zelda. The next little while was spent in relaxed conversation as more and more ponies woke up and joined them. Even Princess Twilight was able to make her way outside, though she still leaned heavily against Starlight. Before long, breakfast was served: pan-seared meat and mushrooms for the hylians and oats and honey for the ponies. As for the dragon...
"Spike," Link called. The little lizard was digging through everything on their cart. "What're you doing? Stay out of that stuff!"
"I smell rubies!" Spike hollered back.
Link looked puzzled. "Rubies?"
"Yes," Twilight spoke up, though a little meekly. "A dragon's main diet consists of various gemstones."
"He eats gemstones?" Realization finally seemed to dawn on his face. Link shot to his feet, scattering the last few mushrooms on his plate in his rush to keep Spike from finding his gems. "Don't touch those gems!"
Spike grinned as he held up a ruby the size of Link's fist.
Link huffed as he helped pack the cart. It had taken him a whole fifteen minutes to run Spike down and get his stupid ruby back. After running around literally the entire stable with everybody else laughing at him, he'd finally been able to talk Spike into an exchange of the Ruby for a handful of rupees. If the drake was going to eat his money, Link would make sure that he would eat as little as possible.
Surprisingly enough, when he had suggested to the others that they start the journey to Rito Village that day, they had all agreed rather quickly, so they wasted no time packing everything up and loading it onto their wagon. Link and Zelda typically traveled light, only taking food, clothes, and a small armory for Link to choose from, with an extra trunk for whatever loot they gained along the way, so there was plenty of room to arrange a few furs and blankets into a makeshift bed for the Princess to ride in, though there arose a rather heated conversation about the "barbaric" practice of hunting animals which resulted in the furs being removed. Once all that was sorted, Link opened his weapons crate, swapping his spear for a more practical broadsword, similar to the standard-issue blade from his knighthood days, and changing into a sturdy tunic while Zelda hooked up the horse.
Zelda had been worried about how the ponies would react to them using a horse to pull the wagon, but none of them even bat an eye at it.
"Erm, Miss Fluttershy?"
The butter-yellow pegasus jumped slightly. "Um, yes?"
Zelda didn't really know how to ask what she was thinking, but she gave it her best effort. "Well, I was kind of expecting some...issues, when I harnessed the horse...from you or your friends..."
Poorly put as that technically-not-a-question was, Fluttershy seemed to pick up on what she was saying, offering a sweet smile behind her mane.
"Oh, don't worry about that," she assured. "Ponies have wagons and carriages, too. In fact, Rarity's neighbors once pulled our carriage all the way to Canterlot for us because Twilight's magic horses ran away."
Zelda blinked. Magic horses?
"Oh, well, okay. I'm glad there won't be any problems."
Behind them, Twilight was struggling to get into the cart, which was just too high for her to climb without hurting her wing.
"Here, princess," Link said, stepping up to her and holding out his arms. "Allow me."
Twilight looked a little annoyed, but accepted the offer without hesitation, allowing the strong human to wrap his arms under her barrel and lift her into the bed of the wagon.
"I hate having to have help with everything," she lamented. "It's like I'm useless."
"You're badly hurt, princess. It's understandable that you won't be able to do everything you normally could. Zelda and I don't mind helping you, and from what I've seen, your friends are all eager to do so as well."
"Yeah," Twilight smiled, watching her friends fondly as they each busied themselves with one thing or another. "We've been through a lot together, had all kinds of crazy adventures, and saved Equestria more times than I can remember. Ever since I moved to Ponyville, there hasn't been a day that they haven't been by my side."
Link smiled at her far-off gaze. "Sounds like you'd do anything for them, just like they're doing for you right now."
A pause. "Yeah, I guess you're right." She turned to the swordsman. "What about you? Do you have any close friends?"
"I have Zelda." Link responded immediately.
Twilight cocked her head, a puzzled look on her face. "Is Zelda your only friend? You don't have anypony else close to you?"
Link's face hardened, and a dark shadow seemed to pass over his features. The sight sent a cold shill through Twilight's body, but then she blinked, and it was gone.
"You should settle in and get comfortable, princess. We're almost ready to leave."
He turned abruptly and walked away, his posture stiff.
Just a few minutes after Twilight's...curious exchange with Link, everything was packed and ready for their departure. It was still early in the morning, so the air was pleasantly cool, and morning dew sparkled on the grass in the sunlight filtering through the trees along the side of the road. Zelda sat on the seat at the front of the wagon, guiding the horse, while Link and the others walked either along side or ahead of them.
Twilight could tell that her friends were all starting to feel a bit better than the day before. Pinkie Pie was bouncing along next to the cart with the CMCs, playing games and telling jokes and generally keeping them entertained while Applejack chuckled at their antics from a few paces ahead. Starlight had taken to sitting with Zelda and answering her questions about Equestria, occasionally asking a question or two of her own. Normally, Twilight would have loved to take part in such a conversation, but right now she was content just to listen. Rarity was at the front of the group with Link, casually chatting about this or that (though she seemed to be sneaking peaks at his outfit from time to time), and Fluttershy hung toward the back, giggling in quiet conversation with the squirrel still tucked inside her mane. Spike had opted to sit with Twilight in the wagon bed and keep her company. The entire scene gave one a sense of peace and comfort.
