The night air was cool against my skin as I walked among the trees of the Lost Woods, the soft steps of my boots and the quiet clinking of my gear the only sounds that accompanied me. The light of the moon shone through gaps in the canopy, dappling the forest floor with silvery-white light. It was quiet this deep in the forest; I hadn’t seen nor heard any sign of wildlife since late afternoon. A niggling thought in the back of my mind told me I should turn back soon or risk becoming a Stalfos, as the old stories said.
I yawned, stretching my arms over my head as I did so. Just a few more miles tonight, I thought. I’ll turn back in the morning.
My yawn ended at last and I brought my arms to rest behind my head, cradling it as I tilted it back to look up at the sky through the trees. The stars twinkled at me through the leaves as they moved across the clear night sky. The last time I had wandered off into these woods I’d ended up getting mugged and chasing the thief through a portal into a parallel dimension. Fun times. I doubted it would happen again, but all the same, I’d brought less things of value with me this time. I was starting to regret leaving Epona at Lon Lon Ranch, though. I could’ve used the company.
Thinking about what I had brought with me made me realize I hadn’t eaten yet. As if on cue, my stomach grumbled loudly. I sighed, opting to stop for the night in order to sate my suddenly rampant hunger. Looking around for a suitable place to make camp, my eyes located a large, rather oddly shaped boulder in a clearing a couple of bowshots away. It looked like part of it formed enough of an overhang to provide shelter from any rain that might start up during the night. I altered my course, heading for the clearing.
Half an hour later, with some bread and a handful of Deku Berries sitting in my stomach, I laid down on my bedroll underneath the overhang of the massive rock and sighed. Another day, and still no sign of her...
“Navi,” I said aloud, closing my eyes. “Where are you?”
My fairy partner and best friend had abandoned me in the Temple of Time after our first, and only, adventure together. The memory was still vivid in my mind, as though it had happened yesterday. In Hyrule’s time, I gathered it had been about a week ago, but for me, it had been longer. Just over a month I supposed. It was hard to keep track of time when you had to keep reliving the same three days over and over again.
I shuddered as I remembered my time in the alternate dimension known as Termina, and more specifically, the adversary I had faced there. Majora’s Mask had been… something else. I still felt a twinge of unease whenever I remembered its unnerving orange eyes. But I digress…
Navi was my first companion. We shared an adventure through time, cast down an evil tyrant, and at the end of it all… she left me without so much as a farewell or even a glance back. She left me, standing by the Master Sword, crying and calling her name.
Deprived of my closure, I set out to look for her and fell into Termina. There, I met another fairy by the name of Tatl, and while our relationship was rocky at first, we eventually grew almost as close as I had been with Navi. I actually got to say goodbye to Tatl when I left Termina, and while I was sad to leave her behind, at least I had a sense of closure. That was something I hadn’t been able to get from Navi.
Navi… I knew why she had left. I wasn’t a Kokiri. I was a Hylian. When our quest was complete, she no longer needed to be my guardian fairy. But that didn’t give her the right to just leave like that. We’d been friends. Really, really close friends. I think she knew me better than I know myself. And yet… not even a goodbye. Not even a single glance back at me as she flew away into the blinding light of the sun.
“Help!”
The distant cry jolted me from my thoughts and I sat bolt upright, looking around wildly. Where had it come from? And… had that been a child? A little girl? What would a little girl be doing in the Lost Woods in the middle of the night?!
A monstrous roar came next, followed by a chorus of high-pitched screams that made me leap to my feet. Not just one, but three voices crying out in terror. My pointed ears twitched as I tried to pinpoint the direction the voices were coming from. That roar hadn’t sounded like anything I had encountered before.
Another cry… There! Through a log tunnel…
I hesitated. Log tunnels in the Lost Woods were fickle. They’re linked together by some ancient enchantment. Basically, the one you go in isn’t necessarily the same one you’ll come out of. If you didn’t know exactly what you were doing, you could end up miles away from where you started. Still...
Ugh… I really need to work out this hero complex…
“Hold on!” I shouted, drawing the Gilded Sword from its sheathe across my back and running for the tunnel. My heart thudded in my ears as another roar sounded, almost like a response to my call. Whatever that thing was, it was big, and definitely wouldn’t be happy to see me. Pulse pounding, I entered the darkness of the log tunnel at full tilt.
There’s normally a tingle when you go through the warping enchantment. This time, though, it was more like a powerful shock of static electricity. I winced in pain, wondering exactly how far I had just gone.
I looked around and my face fell in dismay as nothing looked familiar. It didn’t even look like the Lost Woods anymore! With vines hanging from the trees and large patches of untamed brush and grass, this looked more like a wild jungle. I darted between the trees towards the sound of another chorus of screams.
“Hold on!” I shouted again, slashing through a thicket of large leaves.
“Help!” one of the voices called back. “We’re over here! HELP!” The cry was followed immediately by a staccato shriek and the snarl of whatever beast was terrorizing the trio. Following the voice, I slashed through more underbrush until at last I emerged into a small, oblong clearing and stopped in my tracks.
