> Hero Of Harmony
>  by MattTOB
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> [1] A Loose Floorboard
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight Sparkle was reading books.

To an outsider, this may not have seemed out of the ordinary. In fact, to one who was only vaguely aware of her personality, this may have actually seemed rather normal.

However, Spike knew far better than anypony else that this was anything but ordinary. He knew her usual study habits to a t, knew her schedule down to the minute; he was, after all, her #1 Assistant.

So naturally, once he discovered Twilight's impromptu 2:00 AM reading session, he was instantly concerned. "Twilight, why're you up so late?"

She didn't even glance up from her book when she replied, "Applejack wanted me to research something in the morning, but I just couldn't wait!"

Phew, he thought. Glad it's not another 'Want-it Need-it' incident. Though something still seems off...

He stepped forward. "What exactly did she want you to research for her?"

"Oh, not much," she waved a hoof dismissively. "She just asked if I think aliens exist."

Ah, there it was. He face-palmed. "Twilight, this is ridiculous. You need to rest; you know how loopy you get when you obsess over this stuff!"

Her gaze finally left the book, even if only for a moment. "But it got me curious! I need to know, and I need to know now!"

Spike shook his head. "Top scientists have spent decades trying to figure this out; no offense, but what makes you think you can do it overnight on your own?"

She pshawed, "Because none of them were the Element of Magic, Spike."

"Ugh," he threw his hands up in defeat. "Whatever. Please just promise me you'll take a break soon."

"Uh-huh," she automatically responded, once again absorbed in her research. Spike, too tired to deal with this, trudged back upstairs to get some shut-eye.





The early rays of Celestia's sun came in through the window, stirring Spike from a fitful sleep. Despite desparately needing sleep, he couldn't stop worrying about Twilight. She'd always had a habit of going overboard, often to the detriment of her health. He rubbed the crust from his eyes, slowly opening them.

When he noticed Twilight standing two feet away from him, a manic smile on her face, he fell over in surprise.

"I think I've found something!" She exclaimed in a mixture of pride and insanity.

He blinked in surprise. "Really? What'd you –?"

Before he could even finish the sentence, she grabbed him with her magic and sat him on her back. "I've discovered an old spell written by Stephen Trotting. It was meant to allow glimpses of other worlds, but he was only powerful enough to get it looking as far as the next house over," she explained as she carried him into her study.

Spike rubbed his eyes, not exactly following. "Huh?"

"Don't you see, Spike?!" She excitedly booted him off her backside, and he was only just able to land on his feet. "I can cast the spell with the necessary power! Hold onto your scales; this is gonna get out of this world!"

Spike gagged at the pun, but nonetheless stepped back as she lit her horn. As she poured her energy into the spell, a cloud of pure magic began to materialize in front of them. The cloud started swirling around itself, parting in the middle as it reached out to the stars. Spike had to admit, this was rather impressive for a first try.

Finally, an image began to form. A lush forest came into focus, with tall trees and shrubbery not too dissimilar to those of the Whitetail Woods. However, Spike could tell that wasn't where the view was originating; the large castle he could see in the distance proved as much.

"Woah!" He gaped in awe. "Twilight, you did it!"

Despite the effort she was exerting, she still smiled.

But due to said strain, her eyes were screwed shut as she focused almost all of her effort into maintaining the spell. "Spike," she asked through clenched teeth, "Could you take some notes, please?"

"Oh, sure!" The little dragon quickly dashed over to Twilight's desk, retrieving a quill and parchment.

However, as he rushed back, he failed to notice a loose floorboard. Clipping it with his toes, Spike yelped as he tripped and tumbled straight into the spell.

What happened next was dramatic. The spell, having been disrupted by Spike, imploded in on itself. Twilight, caught in the brunt of the shock wave, was thrown unceremoniously into a bookcase, causing a cavalcade of tomes to bury her.

She dug herself out of the books, concern writ across her face. "Spike, are you okay?!"

Silence was the answer. Spike was nowhere to be seen.

"SPIKE!?"





An overall sensation of aching was what greeted the baby dragon as he woke. He sat up, eyes still closed, and muttered, "Ugh, what happened? I feel like I fell down a mountain..."

He tried to reach for his blanket to grab a couple more minutes of sleep, but strangely, it wasn't there.

Then the last few minutes came to the forefront of his mind, and his eyes flew open.

The forest from the vision now surrounded him. Birds chirped nearby, a distant river babbled, and a light wind blew towards the south.

Almost none of that concerned Spike as he shot to his feet. "Twilight?! TWILIGHT!?"

This couldn't be good.
> [2] Head Towards The Lights
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Spike was gone. He was gone, and Twilight had caused it.

She had to do something about it, and fast.

She tried to focus her energy again, but the magic fizzled out of her horn weakly. She cursed herself, "Oh no, Spike was right; I really should have rested!"

Frantically, she leapt out of the pile of books she was in, and rushed outside. "I need to get the girls, Princess Celestia, — everypony! I just hope he can manage without me..."





Meanwhile, Spike was flipping out. "Where am I?! I–I'm in the place that spell showed!"

He turned on the spot several times, frantically scanning for any immediate threats. When none presented themselves, he took a few deep breaths to steady his nerves. "Okay, Spike," he told himself, "you won't be of any use if you start panicking. Just stay calm, and find someone to ask for help."

He trailed off as he continued to look around. Now that he was actually paying closer attention, he could tell that the grass immediately round him was shorter than the surrounding grass, as if he were standing on...

"A path!" He exclaimed. The path extended off in two directions; one branched deeper into the forest, the other led out of it. However, Spike could see that, past the thicker side of the forest, the castle from the vision barely poked out above the treeline.

Thus, Spike had a dilemma. "On one claw, I could head for that castle, but risk getting lost; on the other, I could head out of the forest, but risk losing who knows how much time walking around it..."

He weighed his options carefully, then ultimately made his decision. With an aura of confidence, he began to trek deeper into the forest.





That confidence quickly faded, however, when he was met with the crushing realization that he had, indeed, gotten lost amongst the branching trails.

"Oh, for Celestia's sake!" He cursed himself, sitting down on a toppled log. "Why can't I do anything right? I let Twilight keep studying, tripped into the spell, and now I'm lost in some stupid forest!"

He balled his fists in frustration, holding back tears. "Why am I such a failure...?"

He sighed, and was about to continue forward, when he heard something. It was faint, but he heard it nonetheless:

A voice.

Thankful for this fortunate turn of events, he got up and followed the sound towards its origin.

As he approached, he began to make out what the voice was saying. "...know that he wants us to find a companion, but did he really have to send us out into the middle of Kokiri Forest?!"

A second voice, this one female, replied, "C'mon, Hamzah, all the others have found their companions; even Ephai!"

The first voice returned, obviously disdained at the mention. "Ugh, don't remind me, Nuha. But seriously, how are we meant to find someone out here?"

Spike was now able to see two colored lights – one dark blue and one mauve – being cast over some trees in the distance. He quickened his pace, eager to find someone in this unfamiliar world.

But in his excitement, he tripped over a tree root, and crashed to a stop on his face. "Ow..." He muttered through the dirt.

"What the–?" the male's voice said in bewilderment, spurring Spike to look up.

What he saw was not what he expected: two winged orbs of colored light – the same colors he'd seen being cast over the trees – hovered above him. Even though Spike couldn't see their physical bodies, he could tell that they were staring down at him in amazement.

"Well, I'll be..." the mauve one – the male, surprisingly – mused. "Maybe that ol' Sprout was on to something..."
> [3] Tree's Company
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Spike stared up in bewilderment at the two creatures flitting above him. To say that he'd never seen anything like them would be like saying that the sky is blue.

"Well, I'll be..." the mauve one – a male, surprisingly – mused. "Maybe that ol' sprout was on to something..."

The deep blue one nudged her companion. "Of course he was; he's the wisest being in the village!"

Spike, still on the ground, stammered, "W-who are you? What are you?"

The two visibly turned their bodies to look at each other, then turned their attention back to the dragon. "We're fairies," the guy stated as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Spike's jaw somehow dropped further, confusing them. "Haven't you heard of fairies?" The girl asked.

"W-well, yeah, but I never thought they were real!"

The two looked at each other again, for a longer moment than last time...

...and then burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?" Spike huffed.

The mauve one replied, "If you can exist, then what made you think we couldn't?"

Spike went to rebut, but froze as his brain finally caught up to him. He was in a different world than he was used to, and he had no grounds on which to decide what he could expect to see or not. Obviously, they'd never seen a dragon before; at least, not any like him. Surely he must be as foreign to them as they were to him?

So he relented, "Yeah, I guess you have a point. You've probably never seen anything as strange as me before, right?"

The blue one stopped laughing. "Oh, don't be like that. He didn't mean anything by it; he just doesn't know how to word some thoughts. I'm Nuha, and this is my brother, Hamzah. What's your name?"

"Spike," he heaved himself to his feet and offered out a hand, then quickly realized that the fairy was much too small to–

Nevermind; Nuha shook his index finger. Felt strange, but alright.

"So, what exactly are you, anyways?" Hamzah asked.

Spike stood as tall as he could and proclaimed, "I am a ferocious dragon!"

Another burst of giggles deflated Spike. Nuha noticed and jabbed Hamzah, causing him to stop laughing. "Sorry, it's just that you don't look like any of the dragons around here."

Spike blushed, "I'm not exactly from around here; heck, I don't even know what this place is."

Hamzah gasped. "You don't know where you are?"

He nodded his head, "Not a clue. One minute, I was doing some experiments with my best friend and caregiver Twilight; the next, I found myself at the edge of the forest. I was headed in the direction of that huge castle when I ran into you two."

Nuha sympathetically flew up close, landing gently on Spike's head. "Oh, you poor thing! You must be so confused; we have to help you!"

Spike's expression lightened at that. "You will?!"

Hamzah nodded his glowing body. "Of course! Let's take you to the Elder; he might know what to do."

"The Elder?" Spike tilted his head slightly.

Nuha took off again, doing some loops around the dragon's head in excitement. "He's the smartest guy in these woods, and perhaps even all of Hyrule! If anyone knows how to get you home, it'll be him!"

Spike jumped excitedly. "Well, what're we waiting for? Lead the way, please!"

The two fairies swirled around each other for a moment before they began to fly off, Spike hot on their metaphorical heels.





Twilight, meanwhile, was sat in front of Celestia's throne, her jaw slack. "WHAT!?"

Celestia shook her head solemnly. "I'm truly sorry, Twilight; there's nothing we can do."

The purple unicorn stammered, "B-but there has to be! Maybe if I just re-cast the spell, I–"

"That won't work," Celestia shut that train of thought down. "Even if you had the energy to perform it again, there are far too many places he could've been sent; simply finding his location would take weeks. And aside from that, we don't know if there are any risks to the transportation; you could lose something important in transit."

Twilight continued to stammer incoherently for a moment, tears brimming in her eyes. Celestia stepped down from her throne and hugged her student with a wing. "I know this must be hard, but you must have faith that he can find a way back on his own."

Twilight looked up, bleary-eyed. "How can you be so sure?"

Celestia smiled, "I've seen first-hoof just how far he'll go to return to your side."

The purple unicorn sniffled, reminiscing on everything they'd been through together. "Yeah, you're right... I just need to be brave."





Spike marvelled at the sight before him. After several minutes of travel, the group had finally entered a brightly-lit clearing, and the baby dragon could barely believe his eyes. Dozens of fairies of all sorts of colors peppered the area, going to and from little buildings carved out of mushrooms and logs, although several of them stopped and stared at the unusual visitor.

"Woah," he awed, "what is this place?"

"Kokiri Village," Nuha announced proudly. "The Elder is just down the path."

Spike followed the siblings' lead, being extra careful to avoid stepping on any fairies that passed too closely. They headed down the path, past what seemed to be a market, before arriving at the base of a rather small sapling (it was still much larger than Spike, but it wasn't nearly as big as the surrounding trees).

"Alright, we're here," Hamzah whispered. "Please be respectful and honest in the Elder's presence."

Spike nodded, looking around for any fairies that might be the Elder.

It was to his great surprise, therefore, when Hamzah flew up to the tree and cleared his throat. "O Great Deku Sprout, Nuha and I have discovered a young drake wandering the woods. He wishes to have an audience with you."

Spike gaped as the sapling stirred, small knots on its trunk forming eyebrows and a large mouth. "Thank you, Hamzah. I'll take it from here." The fairy respectfully departed, coming to rest on one of the Sprout's roots. "Young lad, what is your business here?"