At least, until you noticed Rainbow Dash flying overhead, a spear from Link's collection poised in her hooves. She was apparently still tense after their encounter with the lizard creatures yesterday, and had insisted on being ready for anything. Link apparently didn't mind and had happily lent her the weapon. If Twilight had to guess, their group was too large for him to protect on his own in the event of an attack, and he was probably glad for the extra help.
It made her feel a bit uneasy.
They made it over the bridge with no problem and the path took them into the heart of the woods. This forest felt so different than what she had become accustomed to. Sunlight streamed through the brightly colored canopy above, and she didn't feel any of the unease or hostility she usually felt when traversing the paths through the Everfree, though she was certain that these woods held their own variety of dangers. Still, she couldn't deny their beauty.
Before long, they emerged on the other side of the forest, and immediately came to the large trench the ponies had crossed the day before, cutting right across the road.
"Crap," Link muttered, crouching down and looking into the trench. "I forgot about this one."
It did pose something of a problem; there was no way the wagon would be able to cross that large of a gap. Looking in either direction, Twilight could see that the closer end of the trench disappeared into the woods to their right, but they wouldn't be able to get the wagon through the trees, either. The only path they could take was in the other direction, where the furrow disappeared into the southern part of the field where the ponies had spent the majority of the previous day. Link took note of this and groaned.
"Looks like we're taking the long way there," he announced.
Zelda's brow furrowed in concern. "That's a long way in the wrong direction. It would take us at least an extra day to reach Rito Village."
"Yeah, it will," Link agreed. "But until the stable can fix the road, it's the only way to get the wagon across. Unless any of you ponies have a magic trick to get us across?"
"Maybe," Starlight said. "I could teleport the wagon, but I don't want to risk that with Twilight, and she's in no condition to climb this thing again."
"There's a big enough blanket back here that we could make a stretcher with a couple spears," Spike suggested.
"Okay," Link nodded. "Let's do that, then. Rainbow!"
The prismatic pegasus quickly appeared in front of him. "Yeah?"
"Come help me with this. We'll need your spear."
The two of them set to work making a stretcher on the ground while Spike and Fluttershy helped Twilight get down out of the cart. As soon as she was out, Starlight's horn lit up, and a bright flash pulled the wagon out of existence before a second flash deposited it on the far side a second later, safe and sound. The horse, however, was another matter. He apparently didn't like blinking through space, and immediately panicked, stamping the ground and jumping all around, bucking this way and that and screeching at the top of his lungs.
"He's gonna break the wagon!" Applejack yelled.
Fluttershy dashed across the gully and tried to calm the pore thing down, speaking softly and slowly and making calming gestures, but the horse paid her no mind, continuing to buck the wagon. The driver's seat was already smashed to pieces. She tried using the Stare, but he was thrashing around too much for her to keep eye contact.
"Release the harness!" Zelda called.
That would probably work. With room to run around and get his bearings, the horse would calm down much more quickly. Fluttershy switched her attention to the harness and worked to undo the straps as fast as she could. The instant the last one fell free, the horse took off running as fast as he could into the field.
And kept running...
And kept running...
And...oh, ponyfeathers.
"Whelp," AJ strolled up next to her as Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo carried Twilight over the furrow. "Guess he won't be pullin' the cart no more."
Fluttershy hid her blush behind her mane. "Sorry. I didn't think he would panic that much."
"Well," Zelda said as Link helped her over the edge. "I suggest we find a way to pull the cart soon, or we're going to lose more than a day's time."
"Aw, don't worry 'bout that none." The group looked over at Applejack, who was just finishing strapping herself into the harness.
"Ah'm a right bit stronger than ah look." She stated matter-of-factly, flashing a grin. "This'll be foal's play."
"Are you sure?" Link asked. "I don't want you to feel like you have to. I could find another--"
"Now listen here, darling." Rarity interrupted. "The two of you have been nothing but helpful toward us since the moment we met. You saved us from those creatures, gave us food and shelter, eased Twilight's pain, and are now taking an extended trip on our behalf. All that, and you've asked nothing in return, even when Spike ate your money. Now, you may be willing to help us freely, but you must understand that, for the duration of this journey at the least, we will do our part to ensure that everything runs smoothly."
Link opened his mouth to argue, but the look on both Rarity's and Applejack's faces made it clear that the matter wasn't up for discussion, so he promptly shut it.
"Well, thank you, then."
Applejack tipped her hat. "Eeyup!"
The next several hours were spent much the same as before. The group all chatted merrily amongst themselves, Hyrule's sun rose steadily over their heads, and nothing challenged them as they forged deeper into the heart of the country, though they did have to cross another several furrows.
"Hey, Mister Link?" Applebloom asked as she clambered out of the third channel to cross their path.
"Just call me Link, Applebloom," Link chuckled, reaching down and helping her over the edge.
"Okay, then. Link, what are these things?"
"Yeah!" Sweetie Belle teleported across. "I've noticed that they all have magic around them. What's that all about?"
"Ah wasn't gonna say nothin'," Applejack cut in, still hooked up to the wagon. "But ah'm curious too. These things...they don't feel natural."
Link and Zelda looked around to find seven curious sets of eyes silently begging them to share what they knew.
