Whither Must I Wander

by thelegendarytoothpaste

Rating: everyone
Tags: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Human, Main 6, Comedy, Other, Adventure, Crossover, Random
Length: 19737

The Hero of Time in Equestria.

You ever get so lost in the woods behind your house that you wound up in another world? Because Link did. Twice. Now he must attempt to find his way home, assuming the timberwolves and giant equines do not get to him first. Or perhaps he can learn how to be a child again. There's just one way to find out.

Updates random and likely infrequent. In the name of being different, instead of making a disclaimer of how I don't own it, I'm going to come out and say I own Nintendo and Hasbro.

Published 2017-12-11 16:00:11 UTC
Last updated 2018-05-09 23:26:03 UTC

Prologue

"In the land of Hyrule, there echoes a legend. A legend held dearly by the Royal Family that tells of a boy...

A boy who,

after battling evil and saving Hyrule, crept away from the land that had made him a legend...

Done with the battles he once waged across time, he embarked on a journey. A secret and personal journey...

A journey in search of a beloved and invaluable friend...

A friend with whom he parted ways when he finally fulfilled his heroic destiny and took his place among legends..."

See the boy. He walks alone in his woods, but his eyes betray nothing but desire for it not to be so. Still, however, he
knows it is probably for the best. On his last search for his fairy friend, he nearly lost his own life and also nearly got his
trusty steed killed multiple times. He had done so much.

Link did not think of himself as a responsible or good person. Yes, he was the one who threw the proverbial wrench
into Ganondorf's gears and saved the world, and yes he saved an alternate universe from a mask, within which slept the
spirit of an ancient and powerful deity. It was only his use of an equally dark, if not worse power that he succeeded in saving the other world.

All this trouble came from but a mask. And all this trouble was stopped by another mask.

Two very masks he carried on his person now.

Link was used to the feeling of foreboding each mask afforded him when he looked into their eyes. He knew that both were powerless so long as they were not worn, and he had taken great measures to ensure that the power each mask was afforded could be siphoned1 and sealed away.

The mask of the Fierce Deity was outfitted with multiple incantations and blessings to trap its power within itself. Link had brought it before the leader of his tribe of Kokiri, the Great Deku Tree, to be cleansed along with the other mask: Majora's Mask.

He did not initially intend on just syphoning their power. The original plan was to outright destroy them. It went the way of the dodo when it became apparent that neither mask could be done away with so easily. Not the strongest bomb, the sharpest blade, the heaviest hammer, or the most practiced mage seemed capable of even leaving a scratch on either mask. Link certainly had no intentions of parting with them unless he knew there was no way for them to be used again.

He heaved a sigh. Link never left his home without the two troublesome masks, no matter if he was going out for the day or for a few nights. He simply didn't want the chance of one of his fellow Kokiri finding one or the other and unleashing their power. It was the same reason he carried all of his other masks with him, and there were many. Children would call him a mask collector, so a mask collector he would be. Farore knew he'd nearly gotten himself killed just trying to contain Majora.

Part of him wondered why he was even bothering searching for Navi. He knew that chaos seemed to follow him around- it's why he no longer took Epona with him when he wandered. Maybe part of him resented Navi's spontaneous retreat and wished to take her with him so she may see what disharmony he suffered? Link was not a wise man.

In fact, he wasn't even a man. Not physically.

He had done so much. He went forward and backward in time, defeated an evil wizard named Ganondorf and saved his home, wandered into another dimension housing a land by the name of Termina, and he had to save that land too from an unspeakable cataclysm. A cataclysm that loomed over everyone's head every moment of every day until he finally managed to stop it.

Everything he did, he did by the time he turned 9 (16 if you count the seven years he skipped forward and backward), and he was successful. Ganondorf had been executed and Majora's dark power was sealed within the mask again. Termina and Hyrule were both safe. But at what expense?

Link wiped the sweat from his tired blue eyes. His childhood. Link ended lives when he was barely into his ninth year, and not just simple minded animals or faux living creatures animated only by foul magic. Ganondorf was, in spite of his evil, a person. Stalfos warriors were, once upon a time, persons.

Link recalled with a shutter his accidental murder of a Gerudo woman when he was infiltrating their fortress attempting to rescue a few carpenters. He meant only to knock her out, but her struggles combined with the high risk of his being caught resulted in his adding more pressure. He'd been trying to choke her out.

She must have jerked to one side, for her neck snapped and she fell lifeless in a heap. Link at first thought she was just trying a strange new way to get out of his grasp.

Link wiped at his eyes, though he had no tears. His fairy, Navi, had listened to him rant about it and was steadfast in telling him that it was not his fault, and that he did not mean to kill her. Link considered himself little more than a glorified murderer for it, but she always told him that it was a freak accident and the Goddesses knew it.

The boy sighed, and felt a dry sob rack itself through his chest. He had no tears left. He'd cried for the innocent people that died while he slept a seven year sleep. He cried for the people of Termina, who had been forced to relive what would always be the final three days of their lives whenever he failed to stop Majora in time.

He felt a ghost of a smile pull at his lips. When he broke down in Termina for the first time, his callous fairy partner in the strange place, Tatl, tried to make him feel better by saying that she doubted anybody who experienced the apocalypse brought on by the moon felt a thing. He laughed a bitter laugh when she said that, too.

At least he stopped the whole cycle. After he saw what evil the mask was capable of, he bought it off the Happy Mask Salesman for every rupee he had collected in his travels. The eccentric salesman accepted the bargain with a smile, though Link was not sure what to make of him. He literally walked away after accepting the money and seemed to vanish.

Now, it was a matter of finding Navi. His adventures in Termina were over. He desired a return to his original purpose, and the best place to look for a wayward fairy was the Lost Woods. There was a rumor that the woods themselves called to guardian fairies of a select few to fulfill an unknown purpose. Link hoped there was some truth to the myth, and so he walked.

Armed with a rucksack full of masks, a bow, a quiver full of arrows, a shield, and a strong blade, Link was determined to go further into the woods than he had ever gone before.

Future Link wouldn't be sure if he should kick himself for it or pat himself on the back.

Author's Note

You hate it yet? I already do.

1- Siphoning the dark magic of the masks by way of powerful sealing spells.

Chapter 1ne

Let me tell you a story about Equestria.

It hasn't known war for a good many years. The land itself is ruled by two benevolent sisters: Princess Celestia, the Goddess of the Sun, and Princess Luna, the Goddess of the Night. They were responsible leaders. Equus was tidally locked to its sun following a dark magic surge many thousands of years in the past. Without intervention, the planet would become totally uninhabitable save for the sides in perpetual twilight. The side facing the sun would become a scorching desert; the side facing away a barren glacier. A tidal lock can spell the end of any normal planet, and it has time and time before.

Equus, however, is no normal planet. It has an unusually high field of magic surrounding itself as well as its star. Wormholes constantly form and dissipate on the planet and around it. The planet should not even host life either, as it lacks a magnetic field. Studies are underway to determine what exactly protects the planet from solar radiation, but the answer is almost certainly "magic."

Magic is what gives the planet its atmosphere. Magic is what defends it from collisions by comets and asteroids. Magic is what shields it from radiation.

Magic is the work around for the planet's tidal lock. Every day, Princess Celestia uses a speed up spell on Equus as a work around for the tidal lock. The spell quickens the rate at which is rotates and presents the illusion that the Sun itself is being raised and lowered. Princess Celestia certainly possesses the strength to do so and has controlled the sun in the past- just look at her cutie mark, but she prefers to work with Equus itself, as making a miscalculation with the sun could doom the entire planet. She was also responsible for making sure the fuel at the core of their home star never ran low.

Like clockwork, Princess Luna, since her reformation, was responsible for the moon. With the two at the helm, the planet would host life for an eternity. It all depended on a harmonious exchange between the two.

Harmony was big in Equestria. All it took to defeat the darkest threat to the pony races was Harmony. Specifically, the Elements of Harmony: Magic, Generosity, Laughter, Kindness, Loyalty, and Honesty. Each pony on the planet embodied every Element in one way or another, but only six held them so well that they would be considered Element Bearers.

Those six were a former Unicorn-turned-alicorn, Twilight Sparkle: Element of Magic. Beautiful white Unicorn fashionista Rarity: Element of Generosity. Pink ball of fuzz that defied the laws of physics: Pinkie Pie, the Element of Laughter. The butter colored pegasus named Fluttershy, the soft spoken bearer of Kindness, the cyan and rainbow maned pegasus by the name of Rainbow Dash, the Element of Loyalty. Finally there was Applejack, the rough and tough cowgirl and Element of Honesty.

The six wielded a magic that could never be corrupted. When used together, the magic of Harmony was unstoppable.

It was a rare occasion for the Elements of Harmony.

Most of their time was dominated by life itself. Whether they had work, family gatherings, out of town meetings, or spa treatments, it was a rare occasion for the six to be able to just spend time together relaxing. After all, since when was a spa relaxing?

This was one such day.

"Rarity, did you bring enough sunscreen for everypony in town? Sheesh."

Rarity said little for a few moments. Instead, the unicorn's horn projected its magic, and she began to apply globs of sunscreen to her brilliant white coat.

"Tut tut, darling. You think I'm paranoid, but do you have any idea what sun damage can do to the coat, let alone your skin? The last thing I need is to be splotchy."

"Generous would not be the word to describe the amount of sunblock you've already used, sugarcube. I'm with Dash on this one."

