> Equestria Warriors: Displacement of a Hero
>  by Zeldageek
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> A scarf and a temple
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Darkness. That's all I saw. An infinite amount of darkness. Wait, how'd I get here again?

EARLIER THAT DAY

"Come on Johnny, we're gonna be late! I don't wanna miss the signing event in Hall B!" Mikey yelled from downstairs.

We were going to Comic-Con. I was dressed as Link from the Hyrule Warriors game, while Mikey was dressed as M. Bison from Street Fighter.

"Alright! I'll be right down man!" I yelled back, still looking for my scarf.

I had swore I left it on my dresser, but I couldn't seem to find it. It just seemingly vanished into thin air.

"Guess I'm going without it." I said to myself as I carried the rest of my gear down to the living room.

"What kept you man? Were running behind!" Mikey snapped as he waited by the door.

"Sorry man. Couldn't find my scarf." I apologized. He just rolled his eyes at me.

"Dude, I'll buy you a new one at the Con. Let's just go." He said as we geaded out to the car.

AT COMIC-CON

I was still a bit bummed out that I didn't have my scarf. After all, I'd spent months making it myself, so it felt like a huge waste of time now. Looking around I didn't see many vendors around us selling any Zelda merch until Mikey tapped my shoulder.

"Dude, that the scarf you need man?" He said, pointing to a vendor in the corner. Hanging on his display wall was a very nice looking replica of Links iconic scarf.

"Yea man! Thanks for looking out!" I thanked him as he handed me a crumpled Fifty.

"Aight man, here, go get it and keep the change. I need to find a bathroom." And with that, he walked away.

As I approached the booth, I noticed the vendor was dressed like a merchant from one of those zombie games Mikey played.

"Uh, hey. How much for the scarf?" I asked as he looked up from his book.

"Twenty five and it's yours." He said in a deep, raspy voice. Handing over the 50, he gave me the scarf and my change.

"Seems now you are complete, enjoy your trip." He said with an evil grin. I had already begun to walk away as I turned to look at him.

"What?" I asked, but he was gone. So was everyone else. Then everything faded to darkness.


PRESENT


I awoke under the cover of trees, sunlight streaking through the branches. I sat up and looked around in confusion.

"This isn't the convention center.... where tge hell am I?" I wondered aloud as I tried to get my bearings. 

Looking down at my hands I noticed they were smaller than they should be. I began frisking my own form, finding I was scrawnier than I should be as well. I was still wearing Links outfit, but the materials felt more durable. Then I felt my face, and then my ears.

"I'm an elf? Wait no... not an elf. I'm a Hylian!"

I started freaking out for a moment before I felt a rush of calm. I had no idea where it came from, but it helped me focus. Looking around I saw that I was in a small clearing in a forest, but aside from that all I could see was a mountain peak far off into the distance.

"Hmm... seems like I'll need to do some exploring." I muttered as I stood up. I then noticed how heavy my gear was. Drawing my sword, I noticed it was now actual metal, not the soft foam it had been before. The same went for my Hylian Shield. Despite this, they still felt lighter than they should.

"How odd..."

Giving it a couple test swings, I found I could wield it effortlessly.

"Well, if this is real and I'm not dreaming, then I have a few questions needing answers..."

Finding the tallest tree near me, I climbed it to try and gain a better view to see where I was. A few times I nearly fell, but eventually I made it to the top.

"Holy crap..."

The forest sprawled out as far as I could see, which honestly wasn't that far. I did catch a glimpse of a structure a little was away, but what it was I couldn't tell from here.

"That looks like a decent place to start"

Climbing down, I made a few mental notes:
One, I wasnt human anymore. And two, I had to find out where in God's name was I.

As I began to trek through the forest I tried to look for anything I may recognize, though nothing seemed to click. The sun was just beginning to set as I approached the structure, and it hit me as to what this place was. It was the Temple of Time, but it looked more like it did in Breath of the Wild. It was in a very bad state of decay, as if it had been abandoned for centuries.

"Interesting..." I said as I walked in through a collapsed part of the wall. The inside looked just as bad as the outside, crumbling stone blocks scattered all over from the ceiling.

At the very back of the Temple where the goddess statue should be just sat a pristine looking chest.

"Well that's not suspicious..."

Walking up to it, it seemed rather unremarkable. It was a simple wooden chest, banded in iron. Out of curiosity I kicked it, causing it to pop open. Golden light emitted from it as text appeared in front of me accompanied by a small jingle.

You got the Heroes Bow

As soon as I looked away from the chest, the text disappeared. Yet I didn't have the bow in my hands.

"I wonder how I use it then..."

"I can show you how, young hero..." A voice said behind me, causing me to jump and spin around. Floating slightly was a beautiful woman with long bronze hair, deep green eyes, and wearing a flowing white gown.

"Who are you?" I asked her, unsure if I should draw my sword or not.

"I am the goddess Farore."
> A goddess and a pony
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Farore?" Wait, was I actually in Hyrule?

As if reading my thoughts, she shook her head.

"No child, you are not in Hyrule. Not as you know it. You are currently residing in the Kingdom of Equestria. This land was, once upon a time, the land of Hyrule. But such is ancient history. I'm afraid your people are all but forgotten, save by a few..."

Her voice remained calm, yet I could sense a deep sadness in it. She floated over to me, setting a hand on my shoulder.

"A great evil is rising. An ancient evil bound to you by a thread of Fate. You may not be a Hero here yet, but I know you will rise against this evil and become one."

She stepped back, glowing slightly brighter.

"Now go Hero. I pray we meet again..."

She vanished in a flash, leaving me very confused now. But several questions had been answered for me. I was in familiar territory, but it has changed significantly. It was now called Equestria. Something about that name sounded so familiar, yet I couldn't quite place my finger on it. Speaking of fingers, I finally noticed the back of my hand.

"What the...."

On the back of my hand glowed three triangles. The Triforce! I watched in awe as it slowly faded, becoming part of my gauntlet. Shaking my head for a moment, I looked around. The sun was beginning to set, and I had a feeling these woods weren't nearly as friendly at night. I made my way to the back of the temple where the master sword usually slept in other Zelda games, only to find an empty room. I ignored that for now, focusing on setting up a litte campfire. In minutes I had it going, and I sat against the wall to process what had happened. Before I knew it, I had fallen asleep.


THE NEXT DAY

Voices. I heard voices. My eyes snapped open and I looked around. There was nobody in my line of sight. Getting up as quietly as I could, I crouched by the door to the sword chamber, listening for the voices again.

"You guys, come on. You know we can't be here. It's too dangerous!" A young girl called out.

Her companions laughed at her.

"What's the matter Sweetie, afraid of ghosts?" One of them taunted.

"G-ghosts?" Sweetie asked in what sounded like fear.

"Oh yea," A third one answered, " I heard this place is haunted by an angry ghost, who eats scared little ponies!"

They laughed again, making me feel sorry for Sweetie. I stood and leaned out to look. I saw three vaguely humanoid beings at the other end of the temple, their voices getting thrown by the echo in here. One of them saw me and shrieked as I hid.

"What? You see it?" The first one teased.

"I-it was there! In the back!" Sweetie cried.

Man, I felt terrible for that now. Sorry kid. If I ever run into you again, I'll make sure to apologize.

"Uh huh, sure you did." The third one said with heavy sarcasm.

"I swear Scootaloo, I saw it!" Sweetie cried.

'I'm sorry for this Sweetie, but they need to be put in their place[i/]' I thought as I stepped into the doorway.

Sweetie immediately pointed at me, half covered in shadow.

"There! See!" She was still crying.

Her friends laughed and turned, only to stop when they saw me.

"Oh hay, it's real!" Scoot shrieked as they booked it.

"Wait for me!" The second yelled, leaving Sweetie all on her own.

"W-wait!" She cried, turning to run after them only to trip on one of the stones on the ground. She fell and bumped her head pretty bad. 

I rushed across the room and slide by her side, gently pulling her to my lap.

"No no no... that looks bad..." I muttered, looking at the large scrape on her forehead. I now noticed she looked like a horse of some kind. The memory flitted through my mind and I realized why Equestria sounded familiar. 

'Crap... I'm in a My Little Pony version of Hyrule?' I thought to myself as I carried her back to my little camp. I couldn't do much for her unless I could get her to a doctor. But I needed her to be awake to guide me. 

I set her by the campfire and gave my scarf to be used as a pillow. She seemed fine, just unconscious for the moment. I gathered more wood for the fire and waited for her to wake up. It took her a few hours, during which I'd found out a few things about myself. I found a blue rupee in an old pot, and when I touched it, it vanished and I saw my wallet in the corner of my vision go up. Afew a seconds, it vanished. Ok, I had a HUD. It only seemed to trigger when I interacted with something that would change it. I wasn't sure if my hearts would be visible, but I assumed combat would probably bring them up.

It was dark by the time she showed signs of consciousness. Sweetie groaned a little, snapping me back to reality. I watched her sit up and look around, her face going pale as she saw me.

"Y-youre the..." She tried saying, but I raised a hand.

"I'm no ghost. Nor am I going to hurt you. I'm sorry for scaring you and your friends, but you woke me up." I said calmly, keeping my eyes on the fire.

She still seemed a little freaked out, but nodded. Her stomach grumbled as she blushed a bit.

"S-sorry, I haven't eaten in..." she tried to remember, "How long was I asleep?"

"Only a few hours, I'd say probably lunch was your last meal." I said, tossing more wood on the fire.

"Oh, then it should be dinner time now..." She said sadly, "Momma is gonna be so mad at me...."

I sighed a bit. I offered her some of the food I'd gathered.

"Have this. I tried to gather some of the edible plants, but these were all over the place." I offered her a couple roasted wild carrots.

She took them nervously before nibbling one.

"So... what's your name Mister?" She asked meekly.

"Me? Oh I'm..." I started, then I realized I shouldn't use my own name here, "Link. My name is Link."

She looked at me with a shocked expression.

"You... you're Link? The Legendary Hero?" She asked in amazement.

I chuckled a bit, then smiled kindly at her.

"That's yet to be seen. I'm the next incarnation of the Hero, as there can only be one at a time." I said and her amazement dimmed.

"Oh.. well, my name is Sweetie Belle." She introduced herself with a half bow.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Sweetie Belle." I said with my own half bow.

This got a few giggles out of her, and a chuckle out of me.

"Now, sleep. Tomorrow I'll take you home." I ordered as she finished eating. She nodded and laid back down.

Things certainly were looking better. Only time would tell...
> A new world of old places
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Light streamed in through the large window above us. I sat up and stretched before gently shaking Sweetie awake.

"Mmm... five more minutes..." She mumbled before opening here eyes to see me trying not to laugh.

"Morning." I chuckled as she sat up.
"Sleep ok?"

She nodded as I took my scarf back and wrapped it around my neck. I had already broke down the small campsite, and was ready to go.

"You able to walk, or do you need me to carry you?" I asked, offering her a hand up.

She took it and got up, a little unsteady on her feet. She took a few steps before falling over.

"I.. I don't think I can... sorry..." She mumbled sadly.

I just chuckled and picked her up princess style and started walking. It's amazing, she didn't feel like she weighed anything at all.

"So, which way do we go?" I asked, looking down at her as she blushed. She looked around, the pointed towards the front of the temple.

"My home is straight that way. But there's a river we need to cross..." She said as I kept moving.

"Well, we'll cross that river when we get to it." I said with another chuckle.

We walked for hours, all the while she asked me questions about me, where I came from, why I was here. She seemed rather curious about everything I said. I then began asking her about her, the world we were in, what people remembered about my people.