Well, Link thought, I guess it's only fair. It is kind of a big piece of recent history. Still, I hope this is the last time I have to talk about it.
Link started back on the path, collecting his thoughts. The others shared confused looks before silently following behind him. Nearly three minutes passed in silence before he spoke again.
"Most of you were outside at the time, but your princess has already heard this story."
"Oooh! Is it story time? I love stories!"
Link smiled at Pinkie Pie's antics and waved away the colorful bits of paper she seemed to have pulled from nowhere, while Zelda covered her ears against the painfully shrill frequency of her excited squealing.
"Anyway, I'm sure you all noticed the ruins when you were on the road yesterday." He saw them all nod in the corner of his vision. "Well, a long time ago, those ruins were cities, towns, and various other settlements. It's said that, a little over a hundred years ago, Hyrule was a flourishing kingdom with a rich culture, living in a time of revolutionary breakthroughs in science and technology. Strong alliances existed between the land's various cultures, and people lived happily, without worry for what the future might hold. There aren't many left who lived back then, but the few who remain say it was a paradise, a perfect kingdom."
Fluttershy noticed that both Link and Zelda had a far-off look in their eyes. "W-what happened...?" she asked timidly.
This time, it was Zelda who spoke. "Over the years, it has become known simply as the Calamity, but those who have studied what few writings remain of Hyrule's ancient history know that its true name was Calamity Ganon, an ancient evil that had threatened the land once before, ten thousand years prior, and was prophesied to return."
"The scholars recognized the signs of Ganon's return," Link continued. "They warned the royal family, and the king took action to prevent what would be the end of the world." The Cutie Mark Crusaders, plus Fluttershy, had all gone wide-eyed with fear. Fluttershy's squirrel friend retreated into the safety of her mane. "Back then, most of Hyrule's history books were still intact," Twilight ground her teeth at the thought of lost books "and they were able to find how the ancients defeated Calamity Ganon. They had built an army of machines, spider-like soldiers called Guardians, and four great weapons called Divine Beasts, to weaken him. A great hero led the army, wielding the sword that destroys evil in his fight against the demon, and the princess used the her magic to seal Ganon away."
Link and Zelda now seemed to be taking turns telling the story. "The king thought that he could defeat the Calamity in the same way his ancestors had, and set the kingdom to work searching for these great machines. For a time, they say things looked hopeful. The four Divine Beasts were each found and repaired, as was a portion of the army of Guardians. Each race volunteered a champion to pilot the Divine Beasts, and a new hero was chosen to wield the sword of legend. The princess, too, was tasked with learning to use her power to recreate history."
The two of them went silent, and stayed that way until Rainbow Dash grew impatient. "Well?!" she exclaimed, waving her forelegs wildly. "Don't leave us hanging! What happened next?!"
Zelda lowered her head, grateful that her tears were hidden by her loose hair. "Everything went wrong. The power of the Calamity was greater than w--than they had anticipated, and the beast used it to put everything to ruin. The Divine Beasts were corrupted, trapping their pilots within. The Guardians, tasked with protecting the hero, turned against him. And the princess failed to use her power."
There was a collective gasp from those who hadn't already heard the story. Link gave Zelda a sympathetic look, unnoticed by the ponies, before continuing where she left off.
"Well, while the stories all pretty much agree on those first two, not all of them say the princess failed completely. In fact, recent history pretty much confirms that she was able to use her power eventually, but it was only after the capital city fell. She and the hero were able to escape the initial onslaught, and fled to Fort Hateno, in the east, where the greatest battle of the war would be fought. Legions of Guardians came up against what remained of the Hylian army."
"The hero led the battle, defeating dozens of the machines before his wounds became too great for him, and he collapsed on the field of battle."
Rarity screamed at the thought of such a brave hero failing to save the day. A few of the more sensitive ponies were crying now. Link continued the story.
"This is where most of the stories say the princess was finally able to unleash her power, defeating the remaining Guardians in a single divine blow." He chuckled. "In fact, the bards are fond of saying that it was only after seeing her 'brave and heroic love' fall that she 'found the righteous rage within herself' to 'deliver upon her foes the wrath of the heavens.'"
Everypony laughed at that, with the exception of Zelda, whose ears, Twilight noticed, were turning bright red as she absolutely refused to look at Link. The alicorn giggled behind her hoof. Apparently, Zelda was easily embarrassed by overly prosaic romance.
The mood now lightened a little bit, Link kept going.
"After that, the princess and the hero all but disappear from the legends. The hero's life was entrusted to an ancient tribe called the Sheikah, who used their technology to put him in a deep sleep for a hundred years while his wounds healed, and the princess returned to face Calamity Canon, using her power to keep him locked away in Hyrule castle until the hero could return to finish the job."
"Did he?"
Link turned to glance at Scootaloo. "Hmm?"
"The hero! Did he come back?"
Zelda smiled gently. "Actually, yes, he did."
Applejack's eyebrows shot up. "Really? After bein' so badly hurt that he couldn't stand, an' then bein' put ta sleep fer a hundred years, y'all expect us ta believe that he just got back up?"
"I must admit," Rarity added, "That is quite a tall tale."
"Well," Link scratched the back of his neck, "I doubt it was as simple as 'just getting up'..."