Spike, scared out of his wits, hastily bowed. "Y-your Maj– I mean, O Elder D– Great Deku Sprout, I, uh, I–I..."

The Sprout, seeing Spike's fear, softened its gaze. "Do not fear me, young one. I will not harm you."

Spike gulped, steeling himself. "M-my name is Spike the Dragon, I accidentally c-came to this world through a p-portal, and I seek a way home."

Gasps of shock and confusion rang out around him, making Spike realize that a large portion of the populace had gathered to watch. Nuha even commented, "He's from another world?!"

The Sprout sat silent for a while, its seemingly endless gaze boring into Spike's soul.

Then it nodded its face. "Young one, your resolve is strong. I shall assist, if you can assist us in return."

Spike's eyes widened in excitement. "O-of course, anything!"

The Sprout smiled. "Your kind spirit will aide you greatly. I know of a way to get you home, but it must be tracked down first. Have you any knowledge of the Triforce?"

Spike blinked. "The What-now?"

It pursed its lips. "The Triforce is a set of three relics passed down along the generations, said to contain the powers of the Golden Goddesses. One represents Courage; one Wisdom; and one Power."

Spike nodded in understanding, drawing a comparison to the Elements of Harmony.

"It is said that, once all three are obtained, and their wielder has an equal balance of those qualities within their heart, they can grant one wish, whether good or evil. As such, forces of both sides have battled for their control for eons."

Spike silently marvelled at the tale the Deku Sprout was regaling.

"I believe that you, Spike, should retrieve the pieces, for it shall provide your way home."
> [4] The Dragon In The Green Hat
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

As the full weight of what had just been asked of him finally sunk in, Spike began visibly trembling. "Y-you want me to find three ancient and powerful relics, all by myself?"

The Sprout chuckled. "I didn't say you would be alone, young one. I believe you already have help."

Nuha gasped. "Wait, are you saying...?"

It nodded. "Hamzah and Nuha, I request that you both accompany Spike the Dragon. You shall aide him on his quest to recover the Triforce Pieces, and see to it that he returns home safely."

The two siblings gaped at the Elder, before bowing mid-air. "It will be an honor, O Great Deku Sprout."

Spike, seeing how confident they were in their Elder's decision, bowed alongside them. "I shall do my best, O Great Deku Sprout."

The Sprout smiled. "And one more thing. There is a chest amongst my roots. Take its contents; they, too, will help you on your journey."

Spike blinked, then looked down. Sure enough, there was a chest there, but it was tangled up in the Sprout's roots. He felt a bit awkward, messing around with a sentient tree, but he managed to get the chest free of roots. He opened the lid, and gasped.

Inside was an assortment of things. A green phrygian cap sat folded; a leather belt with an item pouch lay on top of it; a small stone sword gleamed from within its scabbard; and a sturdy-looking wooden shield accompanied everything.

He took the items one by one and equipped them. The belt went on first, followed by the sheathed sword, the shield strapped onto the scabbard, and he placed the cap atop his head (adjusting the size using a strap on the inside).

"These items," the Deku Sprout explained, "were handmade by the Kokiri peoples. They will assist you on your quest."

Spike bowed gratefully. "Thank you kindly for your gifts, O Great Deku Sprout."

He nodded. "I'd suggest heading northwest, towards Hyrule Castle. May the Goddess Hylia smile upon your path..."





Spike eagerly trotted alongside Hamzah and Nuha as they exited the village. "Woah, can you believe this? I'm gonna get back home, and we'll get an adventure along the way!"

Nuha was doing mid-air cartwheels. "I know, right? He must really believe in you if he gave you those items!"

Spike stopped for a moment to admire the craftsmanship of the items. Even if they were simple tools hewn from wood, stone, fabric, and leather, they were crafted with as much care as any one of Rarity's works. "Yeah, they seem pretty great."

"So," Hamzah changed the subject, "what was that about you coming from a different world?"

Spike blushed. "You know how I said I was helping my friend do experiments?" They nodded in return. "She was trying to see if she could discover new life on some distant planets or something. She used her magic to cast a spell which offered a glimpse of the forest and Castle, but I... I accidentally tripped into it, and it sent me here."

"How does that make any sense?" Hamzah pointed out. "A viewport and a portal are two completely different things!"

Spike shrugged, "I dunno, it wasn't even her own spell she was using. Besides, her magic has always worked in weird ways. I remember this one time where she was trying to turn some plants and a rock into a suit and cane for me, and for some reason, I had to concentrate just as much as her!"

"That one at least makes some sense," Nuha replied, "if she was using the spell to make what you were imagining real."

Spike blinked. "Huh, I never thought of it like that."

Hamzah speculated, "Maybe the spell she used wasn't specifically a scrying spell; maybe it simply forged a temporary connection between worlds, and when you fell in, it went haywire?"

Spike pondered for a moment, before slowly nodding. "That makes sense, I think. Twilight is the most powerful Unicorn I know, and –"

Hamzah interrupted, "Woah, woah, hold on there! Did you say she's a Unicorn?"

The young dragon nodded, reciting almost by heart, "You see, my world is mainly inhabited by 3 types of ponies. Unicorns have horns that give them limited magical powers, Pegasi have wings and can manipulate clouds, and Earth Ponies have a special connection to the earth which makes them strong and allows them to nurture crops better. There's also a fourth, much rarer type known as Alicorns, which have all the properties of the other three and then some. Princess Celestia, for example, is an Alicorn, and she has the power to raise the sun."

Both fairies froze. "Raise the sun!?"

"Yeah," Spike shrugged as if it weren't a big deal. "She says that it'll move across the sky on its own, but it apparently needs that extra push to get past the horizon. Her sister, Princess Luna, raises the Moon. I'm guessing nopony does that here?"

Nuha and Hamzah shook their heads.

"Huh..." Spike took this information in, glancing towards the horizon where the sun was setting. "Just another difference between worlds, I suppose. Speaking of which, I'd love to know more about this world. Are fairies the dominant species?"

Nuha eagerly flitted forward. "Ooh! Ooh! I can tell you!"

Hamzah chuckled, humoring his sister's eagerness. "Alright, go ahead."

"So, the land of Hyrule is comprised of several different species. The dominant are Hylians, a race of bipedal apes with pointy ears and a connection to nature; there's us Fairies, who have healing and guiding prowess; the Zora, a proud fish people with a talent for music; the Kokiri, a branch of the Hylians who have fully embraced their natural ties; the Gerudo, a race of all-women warriors in the desert; and the Gorons, a group of rock-eating golems who live on a volcano known as Death Mountain. Am I missing anything, Hamzah?"

The fairy pointed out, "What about that recent tribe, the Reto?"

"Oh, yeah! The Reto are a small group of Zora that have bird-like traits. I dunno how it happened, but whatever; the past is the past."

No response. Nuha looked down, then did a double take when she saw Spike on the ground, overwhelmed by the amount of information he'd just received.

Hamzah sighed. "Great, we over did it..."
> [5] Castling
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Spike returned to their improvised camp, a bunch of assorted berries in his arms. "I found some food!"

Hamzah took off from his perch on a toppled log. "Thank you, Spike. Now, set them down so we can identify any poisonous ones."

Spike dumped the pile onto the forest floor, and the two fairies hovered over. After taking a moment to scan the pile, Nuha stated, "There's a few elderberries in here, but if you cook them and avoid the seeds, they should be safe to eat."

Spike shrugged, "I'd rather not take the chance."

Hamzah responded by taking all of the small, black-blue clusters of berries, and tossing them away. Spike didn't know how he did it, but he was slowly learning not to question their capabilities.

Nuha continued, "Other than that, they're all safe to eat."

Spike nodded in thanks. Nuha showed him to a pile of kindling the faries had gathered, and Spike proceeded to light it with his fire breath. Using a flat rock, Spike brought the berries close to the fire to cook them.

"Alright, who wants the first serving?" Spike finally asked once the fruits had been cooked.

Nuha and Hamzah seemed surprised. "We, uh, don't exactly eat..." The former admitted awkwardly.

Spike raised an eyebrow. "Then how do you get energy?"

"By explaining things," Hamzah replied nonchalantly, as though the answer somehow made sense. Seeing the confused look the dragon gave him, he elaborated, "We fairies have always been the guiding type, and our diet reflects that."

Spike nodded slowly, deciding not to press for fear of his head exploding.





The first rays of the sun roused Spike from his slumber. He sat up quickly, praying that it'd all been a dream –

Only to be met with the same forest he'd fallen asleep in, surrounded by the two fairies he'd fallen asleep next to.

He couldn't help but grumble in mild disappointment as he got up and started the day.





After pocketing the leftover berries, the trio continued their trek through the forest. With some help from Nuha's decent-enough navigation skills, they were able to reach the northern edge of the forest without getting lost.

There, in the distance, stood Hyrule Castle. Its six towers surrounded the main structure; a medium-sized town was situated directly south of it; and a moat fed by a river, in turn, surrounded them both. The high-spired rooves of the castle seemed like they could tear through the sky itself; the bricks that made the foundation of the structure were dark grey, giving the castle a foreboding presence; and yet, the bright cloth tapestries that hung from the battlements, adorned with an embroidered triangle made up of four smaller triangles, kept the castle from looking TOO sinister.

All-in-all, it wasn't half bad. 7/10, would be better if there were 8 towers instead of 6.

But Spike's inner musings were interrupted when he spotted something on the trail up ahead: a tall, bipedal, almost hairless monkey with travelling clothes on. The figure's ears were pointy; the only hair they had was a dark topping to their head; and they were rather well-built, if not a little too lanky in the legs.

Both parties stared at each other as they walked past, not daring to break eye contact or stop until they were at a safe distance from each other. Once they were, Spike whispered to his companions, "Was that one of those 'Hilly-Annes' you mentioned last night?"

Hamzah noted, "It's 'Hylians', but yeah. I'm surprised you remembered, given how overwhelmed you seemed."

Spike pshawed, "I'm used to remembering things I can't quite comprehend; I live with Twilight, after all."

Hamzah chuckled. "She the informative type, too?"

"Oh, you don't know the half of it! She's so obsessive about learning that she'll stay up for days on end just reading books." Spike's face fell as he thought about how she must be doing right now. "I just hope she doesn't worry too much about me..."

"Aw, cheer up," Nuha encouraged. "I'm sure she's got faith in you."

Spike shook his head, downcast. "I dunno; I don't exactly have any skills other than penmanship, and that's mostly because Twilight doesn't have hands to write with."

Hamzah raised an eyebrow, "But doesn't she have magic? Surely, she could use it to write things herself?"

"Well, yeah, but–" Spike froze in his tracks, realizing he had a point. Heck, there were a lot of things he did that Twilight could easily do. It was almost as if...

...as if she wanted to give him the opportunities to prove his worth!

Spike smiled. Maybe she had more faith in him than he realized...





Twilight was pacing around the library, still terribly worried. "It just doesn't feel right, sitting here and doing nothing while Spike's lost who-knows where!"

The other Elements of Harmony looked on in concern. "Twilight," Rarity spoke up, "I understand your concern, but trust me when I say that Spike's more than capable of surviving on his own for a while. Remember his expedition to the Dragon Lands?"

Twilight replied, "I know, I know! It's just, how would you feel if Sweetie Belle were transported to another dimension and you had to trust her to find her own way back?"

Rarity scoffed, "Darling, Spike and Sweetie Belle are two very different ponies. Of course, I love Sweetie Belle very much, but she has nowhere near the determination that Spike does. When he sets his mind to something, he won't give up until he's done, or until the goal becomes completely unattainable."

AJ reassured, "Ah bet he'll be back before ya know it. You'll see."





Spike's rag-tag group spent the entire morning crossing what Nuha referred to as 'Hyrule Field', eventually reaching the Town surrounding the Castle.

Suffice it to say, once they crossed the bridge, Spike was blown away. Everywhere he looked, there were Hylians of all shapes and colors. Some of them stood and chatted; others haggled with street vendors; and some younger ones play-chased each other. It reminded Spike of Ponyville's Marketplace.

With that startling reminder of home, Spike suddenly felt all-too-aware that he was FAR out of his element. He began sweating anxiously as he took a shaky step forward, afraid of what might happen.

As he walked by, more and more people took notice and began staring at him, stumped looks on their faces. The fairies following him, however, didn't seem to be the focus of any of that attention; Spike assumed that it was common knowledge here what fairies were.