As we kept walking, I learned that she was part of a group called the Cutie Mark Crusaders, or CMC. Their goal was to gain their own unique 'Cutie Mark', a symbol that appeared on the thigh of ponies when they figured out their purpose. Or something like that. I also learned that the land we were in, Equestria, was populated by beings called 'Ponies'. They then were divided into three types. Unicorns, who had a horn protruding from their head and a strong connection to almost all types of Magic. Pegasus, who used their wings and weather magic to keep bad weather away and travel great distances. And Earth Ponies, who had neither a horn or wings, yet were very strong and could wield minor earth magic. And as far as what Ponies knew of us, the Hylians, it was all mostly folktales. And even then, we were depicted as Ponies. Probably to make the stories more relatable to them. This just felt so off, so... wrong. But I couldn't fix it now, the past is in the past.

"So Magic is a thing. I mean, it was a thing for my people, but not many could really weild it..." I said absently.

"How did it work for you then?"

"Well, we would usually channel it through an object. Like a staff or a wand. But it was always very taxing on us, so it became more of a hobby to most..."

She looked at me with a curious face.

"Could you weild magic?"

I thought for a moment before answering her.

"Honestly, I never really tried. I guess I just didn't see a need to." I shrugged.

We walked in silence for a while, until I heard the sound of running water. I picked up the pace and found myself on the bank of a river.

"Doesn't look too deep. I think I can wade across." I thought aloud as I stepped in the water. It was ice cold, bit as we waded across, it only came up to my waist.

"Must be snow melt... it's so cold..." I commented, just trying to focus on something other than my freezing lower half.

"Yea, it's always cold this time of year. Spring time always means water is cold for a few weeks. But you can get warm and dry when we get to my house! I'm sure my Momma will be ok with that!" She offered cheerily.

I nodded as we made it to the opposite bank, shivering slightly.

"It's just over there, through the trees." She said, pointing.

We kept walking, albeit slower, until we emerged from the forest at the edge of a small town. Ponies were bustling about their day, thankfully not seeing me yet.

"It that one there, the blue one." She said, pointing to a two story cottage at the end of the street.

As we made our way over, a few Ponies had spotted me. One ran off, I assumed, to call the guards. But I kept walking until I got to the door and knocked.

"Coming!" Came a sad voice as the door opened. Standing there was a pink unicorn with a purple mane.

"Sweetie Belle!" She cried, snatching her daughter from my arms as she hugged her tight. Sweetie tried to pry herself from her grip, to no avail.

"Mmph... mom, your crushing me.." She squeaked, causing her to let go.

"I'm sorry, but you had your father and I worried sick. When your friends didn't come back with you, we feared you'd been taken by the Everfree..." She sobbed, wiping a tear from her eye.

"I would have, if he hadn't saved me." Sweetie said, gesturing at me. She looked up and blinked, not sure what to make of me.

"You... you look familiar..." She said slowly.

"I don't believe we've met before, but my name is Link." I said with a short bow.

"Link..." She mused, before offering her hand, "I am Cookie Crumbles, Sweetie Belles Mother."

I took her hand and shook it gently.

"A pleasure, Miss Crumbles" I said with a smirk.

This caused her to blush as she giggled.

"Please, call me Cookie."

"Very well Cookie."

I took a deep breath before giving Sweetie a soft smile.

"Stay out of Trouble, ok?"

She gave a small nod before hugging me.

"Will I ever see you again?" She asked, looking up at me. 

"I'd guarantee it." I said with a wink.

After saying good bye I left the home and walked back through town. As I perused the shops, I was surrounded by armed guards.

"Well... I knew this would happen..."
> An arrest and a revelation
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I had my hands tied behind my back and my sword and shield taken. Now I was riding a train through the countryside with five guards escorting me. I was apparently being taken to see the Princesses to determine my fate. Why was pricess said in plural? Apparently there were two. I wasn't sure how that worked, but I wasn't about to argue. That would probably make my situation worse. I just stayed quite as we trundled along, eventually falling asleep.

I had dreams for the first time since I had arrived. They weren't much, but I was standing in front of a Castle. Hyrule Castle. I looked around and saw the Castle Town, bustling with Hylians going about their lives. 

"How... this is the past. How am I even here?" I wondered aloud.

"Because I am showing thee what once was..." a voice said behind me. Turning, I saw a tall dark Pony, her mane made not of hair, but what appeared to be space itself. Stars glinted every now ant then as she walked forward towards me.
"This was what the land was like in your time, before their fall..." She trailed off.

"You mean, you were here? But that would have been..." I paused, trying to count.

"Almost two thousand years ago." She answered.
"Two thousand years? But then... how are you still alive? Wait, do all ponies live longer lives?" I asked in confusion. She just sighed with a sad smile.

"Sadly not. My sister and I are different than normal ponies. We are beings called Alicorns, having both wings and a horn, as I am sure thou art hath noticed." She answered. She flared her wings out, having a near fifteen foot wingspan.

"Woah..." I whistled, "those look powerful"

"Indeed," She agreed, folding them back against her, "Now you must wake. You will be arriving soon." She said, tapping my forehead as I awoke to find the train had stopped.

"Get up." One of the guards ordered, yanking me to my feet. She looked like she wanted to be anywhere else, her face making it obvious how uncomfortable she was.

"Sorry." I said as I started moving. She threw me a confused look before shaking her head.

Outside the station waited a carriage, which I was promptly ushered into. We rattled across town, and I noticed it felt familiar. It didn't hit me until we pulled to a stop in front of the castle. I had just been here in my dream.

"Hyrule Castle..." I muttered, gaining a few odd looks from my guards.

"No, this is Canterlot Castle. Idiot." A male guard laughed as I was then led inside the gates. The castle had gardens on all sides, with fountains and statues dotted around. 

I was escorted to the castle proper and led through several hallways before being stopped before a set of double doors.

"Wait here." The female guard told me as she entered.

I stood there for what felt like hours before the doors were opened wide and I was pushed through. I was standing in a throne room, with several banners showing the Triforce and two winged unicorns lining the columns. Seated at the far end sat two figures, one white and one dark. The latter was also somewhat familiar, but my mind couldn't place it at the moment. My mind was spinning a bit from all that was happening. I was then marched right in front of them and forced on my knees.

"What have we here?" The white one mused, looking me over, her eyes going wide as she seemed to recognize me.

"Release him from his binds, he is of no threat to us." The dark one ordered.

"But.. your majesty..." one of the guards started to say, only to be silenced.

"You have arrested a legendary hero you fools." The white one groaned.
"Please forgive them, young hero. They are oblivious to their history."

I just stood there, now very confused.

"Wait.. you know who I am?" This elicited a laugh out of her.

"Of course. I was married to your last incarnation." She said, still giggling.

"You... what?"

I was now confused more than ever. I shook my head as the guards cut my bonds. One brought my gear to me and I quickly put it back on. Turning to them, I now felt a bit awkward.

"I'm sorry Princesses, but I don't really know who you are." I said apologetically. Tge white one nodded.

"It is understandable. I am Celestia, the Solar Regent." She said with a short bow.

"And I am Luna, the Lunar Regent." The dark one said, bowing as well. 

"You were in my dream... weren't you." I asked, and she nodded.

"I am able to enter the DreamScape of anyone within Equestria. But rest assured, I did not peek into your mind more than you saw." She reassured me calmly.

I took a moment to process everything, before a cloud of smoke wafted in and turned into a note by Celestia.

"Hmm?" She took the note, reading it.
"Well, it seems you made quite the impression on a filly. She asked my former student to beg me not to hurt you. That you saved her from being taken by the Everfree."

I rubbed my neck with an nod.

"I did, but it was also kinda my fault..." I said, then explained what happened to them.

"I see," Celestia mused with a smile, then wrote a reply and sent it on its way.

After a pregnant pause, I cleared my throat.

"Ahem, so what happens now?" I asked.

The sisters looked at each other with concern.

"It seems Ganon has returned to this realm after he last faced the hero. But now he calls himself Ganondorf." Luna replied with distaste.

"So that's what Farore meant..." I muttered, gaining me a couple raised eyebrows.
"Sorry, Farore told me that a great evil had risen. And that that's why I appeared." I answered, only to have them look more shocked.

"You spoke to Farore? Nopony has seen or even heard of her in Centuries! Not since the last of the Hylians finally died out...." Celestia said with a slight frown.

"It seems I have my work cut out for me..." I sighed. The Princesses both gave me understanding looks. 

"Go. Rest for now. We can discuss this further tomorrow." 

And just like that, I was escorted out of the throne room and led upstairs, where a room was waiting for me.
> Amber and Adventure
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dreams are weird. One minute I'm in an empty void, enjoying the quiet, and then the next thing I know, I was being dropped from the stratosphere! Like seriously? Who would want to feel like they're falling? But as I continued to free fall, I noticed the ground rising faster than it should to meet me. I could see the Everfree off to my left for a moment before my downward fall became sideways. I watched as I raced across the land. Trees, mountains, even whole towns zipped by as I careened forward. Eventually the grassland faded to desert, and I had started slowing down. I eventually stopped in front of an immense stone complex I recognized. It was the Arbiters Grounds from Twilight Princess. I could feel the evil emanating from inside, like getting doused in cold water. Suddenly I startled awake, quickly sitting up with a jolt

"Gah!" I exclaimed in fear.

I hyperventilated for a moment before managing to calm myself down, feeling more afraid now than I'd ever been. So that was what pure evil felt like? I shuddered, remembering the feeling. All of a sudden, I felt warmer, calmer, much more confident, my fears fading away quickly. I was a little confused by this until I looked down to see a radiating glow coming from the Triforce on my hand.

"The power of Courage... I forget I have that..." I mused as I stood up to get out of bed and dressed for today. Finding them neatly folded on the table, it seemed the maids had washed my clothes overnight, the dirt smudges and grass stains gone. < who was it that washed his clothes? Was it the maid? Did she leave it at his table/dresser/etc neatly folded?

"Hmm... nice to know they'll keep me clean around here." I chuckled in amusement.

Strapping my sword and shield to my back, I walked out of my room to find a now startled maid. Her coat was the color of a clear summer sky, with a mane as white as a cloud. As she readjusted her glasses, I saw her eyes. They looked like miniature sun's, bright and golden. 

"Oh, I'm sorry. Didn't mean to scare you." I said, rubbing the back of my head sheeply

"I-It's quite alright sir. I was sent to wake you, but you opened the door before I could myself." She smiled shyly as she dusted herself off.

"Oh? I suppose they wish to discuss my plan.." I thought aloud.

"I would assume so, but it would be rude to assume." She nodded curtly, gesturing for me to follow her. She began to escort me down the hall, her hooves clicking against the stone floor. After an awkward silence I coughed and spoke up.

"So what's your name?" I asked her, causing her to look at me with a slightly surprised face.

"It's Morning Breeze." She answered, blushing slightly as she brushed her hair to the side

"It's nice to meet you, Miss Breeze." I smiled kindly as she giggled softly.

"Likewise, Master Link." She said as she finally relaxed.

We walked for several minutes before stopping before a set of double doors and she turned to me.

"They are waiting inside for you. Enjoy." She said with a graceful bow. As she was turning around to leave, I returned the bow. She smiled and went off to attend her other duties.

I turned around, placing my hand onto the door and giving it a push, slowly opening the door. Inside was a vast dining hall with a long mahogany table lined with dozens of chairs. At the far end sat the two Princesses, Luna was reading reports to Celestia as the latter munched on a whole cake. Was that even healthy? Who knows. I walked as quickly as I could to the open seat next to them, sitting and scooting the chair closer to the table. I sat there watching them, noticing they had not noticed me yet.