"But yes," Zelda finished. "The hero and the princess did, in fact, come back. It's much more recent in history, but after a hundred years spent recovering from his wounds, the hero returned and reclaimed his weapon from where it had been enshrined, used its power to free the Divine Beasts from the Calamity's control, and fought his way into the castle to put an end to the Calamity once and for all."
"The resulting battle completely destroyed what was left of the castle before moving to this very field, where the hero and the princess were able to work together to finally not just seal the Calamity, but completely destroy it."
A loud cheer erupted from Pinkie Pie and the fillies as they all jumped up and down in the air, more confetti erupting around the party pony. Where did she keep getting that?
Once everypony stopped cheering and/or laughing, Link continued once more.
"To answer your question, Applebloom, these trenches are are scars, the aftermath of that battle, made by the Calamity's magic blasts. If you go a little ways to the south, you'd see a group of what look like craters. Really, they're the Calamity's footprints."
"The ground is still contaminated by the power from those blasts. That's likely why they feel unnatural, Applejack, or why they cause your horn to resonate, Sweetie Belle."
Applejack let out a low whistle. "That musta been some mighty pow'rful magic if it could last this long."
"You said this was recent history." Starlight noted. "You also said that the hero was put to sleep just over a hundred years ago, and that he slept for roughly a hundred years. Just how recently did this happen?"
Link looked at Zelda. "What's today? Tuesday?"
The ponies all blinked in confusion, but Zelda just nodded.
"Right, then that would make it exactly three weeks ago."
The two of them didn't know it was possible for a pony's jaw to literally hit the ground.
If the sun moved the same here as it did back in Equestria, Applejack guessed it was about half past noon.
After Link and Zelda had finished their story, the rest of the morning had been passed in random conversation. Rainbow Dash had switch places with Applejack and was now pulling the cart and talking with Link about the various weapons in his armory, Fluttershy, Twilight, Starlight, and Zelda were all sitting in the back of the wagon, the latter three making observations and speculations about the various ruins they passed, and Spike was standing in the ruined driver's seat with the spear Rainbow had borrowed, keeping watch.
As for AJ, she simply walked in silence, letting the sun warm her back and feeling the earth under hooves. The path they walked on was obviously well traveled, as the ground was hard and bare, but every once in a while she'd wander off the beaten path and delight in the soft, grassy soil just beside it. It was good soil, she could tell. Nice and rich, perfect for planting crops. Maybe, just maybe, she'd plant a few trees here. She'd need something to do while they looked for a way back home, after all, and it would be nice to be able to leave something behind when they left. She figured she wouldn't be much help in figuring out a solution, anyway. Research and magic and all that weren't exactly her strong suit.
As they crested a small hill, a ruined structure came into view near the path. Link pointed to it.
"Let's rest there for a while. It'll be nice to sit in the shade, and I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm hungry."
Pinkie Pie suddenly popped up between Zelda and Fluttershy, causing Zelda to scream and fall backward.
"Hungry? I'm hungry! Can we have cupcakes?"
"How did you...?" Zelda muttered.
"Well, ah don't know 'bout cupcakes, but a nice cool apple an' pear salad sound's pretty good right 'bout now."
Everypony voiced their agreement. Link and Zelda didn't know what this "pear" stuff was, but if it went with apples, it would probably be good.
The structure looked like it had once been a small military watchpost. It would have boasted only one room, presumably to house the few soldiers who would have stayed there, and some arches surrounding a fire pit on top for the posted guard to keep watch. A mostly intact staircase led to what remained of the second level, and the first level was missing an entire wall, forming a perfect place to rest in the shade while they enjoyed a meal.
And that they did. As soon as they reached the outpost, Rainbow Dash unhitched herself from the cart and plopped down in the shade while everypony else got to work. Applejack grabbed the basket she had packed that morning, and she and Applebloom went to work cutting fruits and tossing them into a large bowl Pinkie Pie had gotten from...somewhere. Link, having helped the princess out of the cart and over to a soft patch of grass in the shade, and now having nothing better to do, pulled a dagger out of his belt and sat down with the Apple sisters to help prepare the meal.
Pears, he discovered, looked like deformed green apples with leathery skin. Out of curiosity, he popped a slice in his mouth and was surprised to find that it tasted nothing like an apple. It was sweeter and juicer, with a soft, grainy texture that would have been unpleasant in an apple. He liked it.
"Wow," he said, eyes wide. "Those are good."
Applejack raised an eyebrow. "What? Y'all never had a pear before?"
Link shook his head, his messy hair flopping in front of his eyes. "No. In fact, I don't think we have pears in Hyrule."
Zelda, now curious, hunched over Link's shoulder to examine the fruit. "I think you're right. This doesn't look like any species of fruit that I'm familiar with. I don't remember reading about it either." She grabbed a slice from off of his knife. Her eyebrows shot up. "You're right though; they are quite good. Save the seeds for me, would you? I'd love to try to grow them when we get home."
Link just nodded and Zelda stood back up (though not before sneaking another slice out of the bowl). "You know," she stated. "I think we may have a few other fruits that would taste wonderful with these." She went outside and rummaged through one of their food sacks before returning with a large green melon and a small bag of berries.
"Hey, yeah!" Link exclaimed, reaching for another bag hanging from his belt. "Hey Spike!"