Eventually, Spike reached the large metal gate that separated the town from the Castle proper. On the other side, he could see a beautiful flower garden, as well as a courtyard.

However, two guards stood at attention, stationed on either side of the gate. When they saw Spike, their bodies tensed up slightly, but they were otherwise expressionless. "State your name and intent," one of them spoke.

Spike, incredibly nervous, stuttered "S-Spike, and the Great Deku Sprout told me to come here?"

The guards exchanged a look, silently conferring with each other. As they kept standing there silently, Spike somehow grew even more anxious. "Ap-p-parrently, there's some information on the Triforce here, a-and–"

No other words were needed. Upon mentioning the Triforce, the guards immediately lost all composure, jumping in surprise. The second one quickly fumbled in his pockets, pulling out a keyring and unlocking the gate. With a mighty creak, it swung open, and the guards wordlessly ushered them inside.
> [6] Princess
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Spike didn't know what was happening. One moment, he was standing outside the gate to Hyrule Castle, absolutely flubbing talking to the guards; the next, he was being hastily escorted through the Castle hallways by them. Taken aback by the sudden change in the guards' attitude, all Spike's numb brain could think was, 'Wow, this Castle is pretty...'

After some walking through the maze-like corridors, they reached a small, undecorated door. The first guard opened it, and Spike was ushered into the room. He looked around, eyes slowly adjusting to the darkness.

It was a rather tall, circular room lined on two sides with bookshelves. In the center of the room was a circular table, covered in all sorts of ancient relics that Spike couldn't possibly identify. Across the room was a large bay window with the curtains mostly drawn. Through the gap in the curtains, Spike could tell that they were in the southeastern-most tower.

The first guard ducked out of the room and told a passing maid, "Tell the Princess that He has arrived."

The maid jumped in surprise, dropping the feather duster in her hands, then rushed off to fulfill his request. The guard nodded, coming back inside the room and shutting the door.

After two minutes, the door reopened, and in rushed a young-ish Hylian woman. Her straight golden-brown hair reached shoulder level, parted in the exact middle; her vivid green-blue eyes were filled with hope; two pointy ears, a signature trait of the Hylians, poked out on either side of her head, adorned with crystalline earrings; she wore an off-white empire dress with a magenta waistline, elbow-length gloves, an ornate tiara, and fancy red dress shoes; on the back of her right hand was the same symbol that adorned the banisters outside, except in this instance, two of the triangles were blackened out; and she was breathing heavily, no doubt from rushing over so quickly.

She looked up and began, "Is it tru–", then froze when she saw Spike.

He raised a hand and waved awkwardly. "Uh, hi?"

The two stood there, silently staring at each other for far too long. The woman's face said she was clearly taken aback by his appearance, but she didn't actively dislike it, either.

Finally, she took a deep breath and stood up straight, regaining a royal posture. "I'll admit, when I heard that the Hero had returned, this wasn't exactly what I'd expected. But nonetheless, I welcome your presence here. I am Princess Zelda."

Spike blinked. "M-my name's Spike..."

She seemed to be surprised by this, but quickly moved past it. "Well, regardless of the form and moniker you have adopted, it is nice to finally meet you."

"You've heard of me?" Spike asked, bewildered.

Zelda nodded, turning towards a bookshelf. She didn't even have to look for the book she wanted, as if she'd been here many a time before. "My grandmother used to tell me stories of the Hero in Green and his fairy, how he travelled through time to help stop Ganon from taking over."

The young drake froze, the pieces coming together in his head. 'Hero in Green'? She must think I'm someone else!

Having read a lot of books, Spike decided to avoid the 'Misunderstanding' trope. "Look, uh, Princess? Not to be rude, but I'm pretty sure I'm not who you think I am."

She stopped flipping through the book, caught off-guard.

Then she shook her head, chuckling lightly. "The Deku Sprout gifted you that hat, correct?"

"W-well, yeah, but–"

"And the guards said you came seeking information on the Triforce?"

Spike gulped. "Y-yeah..."

She nodded, "Then that settles it. Even if you don't know it, you must be Him."

He hesitated before asking, "Who, exactly, are we talking about?"

Zelda finally found the page she was looking for, and set the book on the table for Spike to see. Spread across the two pages was an illustration of the triangle symbol he'd seen several times so far. Inside each of the three exterior triangles was a character with distinct features. The lower left one contained a female, with distinctly pointy ears and a crown that vaguely matched Zelda's; the top contained a much bulkier character, lacking the pointy ears of a Hylian but making up for it with the size of his nose; and the lower right...

The lower right contained the silhouette of a boy in a phrygian cap and tunic, wielding a sword and shield, and with a fairy hovering over his shoulder.

Spike, Hamzah, and Nuha stared at the illustration, rendered speechless.

"You," Zelda stated simply, "are the new Hero, destined bearer of Courage."

Spike's jaw flexed soundlessly for a moment, before he began to think of what to say. "B-but that can't be, I'm not even from this world! I–"

Now THAT got Zelda's attention. "Wait, what?"

"It's a long story," Nuha stated.

"Something about him and his caretaker experimenting with magical portals," Hamzah added.

Zelda took a moment to comprehend. "I... I see... Perhaps I was mistaken, then..."

Disheartened, she sat down at the table. "Honestly, I don't quite know what to do now; the Hero really was our only hope..."

Spike looked on as she toyed with the artifacts on the table, lost in thought. He may have been incredibly uncomfortable with the thought of being some fabled hero incarnate, but he just couldn't stand to see anyone so sad.

So, with a sigh, Spike relented. "Alright, I'll try and help."

She looked up at this, hope re-igniting in her eyes. "You will?"

Spike nodded. Zelda, overcome by joy and relief, sprung up and threw a hug around him. "Oh, thank you! Legendary Hero or no, you certainly still have his resolve!"

Spike, locked in the grip of her hug, wondered what he'd just gotten himself into.
> [7] Problems, Plans, and Postage
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

As soon as she released Spike from the hug, Zelda rushed back to the bookcase and grabbed a map. "Right, we should get planning right away."

She spread the map across the table, and Spike looked over it.

The fact that the distance he'd covered in the last day wasn't even an eighth of the size of Hyrule worried Spike.

"Now then," Zelda began to talk to herself, "We already have the Triforce of Wisdom, so that leaves Courage and Power."

Spike blinked. "Wait, we do?"

The Princess responded by holding up her right hand, showing Spike the symbol on her glove. "I'm the bearer of it, so yes."

The drake's jaw fell. "That's the Triforce?!"

"Well, this is just the mark of a bearer, but the actual Triforce does indeed resemble this."

He muttered, "So that's why it's on all those tapestries..."

Zelda turned her attention back to the map. "Our scouts have determined that neither piece is in Hateno nor Lurelin Village, so that rules out two places. The rest, we'll have to check ourselves."

Spike cleared his throat. "So, um, what exactly are we getting the Triforce for?"

She blinked, embarrassed that she'd forgotten to explain. "Oh, right. A couple of nights ago, I had a vision that Ganon, the embodiment of evil and the blight that has cursed our land since time immemorial, is planning his return."

Spike's eyes widened. "Woah. He sounds bad..."

Zelda nodded. "He wants the Triforce so that he can rule not just Hyrule, but the whole world. The last time he returned, my Grandmother sent the previous Hero seven years into the future, where it was discovered that his rule will bring the kingdom to decay. We must not allow this to happen."

Spike was now visibly trembling. "Th-then what'll we do?"

She pointed to four spots on the map, marked 'Goron City', 'Gerudo Fortress', 'Reto Village', and 'Zora's Dominion'. "The four other rulers should be able to help us. I shall go to the Gerudo, as they only allow Vai in their city."

Spike blinked. "What's a 'Vai'?"

"It's the Gerudo word for 'woman'," Nuha explained.

"Ah," Spike nodded.

"You, young Spike, shall go to one of the other kingdoms and speak to their ruler."

"Alright, then," the drake leaned in closer to the map, looking over not just the cities' names and locations but also their surrounding topography. All three were in mountainous areas, but each seemed to have a different climate. From what he could tell based on the map, Zora's Dominion was surrounded by a large reservoir, Reto Village was atop a snowy mountain, and Goron City...

He pointed to the red around that city. "That's a volcano, I'm assuming?"

Zelda nodded. "How astute of you. Would that be a problem for you?"

"Actually, just the opposite," Spike corrected. "I'm actually a dragon, so I'm naturally fireproof."

She nodded. "In that case, I'd like to request that you head up there first. It would save us the hassle of obtaining enough fireproof elixirs to go ourselves."

Spike saluted. "You can count on me!"

Hamzah muttered to himself, "And here I thought that the Kokiri Forest could get hot at times... Oh well, why not?"

Zelda bowed slightly, her hands clasped together. "We are most grateful, young Spike and friends. I shall gather the equipment you'll need, and we will set out in the morning. In the meanwhile, Captain Eran, would you kindly show our guests to the Guest Suite?"

One of the guards who'd escorted Spike in (the same one who'd ordered the maid to fetch Zelda) nodded, then beckoned for Spike to follow him out the door.

Spike snuck one last glance at Zelda as they left, seeing her Royal façade slip as soon as she thought he was out of eyesight.

In that single moment, she gave in and beamed in excitement, jittering slightly.

Spike smiled to himself, then continued to follow the guard.





Later that night...

Spike sat down on the bed, fiddling with his hat. Hamzah was looking in a mirror, while Nuha was perusing the bookshelf for any books about Gorons.

"What do you two know about the Hero?" Spike broke the silence.

Hamzah replied without missing a beat, "He's the series of reincarnations of the original Knight that helped seal Ganon away the first time. He represents the Triforce of Courage, so he's naturally brave. Most of the time, his name is Link, but he also goes by other monikers."

Nuha inquired, "Why do you ask?"

The young dragon sighed, taking off his hat and looking down at it. "I really don't know if I can live up to all that. I'm not brave; I'm afraid of so much..."

Nuha went to reply, but Hamzah beat her to it: "Courage isn't a lack of fear; courage is about not letting your fears control you."

Spike blinked, musing over it. "But still, I'm just unsure about all this..."

Hamzah couldn't help but let out a chuckle, "You're in a completely different world, with different species than you're used to, and they're asking you to help them retrieve some ancient artifacts that'll save them from complete and utter devastation; I'd be surprised if you WEREN'T uncomfortable with any of this!"

Even though he couldn't see it, Spike knew that Nuha was smiling warmly to him. "But I'm sure you'll do great, little guy. If the Deku Sprout believes in you, then I do, too."

He sighed. "I suppose you're right... I just wish I could tell Twilight I'm okay..."

Then an idea struck him. He leapt off of the bed and scoured the room's dressers for any paper, eventually finding some. He grabbed a quill and began writing, praying to Celestia that this would work.





Twilight, meanwhile, was in stage 3 of a meltdown. Her eyes were on the verge of bursting with tears as she desperately searched through all her books, trying to find anything to bring her best friend back.

But then, just as all hope seemed lost, a scroll appeared in a wavering flash of green fire. Twilight's eyes widened; she knew that fire anywhere. Before the letter could fall even an inch, it was already in her magical grasp, and she began reading it right away.

Twilight,

I'm still alive, and doing rather well! You wouldn't believe what's happened to me since I tripped into that spell; I ended up in the place it depicted, called Hyrule. So many different species live here, from fairies to bipeds, and even a talking tree!

Thankfully, everyone I've met so far has been kind. Two of the fairies, Nuha and Hamzah, have been by my side since I found them in the forest, and they're great company. And with some help from the Great Deku Sprout, as well as a Princess named Zelda, I'm on my way towards retrieving a means of getting home.

I won't lie: it'll be tough. But please stay strong, and have courage! As Hamzah said, "Courage isn't a lack of fear; courage is about not letting your fear control you."

I just hope to Celestia that this letter gets to you.

Be back as soon as I can,

Spike 💜

Twilight smiled, but not for the reason Spike had wanted. Instead of a reassured smile, it was a determined smirk.

By sending this letter, he'd inadvertently given her a bead on his location.
> [8] On The Road Again
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Spike woke up bright and early, at 5:00 AM on the dot. He sighed in bliss; that was one of the best nights of sleep he'd ever had! He may miss Twilight, but the one thing he sure DIDN'T miss was her antics keeping him awake throughout the night.