Rarity sighed, dismissively waving a hoof towards them.

"I'll take my chances. Say what you will, but I'm not going to be the one who gets burned."

The brash blue pegasus snorted. "Please. I bet if I tossed you into a volcano you wouldn't catch."

Twilight Sparkle, the purple alicorn of magic, chose that moment to intergect.

"Actually, sun screen has no bearing on things such as fire. Sun screen works by scattering radiation away from the skin or otherwise absorbing it so we don't have to. It has no bearing on flames."

Everypony stared at her, save for Pinkie Pie. There are many things Twilight Sparkle is good at, but recognizing hyperbole is not one of them.

And speaking of Pinkie Pie...

Splash! she shot out of the water like a missile, coughing madly.

"Guys, do not taste the water. It's really salty! Did you know that?"

Twilight sighed. "Pinkie, it's in the name. Salt water. And you really shouldn't drink it. It can cause kidney failure, hallucinations, and chapped lips."

Pinkie blinked, and yanked on a loose strand of her mane. With a "POOF!" it returned to its normal state of perpetual chaos, sending ocean water in every direction. Her friends were less than amused.

"Well, it was an honest mistake. Isn't there a quote? Water, water everywhere so let's all have a drink."

Nobody bothered to correct her. When Pinkie got like this, it was better to let her think what she wanted to think.

"The summer is never long enough anyway," said Rarity. "There is something about the smell of sun screen that brings about the magic of the hot season."

The others murmured their agreement. "At least the Summer Sun Celebration is on the way. If only the Princesses could join us this year."

"The show is in Manehattan this year, darling. You know that."

Twilight nodded. "Yes, yes, I know. Still though, it would be nice to have a visit. Maybe we can see her sooner or later."

"That would be nice," said Fluttershy, interjecting herself into the conversation for the first time. "I wonder how Philomena is doing?"

Twilight smiled. "You know you can write the princess whenever you wish. You're the Element of Kindness. She'll be glad to hear from you. Well, more so than she is to hear from anypony on a usual day."

It was true. To say Princess Celestia fawned over her little ponies like a mother hen was an understatement. Celestia truly loved all of her subjects dearly. She was seen laying beside a sobbing filly in the rain solely to comfort her, and it wasn't uncommon for her to send well wishes and happy birthday cards to young fillies and foals who wrote her to ask for her presence at their parties. I know what you're wondering too, and yes, she did also send presents.

Fluttershy meekly nodded, though Twilight knew that her shyness extended even to letter writing. The mare actually managed to stutter in letters to friends and family.

The conversation itself was stopped completely by a loud gasp from Pinkie Pie. She seemed to tense up in midair as her mane appeared to shoot out every which way like an explosive. Her tail was swish a swishin' so quickly that it seemed to be keeping her in the air, and her ears were twitching too. Granted, though, the ear twitch was relatively normal. Pinkie had twitchy ears.

"Land sakes, Pinkie. You okay?"

The others approached her cautiously, as if fearing what her next action might be. When she landed, her eyes had widened and her pupils shrunk.

"A doozy," she whispered.

Chapter 2wo

Link always carried two ocarinas: One was the Ocarina of Time, the instrument passed down through the Hylian Royal Family and a key to opening the path to the Sacred Realm. The Ocarina of Time was impossible for evil to corrupt and Link never noticed a speck of dirt on it no matter where he ventured. It was a priceless artifact given to him by Princess Zelda of Hyrule. Among other things, the Ocarina of Time was the only instrument capable of using the magic in melodies.

The other was, no offense to the Princess, far more valuable to him. It was an ocarina made from forest wood by his best friend before she went away, Saria. Though it was not capable of using the magic hidden within many of Link's special songs, it was more than capable of beautiful music that could bring tears when used by a well trained ocarinist. Though it could be broken and did indeed show signs of wear, Link loved it and promised to treasure it until he died.

He heaved a sigh, and brought the ocarina to his lips. He began to play his favorite song, a song he designed to take resemblance from the magical tune heard throughout the Lost Woods by the Kokiri and Fairies: The soul of the forest. Link called his abridged version of it "Saria's Song."

He smiled while he played. The song had, oddly, gotten him through many a dead end. It got the most stubborn Goron Link had ever met to change his mind about something. Perhaps it did possess some magic after all.

Link still recalled the promise the stubborn old Goron by the name of Darunia made him. Because of Link's assistance to the Goron people of Death Mountain, Darunia took him as his "sworn brother," which meant little to the young boy. All he knew was, being a sworn brother of the Goron people meant getting surprise "Goron hugs" from everyone on the mountain. When a "Goron hug" means a several thousand pound rock eating person squeezing the life out of a small child, it was best to never get within arms reach of that proud race.

Link smiled. When Navi heard him complain about the Goron's affections, she simply said, "Good-natured racism is tough to find." He asked her what she meant but she danced around it. Typical grown up...

Link sighed through his ocarina but ignored the shrill noise. Thinking of Navi's advice and words of wisdom made him think of his fight with Ganondorf. Though Link himself was far bigger than a forest fairy, he swore the fight felt as though he and Navi were battling back to back.

He still could hear Ganondorf's shouts echo through his skull. Ganondorf's powerful spells were always unusual. When he launched a sphere of energy at you, it was white, as if it were pure magic. When the strike made contact with something, however, it would result in an explosion of what appeared to be shadows. His deadliest attacks, ones that left Link badly wounded and alive only due to luck looked like harmless lighting spells. Link was left with a deep fear of simple light spells.

He remembered the end of his first fight with Ganondorf; how he used both feet to pin the evil king's arms as he drove his sword through his heart. Link had squeezed his eyes shut while he did it, though the feeling of forcing the blade into someone's chest as well as the screams of pain from the man himself forced the image into his mind. Link awoke with a start from many a nightmare.

They were the times he would miss Navi the most. When he had nightmares and Navi was around, she would not hesitate to stay up with him and give him comfort or tall tales until he fell asleep. So long as he had her, his nightmares did not bother him. She did teach him a technique to counter nightmares, which was usually to just laugh in their faces. As such, some of her stories were very funny, and always got a laugh from the boy.

He admired people with a sense of humor, and especially admired those in Termina with a comedic bone in their bodies. So many of the citizens were fearful of the moon overhead, sure, but they would always find something to laugh at, even at the very end.

He looked down at the troublemaking mask that had caused such grief to Termina with scorn. His ocarina had left his lips and was returned to a pocket. How he wished to destroy the cursed mask. From what little he knew about the entity that possessed it, Majora was supposedly a fallen Goddess of great power who was cursed into the form of a mask by her brothers and sisters. At her pinnacle, her power was immeasurable. It was only due to her first defeat at the hands of her fellow Gods that Link's victory in Termina was possible at all. Had he been forced to go up against a fully powered Majora... well, rending the moon from its orbit would have been the least of his worries.

Even now, the Majora he did go up against nearly defeated him. It was Ganondorf all over. The only real difference was the experience- Ganondorf was an extremely talented wizard, swordsman, and was brutally powerful in hand to hand combat. Majora was an ancient entity with far more powerful magic, experience, higher speeds, endurance, and a quick wit- and Ganondorf was far from dumb! Additionally, Majora's aspirations were for the destruction of Termina, but she had little other reason to do so beyond enjoying watching innocent creatures perish. At least Ganondorf had an ulterior motive beyond killing for the sake of killing.

Link gave his head a shake as a breeze found its way to his face. The air was brisk and refreshing, and the sun was shining. Link, puzzled, looked behind him at the expansive forest. Had he actually found a way out of the mystical woods? Before him he saw tall grass and scattered trees. This went against everything anyone knew about the Lost Woods. They had a way of turning wanderers around eventually. No matter how far you wandered in any one direction, you would end up back where you started eventually unless you listened to the forest spirits as they directed you. Link could feel them guiding him, though to where he would never know until he got there.

Link rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't imagining things. No. The plains were still before him.

A smile graced his face. This could very well prove a breakthrough for the Kokiri records of the magical woods!

Then, the smile left. Just over the hill before him, he could see the woods on the horizon once more. Perhaps he just found a small opening in the trees then. He mentally kicked himself for being so excitable, and continued his trek towards the woods in the distance.

Something changed. With each step Link took towards the trees, he could feel the innate magic of the Lost Woods slipping. The normal magic of the woods was benevolent but judgmental- when someone that was not welcome entered the trees, he or she only had a limited time to get out before the trees placed judgement. The unwelcome who dared enter the woods would become monsters if they failed to escape. Link knew. His mother had sacrificed her own life in the woods to grant him passage. She willingly let the woods consume her after the patron Deity of the Kokiri, the Great Deku Tree, had granted Link asylum.

He snorted. The nearest to a father he ever had was a tree, and the closest thing to a mother he had was a fairy who left him. Link wasn't sure if that was pathetic or not.

These new trees did not have the familiarity that Link was used to. He felt the magic within them go from benevolent judgement to completely unpredictable. They were as likely to hinder a traveler as they were to help. Link could not feel the woods poking and prodding at his aura, nor could he feel them trying to determine if he was worthy. Now driven by curiosity, Link continued his trek, a hand on his blade.

Little did he know, he really had found a way out of the Lost Woods.

Author's Note

One guess where he is now.
(If you guessed Nigel Thornberry's closet, you're correct.)