"I wonder when he will wake.." Celestia muttered, oblivious I was sitting there. Eventually she did look up at me.

"Oh! Link, how long have you been sitting there?" She asked in surprise.

"Not long, I just got here." I chuckled softly, flagging down a maid.

"Ah, how did you sleep?" Luna asked, looking up from her reports as I asked for a coffee.

"Oh… about that..." I said slowly before explaining my dream to them. As I finished retelling my dream, they looked at each other with worry. 

"We knew he lived in the desert, but inside the Arbiters Grounds? That place was abandoned and sealed off by our mother centuries ago..." Celestia worried, frowning.

"I'm only telling you what I saw. I cant say he's inside for certain, but it'd be my best guess." I said as a maid brought me my cup of coffee. It smelled delicious, did they add cinnamon? My mouth exploded as I took a sip. It was divine!

BWOOP

The sudden noise startled me, making me jump as I looked around confused for a moment. From the corner of my vision, I noticed the row of hearts in my upper left view. I had five in total, all but one filled. Cautiously, I took another sip.

BWOOP

Now it was full. I must have looked really strange as Celestia shook my arm to get my attention.

"Link, are you ok?" She asked with concern painted on her face.

"Huh? Oh yea... just thinking..." I lied. I had no idea if they would understand what I was seeing.

"It is understandable. You saw and felt something immensely powerful." Luna said understandingly with a soft smile.

I just nodded, sipping my coffee. After an uncomfortably pregnant pause, I sighed and looked at them.

"I'm worried I can't defeat him. I have the Triforce of Courage and he has the Triforce of Power. But who wields the Triforce of Wisdom? I thought it was Hylia's descendants who wielded it?" I asked with slight concern.

They just looked between themselves and smirked, looking back at me.

"We do. We are the next descendants of the Goddess. But we are not the only ones who can wield its might..." Celestia said, her voice sounding sad.

"Not the only ones? What do you mean?" I questioned.

They looked between themselves again before Luna nodded.

"He deserves to know." She said as she stood up from her seat. "Follow me..." 

She started walking towards the door, Celestia and I following behind her. She led us down the corridor to an older looking door. Opening it, it was obvious nopony had been down here in a while. Cobwebs draped long burnt out torches and bridged the corners of the ceiling. As Luna grabbed one of the torches, it erupted to life.

"This way."

The door lead to a stairway caked in dust. Walking down, I began wondering what in Hylia she needed to show me down here. The stairway opened up into a massive underground chamber, the walls a mix of rock and stone bricks.

"What is this place?" I asked as Luna went around, lighting torches near the entrance. A glint from the other end of the room grabbed my attention. Looking over, it appeared to be a seven foot tall cut amber gem. 

"No..." I breathed, walking over to it. I knew exactly what this was the moment i saw it.

A dark shape sat in the center of the gem, becoming more distinct as I approached. It was a beautiful woman with long golden hair and pointed ears.

"Zelda..." My voice was barely audible.

"You know our mother?" Celestia asked curiously, now standing beside me.

I blinked, shaking my head. "No." I lied again. "Just of her..."

She gave me an understanding nod. "Mother was known by many for being a benevolent queen in her age. She made peace last in the realm until she sealed herself in here." Celestia sighed sadly as she placed her hand on the it's smooth surface, a single tear rolling down her cheek.

I offered her the end of my scarf, which she took and dabbed her eyes.

"Thank you. I'm not as in control of my emotions as my dear sister is." Celestia said softly and sniffled.

Luna stood beside her, wrapping her in a gentle hug. "Do not worry. Mother knows you miss her... That we miss her." She said, comforting her.

'Link...'

My head snapped up, not sure where that voice came from. The Princesses didn't seem to notice it though.

'Link.... find it...' The voice called again. I spun, still trying to see where the voice was coming from.

'Find the sword that seals the darkness.....' The voice said before going quiet.

Looking around for a little longer and no longer hearing the voice, I finally gave up with a shake of  my head.

"What was that... or rather... who?" I muttered to myself, looking back up at the amber.
"Could it even be possible?" I placed my hand on the gems surface myself, my own piece of the Triforce glowing faintly.

Had I really heard her? It seemed impossible, but then again, here I was in a world of Zelda and ponies. At this point, anything was possible.



==========○○○●●●○○○==========



It was now evening, the Princesses having left me to process what I had learned. I was honestly still reeling from the revelations. Zelda was alive somehow, the Princesses, despite being a different species, were her daughters, and I heard her speak to me.

"Ok Johnny, get it together… Oh who am I kidding? Nothing of that, that just happened made sense!" I exclaimed in frustration. Was this how the characters in games felt? I sure hope not, but who knows. At any rate, I needed to figure out how to do what the voiced asked. I had to find the Blade of Evils Bane, the Sword that Seals the Darkness. I had to find the Master Sword. I was snapped back to the present when a knock came from the door.

"It's open." I called, sitting up on my bed before it opened and Morning Breeze walked in. "Miss Breeze, what can I do for you?" I smiled warmly. She returned the smile and bowed.

"The Princesses sent a chest for you sir, shall I bring it in?" She informed me, looking up to see what I would say.

"Go ahead, set it there by the bathroom if you'd be so kind." I nodded as she motioned out into the hallway. With a grunt, two guards carried in a blue and gold chest and set it where I'd asked. They both gave me a short salute and left, leaving Morning Breeze and I alone.

"Will that be all, Master Link?" She asked as she looked at me. I nodded with a soft smile.

"Yes, thank you Miss Breeze." I said kindly, momentarily flashing her a full smile. With a short bow and a giggle, she left. This left me alone again, now with a mystery chest.

"Wonder what they sent me…" I wondered aloud as I went and opened it. Light poured from the chest as I found I couldn't control my own body, reaching inside and pulling out what looked like a Sheikah Slate. Raising it over my head in one hand, I found myself smiling idiotically as text appeared at the bottom of my view.

You got the Sheikah Slate! Use it to navigate the world, take snapshots, and catalog your adventures! 

And as I blinked, control was returned to my limbs and the text vanished. Standing straight again, I looked at my hip, where the slate now hung from my belt.

"Well, at least it'll come in handy." I grumbled, not liking how that experience felt. It lit up as I grabbed it, showing me three icons. There was a map, a camera, and a book. Tapping the book, it took my to a page that was divided again in three: Monster, Recipes, and Journal. I shook my head and back tracked, tapping the Map icon. As I thought, a map of the Castle and the immediate area was filled in, but that was it. There was a lot of area that was grayed out, making me wonder if I had to go there for it to fill in.

"Nothings ever easy is it…" I sighed as I put it back on my hip. "Maybe I should just sleep on it for now, figure things out in the morning." I said to myself as I changed for bed. Laying down, I thought hard about how I would begin my search for the Master Sword. Perhaps the Princesses or even Farore might know. As I kept thinking I didn't notice as I slowly fell into a dreamless sleep.

Waking up the next morning, I woke to find a note from Celestia on my nightstand. I grabbed it and opened it. 

'Link, I hope you slept well. My sister and I have departed for Yakyakistan to attend the coronation of their new king. While we are away, you must make sure to remain safe and not leave the Castle. Please understand that we do not wish any harm to come to you. Best Wishes, Celestia'

I put the note down and groaned in frustration. Now I was under some sort of Royal house arrest until they came back? They didn't even say when they would!

"Do I just seem helpless?" I asked aloud. Nobody answered me, thank Hylia, or that'd be a whole new problem. I got up and headed for the door.

"They can't stop me from walking around. I'm not a damn prisoner." I growled to myself as I left my room and headed down the hallway. I snuck my way out of the Castle, unsure if the guards were told to drag me back to my room if they found me. It was going well for me until I was spotted climbing the outer wall by a guard.

"Hey! Get off that!" She yelled as she ran towards me. I climbed faster, vaulting over the wall and rolling as I landed. As soon as I was back on my feet, I tore through town using the back alleys to avoid crowds. After running for a while, I found myself outside the town, a massive field sprawling out before me. 

"Woah…." I said softly, the view leaving me lost for words until I heard a commotion behind me.

"Spread out! He can't have gone far!" I heard the guard yell as they began looking for me.

"Well, better make it like a tree and leaf." I chuckled to myself as I ran out on the road cutting through the field. The air whipping my face was full of the scent of flowers, the sun feeling warm and comfortable. This place was perfect. Unlike my old home, there were no cars with angry drivers swearing at each other. No smog or airplanes clogging up the sky. It was peaceful, the loudest sound were some birds chirping. Pausing to catch my breath, I looked around and just soaked it in. At least until an arrow whizzed past my face and embedded itself in the tree beside me. Snapping my head towards where the shot came from, I saw three red and very angry Bokoblins charging at me.

"Aw crap, not these things…" I groaned as I started running away as fast as I could. I'd probably have to deal with them on my way back, but I hoped I'd be able to avoid them altogether.
> A Gift and a Rescue
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I splashed some cold water on my face, waking me right up. I sat on the banks of the same river I'd crossed with Sweetie Belle days before. I'd been walking now for two days and my feet were on fire. I'd been dodging random guard patrols and monster hordes since passing through Appleoosa yesterday. Seems I was now a wanted fugitive, my face was plastered on posters that dotted every corner.

"Man… what have I done.. " I sighed in exasperation. "In a couple days I went from a shining hero to Equestria's Most Wanted…" I grumbled as I looked down the river. I felt like I'd had the whole world flipped on its head. Again. With one last splash of water I stood up and waded across, managing to make it to the other side quicker than last time, and I remembered to take off my boots. The water was still ice cold though, so it left my legs freezing slightly. I just pushed through it and kept walking, the sun starting to go down as a familiar structure loomed ahead.

"Well, didn't think I'd be back here so soon." I muttered sadly as the Temple of Time came fully into view, it's crumbling walls looking like they might collapse at any day now. I made my way back inside, looking around again in more detail,seeing if I missed anything. In my search I found another blue rupee, a couple green ones, and a small bundle of arrows hiding in some pots in one of the towers. As the sun began to dip behind the mountains, I made my way to my old campsite in the sword chamber. I found it just as I left it, my small pile of wood still sitting there. I sat and began making a fire, trying to fight off sleep. After a while the fire was burning away nicely as I leaned against the wall, staring out the window across from me at the moon.

"You really are reckless." Came a voice nearby. My focus snapped down, and I saw Luna standing there looking at me with worry.

"Come to cart your prisoner back to the Castle?" I snapped angrily, causing her to look ashamed.

"It… was not our intent for you to see it that way. We should have been clearer." She said apologetically, moving to sit by the fire.

"You were plenty clear. You didn't trust me to leave the Castle on my own. What did you think I was going to do, blow myself up?" I said heatedly, looking at her with a pained expression. "I never asked to be here, but I am. So let me do my job, or lock me up." I kept my voice calm, yet made sure to emphasize every note. Luna just looked at the fire and sighed.

"You're right. We do need to trust you. But you and I both know, you are woefully underpowered to be much help to anyone as you are now." She pointed out calmly, and I had to nod in agreement. She had a point, I was really unprepared to fight anything.

"I… I'm sorry I ran away." I apologized weakly, looking into the fire in embarrassment. Luna just smiled kindly at me.

"I understand Link. I too was once imprisoned. I was banished to the moon for over a Millennium, and was only recently released a few years ago. I too was bitter, so I should have known better than anyone…" She apologized again, making me feel worse. I motioned for her to move beside me and she did, but something about her presence felt… off.

"You're not actually here, are you." I sighed, looking over at her. She shook her head with a soft smile.