He followed Captain Eran to a dining hall where he had a quick breakfast (meat had been involved, and although he knew that Fluttershy would never get over it, Spike wasn't about to turn down what they had so graciously served him. Besides, he had to admit, pork tasted rather good). Once they were done, Spike gathered his gear, received some supplies for the journey, and followed the guards to where they said he'd get a ride.

Imagine his shock when he found out that this 'ride' was a horse. A non-sentient, domesticated, full-sized horse.

"What's wrong, Spike?" Nuha could see the uneasiness on his face.

"Do you not know how to ride a horse?" Hamzah guessed, unintentionally making Spike even more uncomfortable.

Spike blushed. "Y-you remember what I said about where I come from, and what the dominant species there is?"

Dead silence fell over the group as realization set in. They blinked, unsure of how to handle this moral dilemma.

Then, Spike thought of something. "Are there any other domesticated animals here?"





Half an hour later, Spike and company were riding towards Death Mountain on the back of a goat. Sure, it was still weird for Spike, as goats were also semi-sentient creatures in his world, but it wasn't as weird to him as riding horseback.

And yes, riding Twilight was different, because Twilight could actually give permission, and they were practically siblings.





Spike was zoning out, just taking in the landscape, when Hamzah suddenly cried, "Look out!" Spike snapped to attention immediately, looking ahead for whatever he was being warned about.

He was incredibly lucky that the threat whizzed an inch past his head. Spike turned to see it was a strange bat-like creature with one eye, a disproportionately small torso, and two large fangs, and it was trying to ram into Spike as he rode. Spike fumbled for a moment to grab his sword, then smacked the threat when it next made a pass. The bat crumbled to the ground, disappearing in a puff of purple smoke.

"Woah, what was that!?" Spike cried out.

"That was a Keese," Nuha explained. "They're a common, low-level enemy that swoops down to try and bite you."

"How come I haven't seen any of them before?" Spike thought back to yesterday, when he'd gotten lost in Kokiri Forest.

"Well, we led you on a path that was devoid of them," Hamzah explained. "Before that, I dunno; you must've gotten lucky."

Spike nodded, making sure the goat was alright.

Then Nuha called out, "Swarm of Keese at 10 o'clock!"

Spike looked to his left, and was immensely frightened to see a group of ten Keese flying straight for them. Three of them lunged forward, fangs bared, but Spike was able to take them out with a clumsy swing of his sword. Two more lunged when Spike was still in the back swing, nearly knocking the sword out of his grip, but he barely managed to hang on.

Unfortunately, the same couldn't be said for the goat. The last five all rammed into Spike's mount together, causing it to tumble sideways and flinging the heroes onto the dirt. Spike winced as he skidded to a stop on the ground, then got up as quickly as he could. The goat was fleeing into the woods, and the remaining seven Keese were all getting ready for another strike.

Spike took the opportunity to grab his shield off his back and redouble his grip on his sword, bracing himself for a fight.

The Keese all lunged at him, and he started flailing his sword around like a madman. Every now and then, it would hit its target, but most of the time, the blade would sail right past them.

"Spike!" Nuha called out, "Focus your attacks on one at a time instead of trying to hit them all at once!"

Spike decided to take Hamzah's advice, and stopped his blind assault. His eyes locked on to one of the Keese, who was readying another lunge. When it did so, Spike swung the sword as hard as he could, sending the bat hurtling away. Another Keese tried to lunge in the opening, but Spike managed to block it with his shield before delivering a counter attack.

Two more Keese lunged forward, and Spike jumped out of the way, but he was hit by a third one, sending him tumbling. Another Keese tried to finish the job, but Spike barely rolled out of the way in time, countering with a jet of fire breath. The three remaining Keese swooped low to the ground in an attempt to knock him off his feet.

Hamzah shouted, "Spin attack, now!"

Spike wound up, then spun himself, striking all three Keese with his sword on his way around. The enemies fell to the ground, and with a burst of purple smoke, they were no more.

With the battle finally over, Spike took deep breaths to calm his rapidly beating heart. The fairies fluttered over, landing on his head in what he assumed was a victory hug. "Spike, you did it! You beat your first group of monsters!"

"Yeah," he wiped the sweat from his brow, "That was pretty tough..."

Then something glistening caught his eye. Where one of the Keese had landed, it had left behind a fang.

When Spike picked it up, Nuha said, "And you got one of its fangs! That might come in handy later."

"How so?" Spike asked.

"I dunno, but it might!"

Spike looked at her, then shrugged and stuck it into the item pouch on his belt. "Alright, let's just get back on the—"

He blinked, remembering that the goat had run off during the scuffle. Spike tried to peer into the woods, but couldn't spot it. "Great," he muttered, "I guess we're walking..."





Twilight grinned to herself as her horn did the work. "Alright, almost done..."

The other Elements were, once again, standing off to the side, concern writ across their faces. "Uhh, Twilight?" Pinkie began, "This seems like a really bad idea... And if I'M saying that, then..."

Twilight replied in what she thought was a reassuring tone (but actually came off as manic), "Oh, relax, Pinkie; it'll be fine, I know what I'm doing!"

Rainbow grimaced. "Not that I'm questioning your skills, but... Do you, though?"

The unicorn let out a maddened cackle. "Oh, Rainbow Dash, you always were such a kidder!"

She went to argue, but Rarity wordlessly held her back.

Finally, it was done. The scroll dropped out of her magic, and she smiled wickedly. "There, I did it! I've traced his letter to the source, and now, I can finally get him back!"

Fluttershy meekly approached. "Wonderful, Twilight; that's really great. Now, if you don't mind, could you maybe, possibly... Stop acting so crazy?"

Everypony gawked at her forwardness. She may have had two confidence-building lessons recently, but still...

However, those words of passive aggression fell on deaf ears, as Twilight was already enacting Phase 2 of her plan. After a moment of charging up, she recast the spell that'd started this whole debacle, focusing specifically on the location she'd gleaned from Spike's letter.

After a moment, the spell formed, depicting an image of a fancy bedroom. Rarity couldn't help but whistle at the beauty of its decor; the rest were just impressed that Twilight had actually done something productive in her crazed state.

Twilight herself, however, wasn't satisfied. "Where's Spike? Has he already left this place? I've gotta find him!"

She focused a bit more, and the image in the spell shifted. Several locations flashed in quick succession, all evidently from the same world (judging by the omnipresent castle in the distance). These locations varied wildly, from a mountaintop reservoir to a long stone bridge over a large lake.

Then one particular image flashed by. Twilight quickly stopped her search and went back to it, and everypony gasped.

The spell now showed Spike walking down a dirt road, wearing a strange outfit, and accompanied by two glowing balls with wings. He was muttering something under his breath, but the portal didn't let the sound through.

"Well, Ah'll be..." AJ remarked. "Ya found 'im, Twi!"

Twilight was too busy concentrating to be happy; the spell, like last time, was taking a lot of her effort just to maintain. "Quick, get Spike's attention!"

The rest of the group began to shout Spike's name, trying desperately to signal him. But no matter what they did, he didn't notice; it seemed that the viewport didn't allow sound through.

Twilight sighed, "I didn't want it to have to come to this, but... Somepony, jump in!"

"WHAT!?"
> [9] Through Line
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

None of them could believe it; Twilight, in her semi-crazed state of desperation, had actually found Spike! They didn't want to encourage this type of behavior, but dang did it get results.

"Well, Ah'll be..." AJ remarked. "Ya found 'im, Twi!"

Twilight was too busy concentrating to be happy; the spell, like last time, was taking a lot of her effort just to maintain. "Quick, get Spike's attention!"

The rest of the group began to shout Spike's name, trying desperately to signal him. But no matter what they did, he didn't notice; it seemed that the viewport didn't allow sound through.

Twilight sighed, "I didn't want it to have to come to this, but... Somepony, jump in!"

"WHAT!?" The group chorused.

"I just need somepony to jump in and join Spike! Knowing that somepony is with him is all I want, but you'd better hurry; I don't think I can hold it for very long!"

The group stared on in disbelief. Was she seriously asking one of them to jump into an unknown world just to keep Spike company?

Pinkie didn't seem that nonplussed. "Whee!" She called as she attempted to spring in, but thankfully, AJ grabbed her by the tail and stopped her.

"Woah there, Nelly! Ah don't know 'bout all this; it seems a mite rash."

Pinkie blinked. "I see your point."

Twilight grunted. "Come on, girls! I can't hold it open for too long!"

Rarity stepped forward — towards Twilight herself, that is. "Twilight, darling, you need to think about this rationally. You're asking one of us to jump into an unknown world, with no concrete way of getting back, just to keep an eye on Spike?"

The purple unicorn stuttered, "B-but—!"

"But nothing, Twilight!" Rainbow Dash, surprisingly, was the next to speak up. "I'm all for adventure, but this is just plain bonkers!"

AJ rolled her eyes. "She coulda worded it better, but nonetheless, Rainbow's right. If we went 'n jumped in there, ya'd have two missin' friends instead o' just one."

Pinkie, in her usual cartoon-ish manner, gasped. "I didn't even think of it like that! Boy, am I glad I didn't jump in there; how would you girls have coped without me?! I mean, really, what—"

"I HAVE TO DO SOMETHING!" Twilight suddenly snapped, bringing everypony's attention back to her. "I can't just sit here and be useless; I need to do something, anything to help him! He's like a second brother to me, and knowing that he's all alone in a cold, unknown world..."

And then she started to cry. How she managed to keep the portal up while crying, nopony even thought to ask; it wasn't their main concern at the moment.

Fluttershy stepped forward, placing a reassuring wing on her friend's shoulder. "I know you're scared for him, — I would be if it were my brother — but you have to have faith in him."

Rarity continued, "Spike's a strong dragon, Twilight. That's why I keep accepting his assistance; because I know he can handle it."

Pinkie added, "And besides, he isn't alone. From what his letter said, and what I can see in the portal, he's got two traveling buddies already!"

"Just LOOK at him!" Rainbow pointed towards the portal. For the first time, Twilight forced her eye open to look through the spell for herself.

Spike was hiking down a dirt road with a sword and shield on his back, a green phrygian cap on his head, and two winged orbs of light fluttering by his side. Sure, he had a few bruises, but he was in overall good health.

"I-I..." Twilight bit her lip. "I want to trust in him, I really do...."

Rarity thought for a moment, then had an idea. "Twilight, do you know any communication spells you can cast on an object?"

Twilight thought (the portal momentarily wavering as her focus left it). After a moment of recollection, she gasped. "Of course, that's it! Starswirl's Phonics Cogitationes!"

Everypony blinked, unsure of what she'd said. Rarity, who had the most knowledge of Starswirl out of the other five (and that was only because she became curious after hearing about Twilight's Nightmare Night costume), stepped forward and bluntly stated, "Right, of course Starswirl had a spell for it. He had a spell for practically everything, didn't he?"

Twilight eagerly nodded. "Rarity, do you you have two gems on you?"

She pshawed, "Well, of course I do! What would I be without an assortment of gems?" She reached her magic into her... Wherever it is that she kept things, and procured a purse, out of which she obtained two rubies. "Here, rubies conduct magic far better than most other common gems."

"It's true!" Pinkie confirmed helpfully.

Everypony blinked, but nodded nonetheless. Better to not question the gem expert and the pink enigma, right?

Twilight siphoned some of the power off from the portal (making it shrink considerably, but not letting it disappear entirely), and channeled it into the gems. Verbally walking Rarity through the steps, they both cast a spell on the minerals.

When they were done, the two gems glowed faintly. "Did it work?" Rarity asked, floating one of the gems near her head.

The second gem echoed her words.

"I think that's a yes," Twilight concluded.





"Stupid Keese, scaring the goat away..." Spike muttered to himself as he continued his hike down the road.

"It's times like this that I wish we could whistle to call mounts back," Hamzah commented.

Just to humor him, Spike placed his thumb and index fingers into his mouth, and whistled loudly.

For a moment, nothing happened.

Then suddenly, the sky seemed to violently rip open. The group shielded their faces and braced themselves as a fissure appeared in the sky, a small gem fell out, and the fissure disappeared just as quickly as it'd appeared. The gem hit the dirt in front of them with a soft 'plink', then lay motionless.

For a moment, nobody moved, unsure of what'd just happened.

Then the gem spoke up with a grainy, yet familiar, voice. "Spike? Can you hear me?"

The aforementioned dragon gasped in recognition. "Twilight!?" He rushed forward and picked up the mineral, a ruby. "Twilight, is that you?!"