Zelda took the dagger from him and started slicing the hydromelon as the dragon looked up at Link. He held up a handful of chickaloo nuts.
"Give me a roast?" Link asked. He tossed the nuts in the air, and Spike blew a quick tongue of fire. The green flames roasted them perfectly, and they fell into the bowl, joining the medley of fruits.
"Thanks." Link reached into another pouch and tossed a blue rupee over to Spike, who caught it excitedly.
"Awesome!" He broke a large piece off and stuffed it in his mouth. "You know," he said once he finished chewing, "The gems here taste different than back in Equestria." He bit off another piece, waiting until he swallowed before continuing. "Like, back home, the green ones were always my favorite, but here, they're kind of bland. I really liked that purple one I found under a rock yesterday, though."
Oh, perfect, Link rolled his eyes. I swear he's trying to eat me out of house and home.
He wasn't the only one worried about it though. "Well Spike," Zelda spoke up, already halfway done with the hydromelon. "I'm afraid that if you like the purple ones, you'll have to find them yourself, because they're rather expensive."
"Really?" Rarity asked, intrigued. "Gems like that are quite commonplace in Equestria."
"Yeah!" Pinkie offered. "My sister Maud lives in a cave full of them!"
"Well, I'm not saying they're entirely uncommon here, but while Equestria uses...what were they called? Bits? Yes, that seems right. While Equestria uses bits for currency, Hyrule uses those gems."
All eyes turned to Spike as he shoved the rest of what everypony now realized was a portion of Link and Zelda's money in his mouth. "Waith, weawy?"
Zelda nodded. "They're called rupees, and each color has a different value. The green and blue ones are only worth one and five, respectively, which is why we don't mind sharing them with you, Spike." Spike acknowledged her with a thumbs up. "However," she continued, "There are several other colors after them, each of them increasing in value. For example, the next denotation of rupee after blue is red, which is worth twenty rupees." Everypony's eyebrows shot up. "Then comes purple, which is worth fifty rupees, and the last two are silver and gold. They're both quite rare, and are valued at one hundred and three hundred rupees, respectively."
Everypony's jaw dropped. Spike paled under his scales as he realized he'd straight up eaten the equivalent of fifty bits.
Link noticed. "Hey, don't worry about it," he comforted the dragon, placing a hand on his back. "Like Zelda said, we've got no problem sharing our green and blue rupees with you. A lot of those gemstones you found earlier sell for quite a bit, so we can make the money back pretty easily as long as you stay away from those. Plus, Zelda and I have a rule for anyone who travels with us: you find it, you keep it. So any rupees you find lying around are yours to munch on."
Spike's face lifted a little at that. The salad they had all been working on was now ready, the result of their efforts being a beautiful medley of crunchy apples, juicy pears, sweet wildberries, and cool hydromelon garnished with roasted chickaloo nuts. Their makeshift shelter descended into near silence, with their collective chewing the only sound to be heard as they all reveled in this simple pleasure. The hydromelon's natural chill helped to stave off the heat of the day, and mixed wonderfully with the sweetness of the pears, which in turn contrasted the slight tart of the wildberries, and the crunch of both the apples and the nuts added the perfect blend of textures. The meat eaters of the group also enjoyed some boar jerky from Link's stash of dried foods. Rainbow Dash, a little extra hungry from pulling the wagon, happily accepted the jerky when offered, though Applejack politely passed, saying that just the fruit was enough for her. Much to Twilight's surprise, however, Spike, who had never shown any interest in eating meat despite his draconic heritage, asked for a piece as well. She wasn't sure how she felt about that.
Before long, they were all finished with their meal, and it was time to get back to the trail.
We're making good time crossing the Great Field. Once we lost our horse, and Applejack and Rainbow Dash began pulling the cart instead, I thought for certain that it would cost us a significant amount of time. It seems that I was wrong, however, as the two of them seem to be able to pull the cart at a faster rate than that of a normal horse without becoming exhausted. It puzzled me at first, how could something so small be so powerful. When questioned about it, Applejack claims that her strength comes from her earth pony magic. The other ponies confirmed this, but also informed me that the Apples are known to possess strength far superior to that of the average earth pony. It's a shame, really, because it leaves me without a baseline of average earth pony strength for my research. I suppose I could use Pinkie Pie in the study instead, but I'm not entirely sure that's a good idea at this point. I might not be as...patient...with her as Link is.
Rainbow Dash, who, as a pegasus, does not possess fortified strength, claims that she became strong over the course of several years competing with Applejack. You know, it's funny; she reminds me a lot of Revali. Her competitive impulse and almost arrogant self-praise are traits I'm sure he would have appreciated. However, she also reminds me of Link, from before the Calamity. Everything she does seems to be in the interest of her friends, whether it be pulling the wagon or patrolling the skies. She never seems to be far from the princess's side, either.
It really is uncanny.
On another note, the ponies asked about the Calamity today. I realize that not everybody knows the whole story, but to have to tell the entire tale from beginning to end was more...it was more difficult than I would like to admit. I think Link thought so as well. It's not pleasant to have to recount our failures to others. Still, I think
"Hey, Zelda?"