A massive and hideous creature stood before me, advancing slowly on a large rock behind which a large red bow was visible, trembling as its unseen owner trembled in fright. The creature’s body was largely that of a lion, but with an oversized, gaping maw, bat wings, and a scorpion tail. It let out a low growl as it advanced on the rock.
“Cover your eyes!” I called, reaching into my pocket for a Deku Nut. The creature whirled at the sound of my voice, snarling as strands of saliva ran down between its many sharp teeth. With a single fluid motion, I threw the Deku Nut at the ground as hard as I could and shielded my eyes. There was a loud crack! and my eyelids glowed red for an instant as the nut exploded in a flash of blinding light.
The beast roared as it was deprived of its sight. Flourishing my sword, I charged forward, a wordless cry escaping my lips. Too late, I realized my error; there was a swish and I cried out as the scorpion tail embedded itself deep in my upper right arm. Almost immediately I felt a burning sensation begin to spread from the wound.
Letting out a growl of my own, I brought my other arm around and sliced off the end of the creature’s tail. It howled in pain and staggered away from me as I pulled the barbed tip out of my flesh. The burning sensation was spreading quickly. I had to finish this.
I lunged at the beast, scoring a long scratch across its chest as it reared to swing its massive claws blindly at the air. Darting to the side to avoid a stomp of retribution, I plunged the Gilded Sword into its side, fitting in neatly between its ribs. Crimson droplets fell from it as I withdrew the sword with a sickening squelch.
The beast let out a roar of pain and collapsed, limbs and tail swinging at the air fruitlessly. Its throes grew slower and slower until at last it lay still on the forest floor. I poked it with my blade, just to make sure. There was no response.
I staggered away from the corpse, panting and clutching my wound. My knees gave out beneath me as the burning venom spread still farther. Was my vision getting darker?
“Apple Bloom!” called a new voice, strong and feminine and with an odd, unfamiliar accent. “Apple Bloom, where are ya?”
“Applejack, come quick!” called one of the young girls in the same alien accent. “We need help! I think the manticore stung him! We need… what is that?”
I collapsed completely onto the ground as my vision continued to fade. The last thing I heard before I blacked out completely was the sound of hooves.
They have horses, I thought. Maybe they’ll be able to get me to a healer before…
And with that, I knew no more.
Author's Note
This will probably be revised later once I have more of the main plot planned out. I apologize for the short length, but this was more just to get me started than anything else.
Author's Note
This chapter is in the process of being rewritten and the general plot direction changed. A blog will be posted when the revised version is uploaded. In the meantime, please enjoy this quality video about horses: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fe4fyhzS3UM
Chapter 2
Pain.
An all-consuming, burning pain was all I could feel as blurred shapes moved around me. I writhed with the pain, gasping for air that refused to go down my windpipe. Every now and then a loud voice would break through my stupor.
"Outta the way, Bloom!"
"Applejack, please stop his motion so that I can administer the potion."
Strong limbs held me down and a bottle was pressed to my lips. A freezing, tasteless liquid was poured down my throat and I forced myself to swallow it. I gasped as a numbing sensation began to spread through my body. I started to relax as the pain faded away.
"I apologize to you for what I am about to do..."
I cried out as a poultice was laid over my shoulder wound, shooting a new wave of pain through the numbness. Another bottle was pressed to my lips and a warm liquid that tasted faintly of grapes and strange herbs poured into my mouth. A drowsiness fell over me as I swallowed, and a soft voice began to sing as I closed my eyes, fading into sleep.
"Hush now, quiet now..."
"Come on, sugarcube, wake up now."
I groaned as my consciousness returned, accompanied by a pounding headache.
"That's it. Easy now." It was the same oddly accented voice as before. A cup of water was pressed to my lips and I drank from it gratefully; my throat felt like sandpaper. "Can ya talk?" the voice asked gently.
"Yeah," I croaked, sitting up in the bed I was in and rubbing my eyes with my fingers. "Thank you." I opened my eyes and looked around blearily. I was in a small room of what seemed to be a cozy cottage. My swordbelt and gear were leaned neatly against the opposite wall. Bright sunlight filtered in through the windows, casting golden rectangles on the floor and filling the room with warmth. It reminded me of Lon Lon Ranch, especially with the smell; it was somewhere between a farm and a stable and... apples? Weird.
"Feelin' all right now?" The voice came from right beside me. I turned to see... a smiling orange horse? I blinked several times, then rubbed my eyes again. Nope, that was definitely a horse. And yet it wasn't. Not quite. Its green eyes were large and expressive, its mane... Din's breath, was it wearing a hat? "What?" said the horse. "Somethin' on my face?" It... She, rather, rubbed her cheek with a foreleg. "Did I get it?"