The fuzzy voice on the other end breathed a sigh of relief, clearly tired. "Thank goodness that worked. Are you alright?"

"Am I ever!" He held the gem close. "How's this even possible?!"

"I remembered reading about Starswirl's Phonics Cogitationes, so I cast it on two gems, tossing one through the spell that'd sent you there."

Spike blinked. "I never thought I'd say this, but thank you, Starswirl! Oh, I missed your voice so much!"

Nuha finally snapped out of her stunned silence. "Woah, woah! What the heck just happened?!"

Spike turned and showed off the gem. "Everyone, meet Twilight. Twilight, these are my friends, Nuha and Hamzah."

Hamzah asked, "Is this the girl that you mentioned earlier? The one who accidentally sent you here?"

Spike nodded. The voice on the other end replied sheepishly, "Yeah... I hope it's not too much of an inconvenience for you to be helping him."

Nuha chirped, "Not at all! In fact, our entire culture revolves around helping travelers — so much so that we feed on exposition!"

"Really?!" Twilight gawked, and the sound of a quill scratching parchment could be heard over the static. "That's so fascinating; tell me more!"

As they launched into a heated discussion on fairy culture and biology, Spike sighed, but smiled nonetheless. Good ol' Twilight...
> [10] Between A Rock And A Hot Place
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Spike sat under the shade of a large ash tree, eating some of the provisions he'd been provided. While they didn't taste as good as the breakfast he'd had yesterday morning, they were still decent enough.

Nuha and Hamzah, meanwhile, were still talking to Twilight through the gem. "Woah, did you really travel back through time?" Nuha gawked.

"Yeah," the unicorn on the other end sounded embarrassed. "Although I inadvertently caused a Bootstrap Paradox by giving myself information that I learned from myself. It wasn't exactly one of my best moments..."

Hamzah nodded slowly. "Alright, I'm going to pretend I understood that, and we'll move on."

Twilight grumbled, but didn't argue. "Oh, fine. Now, I think I'm done redrawing the map from your description. Just one last thing: how'd you spell 'Kakariko'?"

"K-a-k-a-r-i-k-o," Nuha recited.

Twilight's quill could be heard as she wrote, then it stopped and she declared, "And I'm done! Thank you so much for the detailed description."

Spike muttered under his breath, "Maybe a bit TOO detailed..."

Hamzah replied, "We get that a lot."





It was late the next morning by the time they crossed into what Hamzah referred to as the 'Jaws of Death Mountain'. The air was becoming warmer the closer they got to the looming peak, and Spike was surprised that none of his things were catching on fire.

At about noon, they reached a small quarry. Several rock-golems (the Gorons, Spike assumed) went to and fro, mining minerals and toting them off in metal carts.

Spike looked to Hamzah, who was visibly shaking. "Are you okay, dude?"

The fairy stuttered, "Y-yeah, I just... I forgot just how strong the Gorons are."

Spike nodded, then looked back to the miners. Indeed, they hardly seemed to exert any effort as they swung giant pickaxes, breaking off large chunks of rock with each pass.

Spike made a mental note to avoid them when they were angry.

Nuha cleared her throat, then addressed the crowd. "Excuse me, may I have your attention?"

Every Goron paused what they were doing, then turned to look at the unusual visitors.

She continued, "We've been sent by Princess Zelda to—"

That was as far as she got before the Gorons swarmed them, excitedly chattering amongst themselves.

One particular Goron, a more elderly one, stepped forward. Seeing the green hat atop Spike's head, he smiled. "Welcome, Hero. It has been a while since anyone's seen you, in any form."

Spike nodded absently, recalling how Zelda had mentioned hearing stories of the Hero from her grandmother.

"Come," the elder continued, "the Chief will want to meet you."





Spike had to admit, Goron City was more impressive than he'd expected. Not only was it a well-knit city made entirely of metal and rock, but it was also situated over two rivers of lava, making it rather impressive on an architectural level.

Oh, and there was also the large lava lake on the north side, with an ornate temple-like structure partially submerged in it, but that was neither here nor there.

As the Gorons led them through the village, Spike couldn't help notice that half of the citizens were shivering. The baby dragon found this particularly odd, seeing as they were right next to a VOLCANO, but he didn't think much past that.

Eventually, they reached a small alcove in a cliff face. There was a sign outside, and even though Spike couldn't read it, he used the context clues to assume that it said something along the lines of 'Chief's house'.

"Chief," the elder called out into the cavern, "He has returned."

Within the cave, another Goron stirred. If the one leading Spike was elderly, then this one was ancient. His joints audibly creaked as he stood up; his wizened eyes gazed upon the baby dragon with surprise; and his hulking frame, though weathered with age, still imposed over Spike.

However, a warm smile graced his bearded face as he saw the iconic green hat. "So it seems. Welcome, young Hero — your name is Link, correct?"

Spike blinked, then shook his head. "Actually, it's Spike."

He nodded. "Fair enough. My name is Link of the Gorons, and I have been Chief ever since my father Darunia passed on the title."

Spike instinctively bowed, and the fairies followed suit. Chief Link chuckled, then clapped Spike on the back — nearly knocking him over. "No need for such formalities, friend. If anything, it should be me bowing in your presence."

Spike gulped nervously. "Y-you're referring to the previous Heroes, right?"

He nodded. "I was only a newborn when my namesake saved the Kingdom, but the stories my Father would tell were legendary. Why, we likely would've starved had it not been for his intervention!"

That really got Spike nervous. The last time the Hero was around, an entire race nearly starved? He dreaded what lay ahead for himself.

Chief Link shook his head. "Anyway, I assume Princess Zelda has sent you here on a mission?" The baby dragon nodded, so he continued, "Thought so. We Gorons will gladly help you, if you'll help us with something as well."

Spike was sweating bullets as he nodded, "I'll certainly try my best..."

Chief Link chuckled heartily. "That's the spirit! Now, follow me."

The elderly Goron stepped out of the cave, gesturing to the rest of the citizens. "As you can no doubt see, my people grow colder. It has not yet reached the point of danger, but if left unchecked, it'll quickly reach that state."

Spike asked the obvious: "Why not move everyone somewhere warmer?"

Link shook his head. "We're trying, but the citizens have too many ties here; getting them to uproot, even if temporary, is proving nigh impossible."

Spike nodded, supposing that made sense. It couldn't be easy to get an entire city to up and abandon their livelihoods. "So, what can I do to help?"

The Chief pointed to the Temple Spike had noticed on the way in. "That is the entrance to the Fire Temple, the epicenter of the temperature shift. Whatever is causing this resides in there, though it eludes even our bravest warriors' reach."

Spike gulped nervously. This was sounding more and more like a horrible idea.

As if in agreement, Hamzah wryly commented, "Oh, is that all?"

Nuha limblessly smacked him, getting him to stop being pessimistic for a moment. "Don't worry, Spike," she reassured, "We'll help you as much as we can."

The baby dragon looked up at the fairies, took a deep breath, then sighed. "Alright, I'll go in."

The Chief cheered. "Oh, thank you, Spike! Here, take this; it'll aid you in the Temple." At that, he reached into... Wherever he kept things and produced a pair of silver gloves.

When Spike took the item in his hands, Nuha mimicked a fanfare. "Dah-nah-nah-nah! You got the Silver Gauntlets! With their unique properties, they amplify the user's strength, allowing them to lift rocks twice their size!"

Spike was floored. "Wha— y'know what, I'm not even gonna question it."

Chief Link chuckled. "With those, you should be able to move any rocks within the Temple."

The baby dragon nodded. "Thank you. I'll try my best."

"Good luck." With that, Chief Link of the Gorons hobbled back into his cave.

As Spike started towards the Temple, Hamzah couldn't help but ask, "Why do you keep saying 'try'?"

He grinned nervously, "Because I'm absolutely terrified!"

The fairy rolled his eyes.
> [11] The Fire Temple, Part 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Temple was much more impressive on the inside. In the entrance hall alone, there stood two sets of arcades on either side of the room, allowing glimpses at 2 large doors beyond; on the far end of the room stood a large gothic stained-glass window with ornate tracery in the shape of flowers; and the clerestory sported several circular windows of varying colors, blending together to cast the room in a warm reddish-orange glow.

As for the contents of the room, there wasn't much. A few cube-ish boulders were scattered about for no discernible reason, and a small chest sat amidst a larger cluster of them.

And, of course, Spike, Nuha, and Hamzah were also standing at the entrance. They marvelled at the room before them — Spike imagining the possibilities that the Silver Gauntlets granted him, and the Fairies admiring the architecture.

Finally, Spike eagerly donned the Silver Gauntlets. "Well, no time like the present, eh?" He marched over to one of the boulders, readied himself, heaved...

And overestimated the effort he'd need, sending it flying into a wall.

"Sweet Celestia..." Spike stared wide-eyed at the pile of rubble the boulder had become.

Hamzah, on the other hand, was absolutely livid. "Careful, you could've crushed us!"

"Sorry," Spike smiled meekly. He turned and picked up another boulder, this time being more wary of his augmented strength.

He had to admit, it felt rather empowering to lift a large rock as if it weighed no more than a pillow. "This is awesome!" he cheered before dropping the boulder onto the ground beside him. He moved another boulder, clearing a path to the small chest.

Upon opening it, he was pleasantly surprised to find a nice, red gem. Nuha flitted forward to explain it, but Spike had already popped the morsel into his mouth. It tasted rather sweet, like a raspberry.

Hamzah looked rather mortified, for some reason that was beyond Spike. "Why'd you do that?!"

He shrugged. "I was hungry."

The fairies exchanged a glance. "Well, alright. But for future reference, that was a red Rupee, which we use for currency."

Spike blanched, now understanding the looks on their... Lack of faces? He hadn't even realized it, but he was getting rather good at reading their emotions. "Oh, I see... How much was that worth, exactly?"

"Oh, not much," Hamzah retorted, "just 20 regular Rupees." Upon seeing Spike's confused look, he elaborated, "A pound of blasting powder is worth 5."

Spike's face flushed red. "Sorry..."

Nuha nodded, "It's okay, you didn't know."

With that lesson learned, they decided to move on. With a light touch, the door on the left side of the room slid upwards to reveal a room half the size of the entrance hall (about 7x12 tiles of flooring, as opposed to 15x12). The floor was divided into two sections, split off by a moat of lava. On this side of the room was a few boulders, a small statue of a Goron, and a pair of red Keese hanging from the ceiling; on the other side was a large chest, flanked by two more Goron statues.

Spike drew out his sword in preparation, and stepped forward. He was almost immediately glad he did, because the Keese sprang to life and dove down from the ceiling, aiming to strike him. He knocked away the first one with ease, then dodged the second one just moments before it hit him. He lashed out in the opening it provided, knocking the creature directly into the lava.

Spike wiped away a bead of sweat that'd formed on his brow, then re-sheathed his sword. "Alright, now that that's taken care of..."

Nuha and Hamzah watched in silent awe as Spike took off everything he had on him, set it down on the ground, and dove straight into the lava. "I don't think that's how this puzzle was meant to be solved..." Hamzah commented.

Spike slowly swam to the other side of the lava moat, pulling himself out with a bit of difficulty due to the viscosity of it. He shook himself clean of any remnant, then approached the chest. Inside, he found...

A large, golden key? "Alrighty, then..." Spike shrugged. Holding the item above his head, he swam back across the moat (it felt a bit soft in his hands, but didn't actually start melting) and reequipped his gear.

Nuha blinked at the item. "That's the boss key! With that, you can open the door to the final chamber."

"Really?" Spike took another moment to look at it. It was a horned design, with a red crystalline skull on one side. "Neato."

"I really don't think that's how the puzzle was supposed to be solved," Hamzah stressed.

Spike shrugged. "It worked, didn't it?" When Hamzah didn't answer, Spike sighed. "Look, if it makes you feel better, I'll try and do the rest of it how it was intended, okay?"

Hamzah nodded, contented. "Thank you, Spike."





When they reached the next room (the one across the entrance hall from the room they just were at), Spike quickly realized that, even if he wanted to, he wouldn't be able to cheat. This was due to the fact that, instead of a lava moat, the room was divided by a seemingly bottomless pit. Luckily, there was a door on this side, but it still sucked that the room's only chest was inaccessible. Otherwise, the room exactly mirrored the one they'd just been in, down to the boulder and Keese placements.