Chapter 3hree

The Pinkie Sense was not your run of the mill psychic sense. Most ponies could not actually see the future or detect vibrations in space time. Pinkie Pie, however, could do both. And she did so frequently.

Ponies knew to take her seriously when she mentioned something about to fall. They knew to listen when she said to watch out for opening doors. Even the most steadfast of skeptics in Ponyville were believers after witnessing her sense and its accuracy a few times.

Very few had seen a doozy before. They are, in the words of Pinkie Pie, "the most sensiest of senses that have ever sensed the sense."

Therefore, a doozy was something that was often taken more seriously than a decree from Celestia.

The first thing to occur after Pinkie's whisper-proclamation was stunned silence.

"A DOOZY!!!!"

The next thing to occur after Pinkie's whisper-proclamation was chaotic shouting from the soothsayer herself. It was fortunate that the Elements of Harmony were the only ones on the beach. There would have been a riot otherwise.

Everypony there realized so, as well. They swiftly stuck a collective hoof to her mouth to stop her from shouting like that again, lest a real doozy appear. The ponies of Ponyville are an excitable bunch, to say the least.

"What's say we discuss this matter in a more private setting, girls?" asked Twilight. The others agreed instantly, and they began their run to Twilight's residence.

Twilight Sparkle lived in a bizarre mansion/castle/library love child that any small girl would adore. It was so large that Twilight was fond of joking about still finding new rooms in it. Each of her best friends and her family had their own rooms that they were welcome to use at any time, and she still had empty bedrooms to spare. If that was not enough, most of the first floor was just a huge public library with every book that Twilight knew of. The list of literary works that she didn't know of was very short. She even had a book that Pinkie Pie herself wrote, which did its best to explain to the reader how to "think like a pink." It was not for public consumption, however. One Pinkie Pie was enough.

The tea room was one of the most popular for Twilight and her friends. It was where everything from simple get togethers to meetings were held. While they discussed matters today, however, there would be no young drake to attend to their tea needs- the poor thing was sick with the flu. Instead of his fetching them tea, Twilight made him some and tucked him in. Spike was her baby before anything else, after all.

When Twilight returned to the tea room after tending to Spike, she offered everypony a small cup, and left a platter of condiments in the middle of their table. She took her seat, and pasted a smile on her face while she looked upon her friends.

Rainbow Dash was absentmindedly tracing the lip of her tea cup, Rarity was stirring a bit of sugar into hers and taking dainty sips, Applejack had chug lugged the sucker, as it were, Fluttershy was carefully blowing on her tea, and Pinkie Pie was eating sugar straight from the bowl.

"Okay girls, I think now is a good time to ask."

Twilight slammed both hooves on the table, earning an "Eep!" from Fluttershy.

"What the hay is the doozy, Pinkie Pie?!"

Pinkie, who had both her hooves on each side of her tea cup and seemed to be willing the tea to part, perked up.

"I dunno!"

The room was silent for a moment.

"You don't know?" asked Twilight incredulously. Pinkie shook her head.

"No, silly filly. My Pinkie Sense just told me that a doozy was going to happen. It doesn't tell me exactly what is going to happen. Didn't you read my book? That's one of the first Laws of Pinkie- a doozy is not a doozy if its dooziness is obvious!"

Twilight sighed. "Yes, Pinkie. I've read it- the writing is terrific, by the way. But... can't you give us some inkling of what should be happening?"

Pinkie appeared thoughtful for a moment, and then her eyes widened.

"Let's go around the table and guess! Won't that be fun?"

Twilight sighed again. "Can't you just answer the question?"

Pinkie grinned. "Sure! I think..."

She gasped, and began to rub a hoof on Twilight's belly, causing the alicorn to tense up. She hated having her stomach touched.

"How far along are you?" Pinkie suddenly asked.

Fluttershy let out another "Eep!" and began to shrink under the table. Rarity fell stone cold out of her chair, Applejack was hiding a blush or a laugh behind her hat, and Dash felt no reason to hide her guffaws.

Twilight growled and slapped Pinkie's hoof away. "Pinkie, I'm not pregnant!"

Pinkie eyed her critically for a moment. "Are you sure? That's what Boulder said when I asked him, and two months later, poof! Pebble was born."

Twilight fixed her gaze on Pinkie, while Rarity retook her seat after grumbling about the false alarm. Dash, meanwhile, had take Rarity's place on the ground, kicking her hind hooves in the air wildly as she continued to laugh.

"I'm not pregnant, Pinkie."

Pinkie smiled warmly. "D'aww, then you just have a little tummy on you!"

Twilight blushed. "I have no such thing."

Pinkie nodded. "Yes you do, my pudgy little pony."

She gasped. "Wait! Maybe that's the doozy!"

Twilight sighed.

The rest of the meeting went about as well as expected, with each of them coming up with a theory behind the doozy. Rainbow believed it was a sign of trouble brewing, or in her words, "Another creature needs to be whooped." Rarity thought the rumors of Sweetie Belle being a robot were coming back in force (she asked Discord to turn her into one for Nightmare Night once, and this happens), Applejack feared some kind of calamity killing all the apples in Sweet Apple Acres, and Twilight went so far as to guess that Starswirl the Bearded had somehow found a way to circumvent death without becoming an alicorn.

Fluttershy could come up with nothing, however, and when it came to her turn to speak, she simply told her friends that she loves them and appreciates their patience.

All in all, it was an unsuccessful meeting, and they were no closer to discerning the doozy than before they started. Honestly, the Sweetie Bot rumors had to stop. How many times did ponies have to see Sweetie's x-rays to be happy?

And Twilight wasn't fat! She was just a little chubby, damn it!

End of Chapter

Author's Note

Merry Christmas. This is your gift/punishment, depending on whose side you're on.

Chapter 4our

The Kokiri are most comfortable in the forest. Being as attuned to the trees as them meant they were very well versed at survival away from civilization. Link was no exception.

Link's survival skills were as good as any other Kokiri's. He knew how to build a fire, tell time, clean water, figure out his compass directions, identify certain edible or medicinal plants, track, hunt, and clean animals, and he was well versed in constructing simple lean-to shelters.

In other words, Link was exactly the right kind of person to get lost in the woods with. What a coincidence it was that he happened to be lost right now.

Link felt a blush invade his cheeks. He always prided himself on his sense of direction. Even when he left the Kokiri Forest for the first time, he did not get lost. The fields of Hyrule were not exactly well travelled. People tended to just move to towns and then stay there until they started pushing up daisies. Travel wasn't exactly huge, which meant paths and signs were not necessary. Even the fields of Termina gave him no trouble in terms of navigation. Maybe Link could be a navigator on a ship when he grew up?

Each step deeper into the woods awed Link. The magic was completely different here. He could not hear the soul of the forest, nor did he see hide or hair of a skull kid, deku scrub, or even a stalfos. The plant life, though largely the same as in the woods he knew and loved, began to see some additions in new flowers he had never seen before, as well as some seemingly alien fungi. Link did his best to give all the unfamiliar life a wide berth. It was survival rule number one for the Kokiri: If you don't know what it is, stay away from it.

Link was honoring that rule like the alien life around him was the plague. It meant much of the life around him could not be admired but with his eyes and ears. This was fine, though. Link did not ask for much. The trees gave him comfort.
The trees brought him happiness. They were familiar. They would not up and leave. Even Ganondorf could not outright destroy the lost woods. They were constant.

Link grew to love constants in his life. He sometimes longed for the days before he set out to fulfill his destiny. He was the boy without a fairy. He was ridiculed by many of the Kokiri and ostricized. He had few friends, but he rarely let his lot in life discourage him. When he was sad, he would force himself to go out. When he was bullied he would stand up for himself. He knew Saria had his back and wanted the best for him too, even if he was a little bit different.

Then, Navi came. And his whole life was flipped on its head. It isn't every morning a small child is woken up by the fairy he never had and told that he will save the world from a great evil. Link found it amazing that he so easily drew the hero stick, yet could never win the lottery in Termina.

He remembered that, at first, Navi did not particularly like him. If anything, she intitially disliked him, and was not above light teasing or refusing small talk with him. As the journey progressed, however, and the dangers grew, they would begin to bond.

Link would never forget the immense, almost motherly worry he noted in Navi's voice during his first encounter with the redeads. He would never forget how relieved she was to see him open his eyes again. Link would never forget falling asleep with the fairy close by, and he would never forget telling her that he loved her for the first time.

Navi took away the loneliness Link was not aware he suffered. It was thanks to her that Link was no longer the boy without the fairy. Link was happy when he had her, even if they fought from time to time. It made him wonder what the rest of his life would be like, if he could spend it with her. Those were the days he was the most impatient. How desperately he wished to end his adventure so he could spend his time with her!

As the saying goes, however, one should be careful what he or she wishes for.

They had done the final thing asked of them by Princess Zelda when Link had returned the Master Sword to its pedestal and shut the Door of Time. Upon closing it, however, Navi hesitated. For an instant she began to shine brighter than Link had seen her shine before.

"Navi?" was all he asked. The fairy, though he could not see her face, appeared both panicked and resigned. She turned to a window in the Temple of Time, where the sun was shining the strongest. Without another word, she flew towards it.

Link was silent. It wasn't Navi's departure that resulted in his so rarely speaking, mind you. Link was always a very quiet person. Even when they travelled, Navi was the one who engaged most conversations, not Link. When he did, it was little more than awkward small talk that would die out quickly.