Zelda looked up from her journal. It was dark now, the sun having set behind the Gerudo mountains about an hour ago. They were, in fact, making good time, being about halfway across Hyrule Field in just one day. Of course, the fact that no monsters had challenged them along the way certainly helped. They were currently camped out under a tree beside the road, and after a dinner of leftover salad, most everypony was already asleep, with just the two humans and Applejack being left awake.
Said pony currently stood in front of her with an expectant look on her face. She placed her pen between the pages and quickly closed the book before AJ could see the writing on its pages.
"Is something wrong Applejack?"
The farmer rubbed a hoof over her fetlock. "Er, no, not really. It's...it's just..." She put her hoof back on the ground and met Zelda's gaze. "That story you an' Link told us all earlier, about the...Calamity?"
Zelda nodded. "What about it?"
"What...what happened to 'em? The the hero an' the princess, I mean."
Zelda sighed. They were bound to ask eventually.
"Well," she started. "It's not exactly a happy ending, so we didn't want to bring it up around the fillies. A hundred years of using her power to keep the Calamity at bay took its toll on the princess, and her body gave out during the final battle. The hero died of his wounds shortly after Ganon was defeated."
Applejack nodded, but still didn't seem convinced. "How...how do y'all know all this?"
"We were there." Link's voice cut in. The two turned to see him sitting in the tree, keeping watch.
"We weren't there for the actual fight," he continued, gazing out into the night. "But we were staying nearby at the time. Once the sounds of battle died out, we went to see what was going on. When we got there, the princess was already dead and the Calamity destroyed, but the hero was still alive."
Zelda sighed. "We tried to treat his wounds, but they were just too severe, and we were too late to keep him from dying."
Link nodded grimly. "He told us his tale, then passed on before we could get him to a proper healer. His last request was that we take the sacred blade and return it to its resting place in the Lost Woods. He and the princess are both buried in the Kakariko Village cemetery now."
Applejack chewed her lip and nodded. "Alright. I jus' noticed you didn't say what happened to 'em earlier. Thanks."
Zelda smiled. "Of course, Applejack. I'd probably be curious, too."
"Well, 'night." AJ turned and sauntered off.
"Goodnight Applejack." Link called. Once she was gone, he glanced down at Zelda, who smiled at him before going back to her journal.
Still, I think we were able to avoid suspicion.
A short ways off from where Zelda wrote in the lantern light and Link kept watch in the tree, Applejack laid down on a blanket next to Rainbow Dash.
He couldn't see anything, probably because his eyes were closed, but he could feel everything. He could feel the soft bed as it cradled his body, feel the water as it gently caressed his face. The air was warm and undisturbed, and his heart beat softly in his chest. Even things he shouldn't be able to feel, like the gentle blue glow of the chamber walls, or the dust in the corners, or the stray wisps steam in the air. He could feel it all.
And then, he could hear.
He heard the sound of the water draining out of the pod, its soft touch tracing his skin as it vanished. Once his ears were clear, he thought he might hear other sounds, but he heard nothing; nothing but the rhythm of his breathing and the beating of his heart. Everything was still, quiet.
He was alone.
And then, he wasn't.
A voice, starting softly, nearly incomprehensible, tickled the tips of his long ears, before fading back into silence. It left him alone for but a moment, before returning, louder this time, saying the same thing, but he still couldn't make it out, and the voice faded once again. The voice returned a third time, and though he still couldn't understand, he knew it was a woman who spoke to him. Then a fourth time, and he could finally understand.
"Link..."
Link. Was that...his name? Yes, that sounded right. He was Link. But...
Who was Link?
"Link, open your eyes."
If he opened his eyes, he would see the woman speaking to him. Would she know who he was? He opened hie eyes, and found himself standing on a stone path, an ornate sword held point-down in his gloved hands. A cool breeze rustled his hair and pulled at his tunic. Around him rose great stone walls and before him stood a carved archway, all lit by glowing insects in the evening darkness. Behind him, he could hear the sounds of water.
He turned to find a large, shallow pool reflecting the light of the insects. Two tall trees grew out of the pool, and a large altar sat between them. Before that altar stood a woman in a white gown, her feet making ripples on the surface of the water and her golden hair flowing in the breeze, her back turned to him. She seemed...familiar. Yes, she would know him, who he was, he was sure of it. He took a step forward.
"Link..." The woman turned, and Link screamed. Her face was a pit of tar and blood with nothing more than a gaping hole for a mouth, twisted into a sinister grin. A cascade of crimson hair fell from her face and back from her scalp, and a crown of fire sank into her brow. The gaze from her burning eyes made his skin crawl, and she lunged at him with an inhuman shriek.
"Aaahhhhh!"
Link screamed and shot upright. A little ways off, a bolt of lightning answered his subconscious call, streaking across the sky and splitting the trunk of a nearby tree, quickly followed by two more strikes behind him. Thunder rolled across the plains for nearly a minute as he sat there with his heart hammering against his rib cage with the force of a goron miner. That...nightmare...what was that?
"Whoa!" A high-pitched voice said. He looked over and saw Pinkie Pie dangling from a tree branch by her tail. "Convenient lightning strike is convenient. That's, like, the most clichéd cliché to ever cliché in the history of clichés."
Link blinked and stared hard at her, his brain working too fast yet somehow not fast enough to process whatever she just said, before shaking his head and focusing on steadying his breathing. That...that was bad. Protection was one thing, it was just a shield. The worst it would do was knock someone down if they were standing to close. But Fury...well, he was just glad the lightning had been summoned at a distance and not its usual close range.