Spike took a moment to slay those Keese, then looked at the pit. "I may be a good jumper, but this pit is WAY too wide for me to cross. But why isn't it filled with lava like the last one...?"

Unbeknownst to Spike, Hamzah smirked knowingly.





The next room up was a small assortment of corridors formed out of statues. On the far end of the room was a chest, and scattered across the ground were...

"B-b-bones?" Spike paled at the morose sight. Indeed, the various bones of strange creatures were heaped in random places.

Nuha and Hamzah also seemed to be scared, but for a different reason. "Stalfos. They seem inactive for now, but be careful."

If it was at all possible, Spike paled even further. "I-inactive!?"

Nuha recognized the look on Spike's face, and flittered down to rest atop his hat. "I can tell you're scared, Spike, but you've gotta stay strong. For Twilight."

He took a deep breath, slowly calming his frayed nerves. "R-right. For Twilight."

Cautiously, he began to eke forward, sword at the ready. Thankfully, he made it halfway across the room without any issues.

Then the bones began to move.

"Uh oh," Hamzah exclaimed, "Here they come!"

Spike trembled violently as he watched the bones reassemble themselves, forming three strange bipedal creatures. The monsters turned to look at him with empty sockets for eyes, and the poor little dragon almost completely lost his nerve.

Then he felt a warm presence on his right shoulder and neck. He looked to find Nuha nuzzling up to him, giving him reassurance. Using her presence as a launching point, Spike steeled up his nerves and charged forward.

The first blow was dealt by one of the skeletons; it detached one of its ribs and threw it like a boomerang, catching Spike across the face. He stumbled momentarily, but kept charging forward, sword at the ready. As he swung, the skeleton who'd hit him leapt backwards, dodging the blade and getting another attack ready. But now, Spike was prepared; he used his shield to deflect the projectile, then lunged forward again. This time, when the skeleton dodged, Spike kept up and swung again, catching the skeleton across the torso. It staggered, before ultimately collapsing.

Then another skeleton approached, looking redder than the previous one. This one, instead of using its bones as projectiles, opted for a more direct approach: it leapt into the air before slamming down on the spot where Spike had just been standing. He dodged to the right, but the skeleton read his movement, lashing out an arm and hitting him in the shoulder. Spike winced as he felt his own bones threaten to give, but he pushed through, landing a hit on the creature's pelvis. But instead of falling like the last one, it remained standing, winding up another blow.

"Parry!" Hamzah exclaimed, catching Spike's attention. The little dragon braced himself, then, just as the skeleton's strike was about to connect, he swung his shield.

CHING!

The shield deflected the punch with a satisfying sound, staggering the skeleton. Spike took the opportunity to strike again, this time hitting the creature in the torso. That seemed to do the trick, as the skeleton, like the one before it, collapsed.

That left only one more skeleton. With a newfound confidence in his eye, Spike charged forward. The monster leapt backwards to dodge, but Spike was ready for that.

With a tremendous swing, the final skeleton collapsed like its brethren. Once the last one was downed, all three of them disappeared into purple smoke, some leaving behind little heart-shaped objects.

Spike stood there for a moment, panting as he registered that it was over.

Then he collapsed like a pile of jelly. "Sweet Celestia, that was scary!"

Nuha flitted near his head, cheering, "You did it! You beat them!"

Spike smiled, still shaken up somewhat. "I did, didn't I?"

Hamzah also seemed proud. "Not bad, kid; Not bad at all. Although you'd better pick up those health pieces before they disappear."

Spike looked around at the heart-shaped objects. He slowly got up, wincing at his injuries, and made his way over to one. The moment he stepped within a tile of it, it drew itself towards him, absorbing into his shoulder. He flinched at this, but quickly realized that absorbing the thing made his injuries feel measurably better.

Having been Twilight's #1 Assistant for his whole life, Spike had picked up a few things about magic. "Condensed restoration spells shaped like hearts? Cool trick, but why'd the skeletons drop them?"

Hamzah quickly explained, "Oh, don't worry about that; they were actually planted on enemies and in places like tall grass or pots by the Minish."

Spike raised an eyebrow. "The Minish?"

"Tiny mice-like elves that help travellers by giving them health and good fortune. They're also known as Picori."

Spike nodded slowly, "If you say so."

With that out of the way, Spike proceeded to collect the other heart that was dropped, almost completely healing him (although he could still feel traces of the injuries). He then continued down the aisles, reaching the chest rather quickly. Inside of it was...

"A dungeon map!" Hamzah exclaimed. "Now with an in-built compass."

"...okay?" Spike decided not to pursue it, instead opting to look at the map.

It was a rather simple layout, with a few small deviations from the norm; for example, the two upper left-most rooms were joined partially, creating an L-shaped bend around a smaller room. Other than that, it seemed to mostly follow the pattern that they'd observed to that point: 7x12 rooms surrounding a 15x12 entrance hall, with pits sectioning off important areas. There was even a tally of the number of chests in one of the corners.

"Alright," said Spike once he'd taken a good look over the map, "now that's taken care of, let's continue."
> [12] The Fire Temple, Part 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The door slid open, allowing Spike and the fairies passage into the next chamber.

It was a small room, about the same size as the others. On the far right side was an outcropping of wall that separated a deep chasm from the rest of the room. A handle-like switch was attached to the wall over the pit, making it unreachable by conventional means. On the left side of the room were some statues surrounding a chest, and there was another door on the left-hand wall. Thankfully, there were no enemies to be found.

Spike observed everything in the room, then approached the statues. One of the statues seemed slightly sunken into the floor, which Spike took note of. However, he couldn't do anything in the room at the moment, so he quickly moved on to the next room.

When he entered, he almost immediately had to stop in order to avoid falling into another pit. There was only a thin walkway rimming three out of four of the walls, with a small platform next to an ornate door on the fourth. There were two statues on either side of the pit, another door was on the wall farthest from Spike, and the window from the entrance hall on the last wall. This room was also much hotter than the rest of them.

"Geez, what's this place's obsession with pits?" Spike asked himself, to the amusement of Hamzah and Nuha.

Slowly, Spike made his way around the perimeter of the room. More than once, he had to stop when a small piece of floor gave out near him, falling into the seemingly endless chasm.

But he did eventually make it to the next room. It was an upside-down L shape, with one half of the room sectioned off by another pit. On their side of the room, three boulders and two statues dotted the ground, and a sign hung on the wall; on the other side were two statues, a descending staircase, and a door into the unused space of the L.

Spike approached the sign, but quickly realized he couldn't read it. "Uh, mind translating that for me?" he asked sheepishly.

Nuha nodded, then began to read:



The lone statue
Opposite two
With a fiery embrace
Shows the way through



Spike pondered that for a moment. "Lone statue, opposite two..."

Suddenly, something stirred in his memory. "Wait a second, I think I remember something..."

They began to retrace their steps, stopping in the second of the mirrored rooms. Just as he'd remembered, there was one Goron statue on this side of the room, and two on the other side.

"Alright, one lone statue opposite two! Nice!" Spike pumped his fist in celebration.

"You're not done yet," Hamzah pointed out.

Spike nodded. " 'With a fiery embrace'..." Spike rubbed his hands together in preparation, then blew a stream of fire at the statue.

Nothing happened.

Spike blinked. "Maybe I didn't hit it right..."





For the next fifteen minutes, Spike tried everything he could think of. He blew fire on the statue's head, on its torso, on the base, lengthwise, widthwise, and even up its nostrils. Nothing happened.

Then he tried pushing the statue, and it moved no further than one tile to the west. Nothing else happened.

"Well, that was a bust," Spike mused.

Nuha was waiting patiently on the sideline; Hamzah, on the other hand, was seemingly banging his head on the wall in frustration. Spike noticed this, and asked, "What's up, Hamzah?"

The fairy in question pointedly turned around. "Would you like a hint?" he asked, his exasperation apparent in his voice.

"Sure?" Spike replied reluctantly.

"Do you remember what you pointed out about that first room after the entrance hall? The one where you found the Boss Key?"

The dragon thought for a moment. "That it was the only room with lava instead of a pit—"

Then it hit him. "Wait a second... Is THAT what it meant by 'fiery'!?"

"What'd you think it meant?!" Hamzah cried out.

"I thought it meant literal fire, not just 'hot'!"

If Hamzah had hands, he would've screamed into them.





When they returned to the room, Spike made a beeline for the statue. Placing his hands on the base of the statue, he gave it a hearty shove. With a scrape and a small congratulatory jingle (Spike was too exasperated to question it), the statue moved to reveal a staircase leading downward.

"Alright, let's just get this over with, okay?" Spike grumbled.

Hamzah snarked, "We'd be done already if you were just a bit more clever."

"Stop it, you two," Nuha admonished. "We're past it; there's no reason to still be bitter."

Both of them deflated a bit. "Sorry," Hamzah muttered.

Spike shook his head, "Me too."

With that, the three of them made their way down the staircase and into a narrow hallway. The hallway was askew compared to the rest of the temple, slanting towards the northwest, but otherwise, it still followed a grid pattern like the rest of the rooms. This hallway, Spike realized, must be why there was lava in that room; because there wouldn't be space for a pit.

Spike made his way down the hall, eventually reaching a staircase that led upwards. When he ascended it, he found that it was the staircase on the other side of the L-shaped room. Remembering the doorway into the unused space of the L, he quickly entered to find medium-sized chest surrounded by two statues, and two unlit torches across from them.

Lighting one so he could see, he slowly approached the chest.

"♪Da-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na..." Nuha imitated a suspenseful fanfare, but stopped when Spike looked questioningly back at her. The young dragon turned his attention back to the chest, opening the lid to find...

"♪Dah-na-na-nah!♪ You found the Hookshot!" Nuha exclaimed as Spike held the new item up. "This amazing device allows you to tether to distant objects, acting as either a grappling hook or a means of remote interaction!"

Spike took in the details of the device. On one end, there was a spring-loaded arrowhead attached to a chain, which wrapped through a mechanism and around the body of the device; on the other end was a handle with a comfortable yet grippable leather wrapping, as well as a trigger to activate the mechanisms; and on the barrel, there was a secondary grip area with two buttons that Spike assumed were controls for the mechanisms inside.

Deciding to test it, Spike aimed at one of the unlit torch stands and pulled the trigger. The hook shot out at such a speed that Spike flinched at the recoil, embedding itself into the torch with a satisfying crunch. After a moment, Spike pressed one of the buttons on the barrel. When nothing else happened, Spike decided to try the other button, and found that it detatched the hook from whatever it was embedded on. He relaunched it, then decided to release the trigger, and immediately found himself being carried along by the rapidly retracting chain. He quickly re-pressed the trigger, and the chain stopped retracting. After a moment to brace himself, he let it go again, and found himself once again being pulled forward. In just a moment, he'd reached the torch he'd latched onto, and the second button detatched the hook.

"Cool..." was all that Spike could say.





The next few minutes were spent getting accustomed to the device. It had one heck of a kickback, but it wasn't anything Spike couldn't get used to. He also found out that the first button, when held in tandem with the trigger, allowed the chain to be freely brought in and out (like a measuring tape). It had a maximum range of about 20 feet, and could latch onto most objects (such as the torch stands and the base of the statues), but not the walls of the dungeon.

With that last revelation, Spike suddenly realized why there were so many statues: to give the Hookshot things to latch onto. As he left the small room that contained the item, he saw the two statues across the pit from him, and had an idea. Spike moved to the edge of the pit, aimed the device, and fired it at the statue.

The Hookshot recalling its chain gave him enough momentum to clear the gap easily. Spike chuckled giddily.





So Spike went back through the dungeon, clearing everything he hadn't been able to before he got the Hookshot.

In the northeast room, he used the hookshot to grab onto the switch over the pit. When he tried to reel it in, the switch pulled out, activating a mechanism which moved the slightly sunken statue fully into the ground. A small jingle played.

"Where does that jingle even come from?" Spike asked.

Hamzah shrugged as best he could (having no arms and all). "Nobody really knows."

Spike frowned, but nodded in understanding anyway. He moved to the now accessible chest and opened it, finding a purple Rupee.

Spike caught both fairies staring nervously at him. "What? I'm not gona eat this one!"

In the Southeast room, Spike used the Hookshot to grapple across the pit, landing next to the chest. Inside was a yellow Rupee.

Nuha quickly flew over at the sight, but upon closer inspection, she sighed. "Darn, I thought it was a gold Rupee."

"How much are they worth?" Spike asked.

"300 regular Rupees."