He did not shriek, he did not cry, he did not stomp his feet, and he did not yell. Instead, he squinted his eyes, attempting to make out Navi's shape. Alas, he was unable to. The glow of magic around a fairy often rendered their true bodies invisible to the human eye. That combined with the sun did not help matters. Link assumed she simply left through the open window for reasons unknown.

He stared at the window until his eyes were forced shut, and he remained in the Temple of Time in that same position until the sun fell to the horizon. Like it or not, he still needed to go home. Alone.

Again.

It was then that Link realized what he had been doing. His hands were balled into fists so tight that his nails dug into his palms and drew blood. Where did she go? Why did she go? Why without a word? Did he do something to offend her? Perhaps he didn't thank her for her help soon enough? All he knew was his fairy companion throughout his journey was missing, and now he wanted only to find her.

That was why he went to Termina in the first place, much like it was why he searched the woods now. He just wanted to have his companion back. He wanted his family back. He wanted home. He wanted to be a child again and have the childhood he was denied. If only he remembered how to be a child in the first place.

As the saying goes, however, one should be careful what he or she wishes for.

Author's Note

Why did they get rid of the ability to just indent paragraphs here instead of having to go through manually to do it? If it's not broke, don't fix it.

Chapter 6ix

Pinkie was alone in her room. Not even Gummy was with her- he was out doing Gummy things. The others were helping Ponyville prepare for the Summer Sun Celebration. Pinkie just couldn't. She felt too sad.

Why was she sad? It wasn't because the Princesses would not be in Ponyville this year. It wasn't because her latest attempt at the world's best tasting candy failed miserably. It wasn't because she lost her favorite movie (The Timberwolf King).

Pinkie was upset because, given a few more days of nothing from her doozy, she was coming to terms with being wrong. With this failed prediction, Pinkie's accuracy rating with her Pinkie Sense plummeted from 130% to just 128%.

Unacceptable.

Pinkie sighed deeply, and she turned over on her bed. Should she have another muffin? Nah. She already had twelve.
There was a knock on her door.
"Pinkie?" asked a muffled Mrs. Cake. "Your friends are here."

She sighed again. What was the point to greeting them? She just had her whole world turned upside down! Now she couldn't tell up from down anymore! Not that that was anything new. Pinkie just liked doing headstands. It didn't matter what she was thinking, ultimately. Her friends just walked into her room.
"Pinkie?" began Applejack.
"We haven't seen you around town. Are you okay?" asked Twilight.
Pinkie sighed. "I have been doing some thinking girls. I think you're right."
"About what?" asked Rainbow. "How dogs can, in fact, look up?"
"No," sighed Pinkie. "And they can't. Winona is just trying to trick you. It's my Pinkie Sense. I think you girls were right this time and I was wrong."

Her friends blinked collectively at her.
"I've never ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever made a bad prediction before. This is new to me."

Her friends were all silent for a moment, before Twilight took a few steps forward with a smile. "Pinkie, it's okay to be wrong from time to time. Everypony makes mistakes. It doesn't mean anything is wrong with you."
Pinkie shook her head. "It's different when you have the Pinkie Sense and are wrong. It violates the first Law of Pink."
"Law of Pink?" Applejack echoed.
"Pinkie Pie is right because she is pink, and right is pink and pink is pink," responded both Twilight and Pinkie Pie. The others looked at Twilight in bewilderment save for Pinkie, who eyed her with a bit of a smile.
Twilight shrunk back a bit under their gaze. "I read all the books in the library, hers included."

She cleared her throat, and continued. "The point is, it's okay to be wrong from time to time Pinkie. We still love you, even if your Pinkie Sense is not always right."

A sound that equated to a parachute being deployed echoed through Pinkie's enormously saccharine room. Her mane had returned to its normal state of perpetual chaos, and she engulfed each of her friends in a bear hug that only she was capable of.
"You girls are the best! The bestie bestie bestie best!"
She smiled at Twilight, who was turning a bit blue from lack of oxygen.
"And I don't need my Pinkie Sense to tell me that."
End of Chapter

Author's Note

Glad to hear people are enjoying.
Now if you'll excuse me, my dog really wants to go outside.
This is especially troubling because I do not have a dog.

Chapter 7even

This is a spoiler. You have now read the spoiler. This concludes the spoiler.

Anxiety burned away at Link. He had been travelling for a week now and felt that he succeeded only in getting himself lost even more. For some reason the trees were not returning him from whence he came no matter how long he wandered in them. In his time he saw a lot, from large rocks and cliff faces to the bones of deceased wildlife. He saw alien flora and alien fauna.

He did not see any more of those wooden wolves, however, but that did not help his anxiety. Instead, it made it worse, for he could swear that eyes were on him at all times now. He could not sense the slightest inkling of magic from the Lost Woods now, or at least not the magic he was accustomed to.

He was not suffering a full out panic, though. Link still had a few tricks up his sleeve if things got dire. As it stood, he counted himself lucky- he had found a cabin in the middle of the woods. Not just any cabin, but a very large one. The doorknob was above his head and he had to hop in order to reach it. Link was a boy of courtesy, though, and so he had the decency to knock first.

No answer.

He decided against entering right then, however. Link knew that his survival training was very helpful to him and he felt confident that he could find his way back to this cabin so long as he had his bearings. He knew his compass directions, having been able to see the sun peak through the trees as it approached the horizon not long before. His plan was to hunt something to eat, and after he had done so, to use the magic of his ocarina to return him to the Lost Woods he knew so well.

He did not pay mind to his trepidation. Link knew, deep down, that chaotic magic like that of the woods now could be enough to override any teleportation songs he knew. It was why he was powerless to teleport in any dungeons and why he could not use his songs in Termina. Majora's power was so immense that even the teleportation song he found in Termina proved useless to him.

He did not want to think too deeply on the possibility of his teleport failing. If it did happen, he would worry then. For now, he wanted to see about finding an animal to hunt that was not a few insects or plants...

Fluttershy was not the most organized pony on the planet during her fillyhood. It was something she ultimately grew out of, but sometimes the past returns to haunt the most innocent of creatures. In Fluttershy's case, the one that was haunting her was Angel Bunny.

She knew that he loved her deep down, even if he was a bit rough around the edges. Still though, he was very rebellious. If she told him to do one thing he was going to do another. Angel was notorious to Fluttershy's friends as being messy, spoiled, rude, and even manipulative. He was the exact opposite of her in terms of everything.

She wouldn't put it past him, therefore, to go into the Everfree forest, which was the most unorganized place in Equestria, for no other reason than she told him not to. Sometimes she wondered what would happen if she used reverse psychology on him.

"Angel, I want you to go into the Everfree Forest. Don't even think about not going in there."

His head would probably explode.

She sighed, and set about gathering her friends to help her look for him. She knew that with their help he would be found in no time.

Preferably before he became a real angel.
End of Chapter

Author's Note

Hopefully the next chapters will be longer. Don't hold me to it because I suck, but... yeah, hope.

Chapter 8ight

Link was in awe.

This was the largest rabbit he had ever seen. It easily came up to his waist in terms of size, and that was without the ears! He had never seen anything like it! At least, not in the last few days.

He knew. If he killed it, he would eat like a king. A king with only one option when it came to food for the next few days, but a king nonetheless.

He wouldn't let anything go to waste either. No Kokiri would ever dare defile nature by leaving something to rot. Not even bones. And that coat! That snow white coat! It would fetch a fortune at a shop!

He certainly had no intention of letting the creature suffer, either. It was why he had his arrow nocked and aiming at the rabbit's heart. He had successfully cornered it against a large cliff face, and it had water on one side and a large pile of brush and sticks on the other. The only way out was through Link himself.

He scowled a bit. He had a clear shot at the rabbit only minutes into his hunt, but it was not a clean shot. Essentially, if he had taken it, the rabbit would be wounded, but not killed. He would have to finish it, which would not be easy if it fled. Link prided himself on his hunting record. Every time he killed an animal for consumption, it was a quick and painless death. He would sooner go hungry than allow a creature to suffer at his hands, bloody though they already were.

When he first spotted this rabbit, he wondered if it was some kind of trick, or some sort of monster he had never seen before. However, it hopped like a rabbit and looked like a rabbit, so as far as his childhood logic dictated, it most certainly was a rabbit.

He stalked it for mere minutes before he managed to corner it, which impressed him. He had to track animals for far longer with far less meat on their bones before.

One shot, five seconds. That was all it would take if he got his aim right. Link kept telling himself that he would not let it suffer. It was going to sustain him, and he owed it a painless demise at the very least.

Something brought him pause. Instead of the rabbit hopping back and forth, or stomping its rear legs to try and ward him off, this rabbit seemed to be... groveling.

Now that he watched it more, it totally was! The rabbit was alternating between holding its fore paws together and shaking its head repeatedly at him, and bowing down to him as if he were royalty. It would be something he found funny if he wasn't alarmed.

Link squinted his eyes, and the rabbit curled away from him in mute horror.

The shot never came. Link instead retired the arrow to his quiver, and he lowered the bow. The rabbit just demonstrated sentience, or at least something damn close to it. Link had no intention of killing something with such mental capacities. He couldn't do it. Not again. He would just have to find something else to eat.

When the rabbit looked back at him, wondering why death had not claimed it yet, it was stunned to see that the strange biped was no longer preparing to kill him. At least, in no way that it could see. As if to accentuate the point, the biped jerked its head towards one shoulder, which could be universally translated to "Beat it."