He shook his head again and stood up. He was awake now, and there was no way he was going to be able to go back to sleep with that nightmare still in the forefront of his mind, so he might as well get up.
Meanwhile, a certain pegasus watched from where she lay.
It was still early, which was really saying something given that it was coming from him. He'd tried to get back to sleep after that horrible nightmare, but whatever rest he found was fitful and served more to frustrate him than anything else.
Alright, fine, he ceded at last, Lack of sleep was part of my training as a knight. I can handle one day on what I've already got. With those irritated thoughts in his mind, he pushed himself off the ground and looked to the east. He was used to getting up at sunrise, but this was early even for him. Only the barest hints of purple could be seen over the highlands. The others wouldn't be awake for at least another two hours, so Link quietly packed up his bedroll and set it next to the wagon before moving off a little way so as not to disturb them.
"Now, what to do?" he muttered to himself. There weren't any convenient rivers nearby, and they only had so much water in reserve, so a bath was out of the question. He could kill time by hunting rabbits and foxes. His bow was lying next to the tree from his watch last night. Then again, given how some of the ponies had reacted to the meat yesterday, he'd better give them some more time to get used to this world before actually butchering something in front of them. He could also go for a run, but that would leave the camp unprotected.
Oh, come on. Is there nothing for a bored ex-knight to do in the small hours of the morning? That dream still lingered in his mind, and it was only making his anxiety worse. He had to find a way to distract himself.
He stood there staring off into space for a while, trying to figure out what to do with himself, until a new sound tickled the tips of his ears. Looking around for the source, he spotted a large shape lumbering randomly through the fields not too far from the road. As he watched, the shape laid down and disappeared into the terrain. Link grinned.
Well, now, entertainment and a workout. I couldn't have asked for more.
When Rarity woke up a couple hours later, she took a moment to come to her senses and remind herself where she was before opening her eyes. After all, if she had done things in the reverse order, she might well have suffered the same panic she'd felt two days ago and proceeded to do something foolish, surely. Opening her eyes at last, she rose up from where she had been laying and used a bit of magic to straighten up her mane. Breathing in deeply, she held it for a moment before exhaling slowly.
"Right then, time to face the day."
It was still rather early, but at least the sun had risen by now and was lending its light to the world. The grass around her was covered in early morning dew, and she noticed that the blanket she had been sleeping on was also quite wet.
"Oh no, this simply won't do. I can't very well return it in this condition." She used magic to extract as much of the moisture as she could without damaging the blanket, then laid it over the side of the wagon to dry completely.
"There, that should do the trick." She gave herself a satisfied nod and began inspecting herself. Her mane had been let down while she slept to prevent the possibility of a headache, so she quickly tied it loosely near the end just to keep it out of the way for now. Both it and her tail had lost that curly bounce she worked so hard to maintain, reverting to their natural, almost-straight state, but there was nothing she could do about that at the moment. Her coat, on the other hand...
"I suppose I haven't had a proper bath since we left Equestria." She shuddered briefly at that realization. "Right, I suppose I'll have to make do with whatever I can. Perhaps Rainbow Dash could bring me a rain cloud and I could use it as a makeshift shower. One way or another, I simply must get this dirt and grime out of my coat!"
With that matter settled in her mind, she nodded once to herself and turned around to join the others for breakfast.
"Oh my..."
The sight she was met with, however, was not what she had been expecting. Rather than sitting together on logs and enjoying fruits and meats, everyone was standing in a ring near the tree. Trotting over to join them, Rarity realized what they were looking at.
"C'MON LINK!! YOU CAN DO IT!" Pinkie Pie screamed from atop Starlight's head.
"Keep goin' Rainbow! Don't you dare let 'im beat you!" Applejack shouted.
In the middle of the ring, Link and Rainbow Dash were engaged in a competition similar to those Rainbow and Applejack so enjoyed. Rainbow had her wings planted firmly against the ground and her forelegs tucked against her chest, pushing her body up and down in a steady rhythm, while Link was doing what seemed to be the human equivalent with his arms. He had also curiously, removed his tunic, exposing well-defined muscles all across his upper body.
"You good to keep going, Dashie?" Link grunted with a grin, sweat dripping from his face. "You're not thinking of giving up already are you?"
"Hah!" Dash responded in kind. Her coat was also matted with sweat. "Not on your life, Linkle! We're only at two hundred, so don't you dare drop yet!"
Rarity's eyebrow's shot up at this comment. "Two hundred?" she remarked. She turned to Zelda, who was standing next to her. "Is that true?"
Zelda simply nodded silently. Confused at her silence, Rarity took a closer look and noticed that Zelda's face was extremely flushed and she was holding her nose in both hands. Her eyes were focused very intently on Link.
Oh, I see, Rarity thought with a hint of mirth. She ignited her horn and pulled a small handkerchief from her saddlebags and quietly passed it to Zelda, who nodded her thanks and pressed it under her nose.
Rarity wasn't familiar with Hylian standards of beauty, but thinking about it from her own perspective, Link did have a kind of rugged handsomeness to him, and the effect did seem to be enhanced by his current lack of attire. She certainly wasn't about to fault or tease the poor girl. But that didn't mean she couldn't find some small pleasure in her reactions.