"No, but by the time you wake, my sister shall be." She said as she tapped my forehead, and I woke up with a start. Sunlight shined in from the broken window above me, casting odd light patterns from the remaining stained glass.

"Good Morning, hero." A voice said as I looked up, expecting to see Celestia. Instead I found Farore sitting across from me, cooking some fish over my fire.

"My goddess, forgive me for my rudeness!" I said quickly, getting to a kneeling position. She just laughed for a moment, waving her hand deftly.

"Now now, none of that. After all, I was the one who entered your camp." She smiled at me as I was handed a grilled fish. Smelling it made my stomach growl something fierce as I tore into it as politely as I could. After I had finished I looked to the goddess.

"Lady Farore, you once told me you could teach me how to access my bow. Would you please teach me how?" I asked cautiously as she nodded.

"It is not easy to master, but I can show you how to access it easiest." She said calmly as she stood, walking to the other side of the room. I stood up and faced her as she turned to face me. Suddenly, my full HUD appeared, showing my hearts, a small minimap, and over Farore's head sat her name and a health bar, which was massive.

"Woah, this is a lot to look at…" I said as I was slightly overwhelmed.

"It is understandable. This enhancement is called 'Heros Edge'. It is a spacial awareness spell to better help our chosen hero." She explained patiently. "For now you will focus to the upper right. There should be four empty icon slots, yes?" She asked. I nodded as she continued. "Tap the first empty slot with your finger."

"You sure?" I asked, confused. She raised her eyebrow and I put my hands up. "Ok, ok. You know what you're doing." I said as I tapped the the empty icon slot. It popped open a menu and I found my bow.
'This really feels like some sort of tutorial now…' I thought to myself as I continued following her directions, dragging it to the slot and equipping it.

"Now whenever an enemy targets you, you will have this appear to assist you in battle." She stated calmly as she walked back over, the display disappearing. "You may go with my blessing, hero. For it seems my cousin has finally arrived." She smiled, looking to tge doorway. As I looked over I saw Celestia waiting for me. Looking back, Farore had vanished.

"See you around, my goddess." I smiled as I walked over to Celestia who promptly hugged me and immediately berated me for leaving like that. Oh, what a day.


==========○○○●●●○○○==========


It was now later that afternoon and I was once again laying on my bed wondering what had I been thinking. After Celestia and I had teleported back, I had to apologize to the guards for making them look for me. Then I was made to apologize to my maids, yes my maids, for making them worry about me. That one I was fairly sincere about, as I did feel bad for making Morning Breeze worry. She had given me the most disappointed look.

"I wish you had asked sir. I would have taken you into town myself." She had said as if she were talking to a child that had misbehaved. Now I sat here, waiting for whatever decision the Princesses made about my training. Staring at the ceiling, I felt a familiar presence as a voice seemed to call out to me.

‘Please, help me. Oh Hylia help me! I don't know how much longer I can hold on!’ The voice cried as I noted the definite southern twang they had. The voice didn't feel like the presence, more like it was acting as a conduit, letting this voice call out to me. With a flash, I saw an orange mare clinging to a cliff face as below her gathered a few bokoblins. They kept throwing their weapons at her, thankfully missing most of their shots, but were coming dangerously close to knocking her from the cliff face. My vision returned to my room as I blinked, looking around in confusion. What had that been about? As I thought about what happened my Sheikah Slate chirped at me, causing me to jump slightly. I picked it up and noticed the Map icon flashing, so I tapped it and opened the map and noticed a bright yellow dot lit up at the northern end of the field. It didn't take me long to put two and two together as I bolted from my room and ran for the throne room, hoping to find the Princesses and tell them about what I had seen. I burst into the throne room and marched toward them. They were apparently talking to the captain of the guard still as they looked up at me disapprovingly. 

“What is the meaning of this?” Snapped Celestia, frowning frustratingly at me. Luna remained quiet, seemingly knowing why I was here.

“I apologize for my sudden appearance. But I was just shown a vision. There is a pony in peril, and I believe I am meant to save her.” I stated firmly as I squared my shoulders and leveled my gaze at the Princess, who simply blinked in surprise at how assertive I was.

“A pony in peril? And just where is this pony?” She asked curiously, if not a bit sarcastic. I sighed in frustration, knowing she probably didn't want to believe anything I'd say at the moment.

“The northern end of the field. They're stranded on a cliff face and surrounded by monsters. I request you teleport me nearby so I can save her quickly. I fear she doesn't have much time.” I urged the Princess, causing her sarcastic look to fade fast as she understood I was being serious as my tone had become much more urgent. I showed her the way point on the map, asking to be put at the bottom of the cliff. She nodded at me with hesitation before magic lit her horn.

“Very well. Please be safe…” She said a bit worried. I nodded as I vanished in a bright flash of light. 


==========○○○●●●○○○==========


I appeared behind a boulder almost a dozen yards from the way point, drawing my weapons as the monsters hadn't noticed me yet. I stepped out from behind my shelter and one spotted me, stealing in rage as the others turned to face me as they all charged. Swallowing my fear I rushed forward as well, my HUD popping up as I collided with the center one and set it flying with my shield. It tumbled to the ground as the other two swiped at my back, dealing two whole hearts of damage. I roared in anger and swiped at them, decapitating one while the other evaded my attack. The headless monster exploded in a puff of acrid purple smoke, leaving behind a single green rupee. I didn't have time to collect it as the other two charged again, the one I'd knocked now having half a health bar above his head. I raised my shield and blocked both of their attacks as their claws raked across it. As they moved to attack again I gave the damaged one a heavy kick in its gut, sending it flying once again as it's partner clawed my chest, dealing another heart worth of damage. I heard the low health beep start going off as I slashed at the beast, cutting it clean in two as it exploded into smoke. I turned to look at the other one, only to find a dissipating purple cloud. Unlike the first one, this one left behind a bright red heart. I scooped it up and heard the BWOOP as I regained some life. I also collected the rupee and added it to my growing collection. I sighed and cracked my neck before making my way to the cliff where I saw the mare still clinging to the face.

“They're gone now, it's safe to come down.” I called up with a smile. She looked down at me with worried look and called down to me.

“I… I can't. I can't move!” She cried as I watched her almost fall, making me move instinctively to catch her.

“Here… just hold on a little longer. I'm climbing up to you.” I called up to her as I began to pick my way up the near vertical wall.

“H-hurry, please!” She cried again, trembling with fear. I climbed as fast as I safely could, nearly falling myself a few times, but I eventually made it beside her. Looking over at her, I felt my heart skip a beat. She was one of the most beautiful creatures I had ever seen, her golden yellow hair perfectly accenting her orange mane. I sat there for a few moments as my brain attempted to formulate a sentence.

“Hey, uh, I'm Link. Let's get you down, yea?” I smiled nervously and she nodded. “Ok, carefully wrap your arms around the back of my neck. But try not to choke me please.” I chuckled softly as she did as I asked, moving slowly to my back and holding on.

“Thank you…” She whispered weakly in my ear, causing my face to go beet red. I cleared my throat and continued climbing down slowly.

“Please, thank me when I return you home.” I said nervously as I picked my way down, eventually reaching the bottom. She tried to stand and immediately fell over, too weak to move on her own. I just scooped her up in my arms as she stared at me in surprise.

“What're you…” She started to ask before I shook my head.

“You're in no condition now to walk, nor do we have the luxury to wait for you to do so. You need to rest, maybe get some food in you. So I will carry you home.” I said flatly as she stared at me, her own face going red. I smiled warmly as we locked eyes for a moment before I shook my head. “Now, which way am I headed ma'am?” She looked around real quickly before pointing off to the northeast.

“Head thataway, you'll eventually see my family's farm.” She answered softly. It was clear she'd been up there a while now, probably several hours. I began walking slowly, making sure not to shake her around too much. I chuckled for a moment and she looked at me funny. “What?” She asked in confusion.

“I just realized, I told you my name but forgot to ask yours.” I smiled awkwardly as she smiled back.

“My name's Applejack.” She said softly as she fell asleep in my arms.
> Training and a Budding Romance
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It had been a little over a week since I had rescued Applejack. After she'd passed out I kept walking until I found her home where her family was waiting. They rushed over when they had spotted me carrying her and helped me get her inside, where she slept the rest of the day. I was thanked by everyone over and over again, every time I told them I was only doing my job. Even though I was more than happy to do it. Given that it was so late in the day her brother, a big red Stallion named Big Macintosh, offered for me to sleep in the guest room so I could see how Applejack felt in the morning. She was fine all things considered, perhaps really dehydrated and having a few cuts and bruises. She also thanked me a lot for saving her, telling me she'd taken out half a dozen at least before she started to get worn out. That was apparently when she climbed up the cliff and prayed. I told her family what happened after that and was again thanked by everyone. As I was preparing to leave I was stopped by Applejack.

“Look… I'm not real great at saying what I feel. And I know honesty is always important.” She said nervously, fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. “Look, I like you. Not because you saved me, but well… I think you're really handsome…” She blushed, now finding the dirt very interesting. I smiled kindly as I patted her shoulder.

“If it makes it less awkward, I like you too.” I chuckled happily, breaking the tension between us as she looked up and smiled.

“Really?” She asked curiously. I nodded confidently as I turned to walk away.

“I will return as soon as I can. Can you wait for me till then?” I asked as I looked back at her. A tear raced down her cheek as she nodded.

“I will. I'll wait right here.” She tried not to cry as I turned away before she could see me start tearing up. In the days that followed, Celestia and Luna had agreed that I needed proper training and had allocated a Royal Guard to teach me proper swordsmanship. At my request, we were posted to Fort Hylia at the northern edge of the great field. This allowed me to visit Applejack in my spare time as our relationship started to evolve and grow. But today started just like the day before. With a swift kick in the pants.

“Sloppy!” My teacher, Swift Blade, yelled angrily at me as I picked myself up from the dirt for the third time today. “I am not some piddly bokoblin! You expect to be a hero? Fight like one!” He raged at me. He was older than most of the other guards, with more battle experience with the scars to prove it. Celestia picked him for this reason, but I also had a sneaking suspicion it was also punishment for running off. I readied my stance as he quickly charged at me, locking blades momentarily as he pushed me back yet again.
“Stand your ground! You think a Manticore will just push you back? Again!” He barked as I got back in position. This went on for hours until it was time to stop for the day. I flopped on my bunk with a tired sigh and thought about Applejack. She always made me feel better, even once saying she'd ‘give that old Mule a good wallop’ before I talked her out of it. The memory made me chuckle for a moment as I stood and changed out of my training uniform. She was one loose canon, but I'd come to like that about her. I sighed contentedly again as I threw my scarf on and left the barracks. On my way out I was stopped by my teacher.

“Despite failing repeatedly, you are making progress.” Swift Blade said flatly as he frowned at me. He never smiled or seemed impressed. Hell, my ‘Hero's Edge’ was barely keeping up with him.

“Yes sir.” I replied calmly, not ready for another argument. He just nodded and walked off, probably to harass another trainee. I just shook my head and left, walking down the road to the Apple Family Acres. Rows upon rows of apple trees stretched out as far as I could see, from the Everfree to the base of the Eldin Mountains was a sea of apple blossoms. They drifted lazily in the breeze as I walked, the flowers' sweet scent hanging in the air. I took in a deep breath, enjoying every second.

“Ahhhh…” I sighed happily as I finally reached the gate for the house. I could see Applejack and her grandmother, Granny Smith, talking cheerily on the porch. She waved kindly as she saw me, making Applejack look over and smile as I walked up and sat in the empty chair beside her.