The bunny didn't need to be told twice. It grinned- grinned at Link and bowed once more before beginning to slowly trot off past him. Link snorted. Malon would never believe this.

Ultimately, however, the rabbit stopped just beside him. Again it seemed to freeze up. Link felt a feeling of foreboding begin to creep down his spine, and he turned slowly.

Any available path for them was blocked by the wooden wolves. Though he betrayed no fear, Link gulped to himself. He always hated the feeling of being hunted. It was something he experienced many a time in his travels, typically by wild animals or monsters. Constantly feeling eyes on you, knowing that no matter how fast you are, you've got a tail close behind you... it drove many a creature insane. It was the sad truth of a hunt: If you were not quiet enough or quick enough, your prey could take note of your presence somewhere in the vicinity, but it might not know just where you specifically are.
Link hated it. Whenever he hunted he did his best to either do so quickly, or with as much caution as he could. He wished never to cause more stress to any living being than he ever had to. It cost him game before, and even cost him a few hunting contests he and his fellow Kokiri would occasionally hold.

Link was especially disturbed by the chant Mido had come up with for their annual culling of the pigs. One could recognize the brat by his repeated chants of "Kill the pig, spill her blood, bash her in!"

Like any other Kokiri, at least, Mido, in spite of his morbid gore obsession, still killed only when he had to eat, and would do so as quick and painlessly as he could. It was said that a Kokiri who failed to respect the woods properly by the torture of animals would be cursed by them into the form of the animal he or she had tormented. It was a fate none of them could prove as having occurred, but it was widely accepted as true.

He returned his thoughts to the situation at hand and scowled. He knew it. He just knew he was being stalked all this time. Everywhere he looked came up empty, however. He had no proof; just the bad feeling.

Now his proof was staring at him and the rabbit. The wooden beasts advanced one menacing step as the rabbit and Link simultaneously took a step back. Link felt sweat begin to sting his eyes, and he spared a look at the small scratches on his arms he managed to get away with after slaying the first wooden wolf that attacked him. He knew he wasn't going to be so lucky this time around. He wondered what would have happened if he had only entered the hut he saw in the woods. Would they have managed to get to him anyway? There only seemed to be a single window to the building if he recalled correctly and he did not believe the wooden beasts would be able to fit into it to attack him. Then he might have been able to funnel them and slow down the attack, allowing him to fight more efficiently.

He sighed. It made little sense to think of such strategies now. He was not in the hut. He was in the middle of nowhere with cliffs towering behind him and wooden menaces before him. Link's brain scrambled over just what it could do. He had a hard time putting down only one of these creatures and was largely uninjured only due to it being one on one with a dramatic size difference. With what must have been at least seven of these creatures before him? He had no chance. Link, in spite of what his past accomplishments might tell you, was not a miracle worker.

He squeezed the hilt of his blade with one hand. He wasn't going to be getting out of this any other way. He spared a look at the rabbit next to him.
Suddenly Link found himself in its shoes. His prize. His coat. His energy.

His meal.

Somewhere, off in the distance, a wolf howled.
End of Chapter

Author's Note

Don't ANYBODY. MOVE. Alright? I GOT THIS.
*flips light switch*

Chapter 9ine

Fluttershy sighed for what must have been the fifteenth time. She worried for her little bunny whenever he decided to rebel against her wishes, but it was also more than a bit exhausting. She was considering just tying a bell to his neck so he wouldn't get lost.

He'd always been a fiercely independent spirit. He was the runt of his litter. Before she died, his mother rarely let him sup. His siblings always got to her first.

When his mother passed away, the others stayed close together, but they shunned Angel. He was their black sheep. He had learned early on that he could not depend on his brothers and sisters, so he only depended on himself. When Fluttershy would come around with a bottle for him, he refused to nurse like a common baby and had to hold the bottle himself. It led to more than a few messes.

Fluttershy did, however, manage to teach him that he could rely on her too. It took time, but eventually Angel began to recognize her as the mother he never had; the family he never had.

She frowned. Angel never did forgive his siblings for turning their backs on him. One by one they were adopted by good ponies, and they always tried to give him an apology and warm goodbye, but he had none of it. His sister offered him her last carrot as her new owner waited, and Angel smacked it to the ground and walked off. The look of defeat on her face burned into Fluttershy's mind. She would have to take Angel to see his siblings again sometime soon. Perhaps he would finally be willing to put the past behind him.

That was the future, however. For now, they just needed to find Angel in the spookiest forest in Equestria. Preferably in one piece too, though Rainbow Dash was on the fence and would accept small pieces of Angel instead. Fluttershy wouldn't though. Stupid bunny, needing to be in one piece in order to remain alive...

"Girls, I can't thank you enough for agreeing to help me. If we all pitch in we'll find Angel in no time."
Fluttershy smiled from behind her mane at her friends. It took no more than asking for them to agree to help her. There was no trade. No favor for a favor. Simple friends helping friends.
She felt blessed to have them in her life.
"It's no trouble at all, Fluttershy. If we figure out a strategy, we will find him easily."
"Yeah! With me on the job, there's no way we'll lose him!"
Fluttershy rolled her eyes at her oldest friend. Dash did not exactly possess the Element of Humility.
"The question is, should we split into teams? Or split up completely?"
"Girls?"
"It's probably better if we do teams," suggested Applejack. "I can go with Rares, Pinkie with Fluttershy, and Dash with Twi."
"Girls."
Twilight shook her head a bit. "Well, I was thinking we do two teams. We can then split as needed to find each other easier and will ultimately cover more ground."
"Girls!"
"That's a little complex for the Everfree, Twilight," said Dash. "Then again, Everfree likes complex. Or hates it. One of the two."
"Girls!!!"
Everyone looked at Rarity, who was pointing at Fluttershy's hoof.
"Angel just saved us a trip."

The others looked at just where she was pointing, where they saw Angel Bunny himself panting heavily and dirtied, but otherwise uninjured. He looked like he just had a sprint with Tartarus nipping at his heels. He began to tug on Fluttershy's hoof in a panic, but she wasn't going to take any of his excuses. He wasn't going to be getting any ice cream for a week.

Actually, you know what? Two weeks.

"I'm sorry for bothering you, girls," Fluttershy said softly, all the while staring at Angel with utmost disappointment.
Just like that, any tension that had built up in terms of finding the little bunny dissipated. Rarity appeared to be visibly relieved that she didn't have to trek through the woods after all. All that dirt was no good for a coat as brilliant as hers, after all!

The others assured Fluttershy that it was no issue, and they were beginning to discuss turning their emergency get together into a simple meeting for tea when Angel began to act up. Sigh. He never had an off switch.

He would not stop tugging on Fluttershy's arm. She ignored him for several minutes before picking him up and softly scolding him. He wants more? Alright then, four weeks!

"Angel, that's enough. You already made me disturb the girls today. No more. Go to the time out corner and think about what you've done."

Angel would have none of it, though. He pointed with his free forepaw towards the trees, and tugged at Fluttershy some more. Her mask of stoicism began to melt when she saw the horror etched on the rabbit's face.

When she didn't respond right away however he was hoping she would, he just moved on to Pinkie. Then Twilight, then Applejack, Rarity, and finally Rainbow Dash. He would not stop pointing at the trees.

"I think he wants us to go with him back into the Everfree," said Twilight. "Angel, the Everfree is dangerous. I know you've seen timberwolves before!"

Five weeks.

Angel smacked his forehead, and then began to run towards the trees before beckoning them again.

Fluttershy got the feeling again. She could feel it in her gut. Something was either injured or sick in the trees. A helpless animal. It was the feeling of hair standing on end and dense foreboding. She knew. Something was very very wrong.

One hoof slowly moved towards the trees and the tunnel vision took over. Suddenly nothing else existed. It was as if she were in a trance. Another hoof moved forward.

Yes, something was definitely wrong. She just didn't know for sure what it was, but she was going to find out. Even if it did for some reason turn out to be nothing, she wouldn't feel right until she checked for herself.

Her heart skipped a beat and she let out a gasp. No. Nononononono.

She took off like a shot towards the trees with Angel, her friends clamoring after her in confusion.

In the distance, what sounded like a colt screamed. It was all the incentive they needed to double time their sprinting.

End of Chapter

Author's Note

Thank you for purchasing this Early Access story and supporting the development of it as it becomes a completed journey. Your ~~money~~ feedback and support is important to us and we will forever be grateful.

This is, unfortunately, where the arc of the story you paid for ends. To continue reading, please pay $4.99. Hurry up for your discounted price of 0% off!

The story will continue free of charge. How was my early access impersonation?

Chapter 10n

Link knew as soon as he saw the pack of wooden wolves.

They were all as big as the one he felled before. He wondered if he had killed an omega, and these were its pack mates. Did wooden wolves even have pack mates? Were they related to deku scrubs?

Link had many questions but no way to answer them. He knew that he was going to fall here. If they were normal sized wolves, he might be okay, but they were huge both in body and in number.

A thought bubbled to the surface of his mind. He knew well a destructive spell that cast a bubble of holy flames all around the caster. The spell would be more than enough to burn up the wolves, and the rabbit was close enough to him to be spared the wrath of the flames if he could maintain control.