"What... the... hell" I said, sure that my senses were lying to me. And yet, I knew I wasn't dreaming. There was actually a talking, hat-wearing horse grinning amiably at me. Its coat was a bright, vibrant orange, its mane golden-yellow and it had what looked like a brand or tatoo of three red apples on its side near its flank.
"Believe me," she said. "It's just as weird for me as it is for you. I have no idea what the hay you are, but ya saved my sister, and for that, I'm much obliged to ya."
"You're welcome," I said absently, still not quite sure how to react to this whole situation. What was even more surreal was the fact that the horse was taking it better than I was! I shook my head, trying to collect myself.
"Thank you for helping me, um..." I hesitated. "Do you have a name?"
"Oh! How silly of me!" the horse said, chuckling. "Name's Applejack, owner of Sweet Apple Acres. Welcome to Ponyville!" She extended a foreleg.
Ponyville? Well that was certainly... straightforward.
"I'm Link," I said, taking her hoof and shaking it. "I came from the land of Hyrule." I watched her face for any sign of recognition but instead received a raised eyebrow. I sighed. "No offense but... is there anyone-"
"Like you?" Applejack finished for me. She gave me a sad smile. "Sorry, sugarcube. Just ponies here in Equestria."
Equestria... Was it possible that that log tunnel in the Lost Woods had taken me to yet another new world? I remembered the overpowered shock I'd gotten as I went through it. Could that have been because I was crossing between worlds?
"Hey girls," Applejack called, turning to the door. "I reckon y'all can come in now and introduce yourselves."
I watched in fascination as the door opened and three small hor- er, ponies stepped through the threshold. The first was cream-coated with pinkish-red hair and a large red bow tied in her mane. Her amber eyes gazed at me with curiosity and awe. A child I guessed, judging by her small stature compared to Applejack and her childlike demeanor. The next pony to come through the door made me let out an audible gasp. A white, unicorn filly with a puffy pink and purple mane was looking at me inquisitively as she moved to stand beside her cream-coated counterpart. One more came through the door; an orange pony with a spiky, windswept magenta mane who was attempting to hide her own curiosity behind an aloof demeanor. Were those wings? There were pegasi here too?
I smiled as I looked at the three young ponies in front of me. I'll admit it, I thought they were the cutest thing I'd ever seen. Even Applejack, who seemed to be a grown-up pony, was cute in a more mature way. It seemed to be an aesthetic that all of these creatures had in common. I wondered how I appeared in their eyes. Friendly, I hoped.
"Girls, this here's Link," said Applejack. "Link, these're Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo. They're the ones you rescued from the manticore out in the Everfree. Which they're still in deep trouble for," she added, shooting a glare at the trio of fillies. They hung their heads, looking sheepish.
"Sorry, Applejack," Scootaloo said.
"And just what hare-brained scheme did you three have this time?" Applejack pressed, walking towards them.
"Well, the idea was-" Scootaloo began, and then all three shouted, "CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS CARTOGRAPHERS, GO!" as they struck triumphant poses. I winced as their cheer drove through my head like an iron spike.
"But it didn't end up working out," Sweetie Belle finished.
Applejack gave me an apologetic look before continuing. "Why not make a map of Ponyville then? Why go into the Everfree? And after all the times I told you not to do that, I might add!" The three younger ponies recoiled from the older mare, looking ashamed. Applejack sighed. "But you're okay," she said more gently, nuzzling Apple Bloom, "and that's what matters." Her motherly demeanor returned as she pointed an authoritative hoof at me. "Now, what d'you say to the nice stranger who helped you out o' that pickle?"
The three turned to me and smiled adorably. "Thank you!" they said in chorus.
"No worries," I replied, smiling back, then winced as another spike of pain shot through my head. "Ow..."
Applejack seemed to take that as the cue for the younger ponies to leave. "Alright now, y'all. That's enough gawkin' for now, Link needs his rest. Manticore stings are nothin' to sneeze at." She ushered them out of the room, then turned back to me. "Anything else ya need, sugarcube? More water? Anythin'?"
"Water, please," I replied. Then added, "And... a few questions, if you don't mind."
Applejack started to nod, then bit her lip. "Well..." she said slowly, "water I can do lickety-split, but questions... you might want to be talkin' to Twilight for those.
"Twilight?" I asked, gratefully accepting another cup of water and gulping it down.
"Twilight Sparkle," Applejack explained. "Most knowledgeable pony 'round here. Fair warnin' though; for every question you have, I reckon she'll have two for you." She walked to the door. "You get some rest, now. I'll bring some lunch up for ya later."
I laid back on the bed as the door closed behind her, my mind whirling. Talking ponies... I gave myself a hard pinch and winced at the pressure. Definitely wasn't dreaming then... And I didn't think it could possibly be a hallucination caused by the manticore poison. Still, a land where legendary creatures like unicorns and pegasi were as common as Gorons and Zora was so incredible to me. It was so surreal, and yet there it was, all around me.
It was a while before my mind settled down, but the warmth of the sunlight and comfort of the bed slowly calmed me and lulled me into sleep.