At last, Rainbow's wings gave out and she dropped. Link completed one more push-up before he, too, put his knees down and sat up, grateful that it was over. Both of them were gasping for air and dripping with sweat, the dirt under them having nearly turned to mud.
"Two-eighty...Dashie," Link panted, "I...win." Rainbow just groaned in acknowledgement.
Link winced as he tried to get up. He was definitely going to be feeling that for a few days. Maybe they should have just stopped at a hundred and called it even...
As Applejack helped Rainbow off the ground, Pinkie Pie came bouncing over to Link and wiggled her way under his arm to lift him up as well, giggling uncontrollably.
"Ohmygosh, that was like, WAY AWESOME Linky! I've only ever seen Applejack go hoof-to-hoof with Rainbow Dash until now! Who would've thunk you could actually beat her? Not me! I mean don't get me wrong, I still think you're pretty strong, but Rainbow is like--!"
"Thanks Pinkie," Link chuckled, ruffling her mane a bit. Somehow, his hand came back covered in shiny flakes.
Pinkie and Applejack dragged the two of them over to some rocks by the fire and sat them down. Breakfast that morning consisted of mushroom-stuffed, cheese-topped omelets, courtesy of Fluttershy. Peeling back the egg a bit, Link was grateful to find a large portion of stamella shrooms included in the mix.
"Ohh," Rainbow moaned, shewing on her own omelet. "I don't know what you put in that Shy, but it's really hitting the spot. I'm starting to feel better already."
Fluttershy smiled around her cup of apple juice, her squirrel friend running around her hooves. "Oh, I'm glad," she whispered. "Mr. Squickens says those green mushrooms help recover energy, so I thought you two should have some."
They both nodded gratefully and proceeded to eat five servings each while everyone else looked on with mixed expressions of admiration and horror.
"Um," Twilight started tentatively. "Is it okay that they're eating that much? I know you two only have so much food with you."
"It's fine." Zelda waved off her concerns, her eyes still fixed on her companion. "Link normally eats like this, and we were prepared for a long trip, so we have plenty. Besides, Link is a good hunter, and Hyrule has plenty of game. Then we can restock on domestic ingredients at either the Tabantha Bridge Stable or in Rito Village itself."
Twilight swallowed. She still wasn't comfortable with the fact that Hylians ate so much meat, and was extremely grateful that today's breakfast didn't have any in it. Being forced to think about Link killing some innocent creature just to eat it... The thought made her queasy. We need to get home fast, before everypony starts getting used to that sort of barbaric practice. Especially Spike.
"Oh, I just remembered," Link spoke up. He set aside his plate and stood up, a bit shakily at first, and walked over to the wagon, where his weapons and tunic had been set next to a large bag that hadn't been there last night. He rummaged around in the bag and pulled out a smaller bag. "Hey Spike, catch!"
Spike looked up from examining his spear just in time to catch the incoming package. He gave Link a quizzical look. "What is it?"
"What do you mean, 'what is it?' Open it up and take a look."
Spike set down his spear and untied the string on the bag, opening it up and looking inside. "Whoa!" he exclaimed. He reached his small fist inside and pulled a clawful of small gems which clearly weren't rupees. "Seriously!?"
"Wait," Twilight spoke up again, shooting Link a suspicious look. "I thought you said gems were too precious for Spike to be eating, so why are you giving them to him now?" If he could eat gems, then there was no reason for him to be eating meat!
Link just shrugged his shoulders. "Those ones are too small; nobody will buy gems below a certain size. Even if they did, they'd only sell for a couple rupees each. Besides," he patted the bag next to him, "I got plenty of bigger ones from the Talus I fought this morning, so it doesn't hurt to let him have the little ones."
"Dude, you're awesome!" Spike wasted no time tossing a couple yellow gems in his mouth and crunching down.
Starlight turned to Zelda. "What's a Talus?"
"Talus are like living stones. They're bodies are comprised entirely of rock and other minerals, and they simply fall apart once they're defeated, usually leaving piles of precious stones among the rubble."
"Whoa!" Spike exclaimed suddenly. Everyone looked over to see that he was sitting with his tail straight up and a sour look on his face. "Those have some zing to them. I like it!" He tossed another yellow one in his mouth.
As they all watched this with amused expressions, Spike's scales suddenly started to change, the edges all turning a vibrant yellow.
"Umm, Spike?" Applejack started.
"Yes?" Spike turned to her, then held his stomach and let out a small burp. Instead of the usual green fire, however, small tongues of electricity escaped his lips.
Everyone just stared for a moment before Link broke the silence. "Well, there's something I didn't expect."
"Fascinating," Zelda mumbled, before explaining to the ponies. "In Hyrule, certain gems have magical properties. The topaz Spike just ate is known to have inherent electrical attributes. It seems that by eating it, Spike's body has taken on that magic. I wonder if it's permanent?"
Everyone ignored Twilight's subsequent panic attack and just stared at Spike, who slowly lifted another topaz to his mouth and continued eating. He let out another lightning burp.
"Well, then," Rainbow Dash started awkwardly. She looked up and saw a couple clouds in the sky. "Who wants a shower?"