He gave his head a shake. He wouldn't dare use such a spell in the forest. Even if his magic flowed properly in the chaos, he didn't want to risk causing a forest fire. As a Kokiri, to bring harm to the woods was a mortal sin. Link could tell that were he to use any of his spells in the forest, the chaotic magic that flowed through these trees would be enough to rob him of control. The odds were excellent that he would kill all of the wooden wolves, but also all of the trees in the vicinity, himself, and any wildlife unfortunate enough to be in the area at the time. That meant he couldn't so much as use his few enchanted arrows, let alone his more powerful spells. With magic like that in the woods now, each magical attack that he used would either fail completely or go completely out of control.

He wondered how Ganondorf would have fared in this situation. Before he became the evil tyrant, Ganondorf was known as an extremely talented wizard who could not only control his spells in the worst situations, but could also rob control of other spells that may be used against him. Link believed that Ganondorf would survive this fight. Curious, to say the least. The one that Link felled would survive an onslaught by the ones Link himself would be felled by.

It would make an excellent song.

Link was kicking himself. Before he even left his home for this trip he paused in his doorway and looked at the closet in which he kept the equipment he found on his previous adventures. Something was telling him that it would probably be a good idea to bring more with him than his blade, shield, instruments, bow and arrows. It would be quite uncomfortable for him to have to carry everything plus all of his masks (he really had trust issues when it came to his fellow Kokiri), but he would at least be able to protect himself from most threats.

He recalled taking a step towards his closet to retrieve his equipment, but he ultimately turned around then and ignored his gut feeling. Now his apathy would cost him. If he brought his hookshot with him, he would simply be able to escape up the trees or the cliff behind him. But noooo.

He had to get down to brass tacks: he wasn't going to get out of this fight. But he was going to do the honorable thing: go down swinging and when he succumbed, his remains would become one with the forest. Such was the way of the dead Kokiri.

Link looked at the rabbit next to him, who was visibly shaking and attempting to eat its forepaws in pure anxiety, and Link decided that it did not need to die too, especially after he granted it a sudden stay of execution. He had a single deku nut left in his pocket- in addition to being snacks that never went bad, they could blind and disorient enemies when smacked into the ground with enough force. If he could blind the creatures, the rabbit could at least get away. Heaven knew rabbits were very quick when they wanted to be. Far quicker than Link ever was, for sure.

As if reading his mind, the rabbit covered its eyes with its ears, awaiting the end. Link had his chance.

Crack!

The wolves yelped in surprise and stumbled about. The rabbit peeked out from under its ears in curiosity.

"Run!" Link ordered, and the rabbit didn't need to be told twice. It took off into the trees behind the wolves faster than the Gorman Brothers' blind dates.

He let a ghost of a smile trace his lips. At least the rabbit was safe-ish. The question was, could it get back to its burrow without being preyed upon? He hoped so. Perhaps it could find its way to Saria somehow? He found himself uttering a prayer to the Goddesses, beseeching them to allow him a small miracle: If the rabbit could find his bones and bring Saria's ocarina back to her, he would rest in peace. He knew the odds of such a miracle actually occurring were slim at best, but he had to hope. It was one thing he did best. Link hoped every morning before his awakening as the Hero of Time for a fairy to call his very own. He hoped then to be accepted by the ones around him as an equal. He hoped to put an end to the suffering brought upon the greater area by a man of darkness. He hoped to find Navi again when she left.

He hoped for some form of salvation, be it his life being saved or his spirit being rested. Link did not wish to see Hades again.

He recalled stories told to him by Tatl when he was in Termina; stories of small forces taking on much larger armies. From the legendary Garos to the Ikana warriors, Terminian history was dotted with legendary final stands in the face of overwhelming odds. However, Link also knew that those stories did not make the history books because the little guys won.

They were remembered because the little guys fought well before they died.

Link drew his sword as the effects of the deku nut began to wear off. By the time the beasts had righted themselves again, he had already taken one out at the leg and damaged its barrel. It let out a yowl of intense pain, but quickly righted itself. Link brought up his shield and eyed them all coldly.

He was going to die tonight, but he was determined to make it hell for his killers.

End of Chapter

Author's Note

"Bah! Bother, bother. I'm busy!"
"I am currently on the job. If I stop to talk, it will disrupt my schedule."
"You've met with a terrible fate, haven't you?"
"You know how you've got the six piece nuggets? Could I just get four nuggets? Take two of the nuggets and throw them away. I'm just feeling a four nugget thing here."

Chapter 1ne+1ne= 11

Link let out a loud scream as he hit the dirt again, only to roll under his shield to protect himself once more. It was just as he figured. The wolves intended to overpower and destroy him with numbers and size, which were supported by their regenerative properties. That was just what they did.

He could no longer tell how many he was up against. They all looked almost identical, though Link couldn't tell if it was due to blood loss or nature simply being unoriginal.

Ah, speaking of blood loss...

He struggled to keep his shield in place while the wolf did what it could to rend it free of his grip, or otherwise destroy him. His eyes wandered to his left thigh, where a chunk of meat had been torn loose. He could see his femoral artery pulsing freely. It was dumb luck that it was not ruptured. Had it been, he would have bled out in minutes.

Not that his current predicament was much better.

That is not to say that he did not make good on his promise to make a last stand. Link managed to down two of the wolves through clever use of a rare mask and his blade, and a third was critically injured, seemingly past its regenerative abilities.

For whatever reason, the wolves took pause for a moment when he gazed at them from behind the mystical mask of the Sheikah, the Mask of Truth. He noticed their gaze locking onto it on his belt- he'd been keeping it handy in case there were any Gossip Stones he could gain direction from. They would not halt their attacks outright, but something about it caused a hesitation that lasted long enough for Link to dispatch two of them permanently and mangle a third to the point of near paralysis.

Then it was knocked from his face and into the brush. He pondered while doing what he could to free his shoulder from one of the wolves what might happen if he used his Stone Mask, but that particular mask was near the bottom of his pack.

He paused a moment while the offending beast took reel and looked upon his new shoulder injury, then his leg again. Even if he successfully fought off the beasts, with his femoral exposed like it was, it was just a matter of time before infection set in and killed him.

Was this predicament enough to warrant using... that? It would certainly possess enough power to see him the victor, and his wounds would suddenly become a moot point. He managed to control its dark power during his fight with Majora. Perhaps...

He shook his head. No. It was true the mask had untold power and he managed to keep himself and it under control when he did battle Majora, but it was still too much of a threat. He would not bring its nonsense to Hyrule any more than he had to.

His eyes widened. He was going to die here. He knew that. Then what of his masks? Should someone stumble upon his bones down the line and discover the masks, what was stopping them from looting the worst ones? Who would stand up to them when granted untold power?

His simple answer was it would be better if he did not die.

And yet it looked like things would be ending that way. Link could barely stand any longer let alone swing his blade, and there were still what equated in his head to an army of the wolves left. Link scowled.
"You're messing with something that you can't comprehend," he whispered. They made up the first complete sentence uttered by the boy since his return from Termina months prior.

The wolves did not pay mind. They only doubled their attacks, sensing that he was nearing death and victory was at hand. Link stole a glance at his shield. This attack alone proved enough to cause serious damage to it. The paint was all but removed and the scratches and dents were becoming a real issue. Perhaps it was better if he died, then? It would save him from having to pay a smith to repair his shield for him.

Link was again knocked to the dirt. This time, he was only able to struggle to his knees again. Darkness was invading his vision and everything felt like it was spinning. He could swear he heard female voices speaking, but he did not understand what they were saying. Perhaps the angels had a different language?

The ground itself felt as though it gave way beneath him and he was floating. This must've been it. He must have finally succumbed. Something was strange, though. He could not see his body anywhere beneath him. Come to think of it, why was he floating to one side as opposed to straight up? Did his sense of direction get so mekked1 up that his spirit couldn't find heaven anymore? Or was he going to the other place instead?

Whatever it was, it had to wait. The darkness took over his vision entirely. Just before it did, however, he could swear he saw a brightly colored smudge.

Fluttershy was quick when she wanted to be. The issue was, she never really wanted to be.

Things changed, however, under special circumstances.

If someone was hurting her friends or being mean enough to them, she knew how to simply stare them into submission. Fluttershy was capable of being very scary. You don't make it to Lieutenant Colonel without being tough on occasion, after all.

If an animal was in danger? She would throw caution to the wind and do what was necessary to help them.

As such, she was actually rivaling Rainbow Dash in speed right now, though that was mainly due to her running. Dash was impossibly fast in the air, but nothing to really write home about on the ground.

"Rainbow Dash- I mean, Fluttershy, what in heaven's name has gotten into you?" called Rarity, who was doing an impeccable job of dodging every branch in the trees as they ran.
"Animal! Hurt! Maybe scared! Sick!" she called behind her.
The others fell silent and joined her in quiet determination. Fluttershy loved animals with all her heart and she could use a hoof right now. That was suddenly all that mattered.
They could hear the telltale barking of Timberwolves in the distance. Fluttershy began to pick up speed, and she disappeared into the brush ahead.
"Fluttershy, no!" called Twilight. "Come on, everypony! Kick it into high gear!"
The others did not need to be asked twice. They began running as fast as they could, and they cut through the brush as well.

Fluttershy was unharmed. That was the good news. The timberwolves did not seem to be paying her any mind yet.

The same could not be said of the creature they were attacking. There were four of them. For a moment Twilight wondered if it was a dragon they were attempting to kill- she could see a bit of green in the mess of stick monsters and knew it was a fairly common color in the scales of dragons. The theory was put to bed when she saw the shine of what seemed to be a metal shield.