“Took you long enough, me and Granny were making bets if you'd show today.” She teased jokingly as she patted my shoulder, causing me to wince. She frowned disapprovingly. “He's going hard on you again, isn't he?” She asked, concerned. I just shrugged and smiled softly at her.

“I can't say I blame him. I'm supposed to be a hero, but I can't even hold my ground against him. He said me beating those bokoblins had to have been a fluke, that I couldn't stop a simple green chu if my life depended on it.” I complained in frustration, both mares nodding understandingly. Granny Smith had taken a shine to me since Applejack told her what I'd said the day I left for Canterlot, treating me like one of the family. Meaning she thought of me as her own son, or son-in-law depending on who you asked. She looked over to me with a warm and compassionate smile.

“Reminds me of this Stallion I knew growing up… oh, what was his name…” She paused to remember. “Oh right. Blitz Striker. A great swordspony, but brutal and authoritative. But under all that he was still a gentlecolt.” She chuckled fondly. I smiled at her warmly, always happy to hear her stories from her childhood.

“He probably is. I know he's real tough on me and all, but I feel it's probably for the best.” I said flatly as we watched the sun set.

“Are you staying the night?” Applejack asked as she stood to help Granny inside.

“Yea, I got permission from the captain to help y'all in the morning.” I smiled warmly as I saw her smile back. She led Granny upstairs to her room while I stayed out on the porch, watching as little lightning bugs began to wander across the yard. I sat there quietly, thinking about everything that led up to where I was now. It almost felt unreal how much had happened in so little time. I didn't have long to dwell on it as Applejack came back out holding two glasses of iced tea.

“Here, something refreshing after a hard day's work.” She smiled kindly at me as we clinked glasses. I took a sip and was not too surprised it tasted like apples. I smiled and sat back as she looked at me. “Hey… Link?” She asked nervously. I looked over with raised eyebrow. She was blushing softly as she tried to formulate her words. “I… I know we haven't known each other for very long but… would you like to go with me to the Summer Festival in Ponyville?” She asked nervously. I didn't need to think hard on my answer, but I mocked thinking just to play with her.

“Hmm… I dunno… yes, of course I'll go.” I chuckled happily as her face lit up. “When is it, I'll have to clear the time off with the captain.” I asked as I pulled out my notepad and pencil.

“It's in a couple weeks, but it'll take us a day at least to get there if we take the train.” She told me as I wrote down the details. I put it back in my pocket as I stood.

“Well, I'll ask when I go back tomorrow. I'll probably have to pull double KP duty, but I'll manage it.” I grinned as I offered her a hand. “We should probably get some rest. We have a busy day tomorrow.” She took it and I helped her up as she nodded.

“Yea, gotta plant a few new trees before Spring ends.” She agreed knowingly as we made our way inside and upstairs. On the landing I paused in front of the guest room and smiled at her.

“Night Applejack.” I said quietly so I didn't wake anyone else up. She grinned and waved back, closing her door as I entered my room. I hot changed for bed and layed down. As soon as my head hit the pillow I was out like a light.



        ==========○○○●●●○○○==========


I woke up the next morning to the smell of coffee wafting up from the kitchen. I grumbled tiredly as I stretched and sat up, looking out the window to see the sun barely begin to rise. I smiled and gave a mock salute towards it.

“Morning Princess.” I sighed tiredly as I got up and got dressed. After making sure I looked good in the mirror I headed downstairs to find Applejack and Big Mac sitting with two ponies I wasn't familiar with. One had a lavender coat with two-toned purple hair and wore glasses while the other had a sky blue coat and rainbow colored hair. They both looked up as I came down the stairs, the lavender one looking like she was about to burst from excitement as her eyes scanned me hungrily.
“Uhhh… morning. These your friends Applejack?” I asked curiously as I poured myself a cup of coffee. She nodded and introduced them.

“This here is Rainbow Dash, one of the fastest flyers in Equestria.” She stated proudly as the rainbow haired pony nodded at me.

“Sup.” Rainbow Dash said tiredly, perking up a bit as I stood there. Applejack pointed to the lavender one who jumped up and introduced herself excitedly.

“HI! I'm Twilight Sparkle, what are you, what do you eat, do you do anything interesting?” She questioned me repeatedly as I leaned back so she wasn't in my face.

“Uhhh…” I started to say as Applejack and Rainbow Dash dragged her back, making her whine about wanting to find out everything she could. Applejack smiled at me apologetically.

“Sorry ‘bout her, she gets a bit over excited when she finds something or someone new.” She explained with a soft smile. I just nodded and smiled at Twilight.

“If you want to ask questions about me or my species, I know Celestia has a few books in her collection about us.” I offered her sympathetically, making her smile. Taking a sip from my mug, I sat at the table and looked out the window at the orchards with a smile. 
"We sure have our work cut out for us." I mused. Rainbow Dash leaned forward with a challenging smirk on her face.

"So, you strong?" She asked as she raised an eyebrow. I thought for a moment before I answered.

"I suppose. Although I'm not sure exactly how much I can lift." I answered with a smile. Twilight had begun jotting down notes while we talked, where she got the paper I'll never know. Dash's smile widened  at the idea I might be stronger.

"Let's make a bet then. Forty rupees says you can't beat me in a game of horseshoes." She challenged gleefully. I sighed and looked at her with my own wicked grin.

"Game on." I said as I accepted her challenge. She stood and led everyone out to a horseshoe pit behind the house, turning around and flared her wings.

“First to five wins. Not too late to back down, Hylian.” She taunted cheekily as I picked up a horseshoe. I rolled my eyes and took aim, tossing it across and missing the shot. “Oooo, tough break. My turn now.” She teased as she too missed her shot. I chuckled slightly and looked at her.

“You were saying?” I asked sarcastically as I took my next shot and got a point. Applejack clapped supportively as Dash made her shot. She clipped the post and cursed under her breath as I moved to make my next shot.

“So what's your deal?” She asked as I missed my shot. I looked over at her with a raised eyebrow.

“My deal?” I asked in confusion as she made her first point. She turned to me and crossed her arms.

“Yea, like where the hay did you come from? Nopony just… appears.” She said, eyeing me suspiciously. I looked at her uncomfortably and cleared my throat.

“Well… it's a bit of a long story.” I said as I missed my next shot. I sighed and looked at Applejack. , who gave me a look that said she also wanted to know. “Guess I can't avoid it anymore, can I.” I frowned as I began recounting the events leading to my arrival, starting with my purchase from the merchant. They couldn't seem to wrap their heads around him. The idea that he could send people across different dimensions and alter their appearance at will seemed so wrong to them. As I kept talking, I watched their expressions shift from understanding to frustration to amazement and back again as I recounted my adventures since my arrival. Once I finished, Dash looked over to Applejack who gave her a slow nod, a look of disbelief on her face. Twilight was lost in a sea of papers as she was still writing notes.

“No kidding… I understand why you didn't wanna talk about it. What that merchant guy did was seriously messed up man.” Dash said sympathetically as she surprised me with a hug. I returned it awkwardly, trying not to mess with her wings. She let go after a moment and I was immediately hugged again, this time by Applejack. She squeezed me so tight I felt my back crack.

“I had no idea…” She said as her voice trembled. I rubbed her back soothingly as I tried to comfort her.

“It's ok AJ, really. I'm honestly happier here. I met you, made actual friends. I matter to someone for more than just money. I'd make the same choice if I had to do it all again.” I smiled brightly at her as she returned it. The moment was then ruined by Dash as she mimed gagging in the background, causing me to burst out in laughter. “Well Dash, I'd say you win our little game.” I pulled out forty rupees and handed them to her. “A bets a bet. Now, let's plant some apple trees.” I said happily as I walked towards the orchard with Applejack.


      ==========○○○●●●○○○==========


The next couple weeks went by faster than I expected. As I'd thought, the captain made me work double kitchen patrol so I could justify my time off, and Swift Blade made me put in double training sessions. Despite all the extra work, I still managed to see Applejack a few times and helped work around the farm. Her other friends even came by, where I was introduced to Rarity and Pinkie Pie, who immediately declared we had to have a party for me. Rainbow Dash and Twilight popped by a few times as well, the lavender mare being a lot calmer than the first time we met. Not to mention that Applejack and I were both getting excited for the festival tomorrow, having bought tickets for it ahead of time. She had offered to pay for them, but I insisted since I was getting paid for being stationed up here. Now I was washing dishes with a couple other newbies, a pegasus named Nimbus Ray and an earth pony named Clay Rise, chatting about our plans for the weekend.

“I think I'm gonna go visit my family down in Appleoosa.” Clay said happily as he scrubbed a pot. Nimbus snorted a laugh before replying.

“Man, I'll probably just find a nice cloud and kick it the whole time.” He smirked before looking over at me. “What about you, lover boy? You got any plans?” He leered teasingly.

“I'm actually headed to Ponyville for the Summer Festival.” I said casually, trying not to have a big discussion about it. But the two of them both jokingly whistled and leered at me.

“Oooooo, sounds like your taking your girl on a date.” Nimbus teased with a chuckle. Clay chuckled as well, but didn't say anything.

“So what if I am? It's not my fault I found someone, unlike you.” I snapped back with a smirk, making him punch my shoulder playfully. They acted like jerks sometimes, but they were actually good guys to hang around. We kept joking around as we kept washing dishes, smiling and laughing like good friends. That night I slept soundly since I still wasn't having dreams. It bothered me at first, but I grew to appreciate it as I figured no dreams were better than bad dreams.
> The Festival and Farores Call
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I woke up early in the morning and got dressed quietly, the sky still dark as I left the fort and headed for the train station. As I approached the building I saw Applejack waiting there for me. She smiled softly as she saw me walking over and met me in the middle to give me a hug.

“Morning you.” She said quietly, still a little sleepy. I patted her back gently as we walked together into the station. I bought our train tickets and we sat down to wait. I yawned slightly and smiled at her as she laid her head on my shoulder. I couldn't help but feel elated, about to have our first date without her family. Our previous ‘dates’ had mostly been when we set up an apple stand in both Appleoosa and Canterlot, every time being escorted by her brother Big Mac. I didn't blame him to be honest, I was someone he didn't know that well that was dating his sister and he wanted to be sure I wasn't going to hurt her. Even still, those dates were always fun. I was snapped back to the present as the train pulled into the station. We boarded and took our seats and the train set off as the sun peeked out over the distant mountains, shining brightly through the morning fog.

“It's always beautiful in the morning.” I mused, Applejack resting in my arms as the train trundled along. She looked out the window then back at me.

“Link, I was wondering something…” She started asking nervously. “In your old life, what was your name?” She looked me in the eyes, and I realized that despite me telling them what happened, I'd forgotten about my name.

“Johnny. My name was… is, Johnny. But I wanna go by Link publicly,since everyone recognizes me as Link.” I told her with a smile, which she returned.

“Johnny…” She sighed contentedly, making my heart jump. “Can I call you that? At least… when it's just us?” She asked a bit nervously.i chuckled softly and kissed the top of her head.

“Of course you can. I know I can trust you with my name. Ice already trusted you with my past.” I answered softly as she smiled again. We sat in happy silence until we arrived at our stop, stepping off the train to see a sea of tents and booths surrounding Ponyville. They even had a ferris wheel slowly turning away over the festival.
“Well, this looks like fun.” I chuckled excitedly.

“Yeah, it sure does. Don't forget, we're meeting my friends around lunch time.” Applejack reminded me and I nodded.