Spike nearly dropped the Rupee in shock. "Holy guacamole, that's a lot!"

"I know, right?" Hamzah flew over as well. "Though that yellow Rupee might be worth something, too; you don't really see those as much anymore."

Spike pocketed the gem, then used the Hookshot to return to the other side of the pit. He reentered the entrance hall, bringing out the map and looking over it again.

"That can't be right..." Spike muttered after a moment.

Nuha moved beside him. "What can't be right?"

"The map says there's 8 chests in the Temple, but we've only found six," Spike counted in his head. "We've been in all the rooms, so where could the last two be?"

Hamzah pointed out, "Well, there's almost always a chest after the Boss Room."

Spike shook his head, "But then there's still one besides that."

Nuha looked over the map closely. "I don't know what to say; it must be hidden pretty well."

"Maybe there's something you need to do in a certain room?" Hamzah suggested.

Spike thought back for a moment. "You said this map had a compass built in, right? What does that mean?"

"If you have it out when you enter a room, and there's a chest in the room, it'll make a noise." The fairy noticed the dumbfounded look on Spike's face, and added, "It just does that, okay?"

Spike nodded, then started walking.





After several minutes of entering into rooms while holding out the map, they finally reentered the room where Spike obtained the hookshot. The moment Spike stepped foot in it, the map made a little 'ping' sound.

He sighed in relief, then started looking around the small room. He checked each wall for anything unusual, tried to push everything, and even stepped on every tile.

Thankfully, the last one bore some fruit; the tile in between the two torches sounded hollow, as if something were underneath it. He bent down and tried to pry it up, but he couldn't get his fingers around it.

But while he was down near the floor, he noticed something odd about the torches: the unlit one had twine leading from its head and into the floor. He looked under the lit torch, and saw a hole that a twine could go through, along with a small amount of ash around it.

He stood up, breathed in, and lit the second torch; when it caught fire, the twine also lit, acting as a fuse. The fire disappeared into the hole, and a moment later, the hollow tile popped loose.

"Aha!" Spike exclaimed.

"Woah, way to go!" Nuha cheered.

"I have to admit, I wouldn't have thought to check the tiles," Hamzah gave him props.

Spike blushed as he leaned down to move the tile. "Aw, it was nothing; I just looked for the small detail. I do that all the time when I'm helping clean for Twilight."

Pushing the tile away, Spike found a small chest in the hole. He opened it, and gasped. "A Gold Rupee!"

The fairies rushed over to see. He was right; a golden Rupee sat waiting in the chest. He took it carefully in the palm of his hand, and held it up, mesmerized by how it glittered in the torches' light. A feeling of giddiness welled up inside of Spike, as if the Rupee's radiant golden shine was illuminating his soul.

Spike placed it into the pocket on his belt, patting it for good measure before closing it. He then turned to Hamzah. "Well, all that's left now is the boss, right?"

The fairy in question shook himself out of his daze. "R-right, yeah."

Spike responded by taking out his Hookshot. "Then I guess it's time for a boss fight."





Spike now stood just outside the Boss Door, the Boss Key in his hand and his shield at the ready. "Alright, what should I expect from this?"

Hamzah shrugged. "You got the Hookshot here, so I'd guess that there's something to do with it."

"Right," Spike agreed. Playing enough Ogres and Oubliettes had taught him that, if a dungeon gave you an item, it was going to test you with it.

"Other than that? I'm not certain," Nuha added, then panted under the heat.

Spike nodded, taking a moment to reflect on everything that led him here. His fist gripped the key tighter as he thought about what he was fighting for.

For the Gorons. For Princess Zelda. For the Deku Sprout.

For Twilight.

He placed the key into the lock and turned it, then opened the door.
> [13] The Fire Temple, Part 3
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The first thing Spike noticed as he opened the door was the heat. He'd thought that outside had been hot, but it was nothing compared to this one room! In fact, the heat was so intense that it forced both Nuha and Hamzah to retreat from the door's vicinity.

Spike raised an eyebrow. "You two okay?"

Hamzah nodded. "Yeah, but I don't think we can follow you in; we're not used to so much heat."

"What?!" They'd been so helpful up until that point that Spike was frightened at the prospect that they'd be apart, even for so little.

"But don't worry; we'll be here at the door, ready to shout any advice!" Nuha reassured him. Spike calmed down a little, but was still nervous as he made his way into the dark, smoke-filled room.

And then the door closed behind him.

Spike jumped, then rushed back to the door. "Hamzah? Nuha?! What happened?" No response. "Guys!" He tried to pry the door open, but not even the Silver Gauntlets made him strong enough. And the communication gem was still with the fairies, so he couldn't even talk to Twilight.

He was truly on his own.

He froze there, leaning on the door, unsure of what to do. Should he wait for them in case they found a way to open it? It seemed likely that the door would open if he continued forward like the Temple wanted him to, but fear was rooting him to the spot.

Then he recalled what Hamzah had said back at Hyrule Castle. "Courage isn't a lack of fear; courage is about not letting your fears control you."

Steeling himself, he turned around and made his way through the smoke.

His eyes quickly started adjusting to the dim light. The room was large enough to fit five Buckball courts and then some. He could see Goron busts carved around four pillars that surrounded a central reservoir of lava, which was being fed by suspended stone canals protruding from the east and west walls. The canals weren't active at the moment, but Spike could certainly picture how impressive it would be if they were. There was also a large stone mass covered in flowers on the other side of the pool from him, though he couldn't make out any details from where he was. Those flowers also grew throughout the room, although many of them still had yet to bloom. There was also a slightly raised portion of floor that rimmed the entire room.

Then a large, booming thud reverberated around the room, nearly toppling Spike over. It was closely followed by another, and another, and Spike suddenly realized that the rock mass was approaching him. A hatch in the center of the roof slowly opened, allowing most of the smoke to escape and illuminating the room. The newfound light was enough for Spike to realize that it was actually a massive skeletal beast wearing a large mass of stone on its back as protective armor.

Skeletal Dinosaur King:
UNDEAD DODONGO

The beast stared at Spike with its sunken, lifeless eye sockets, before it lowered into a crouching position. Spike had to sprint to the side in order to avoid it lunging across the room, and even then, he only just managed to evade it.

As the beast recovered, Spike surveyed it for any weaknesses. The flowers on its back were dark green bulbs with yellow and red fronds on their tops (which vaguely resembled a cartoonish depiction of a bomb), growing out of four-leaf sprouts in the stone. There were also markings on the stone itself, seemingly paintings made before this beast repurposed the rock they were painted on. He couldn't make them all out, but three of them (the ones further up the mass, where the rock was more worn from time) resembled primitive targets.

Spike made the connection instantly. He pulled out his hookshot, then sprinted to the side again as the beast turned and swiped its claws. This time, he did get grazed on the foot, causing him to spin midair and land roughly on he stone floor, though he was quickly back up (albeit with a slight limp). He quickly aimed the hookshot and fired, piercing the rock. The device reeled him in, dragging him through the air and up onto the rock, where he was able to find a foothold and cling on as the beast got back up.

He clambered his way up to one of the plants, and quickly plucked it from its stem. As soon as he did, the fronds on top ignited and began to burn like fuses. In a panic, he tried tossing the bulb at a random spot on the rock, but it bounced straight back towards him, blowing up halfway and knocking him away. Spike managed to barely hold onto the rock before he could fall off, but the blast had done a number on him, and he didn't know if he had the strength to win.

Then he thought about Nuha and Hamzah, and how they believed in him. He thought of all the Gorons who were all counting on him. He thought of Princess Zelda, and how ecstatic she was when he agreed to help.

He thought of Twilight.

Gathering his strength, Spike began to pull himself back up the rock's surface. The beast tried to shake him off, but Spike was determined to win. He managed to climb back up to the nearest flower, and pulled up a bulb. Prepared for the fuse this time, he actually aimed for one of the markings and threw the bomb. While it wasn't a perfect throw, it was still accurate enough to work. When the bomb exploded, it blew away that part of the shell, even cracking the bones underneath. Unfortunately, it also destroyed the plant he'd used, leaving two others remaining on the beast's back.

Undead Dodongo screamed like a wounded manticore, then thrashed about violently, managing to throw Spike off. But with some quick thinking, he managed to pull out the hookshot and latch onto one of the nearby statues' arms, catching himself before he could hit the ground. Converting the momentum of his fall into a swing, he let go just in time to dodge another one of the beast's lunges. Undead Dodongo was stunned from hitting the statue long enough for Spike to reel in the hookshot and refire it, bringing himself back onto the beast's back.

Spike located another bulb and its nearest target, then plucked and threw. This time, he hit it square on the mark, blowing off a larger chunk of rock that included the portion he was standing on. Using the hookshot again, he latched onto a different statue, and stopped in order to anticipate the beast's next move.

What it did next surprised him. After howling with pain again, it slammed its skeletal tail against the north wall. There was a rumble for a moment, before lava began to pour down the canals and into the pool in the middle of the room. The pool, having been full already, quickly overflowed, covering the room's floor in lava (apart from the raised portion) before the canals dried up. Spike himself may have been fire proof, but his gear sure wasn't, so he'd have to be extra careful not to touch the ground; the beast, as a result of the dark forces that reanimated it, was completely immune, and thus had no such compunctions with walking through it. Although, thanks to the thickness of the lava, its movements were drastically slowed.

Spike readied himself when he saw the beast crouch down, then began to reel in the hookshot when it charged. As a result, he was higher than the beast when it crashed into the statue. Unfortunately, this statue wasn't as stable as the other one, and it fractured at the impact, causing the hookshot to detach and drop Spike roughly onto the beast's back. He managed to roll out of the way of the statue's debris, but the fall, combined with his previous injuries, had dislocated his hip. He nearly lost himself in the pain, but he knew that he only had a small window of opportunity before Undead Dodongo was back on its feet, so he had to power past the pain and crawled to the last bomb plant. He plucked it, and tossed it at the final target.

It was a little low, thanks to his proximity to the ground, but it still worked; the rest of the shell crumbled away as the beast screamed, then collapsed into the remains of the statue. The quick succession of impacts was enough to break the pillar it supported, causing that corner of the roof to collapse and bury the beast.

A moment of silence hung in the air, before Spike pushed himself out of the rubble, coughing up dust. He was battered and bruised, but he'd emerged victorious. "That was intense..." Spike hoarsely remarked to himself, looking around the room.

Floating nearby was another heart-shaped object. It was much bigger than the small ones that'd dropped from the Stalkoblins earlier, and a lot more ornately decorated as well. Spike crawled his way up to it and touched it, absorbing it. Not only did it completely heal him, but he even felt a little healthier than he did before he'd even arrived in this world.

As soon as the heart was gone, the room began to rumble. On the north side of the room, a part of the wall moved to reveal a small room with a large chest; and on the south side, the entrance door opened and, thanks to the large hole venting enough of the room's heat, Hamzah and Nuha rushed in.

"Spike! Spike, are you—?" They stopped when they saw Spike atop the rubble, then zipped up and 'hugged' him (which was more similar to simply landing on him than what he knew as a hug).

"Oh, thank Hylia you're safe!" Hamzah exclaimed in a rare moment of outward caring. "You went in, and then the door closed before we could follow; we didn't know what to do!"

"You were able to beat the boss?! Oh, I'm so proud of you!" Nuha nuzzled him.

"It wasn't easy," Spike admitted.

"Are you hurt at all?" Nuha began to check over him, but Spike stopped her.

"It's okay; I got healed by another one of those hearts."

Hamzah stopped the hug. "Was it big and ornate?" When Spike nodded, Hamzah chuckled a bit. "That wasn't just another heart; you got a Heart Container!"

"Your life force has been increased!" Nuha concurred.

Spike blinked, several questions in his head, but shrugged that aside. "Come on, we still have a job to do."

Since the lava wasn't covering the raised portion of the floor, he was able to work his way around and enter the chest room. As soon as they entered, they were hit with a blast of cooler air, and the fairies sighed in relief.

Five statues surrounded the chest — a Goron, a bird-person, what looked like a female Hylian, a fish person, and a Hylian in a tunic similar to Spike's. There was also a bronze pipe with a valve on the eastern side of the room, but Spike's focus was on the center statue.

That tunic.... "Is that....?"

"Link," Hamzah confirmed. "The Hero of Time."

"We never met him, but our great grandmother did," Nuha revealed, "so we've heard a story or two."