A tiny green hat lay in the dirt before her. Pinkie was investigating an eerie white and red mask just next to her. Could this have been a guard that was being attacked? A pony?

The wolves cleared up a bit just long enough for them to see something they had never seen before. It looked almost like a minotaur runt, but had smoother facial features and no fur on its clothed body but for its head. It was mangled to say the least. One of its hind legs had muscle missing down to the bone. The sounds it was making suggested it was young. Very young.

Too young for this to be its fate.

"What the hay is that thing?" asked Rainbow in barely a whisper. "An alien?"
Fluttershy said nothing, instead choosing to begin walking towards the chaos in front of her.
"Fluttershy, what are you doing?" asked Applejack cautiously. The wolves had not noticed them yet.
"Alien or no alien, it needs us," said Fluttershy. "We would be failing our duties as Elements of Harmony if we left it."
"What if it is some kind of monster?" said Rarity in just above a whisper. Fluttershy gave her friends a look.
"Then we will deal with it then. Come on, girls!"
With that, she dove into the fray. The timberwolves let out a few shrieks of surprise at the intruder. Dash was quick to follow. Twilight took a few steps forward too.
"She's right. Alien or no alien, we can't leave it to the timberwolves. You know what will happen if they win. Another will join their pack."
It was all the incentive the others needed to join in.

The goal was not to destroy the timberwolves. It was simply to get the creature out and to safety. Fluttershy had dealt with bad injuries before, but only rarely as bad as what the creature sustained. She wondered how in Equestria she would manage.

For now, the focus was getting the creature free and clear, and it was a success. Fluttershy also noted with surprise that the being wielded weaponry, namely a sword, shield, and a bow. She even saw a slingshot on its belt. The creature must have been young then.

It was small too. Barely up to her barrel if it was standing, she guessed.

She did not mind the blood seeping into her coat. It had happened before when she helped animals and she suspected that it would happen again. She only hoped not with this creature.

It was decided while they retreated out of the forest that Twilight, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash would go find Zecora and ask her to come to Fluttershy's cottage to help with the wounded animal. Fluttershy, Rarity, Angel and Pinkie Pie would focus on getting the creature free and safe.

Pinkie seemed to coo gently when she looked at it. The itty bitty thingy had passed out.

"Don't worry, little fella. Fluttershy will get you all better very soon. Then you can play with your itty bitty masks again!" she chirped.

Yes, the masks. The creature had quite a few of them in its rucksack. Perhaps it enjoyed them. Pinkie could only reason that the one she found in the dirt was its as well. She was responsible for carrying the bag full of masks. Rarity was carrying what they figured was its hat, as well as its shield and sword.

Fluttershy was going to do her very best to help the creature. She just didn't know for sure if it would be enough.

End of Chapter

Author's Note

1- Kokiri slang for "messed."

How come schizophrenic people never hear things like, "Oh, call your mom for her birthday"?

Seriously. It's always, "Kill your neighbor."
Also, is this chapter enough to warrant use of the Gore tag? Or can I skate by without it?
One more thing: Since when did Fluttershy get a leg to stand on?

Twelbe

Zecora and Fluttershy worked on it throughout the night, but there was only so much to be done with a creature that they knew so little about.

The wound on his leg was critical and they were forced to consider amputation for a while. It was an idea neither of them favored. Zecora refused to use any of her brews on him for fear of causing further complications. This was an alien creature they were confident in labeling as not native to Equestria. Who knew what would happen if they used her solves?

It wasn't until Twilight Sparkle ran a magic scan on his body that they were able to do much else other than make him comfortable.

Her magic scan may have saved his life. The thaumatic energy signature over his body was slightly weaker than the magic energy of Equestria, but it was still strong enough to permit the use of magical remedies without worrying about complications. Twilight would end up assisting the two by using a transmutation spell to turn Zecora's brews into magical treatments for the boy.

And yes. Upon removing his clothes to check for further wounds, it was quite apparent that he was male.

The first thing they worked on was his leg, which required thorough cleaning before an additional regenerative spell for the lost tissue. Twilight's magic would not heal the boy completely, but it would at the very least help the tissue over his femoral artery to recover. He would be left with a limp and a terrible scar on his leg for the rest of his life, but that was still his most threatening injury taken care of. For good measure they heavily bandaged it up.

"He's nearly all in, the poor little colt. Why was he not accompanied by an adult?" asked Zecora.
"We don't know," answered Twilight. "Fluttershy's bunny led us to him."
She sent a small smile to Fluttershy. "You have a regular Lassie, Fluttershy."
"That show certainly rings a bell. Had he only been stuck inside a well."
Twilight's smile faded. "If only. This would be simpler then. Let's move on to the next wound, shall we?"
Fluttershy nodded. "Let's!"
She found her hoof tracing along a faded scar on one side of his mane line. Another scar on one side of his neck stood out too. Were those teeth marks?
She let out a quiet "Eep!" and felt the fangs in her mouth. She wasn't a vampony, she swore. They were just canine teeth!
"Let's," she repeated softly.

The first thing Link noted when he came to again was a pounding headache and a great thirst. Strange, that shouldn't happen if you're dead. Wasn't it supposed to be perpetual peace or damnation?
Oh.

He felt anger rising up within him. He had fought for and saved Hyrule and Termina from terrible fates. Was that not enough to grant him his rest in paradise?

The next thing he noticed was the chattering of several voices nearby. All female, from what he could tell. None of them were speaking a lick of Hylian, however. He couldn't make a word out, but he had a good feeling they were talking about him. Call him vain.

They were glad that he was alive. It wasn't certain if he would make it through the night at first. If he did, his odds were good. As it stood, he survived the night. The alien creature certainly had a lot of fight in him.

Now the question remained what to do with him, and whether he could be trusted. They didn't even know for certain his age, let alone what an adult of his species was considered. For all they knew he was an elder.

Fluttershy was at his defense whenever something about him was questioned. Angel had told her after they returned from the Everfree that the creature was hunting for food and nearly hunted him, but spared him. It was as if the creature simply mistook the bunny for something else.

Additionally, Angel insisted that he did some sort of trick to blind the timberwolves temporarily and allowed for his escape. As far as Fluttershy was concerned, the alien had proven himself to be benevolent. As far as Angel was concerned, he owed his near hunter a priceless gift. It was purely for saving him from the timberwolves, mind you. He definitely wasn't afraid of the alien and questioning what possessed him to get the others to aid him.
It absolutely wasn't that.

Okay, it was a little of that.

Also as far as Fluttershy was concerned, Angel was still grounded for five weeks, but that's neither here nor there. The bottom line was, nothing would be done until it was established what he was doing there.

Applejack, being the Element of Honesty, could tell when somepony was lying, though she claimed that it was not magic but simple observation that allowed her to do that. An eye for liars ran in the Apple family. So, the simple fix would be to talk with the creature and figure out what it was doing there.

The question was if he could even speak. If he could, who was to say he knew Equish? As much as they hated to admit it, Fluttershy had a point: right now all they could do was hurry up and wait until he opened his eyes.

Needless to say, Rainbow Dash was not thrilled.

"This stinks. We have a real live alien lying here in your cottage, and we have to sit around waiting for it to wake up. Can't it open its eyes any faster?"
Fluttershy shook her head patiently. "You saw his injuries, Rainbow. We need to give his body and mind some time to heal. He will not wake up until he is ready."
Rainbow sagged. "Hmph. Yeah, I guess I shouldn't blame it for what the timberwolves did. Stupid creatures."
"He, Rainbow Dash."
She raised an eyebrow. "I don't think it particularly cares right now if I use its preferred pronoun."
Fluttershy smiled, which Dash returned.
"Regardless, she is right Rainbow. This creature is male and you would do well to begin referring to him as such."
Twilight took a few steps towards her. "After all, you wouldn't want to embarrass yourself in front of an alien, would you?" she winked.
"It's a legal alien!" chirped Pinkie. "And I betcha it doesn't even speak Spanish!"

Though she didn't mention it to her friends, Pinkie had been beset upon by her Pinkie Sense once more. It was no doozy this time. Rather, it was adamant that there was somepony who needed a hug from her. She had a good feeling it was the alien, but it had been triggered by several others in passing as well. Maybe it was just time to give everypony a hug?
Behind the pink ball of fluff, the creature began to stir. Everypony sans Pinkie gasped when they saw it moving one of its hands towards its forehead.

Pinkie, impossibly quickly, darted over to his bedside, looming directly over him. She wanted to be the first pink he saw since he woke up! There was no way this could possibly go wrong.

Link's first real glimpse of the ponies left something to be desired.

When he finally managed to open his eyes again, his view was obstructed by roughly 90% pink. The other 10% were big blue eyes.
Big.

Everything about the pink one was big. She was plump, sure, but huge in comparison to Link! He would have to look up to her even when he was full grown.

Also, having your vision obstructed by a pretty plump pink pony that had no regard for personal space after recovering from a comatose state was not the best way to wake up. Link instinctively drew back into the bedding, earning low protests of pain from his body.

He heard the female voices again, as well as clopping on a hardwood floor, and looked to the source.

There were five more of them. Five more ginormous equine like creatures. Two resembling unicorns, and two resembling pegasi from what he could tell. One more did not have wings or a horn, but it was wearing a hat that reminded him a lot of Malon. He missed Malon.