“Of course.” I agreed as I looked at the nearest booths. They were selling a wide assortment of items, from weapons to food, knickknacks and clothes.
“Holy Hylia there's a lot here…” I sighed, a bit overwhelmed by it all.

“Eh, most of them are just overpriced stuff you can get just about anywhere.” She said dismissively as we walked past several vendors. One even claimed to be selling the Master Sword, which turned out to be a fake. We eventually came to the ‘arcade', several rows of carnival games that allowed you chances to win prizes. I walked up to one I was familiar with, it had several bottles stacked up and you were supposed to knock them all over with a ball.

“It's five rupees to play.” The attendant informed me, and I handed over a blue rupee.
“Do you need to hear the rules?” She asked me, to which I shook my head. She handed me three balls and stepped back.
“Good luck sir.” She bowed slightly. I cracked my neck and aimed the first shot, letting it fly. I hit the stack dead center, leaving all but one standing. “Oooo, so close.” The attendant chuckled as she set up the stack again. I took a deep breath.

“You got this.” Applejack said encouragingly. I let out the breath and smiled, throwing the ball so hard it broke the bottles. I blinked in confusion, looking down at my hand. Where did that burst of strength come from? I looked up at Applejack, then to the attendant.

“So… did I win?” I asked in confusion, the attendant nodding remorsefully. She handed me a plush Korok, which I handed to Applejack. I dug out a couple yellow rupees and handed them to the attendant.
“Sorry for breaking the bottles.” I said in embarrassment, the attendant not replying as she snatched the rupees from me with a frown. We moved along and Applejack picked another game I was familiar with. Ring Toss. I paid for her to play, and she managed to get one of the smaller prizes. She took it, a small triforce pin, and put it on my scarf, right on my shoulder. I looked at it and smiled before looking up to her.

“Now we're even~” She said flirtatiously as we made our way to the festival's food court. We spotted her friends already sitting at a table and walked over, where we were hugged six ways from Sunday. Was there even a Sunday? I never thought to look.

“You two having fun?” Dash asked as we sat down, all eyes suddenly on us. I cleared my throat a bit before answering.

“So far yeah, managed to win a couple prizes. I did break one of the games though, so that was embarrassing..” I chuckled weakly as Dash's eyes lit up.

“That was you? Oh man, the gal there was so mad, you should've seen her!” She giggled gleefully. Twilight and Rarity just sighed and looked at each other, sharing an understanding thought.

“So… what do you wanna eat?” Asked Pinkie Pie cheerily. She always seemed happy and excited, even if there was no reason to be so.

“Well, I've been told about this thing called a Hayburger. It sounds very close to something we had… back where I'm from.” I said slowly, still struggling to talk about my past life. Rarity and Pinkie Pie had been told everything by Twilight and Dash. They even told their friend Fluttershy, but she was so skittish she was nowhere to be found. I was told this was normal and not to worry, which of course made me worry more.

“Hey! Equestria to Link here! You ok?” Dash said as she flicked my nose, snapping me back to the present. I wrinkled my nose in frustration and glared.

“That hurts a lot, you know.” I frowned as she giggled again.

“You were staring off again.” Applejack said quietly as she rubbed my back. I sighed sadly as I held my head in my hands.

“Sorry… I just keep getting reminded that I'm not really from here. I'm still doing my best to adjust, but it's hard. Sorry for bringing down the mood girls.” I grumbled sadly as they all looked at me with worry. Here I was, this legendary hero, on the verge of having an identity crisis and mental breakdown. The only thing keeping me grounded was Applejack softly hugging my side quietly, her presence making me feel safe for the time being.

“Well, I don't know much about Hylians, but I doubt you think clearly on an empty stomach.” Twilight piped up supportively. As if to emphasize her point, my stomach growled at its displeasure at being empty. This managed to get a small chuckle out of me as I stood up.

“Then let's eat.” I smiled softly as we went and got our food. We ended up spending the rest of the day with them, my mood improving significantly with all the distractions I was given. Before any of us knew it, the sun began to set and technicians began wheeling out the fireworks for the evening finale. We sat on a small hill away from everyone else, the two of us holding hands as the firework show began. I turned to look at Applejack, finding her looking at me with a strange look in her eye.
“You alright Applejack?” I asked, a little bit worried. She didn't say anything for a moment. As I was about to ask her again she leaned in and kissed me. Actually kissed me. To say I was surprised was quite the understatement, as up to now all we'd done is hold hands a couple times. Maybe cuddled. We held that kiss for what felt like eternity before we parted lips and she looked into my eyes and smiled.

“I am now.” She said softly as she wrapped her arms around me. “I love you Link.” She whispered in my ear. I returned her hug and sat there with her.

“And I love you Jackie.” I whispered back with a smile. She seemed to like the new nickname.

“Mmmm… Jackie. That's a new one.” She mused. I chuckled a bit, enjoying the moment for as long as I could. “Think you could stay the night with me? Or do you have to go back?” She asked as she pulled back to look at me.

“I'm afraid I can't. Captains orders.” I sighed sadly. She frowned, a little upset.

“You've been training so hard, you need a break at some point. Or else you'll burn out and be no good to anypony.” She said sadly as she brushed my hair out of my face.

“You know how Swift is. He'd rather snap me in half than let me miss one day.” I sighed again as I ran a finger down her cheek. I leaned in and placed my forehead to hers and closed my eyes. “How in Hylia did I get so lucky to have a gal like you in my life…”

“I'd say pretty lucky.” She smiled as she kissed me again, fireworks still going off around us.


==========○○○●●●○○○==========


Green light filled my vision, blinding me temporarily. When it finally faded, I looked around to see I was back in the Temple of Time back when it wasn't falling apart. I looked around and saw Farore standing on the raised plinth at the center of the sword chamber, looking deep in thought. I tried to step forward but my legs refused to move, as if I were glued to the spot. Farore looked over to me with a smile as she moved in front of me.

“We meet again, hero. You must return here, to my temple, to face my challenge.” She said calmly, showing no emotion in her face. I blinked for a moment, realizing that this must be a dream. She seemed to know what I was thinking, as she nodded her head.
“Yes, you are not in the waking world. I felt it simpler to speak through dreams instead of when you were awake, so as not to make one look insane.” She said sagely, as if this had happened before. I opened my mouth to speak but no words came. She held up her hand and I listened.
“The time for questions will come. Now you must wake, as you have quite the journey ahead.” She smiled kindly as she tapped my forehead. The scene faded as I woke up in my bunk in the barracks. Sitting up I noticed I felt full of energy and confidence. Perhaps that was a side effect of dreams with goddesses. I shook my head and stood, grabbing my tunic and throwing it on. Clay walked by and chuckled at me.

“Not dressing for training today? Swifts gonna be mad.” He said teasingly. I just shrugged and tossed my sword and shield on my back.

“I have something more important to do than train today. He'll just have to deal with it.” I said flatly as I put my gloves on.

“I will, have I?” A gruff and gravelly voice came behind me. My shoulders tightened as I turned around, my teacher standing in the doorway with his near permanent scowl still on his face. “And what, pray tell, could possibly be so important that you think it justifies you leaving?” He demanded cooly, no hint of anger in his tone. I stood straight and, while I had my surge of confidence still in me, told him about my dream. He listened and took a moment before replying.
“So she's still around. I had long lost the hope that the Goddesses were still around.” He smiled, which looked unnatural on him. “Go. See what she wants. Report back as soon as she's through with you.” He ordered, to which I nodded. He walked back out and I collapsed back on my bunk. Clay ran over looking like he'd seen a ghost.

“Dude, how'd you do that? He didn't even yell at you!” He exclaimed in amazement. I shakily stood up and patted his shoulder.

“I have no idea. I just had this… boost of confidence. I really can't explain it.” I said as I shook my head. “But I need to get going. The last train for Appleoosa leaves in an hour.” I said as we walked outside. Clay nodded and I waved as I left. As I walked down the road I wondered if Swift had a thing for Farore. I shuddered at the thoughts that brought up. I barely managed to get to the station in time, flashing my military identification to the conductor as I boarded. I sat in an empty compartment, as this was a private room car, and began writing in my journal on the Sheikah Slate. I had taken to writing in it every time I had dreams so I could keep track of them. So far it had only four entries including this one. It made me wonder why I didn't have them more often, but I couldn't figure it out.

Putting the slate away, I took out a pencil and a couple pieces of paper. Taking the first sheet, I wrote a letter to Jackie explaining where I was going and that I might be gone for a few days. The second was to Clay, who had become my friend as we trained together. I gave him instructions on where to deliver AJs letter, thanking him for doing this for me. I sealed both on their own envelopes before putting them both in a bigger one. I wrote down Clay's name and the Forts address, making a mental note to put it in the first post box I saw. With that out of the way, I looked out the window and watched the countryside roll by. If I squinted I could make out Canterlot in the distance, merely a smudge at this distance, the only defining feature being the castle's central tower. 

The train trundled on as the sun began to lower behind the mountains, casting long dark shadows across the field. It was oddly beautiful, reminding me of the Twilight Realm in a way. I wondered if that place existed here too. The train began to slow as we approached our destination, the small city of Appleoosa. It sat on the southern tip of the Everfree forest, and was home to Sweetie Belle and her parents. I wondered if I should stop by and see them as the train rolled to a stop, but thought against it. Maybe on the way back. I stepped off the train and walked into the city, heading for an inn to sleep at. Tomorrow was going to be a challenge, and I needed to rest.
> The Temple of Farore, Part 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Man, I wasn't a morning person. I had been rudely woken up by a rooster at the crack of dawn, scaring me awake as it was right outside my window. I got up and dressed before going down to check out of the inn. I had managed to pay for passage up the side of the Everfree, riding on the back of a supply wagon. We departed Appleoosa in the early morning, the sun barely rising over the peaks to the west of the sky. Morning fog clung to the ground, making the area look almost ethereal. Our wagon rumbled along at a decent pace, its wheels creaking with every turn. It took most of the morning to get to my stop as the sun was already overhead as I hopped off the wagon and thanked the driver. He waved good bye and moved along as I turned to face the forest.

“So it begins…” I dryly cheered to myself as I began the hike into the treeline, the dense foliage providing ample shade. It took me far less time to walk to the temple from this direction, it was already looming above me after only two and a half hours of walking. I walked inside and made my way through the building, my footsteps echoing as I walked. As I entered the sword chamber, I found Farore waiting on the raised plinth in the center of the room.

“Welcome Hero. You remember why I summoned you here?” She asked flatly, betraying no emotion in her face or voice. I nodded. She turned to the center of the plinth and gestured for me to come forward. Stepping towards her, she gestured to the slit in a raised pedestal on the floor.
“To begin the challenge, strike your sword into the pedestal.” She instructed as she faded away. I looked around for a moment before I drew my blade.

“Well, here goes nothing..” I muttered to myself as I raised it above my head. With a yell I thrusted my sword, stabbed and embedded my sword in the plinth as orange light shot up all around me. I heard what sounded like stone gears grinding against each other and I looked up to see a staircase opened up in the floor leading down deeper into the dungeon. I removed my blade as the light faded and sheathed it. Before I could take one step, I felt a great pain in my chest as a ball of pure green light jumped from my chest and flew right into the new opening.

“What the… I feel… off.” I muttered worriedly as I rubbed my chest. I felt slightly hollow, as if a piece of me had been taken. “Well, standing here won't get it back…” I sighed in frustration as I entered the Dungeon. The steps led down to a chamber lined with rows of stone columns, each pillar holding a torch via a metal sconce. At the far end I could see a door leading forward. Everything was eerily quiet, and yet I sensed something or someone was here, something dangerous.