Spike nodded absently, captivated by the statue. Instead of the strapping young man Spike had pictured, it instead depicted a young kid, maybe even younger than Spike. Spike momentarily wondered how a kid could have accomplished so much, but then he remembered where he was and what he'd just done, and he suddenly felt a little more confident in himself.

Finally, he made his way up to the chest. Bracing himself, he opened it and found...

"A map....?" Spike pulled it out and looked over it. It depicted both Death Mountain and the Lanayru region, with a triangle symbol placed near Zora's Dominion.

"A map that leads to the Triforce piece!" Nuha exclaimed.

"Looks like it's in the Ocean Temple," Hamzah commented.

Spike didn't know whether to be mad or just exasperated. They'd come all this way and done so much, just to find out that their Triforce Piece was in another Temple?!

He took a deep breath. At least they knew where to look now. And besides, they were helping the Gorons while they were here.

Speaking of which...

Spike pocketed the map and turned his attention to the valve. Above it was a sign that Spike couldn't translate. "What's that say?"

"It says 'drain'," Nuha translated.

Spike glanced back into the boss chamber, which was still flooded with lava, and suddenly realized something. "Wait a second... This place takes in lava from the surrounding volcano, right?" When the fairies nodded, he continued: "Maybe that's why the outside is getting colder! Because of that creature, nobody could come in and drain the pool, which was using up some of the lava!"

"How much lava woud it even need to use in order for that to happen?" Hamzah asked.





As it turned out, a lot.

Once Spike turned the valve (made easier with the help of the Silver Gauntlets), the lava in the boss chamber began to drain, revealing that the pool was much deeper than any of them had expected.

"Why is the pool so deep?" Spike asked, still shocked.

Nuha replied, unsure of it herself, "I guess Gorons really like swimming?"
> [14] Onwards, to Lanayru!
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

As Spike and the others returned to Goron City, they filled Twilight in on what happened.

"You really fought a giant skeleton?!" Twilight was bewildered. "How're you holding up? Are you sure you don't need me to try and find another way to get you back?"

"No, no! I'm doing surprisingly well, all things considered." Spike reflected. "I'm not completely confident yet, but will I ever be?"

"I suppose not," Twilight acquiesced.

Just as they reached the outskirts of the village, they spotted Chief Link approaching. "Did you do it?" he asked hopefully.

Spike nodded, and the Chief lit up like a Hearth's Warming tree. "Then we must celebrate!" He hoisted the young dragon onto his shoulder, and carried him into town.





That night, the residents gathered together for a feast in Spike's honor. Stories were told, laughs were shared, and Spike got to eat gems to his heart's content (they tasted intriguingly different here than in Equestria - not necessarily better, but different).

"...and thanks to Fluttershy finally overcoming her fear, Cloudsdale was able to get the water they needed!" Spike finished regaling a recent story. Almost everyone listening clapped and cheered.

"What a story!" cheered one of the Gorons.

"Good for her!" commended another.

Hamzah pondered, "It's still so weird to me that you have to make your world's weather."

Spike shrugged, "We have our ways of doing things, and you have yours."

One of the Gorons in the crowd piped up, "That reminds me of the time I met this Zora chick, Umah, swimming in the river. Seemed normal at first, but then I realized she was missing an arm! So I said to her, 'Boy, it must be hard swimming with only one arm,' and you know what she said back? She said 'I don't need your pity'! I was just try'na show some sympathy, lady; you don't have to be so rude!" Most of the crowd agreed with him.

Spike yawned. "Uh, actually, if it's okay with you, I'm gonna get some sleep. We're gonna hit the road again tomorrow, and I wanna be rested up."

Everyone nodded in understanding, then continued to listen to the story as Spike headed off to the town's inn.





As they got settled (the owner wanted to let Spike stay for free, but he insisted he pay with the Rupees he earned in the dungeon), Hamzah landed on the edge of the bed. "Y'know, it's kinda funny."

"What is?" Spike asked.

"Just yesterday, you were scared to face a swarm of Keese. But look at you now; you took down a giant skeleton creature!"

Spike blinked, then smiled. "I guess I did, didn't I?"

"We're so proud, Spike," Nuha smiled, settling in next to her brother.

"I couldn't have done it without you two," Spike admitted.

"We didn't do much," Nuha started drifting off.

"What're you talking about?" Hamzah was confused. "We helped him solve that puzzle, remember?"

"I guess you're right," Nuha acknowledged before she fully fell asleep.

Spike thought back to that puzzle. "Hamzah? I'm sorry I got mad at you over that; you were only trying to help."

"Hey, I'm the one who should be apologizing; I wasn't being patient with you. You're a smart kid, but that doesn't mean you have to figure everything out instantly."

"Thanks," Spike smiled, falling silent for a moment.

Then he thought of something. "Hey, what's gonna happen when this is all over?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, once we get the Triforce, then what happens?"

"It is said that the Triforce -"

"I know, it grants one wish. But who gets that wish, and what happens to the Triforce afterwards?"

Hamzah thought for a moment. "Well, it can only be used by someone who has a balance of Courage, Wisdom, and Power in their heart. Once it's used, unless there's another person nearby that can also wield it, the pieces will scatter themselves again. So if Princess Zelda is able to use it, then as long as she's nearby when you wish yourself home, she'll be able to save Hyrule as well.

"And before you say it," he caught Spike about to object, "I'm certain you'll be able to use it. You're clever, you're becoming braver than ever, and you're even becoming powerful."

"That's good to hear..." Spike sighed in relief, but his tone betrayed his growing concern.

Hamzah raised an eyebrow (or the fairy equivalent). "What's wrong?"

Spike hesitated. "Well, it's silly, but I kinda want you two to come back with me."

Hamzah stood up. "What??"

"I'm really growing to like you two, so if we're separated once this is all over.... I know, it's silly and selfish; we'll still have the gem to communicate. But it's just... I don't have many of my own friends back home. Almost all of my friends are either in a different city, or they're much closer to Twilight than me. It's not every day that I can meet someone like you guys, and I'll have to say goodbye to you pretty soon. I actually feel... important to someone other than Twilight."

Hamzah chuckled. "Well, then I guess you'll just have to make the most of the time you've got, huh?"

Spike's eyelids drooped as he replied, "I guess so." Before he knew it, he was asleep, leaving Hamzah to ponder in silence.





In a dark forest on the other side of Hyrule, someone dressed in a cloak was limping through the underbrush. A large portion of their left arm was stained a glossy red, their right ankle was seemingly broken, and their eyes were burning with a hatred unlike any other. Behind them, in the distance, smoke could be seen billowing up from a village in ruins.

As the strange traveler moved through the dense foliage, Hyrule Castle came in and out of their sight. Every time they spotted it, their eyebrows furrowed further, and the hatred somehow grew.

"Zelda..."





The next morning, Spike sent a letter to Zelda, informing her of everything that was happening. He was then provided rations and a domesticated ostrich he could ride to Lanayru, and everyone gathered to send him off.

"Once you get there," Chief Link told him, "find their leader, King Volim. He'll be able to help you with your quest."

"Thank you, Chief Link," Spike held out his hand for a handshake. The Chief gripped it tightly and shook, making Spike wince. The only reason his hand didn't break was because he was wearing the Silver Gauntlets.

Thankfully, Chief Link spotted his discomfort and stopped the handshake prematurely, opting instead for a salute. Spike thankfully returned it, then turned to everyone else. "Goodbye, everyone! Thank you for the hospitality!"

The Gorons began to cheer as they waved him goodbye and good luck. With that, Spike turned and sped down the mountainside on the ostrich, everyone's farewells fading into the distance.

As they rode to their next destination, Spike pondered on what may lay ahead for them. But as he glanced towards his traveling companions, who were clinging onto the head of the ostrich, he realized that he'd be able to face whatever may come as long as he had them by his side.
> [15] Comforts of Camping
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The first rays of the sun were creeping over the horizon as Spike awoke. He yawned, slowly looking around as the gentle grip of his sleep released him. They were under a tree near the bank of a river, exactly where they'd set up camp last night. Their ostrich was tied to a large branch, the remains of their campfire had long since died down, and the two fairy siblings lay atop his nearby hat, fast asleep.

Spike had to admit that, while he did miss his bed greatly, there was a simple comfort to camping like this. He decided that, once he got home, he'd spend more time outside.

Now that he was fully awake, he arose from his spot under the tree and stretched the morning stiffness away. Reaching for the canteen, Spike was disappointed to discover that they'd already almost run out of water. He used his fire breath to restart the campfire, then dug through the supplies Zelda's staff had provided him with, finding a water purifying kit. With it, he headed down to the nearby river and got to work filtering it.

As he used the fire to purify the water, Hamzah stirred from his own slumber. "Good morning, Hamzah," Spike greeted quietly, so as not to wake up Nuha.

"Morning," the fairy replied, before yawning. "Did we already run out of water?"

Spike nodded. "I guess going through a volcanic region made me thirstier than I realized. That, and the fact that we're making this unexpected detour to Lanayru...."

"I guess so," Hamzah admitted, before an awkward silence hung over them. "So, uh... Have any dreams last night?"

"Nothing special, really; just a dream about being back at home, helping Twilight with her work." He chuckled somberly. "It's funny; I used to hate how overboard she went with everything, but right now, I actually miss that."

"I can't even imagine how you must be feeling. Separated from your family for so long? Heck, even if she drives me up a wall sometimes, I don't think I could survive without Nuha."

Spike nodded, before another silence set in - this time, a more comfortable one. The crackling fire was the only thing that cut through the quiet sounds of the early morning. 

Finally, once the water had boiled for long enough, he took the container off the fire and set it aside to let it cool. While he waited, he began to cook some of the pork from his rations. "So, did you have any dreams last night?"

Hamzah thought for a moment. "It's a little fuzzy now, but I remember most of it. Nuha and I were kids again, and we were back with our parents. They said something, before they flew backwards into the shadows. Nuha and I tried to find them, but we got separated, and I found myself in Princess Zelda's Study.

"Zelda came in, rushing to and fro, pulling books off of shelves and skimming them before throwing them away. Then a guard entered and started speaking to her about a roast that she'd forgotten about. They went back and forth, before the guard got mad and stormed out, disappearing into shadows as well. I tried to approach Zelda, but smoke started to pour out of the door, obscuring my vision, and when it cleared up, I was in Goron City and Nuha was there once again.

"After that, the dream went off in a crazy direction involving two minecarts and a giant magnet, and I honestly don't remember most of it," Hamzah finished.

Spike had fallen completely silent, enraptured in the story. He knew better than most that dreams could hold a lot of significance. But that was in Equestria, where they could be influenced by magic; were the rules here different?

A drop of water hitting his nose brought Spike out of his thoughts. He looked around; it was starting to drizzle lightly. Thankfully, their campsite was mostly protected by the tree.

Nuha yawned, finally waking up. "Oh, good morning, guys," she said drowsily. "Did I oversleep?"

"Not at all," Hamzah assured her. "We woke up early, and were just talking about our dreams."

"I dreamed I was a snow leopard riding a raft down the trunk of the Deku Sprout," Nuha stated as though that were the most normal thing in the world.

Spike and Hamzah looked at each other, then chuckled at the sheer absurdity.





After Spike had his breakfast, he packed everything up and boarded the ostrich once again. Checking the map, they continued to head towards Zora's Dominion.

As they approached two watchtowers marking the border, the rain steadily grew heavier, turning from a drizzle to a shower. Spike took a moment to slow down the ostrich, taking in the scenery around him. Several ornate lights made from luminescent rocks marked the path into the dominion, and the wet rock faces reflected them, creating a cascade of colors that danced as the water shifted. The river cascaded down several small waterfalls as it left the mountains, churning lightly enough to where he could still hear the birds chirping. And the watchtowers themselves were made from a similar rock to the lights, decorated with intricately carved patterns and shaped to resemble fountains of water.

His musing was interrupted by a stern female voice shouting "Halt!" Spike stopped the ostrich completely, looking around for the source of the voice. Finally, Spike looked up at the left watchtower just as a figure leapt down from the top, performing a front flip in midair before landing perfectly on the ground in front of them.

It was what Spike assumed to be a Zora, taller than a Hylian and with muscles to match. Her dark red scales contrasted well against her silver cuirass, belt, and helm; she had an ornate silver sword at the ready; cuts from battles long past scarred her head-fins and her legs; and her face was pulled into a practiced neutrality, despite the fact that her golden eyes betrayed her suspicion and sternness.

And she was missing her right arm.