I took a few tentative steps into the room, keeping my shield raised as I scanned the room. I heard a faint fluttering sound and looked up as a Keese came down at me, letting out a loud shriek of a battle war as it swooped toward my head. I swung my blade toward it, only to miss, causing it to change course and make another dive at me. I pulled sword back and sliced it clean in two making it explode in a cloud of purple smoke. I coughed as I backed up, still feeling the danger. I spotted another one still hanging from the ceiling asleep. I drew my bow and aimed, letting the arrow fly. The room fell silent for a moment as it arced through the air before it hit its mark with a defining thud, piercing and pinning it against the wall, it let out a shriek of pain as it exploded into dark mist. I noticed that my display hadn't gone away. Maybe it wouldn't so long as I was down here. I took another look around, my knowledge of how these dungeons work came in handy as I found a chest tucked in the corner. It looked like the smaller chests from Twilight Princess and as I kicked it open. Suddenly, I was greeted to my control being taken away as I turned, holding my hands out in front of me as a yellow rupee floated in them.

You got a yellow rupee! What a find!

I blinked as it vanished into my wallet, control returning to me. I shook my head, still frustrated that that still happens.

“I'm never gonna get used to that…” I grumbled as I walked to the door. Looking at it, it looked like a solid block of stone with Farore's Crescent mark carved into it. It didn't look round making rolling it out of the question. I tried placing my hands on it and pushing up and it slid with surprising ease, slamming shut after I walked through. Now I was in a round room with what looked like two jail cells inside. They both had a couple pots and a barrel in them, but something was off. There usually were monsters in every room unless it held the boss key chest, so where were the monsters? Checking the cell to the right I found eleven rupees between the pots and tucked away in the back was another small chest. I kicked open and was hijacked again, this time for a red rupee.

YOU GOT A RED RUPEES! DON'T SPEND IT ALL IN ONE PLACE!

I shook my head and sighed, walking back out to the center of the room and facing the opposite cell. This one had the barrel sitting in the corner, and I had a sneaking suspicion I knew where the monster was hiding. As I slowly approached it, I could feel the sense of danger rise and I swung my sword. It hit the barrel, which exploded, revealing a confused looking bokoblin. Before it could react I stabbed it, resulting in another cloud of purple smoke.

“Man that stuff smells bad.” I coughed as it dissipated, leaving a sour taste in my mouth. I left the cell and pushed forward, opening the next door as I entered a large room. What looked like an old water basin cut through the middle with a locked door on the other side. I looked around this room, trying to see if there were any other doors, chests or switches in it before doing anything. I spotted an eye switch on the wall by the locked door. Taking out my bow, I took aim at the eye, then let the arrow loose, however my aim was off as I silently cursed in hylian. I had to take a few tries of aiming and angling my shot, but with a great fwip of the bow string and a click, I managed to land my shot, causing the eye to close. My hylian ears pointed up as I heard a squeak coming from above. I looked up and saw another Keese swooping down at me as I drew my bow again, trying to aim at the little pest.

“Come on now, hold still.” I grumbled as I let my arrow fly. The arrow hit true, sending and pinning the Keese against the nearest wall, it let out a painful squeak before exploding in a burst of dark clouds. I turned back towards the eye, I noticed a drawbridge slowly lowering down. As I waited for it, I looked over the edge into the cistern, but nothing of interest drew my eyes. The moment the bridge landed with a thud, I heard a couple surprised grunts. Looking across the cistern, I noticed two Skulltulas making a mad dash towards me.

“Oh fuck me… why does it have to be spiders…” I groaned as I raised my shield. Man, these things looked even more disgusting in real life. I backed up as far as I dared, keeping them at sword length as I tried to figure out what I was going to do.

The second skulltula was circling to my backside and the first one was sizing me up, staring at me with their beady green eyes. They made me feel uneasy and I shuddered to think what they were thinking. I pushed the thought out of my mind and I swung at the first one, aiming for its face as I slashed upward, causing the disgusting thing to shriek out at my attack. I remembered something about how these things were easier to beat on their backs, or was it about attacking their backs?

Distracted by my own thoughts, I was attacked from behind as the Skulltula leaped and clung to my back. In my not so brightest moment I panicked and tried to shake it off while I shrieked like a child, eventually slamming my back into the wall. While I did manage to deal some damage, it wasn’t enough as it bit down onto my neck, causing me to scream out in pain, feeling ten times worse than the spider bites back on earth. My hearts dropped by a quarter heart leaving me with just less than five left. I had to get this thing off of me as I flail my arms around trying to slash at it. I managed to strike it as it let go of me. I shook my head as I focused on the spiders, keeping them both in front of me. The first Skulltula looked upset as it made a leap at me, forcing me to shove my shield at it. I felt it make contact before I heard it hit the floor. Looking behind me, I watched as the Skulltulas’ whole body blackened, its legs curling up before exploding into a burst of mist.

The second skulltula screeched loudly, sending spits of its saliva at my face. I faced the ugly beast and slashed down on it. The spider clawed at its face as it fell over backwards, curling up like a dying roach before erupting in a burst of smoke. I looked around for any more ‘surprises’ and found none. I crossed the now lowered bridge and inspected the door, finding it to be chained up with a massive golden lock. I sighed and turned back around, going across the bridge to my previous destination. Looking to my left, I noticed another door leading out of the room.

“Well, when one door closes, another one opens…” I muttered miserably as I walked up to it. Giving it a shove like the others, it slid up and I entered the next room. It had a raised section with an iron fence running along it, and I could see a door behind it. I looked ahead and found the steps leading up to it were guarded by three more monsters, all of them being Bokoblins as they roamed and patrolled around the fenced off area. I hefted my sword and shield and sighed before charging at the nearest one and stabbing at it, causing it to let out an animalistic shriek. This however alerted the rest of the Bokoblin as they raised their club, letting out their warcry as they came charging at me. I backed up a bit before making a wide swing at them, both of them leapt back, dodging my attack as the third Bokoblin rose up onto its feet. With an overhead swing, it attempted to bash me over the head and I raised my shield to block it as well as swipe at its legs with my sword. 

The Bokoblin backed away as its legs were slashed, causing it to whimper pathetically. From my right side, the second Bokoblin swung its club sideways, hitting me and sending me to the floor. I looked at my hearts, seeing it dealt another quarter heart.

‘Come on man, get your head in the game!’ I chide myself as I rolled to my feet and thrusted my sword at the closest Bokoblin to my left. It managed to raise its club to block my attack, however the impact made it slide backwards. The whimpering Bokolin from before leapt into the air, attempting to bash me in my shoulder. I shoved my blade at its gut, attempting to impale it. Succeeding in my attack, the Bokoblin fell backwards, exploding into fine purple powder as I flicked my sword tip. Turning to the remaining two, I spun my blade in my hand before rushing the nearest one as I felt a rush of courage. Both of them came charging in screaming, wanting to avenge their fallen comrade, the first one swinging its club overhead at me as I raised my weapon against his. My weapon clashing with his weapon as I applied my strength, causing the Bokolin to fall backwards surprise. Taking this advantage of confusion, I swung my sword, slashing at his chest, causing the creature's body to go limp. As its body was turning to dark dust, I turned to give the last Bokoblin, it dropped its weapon as it started running away screaming for its life. I narrowed my eyes and drew my bow, aiming a shot at the Bokolin’s head and let it fly as I turned away, my arrow hitting its mark with a sickening squelch. I didn’t have to look back to know it died as the familiar explosion of its body signaled its demise. I fell to a knee as my body finally felt safe and I gasped for a moment.

“Holy shit man… that was so freaky…” I hoarsely exclaimed to myself, slowly standing as I looked around the room for anything useful. Tucked in the corner by the door sat another small chest. I walked over slowly and kicked it, getting hijacked again as I held a heart in my hands.

YOU GOT A RECOVERY HEART! DON'T YOU FEEL THE LOVE?

BWOOP

My heart meter was filled back to full, and I noticed my fatigue had vanished. 

‘Wow, these things are a lifesaver.’ I rolled my eyes at my own joke, reminding me once again how terrible my jokes are. I shook my head as I climbed the steps and made my way to the door. With a shove it slid up and I moved to the next room. It was lined with columns with a raised section at the far end, and I could see no monsters ahead. Remembering the previous rooms, I looked up and saw several Keese asleep on the ceiling. If I was quiet enough I might be able to sneak across the room and not disturb them. I moved as softly as I could, making my way from column to column as I kept an eye on the filthy beasts. I managed to make it across and approached the chest, opening it and getting control ripped from me again as I held a key up.

 YOU GOT A SMALL KEY! IT CAN ONLY BE USED IN THIS DUNGEON.

As I shook my head, I heard one of the Keese shriek as it dived at me. I dove forward, managing to roll forward and sprinted to the door. I managed to open it and dice through as it slammed shut.

“Well that happened.” I muttered as I stood and rolled my shoulders. This dungeon was trickier than I'd thought.
> The Temple of Farore, Part 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

‘This dungeon might kill me’ I thought to myself as I rolled to the side, avoiding getting blasted by a Beamos’ laser. I'd taken out one already, but this other one was being a real pain. I drew my bow and aimed for its glowing pink eye. I let it fly and it shattered the glowing orb, smoke pouring out as its rotating head dropped into the base with a THUD. I put my bow away as a bright light flashed between the destroyed machines for a second, a large chest now sitting there once it vanished. I walked up and opened it as I held up a map.

YOU GOT THE DUNGEON MAP! NOW YOU CAN SEE WHERE YOU ARE!

I put the map away after giving it a glance, moving to the door as I pushed forward. Going through it, I found myself standing in a circular room with stairs going both up and down. But the ones going down had a gate with a lock on it, so up I went to the next floor. I instantly spotted a couple Keese flying around and shot one out of the air before it even knew what hit it. The other flew at me and I backhanded it with my shield as I ran for the door ahead of me. Entering the next room I encountered a Bokoblin who rushed forward and had his face meet my sword. I had no idea where this energy was coming from, but I wasn't about to complain. Not in any immediate danger, I looked around the room I was now in. In front of me was a wall, a portion of it looked like it could be moved as well as a Beamos at the far end of the room. I looked out over the wall and spotted a large glowing yellow gemstone sitting in a niche high up on the wall.

“You gotta be kidding me…” I chuckled, knowing what this puzzle was. I took my bow back out and drew an arrow as I aimed for the jewel. Letting it fly, I watched as it hit the stone and shattered, turning it red as the wall slid open. I then turned to the Beamos guarding this end, popping its eye with another arrow. As I moved forward I saw a chest in the corner, and I kicked it open as I turned around and held up a bundle of arrows. I shook my head as I pushed forward, taking out two more armos as I progressed through the room. There was another chest, but I passed over it for now as I just wanted to move forward. Moving to the next room I was faced with two more Bokoblins, both being silenced with an arrow to the face as I looked around, finding two chests sitting on opposite ends of a raised platform. There were two unlit torches in the middle, as well as a lit one by the next door. I saw some crates sitting in the corner and got an idea. I smashed the crates, collecting the six rupees inside, and used a long piece to light the torches. As soon as they were lit, another flash formed a chest and I opened it and held up the item.

YOU GOT THE COMPASS! NOW YOU CAN SEE WHERE CHESTS AND THE BOSS ARE!

I put it away and pressed forward, entering the next room and coming face to face with a small Armos statue sitting in the center of an almost empty room. I went to move around the statue, seeing a blue gem in its back and  hoped it wasn't alive. I made it to the chest before it hopped in place and turned to face me. I dove out of the way as it hopped forward, rumbling the floor as it did so. I drew my sword and jumped to the side as I tried to get behind it. I managed to do so and slashed at the gem, cracking it and making it rampage for a moment. I somehow managed not to get hit and moved to do it again, striking the gem as the Armos hopped and spun until it exploded. I took a deep breath before I opened the chest, acquiring a small key. I backtracked through the dungeon and opened those chests I passed. I walked up to the locked gate seventy rupees richer and unlocked it. I charged down the stairs and regretted it immediately as I was blasted by a Beamos sitting at the center of the room below. I checked my display and shuddered, as it dealt two whole hearts of damage. I managed to collect myself and peaked into the room, where I saw the Beamos slowly rotating its head around the room. I drew my bow and pulled my head back as its eye scanned this side of the room, moving into the open and drew an arrow back. I held and waited as it rotated to face me and let my arrow fly as it charged its laser. The glowing orb shattered and it fell silent, allowing me to move to the next room. There were large columns lining this one, with Armos statues set between them. I decided to run past them and ignore them, as I was trying to finish this as fast as I could now. Rushing to the next one, I was faced with four more Bokoblins. The two closest to me shrieked out a war cry and charged, the two on the far side looking over at the noise and charged over as well. My body seemed to go on autopilot as I slashed and stabbed them one by one, each exploding into dark dust as I cut them down. Looking around this room I saw two more doors, one larger than the other. I cracked my neck as I approached the larger door. 

“Here goes nothing…” I muttered quietly as I pushed the door up and walked in. As I entered the room, I noticed there’s quite a lot of space in this circular shaped room with walls of marble and floors of stone with pillars standing in rows. Looking around, I noticed the room was partly flooded and run down, especially the many rows of seating that were cracked and old. It looked as if I had walked into a church? It felt strange.

At the end of the room I saw some kind of humanoid kneeling and praying to a statue of Farore. I cautiously approached and drew my sword, hefting the weapon as I got closer. Suddenly, the humanoid ripped off its cloak as it spun around dramatically, revealing itself to be a warrior of stone. 

“Oh great, I got stuck with Dwayne.” I chuckled to myself as I remembered some jokes about The Rock. I sized it up and stepped sideways carefully, watching to see what it would do. My hud lit up, revealing the Mini boss's name as the golem warrior pulled out its stone sword and shield.

[Shakiva. Armos Guardian Of Farore's Temple]

I raised my own shield and kept circling it slowly, unsure how to beat this enemy. I took a tentative step forward and then charged, swiping at its face. Shakiva raised its stone shield just as my sword made contact, causing a light clank to echo throughout the abandoned temple. With its eyes glowing red, it slowly swings its stone sword at me. I dove to the side to avoid getting hit, rolling back to my feet and turned back to face the golem. Its stone head rotated sixty degrees to look at me, and then the rest of its body followed as it slowly walked toward me. I couldn't see any obvious weakness yet, so I charged at it again and swiped at its leg. It tried to block my attack, however due to its rock-like form, it only managed to push my sword swing as it scraped along its solid leg, it didn’t seem like I did much! I backed up to avoid getting hit, trying to figure out what its weak point could be. After a while of this, I pulled my bow out and drew back an arrow.

“Hope I'm right…” I breathed as I let it fly, the shot aimed for one of the creature's eyes. Its eyes flashed pink and red before shaking its head, it went on the move again but now it’s faster than before as it charged at me with its shield blocking its face. I scrambled to get out of the way, cursing myself for passing it off.

‘But at least it did something…’ I thought to myself as I ran for my life. Its body shifted as it spun its upper half of its body like a top, swirling its stone blade at me. I barely managed to get my shield up as it slammed into me, knocking my back against the wall. I had two hearts left as I got back to my feet, turning to face the golem again.

“I'm gonna die…” I grumbled in frustration. I had no idea if I'd respawn if I died, but I didn't want to test that theory now. All I could do was try and outrun this thing for now. As its upper body stopped turning, it ran straight at me again with its stone sword raised. In a panic I fired another shot at its eyes before I dove out of the way. Like before, its eyes flashed pink and red. 

“...ggggGGGGRAAAAAAAAH!” Shakiva screamed out as it raised its stone arms up. Suddenly, it threw its shield away, landing to the side with a thud. Holding the sword with both hands, it ran at me ag-”HOLYFAROREITSFAST!” I yelped and sprinted away from it, not sure how long I could keep this up for. I dove to the side and let it pass me, drawing my bow as I slid on the floor, firing off another shot as it turned to charge again, it suddenly swung its sword, knocking the arrow away. Kneeling down, it leaped into the air in an attempt to crush me under its stone foot. I barely managed to roll over and get to my feet, now looking right up at the creature.

“Uh, hi.” I managed to say before I got backhanded to the other side of the room, hitting the wall with a sickening crunch. I now had half a heart, and I was in no shape to outrun this thing. I needed health now or I wasn't going to make it. I coughed up some blood and looked around for something, anything to help me keep going.

“This ain’t no bout, hylian.” Shakiva said in ancient hylian, for some reason I understood it. “Thou must be prepared for anything if thou wish to continue ye path of the hero!” It said as it charged at me with his stone sword raised. I managed to get to my feet despite being in pain and dove between its legs.

“Yet I can't seem to beat a rock.” I called back, the pain clearly heard in my voice. I struggled back to my feet again and looked at the golem.
“Farore be damned if I die to a rock!” I yelled, drawing my bow with all my remaining strength and firing another arrow at its face. It tried to block it again, however despite its increase in speed, it didn’t move fast enough as it zipped right into its eye, causing them to flash. 

“Well.. played..” Shakiva said. Rather than explode like any enemy, it instead stopped in mid step and slowly lowered its sword as it took a knee. I shook and dropped to the ground, not able to move anymore. I just layed there for a moment as I tried to get my fatigue back. Suddenly, I hear the sound of shifting stone. Look to my right, I noticed small platforms rising out of the ground, one of them being a pot. 

“Of course… as soon as it's over… I finally found one….” I growled in frustration as I clawed my way across the room. I grabbed the pot and smashed it, a small red heart appearing from inside it. Grabbing it, some of the pain subsided and I finally was able to get up without too much pain. I made my way to the altar at the back of the room. There sat a massive black chest with a massive ruby embedded in the lid. With a grunt I opened it, holding a large black key above my head.

YOU GOT THE BOSS KEY! TIME TO END THIS!

I sighed and walked back to the door, feeling like I could fall over at any moment. I walked to the next door and went through, this room being mostly a staircase down to the next floor. I looked to the left and spotted another chest, and I kicked it. I held up a new item I hadn't found yet.

YOU FOUND A PIECE OF HEART! COLLECT FIVE TO MAKE A NEW HEART CONTAINER!

I blinked as my health was restored, looking at my hands in mild amazement. With a nod to myself I ran down the stairs and through the next door. I saw the boss door ahead, with three Bokoblins standing in my way. I smiled and charged, now full of that same energy as before as I tore them to shreds. I sheathed my sword with a flourish before turning to the door. It was massive, with a giant black lock chaining it shut. I pulled out the key and unlocked it, watching as the chains fell away. I pushed it open with a shove, and entered. I found myself on a small section of floor, the rest looking like it fell away years ago. Leaning over the edge, I saw some water down below.

“I guess I go down.” I mused before I jumped, falling several stories before landing in the water below. I bobbed up to the surface and looked around, noticing some of the room was above the waterline. I swam over and got up as the room rumbled, making me look around in panic. From out of the waters, two big Deku Babas rose up, making me look in confusion when I noticed it had a different bark skin color. I remembered something like this existed in one of the Zelda games, but I couldn't put my finger on it yet. I drew my bow and fired a shot at one of them to see if it did anything, however it only bounced off of its wooden mouth. One of the Deku Babas pulled its head back, then launched forward at me in an attempt to bite me. I jumped back out of its reach, kicking a Bombling on accident. 

‘How did I not notice these?’ I thought as I kicked it hard at the Deku Baba. It opened its mouth wide as if attempting to bite again, only to suddenly gag as the Bomblin went down its throat. With a loud boom, the Deku Babu withdrew back into its watery safe zone. I grinned, moving forward to bait the second one forward. Pulling its head back, it launches at me, moving slightly faster than its twin counterpart. I jumped back and kicked another Bombling at it as hard as I could right into its mouth. It went off with a loud explosion, causing it to cough and choke as it dived back into the waters below. I looked at the water as it clicked for me what boss this was. I grinned as it erupted from the water. It now had a massive central stem, its mouth opening with a mass shriek as its name appeared on my display.

DIABABA
Twilit Parasite

“Hello ugly.” I chuckled as I faced down this overgrown angry weed. I felt a sudden ping of a headache, however it vanished quickly. I heard a strange ethereal panting as I looked to my right, noticing a ghostly looking wolf? At first, I thought it was the hero’s shade, but its colors were wrong, sporting the colors of gray, green and spiky red. The way it moved looked just as unreal as it leapt across the air onto the other side of the room, which looked to have an exit on both sides. 

“What in Hylia…” I started to say before I had to dodge a blast of purple acid. This was a lot scarier in person than it had been in the game, and I was getting a bit nervous. The spirit wolf reached into the door, soon pulling a Bombling with its jaw as it flailed around in its teeth. The Diababa’s two heads dove at me as I was trying to figure out what was going on. I barely managed to get out of the way, looking up at the wolf in uncertainty before I realized what it was doing. I smiled and drew my bow. Just as the Diababa’s right head attacked again, the wolf threw it right in front of its face with perfect timing. I fired a shot, hitting the Bombling right into the Baba's mouth as it exploded, sending the head back beneath the surface.The ghostly wolf let out a bark of approved as it leaps across the room, now standing on the opposite door and taking out a Bomblin, readying itself for the Diababa’s second head. I kept my bow in hand, an arrow notched and ready for my next shot. The second head let out a strange sound as if annoyed as it dove its head at me, and at that moment, the wolf slung its head out, throwing the Bombling right in its path. I quickly fired the arrow, barely managing to hit it as it swallowed the explosive creature. With a boom, it too sank beneath the surface as the central stem shrieked and spewed more acid. I managed to avoid getting burned, but was now out of explosives and ideas. Or so I thought as the wolf took out another Bombling. The way this wolf was helping, it was mimicking the monkey, except leaping instead of sliding along a rope. I drew back my bow, giving the wolf a nod as I aimed at the center head's. mouth. The Diababa let out a loud scream, as if it was in disbelief. Quickly, it looked straight at the wolf, making a mad dive at it. The wolf let out a surprised yelp as it threw the Bombling quickly into its mouth, however it didn’t explode as it got lodged in its mouth, chewing it in an attempt to get it loose. I fired my arrow, it sailed through the air as time seemed to slow for a moment before it struck the explosive little creature. It let out a scream of pain as it came towering down to earth, flopping itself near it as its stem-eye stared at me. I drew my sword and slashed at it several times before stabbing it with a yell. The enormous monster shrieked and wailed as it thrashed in pain, slowly drying out before exploding into dark smoke. It's eye landed near me and exploded as well, leaving behind a gold lined heart. I picked it up and watched my heart counter go up to six. A noise behind me grabbed my attention and I turned to see the green ball of light that left my body at the start floating there. I touched it and it exploded, the fragment of light shooting into my heart as text appeared.

Farore's Blessing has been returned to you, marking you as a Hero.

I patted my chest where the light entered as a portal appeared on the floor, I walked towards it before remembering my helpful friend. Looking up at the wolf, it thrusted its head into the air, letting out a long beautiful howl as green winds spun around him, only for him to vanish in a flash of light. I smiled, walking into the portal and vanished in a flash of light.