They began to pull the pink personal space invader away from him, but the damage was done. His eyes rolled back in his head and he fainted again.

"Oh, come on!" complained Rainbow Dash.
"Pinkie Pie, what were you thinking? I would react the same way if you did that to me!" said Rarity.
Pinkie frowned a little. "I didn't mean to scare him. I just wanted to make sure he was okay."
Her grin quickly returned. "Also, remember my doozy from a few weeks ago?"
The others were silent for a few moments, and their eyes widened. They looked over at the once more unconscious alien, and then back at a very smug looking Pinkie Pie.
"Told ya so!"
End of Chapter

Author's Note

I don't see what the big deal is. Just push his eye and rub his belly, and eventually he'll just reset.

Wait, that's Steve Jobs. Yeah, Link is screwed.

Your One Stop Shop For All Things Pant or Slack

Link did not open his eyes again until the next morning. For a moment, he wondered if everything he had experienced was a dream. Sometimes he still wondered if he was going to awaken one day in his home in the Kokiri Village to find that everything he thought had happened was really just a crazy dream.

It stirred in his thoughts. He wasn't sure if he would be glad of that twist or saddened by it. On one hand, it would mean he never actually killed anyone. On the other, however, it would mean that he was still the loser without the fairy that even the Great Deku Tree did not often talk to. Though, to be fair, the Great Deku Tree was not known for socializing.

He knew in the moment that this was real, even if it was a dream. He was experiencing it now, and that was what mattered. Gathering what little strength he possessed, Link sat up a bit and looked around.

He was situated in some kind of foyer, but it was huge. He felt as though he was a fairy, and he wondered if this was how Navi felt when she saw the home of a Kokiri or Hylian for the first time. Link wasn't as small as Navi by comparison to the furnishings of the room, but there was a jug of water near the ginormous couch he was set up on that Link doubted he could lift very easily.

It was strange. The room was of a house that appeared to be well lived in, but also very welcoming. The air was quite pleasant; a far cry from the humidity Link was enduring in the woods. Link felt like he was welcome here, but at the same time he felt quite uncomfortable. Was this perhaps the cottage whose door he knocked on shortly before the attack?

His mind flashed back to his fight and near death, and his eyes widened. His masks! If someone bad got ahold of them.... what if his mysterious benefactor had gotten to them? Speaking of, just who helped him in the first place? He had a dream that multicolor giant horses had been in the room with him, but that was just ridiculous.

Link relaxed slightly when he saw the rucksack full of masks laying at the opposite side of the couch. He flinched a bit when his eye caught the mask of Majora at the top. Though its power was dormant and the evil goddess within slept once more, Link could still feel the hatred and contempt the entity had for him. The only thing protecting him was the lack of a host for Majora to exact revenge with.

Link looked down at his torso. His tunic was gone and his body was heavily bandaged. It looked as though the bandages were fresh, because he saw no blood staining them. He did not bother to look at his mangled leg. He couldn't even feel it and had assumed it was removed. Really it had just fallen asleep. Hey, nobody said Link was smart.

The only thing Link could do right now was concern himself with his well being. His throat was dry and parched. What he would give to be able to reach that jug and drink from it! Instead, however, he was going to have to make do with looking around for a cup of some kind. All while lying on the couch.

Sigh. Perhaps he could call for help? He couldn't very well walk in this condition. Now that he thought about it, raising his voice would do him little good. He was just too thirsty and also talking wasn't something he particularly liked to do. He'd been mistaken for a mute on a few occasions.

Link's eyes rested on the jug of water again and he frowned, attempting to just will a cup into existence. The cup did not come to him, but something else did.

He heard what sounded like the clopping of hooves and humming of a woman echo through the house and his blood ran cold. Instantly he was recalling his dream. It... was a dream, wasn't it?

The humming ceased with a gasp, as did the clopping. In the doorway to another room, Link saw what he thought was a huge pegasus again.

Neither of them said a word at first. Somewhere, off in the distance, a wolf howled. As if responding, the pegasus took in a breath and seemed to smile gently at him.
"Taj lah1."

Dear Princess Celestia,
I hope this letter finds you well, especially with the festival coming up. Are you sure you don't need me to schedule anything for you? I know parking in Manehattan is a nightmare. Well, not a nightmare like your sister was--

Twilight groaned and crumbled up the sheet of paper. Try again. She may have been tough to anger, but Princess Celestia's wrath was something better left unwitnessed. Even Queen Chrysalis shivered under her glare.

Dear Princess Celestia,

I hope this letter finds you well. I know the festival can be a cause for some stress, and my friends and I are sending all our thoughts and well wishes to you. How is Princess Luna doing? Spike misses you both and wants me to bring him along next time I see you. Would that be okay?

I'm not just writing for personal talk, unfortunately. We (my friends and I) found something in the Everfree not too far from Zecora's house. It was being accosted by timberwolves and was nearly killed. We don't really know what it is, but we do know that it is sentient, and not a pony. Or if it is a pony, it's horribly deformed.

Fluttershy, Zecora and I worked on its injuries after we managed to get it away from the timberwolves, and I will include all the information we do have right now about it:
-It is male.
-It has very fine fur on its arms and legs, but none anywhere else but a mane on its head.
-It seems to be youthful, but we do not know the life expectancy and so it could very well be of any age bracket.
-It was clothed.
-It was heavily armed with a sword, a shield, a bow, and a bone knife.
-It carried a large rucksack full of unusual masks.
-It is tiny.

We know very little beyond what I have listed. Fluttershy is watching over it now while it recovers, but we are unsure if it speaks or, if it does, what language it speaks. The odds of it knowing Equish are extremely low, so I humbly request your presense as soon as possible to discuss this creature in better detail. As well, perhaps we can also have some tea and cookies afterwards if you can spare some time.

I look forward to a prompt response, but I request that you send it through any means other than the conventional. Spike is sick right now and I don't want him to have to... you know.
Love, Princess Twilight Sparkle.

P.S Please tell Princess Luna I said thank you for the moon cake recipe. Spike loves them and they knock him out quickly when he can't sleep.

Twilight read, re-read, and re-re-read the letter to ensure it was ready to send. She wasn't going to bother Spike with this one. His flu was just too much right now and he needed his rest. Besides, Twilight learned a new spell for this very purpose: it emulated Spike's dragon fire and would send the letter wherever Twilight wanted it to go. If she could do this herself, it would mean one less thing for her number one assistant to have to worry about. Perhaps this would also mean he wouldn't have to regurgitate scrolls soon!

She smiled and shut her eyes. All she had to do was imagine the castle, and she could toss the scroll into the wormhole she'll have opened!

She probably should have kept her eyes open. The thaumatic signature of this new spell was almost identical to a fire spell. Needless to say, Twilight ended up getting her wires crossed and accidentally burned up the scroll.

She blinked. Did that really just happen? Without even realizing it, Twilight began to ready another piece of paper. Sigh.

Dear Princess Celestia...
End of Chapter

Author's Note

HAAAY YOU GUYS IT'S CAPTAIN APPLE MAN--
1- "Good morning."

Fourteen, Chapter

Before Link ever left the forest, he had never seen a horse before.

He was raised to believe that horses were rare but sacred animals, for they perfectly embodied what the Kokiri admired most about nature- pure, unbridled freedom.

When he saw his first horse, he was in awe. That was at Navi's prodding and it occurred after his first visit to what was known simply as Castle Town. He met a girl only a year older than he was named Malon, and she got to talking at him about where she came from: a ranch not too far from town. When Link heard she took care of the horses, his eyes lit up.

So, naturally Navi decided his quest could wait a day or so and had him change course to meet the amazing animal for the first time. That was the same day he met Epona.

The horses he met then were nothing like what the creature in front of him was though. It was a butter colored pegasus with a pink mane and the kindest eyes he had ever seen in his life.

"Po ketch se la les, sera?1"

Link was also reasonably confident the horses he knew did not have an apparent language. Nothing like what this huge pegasus was using, at least.

The pegasus took a few steps towards him, and he felt his muscles try to tense up. He took a few deep breaths to try and keep himself relaxed. If this creature wished to harm him, it probably would have done so already.
"Esi, esi2..."

Link did not know where his weapons now were on the off chance he had to defend himself. He was too weak to get his masks, and they were literally just a few feet away from him!

He was put a bit at ease when the pegasus seemed to pick up on his emotions, for she let out a quiet "Eep" and stopped.

She pointed at the jug of water with one hoof, then at him. "Arkaloola?3"

Link stared silently. The pegasus held the hoof near her mouth and pantomimed gulping down a cup of something.
Ah.
He nodded hesitantly. She smiled gently, and took a step towards the other room again.
"Un seka.4"

Link watched as the pegasus entered the other room, his eyes wide. He really had done it, hadn't he? He actually escaped the Lost Woods! He only had to nearly die to do it, but it was better than being cursed and mugged.

Well, on second thought...

Link's eyes wandered to the coffee table in front of the couch he was set up on. He could see both of his ocarinas. He frowned when he saw a crack in the one his best friend had given him. Provided it was not too deep, he figured he could fix it with proper adhesive.

He barely had to spare a look at the Ocarina of Time. So long as it was there was all that mattered to him. Link figured that the Ocarina of Time was completely indestructible. He accidentally left it on a seat that was then taken by a very large Goron gentleman, so he figured if being sat on by an especially large rock person didn't break it, nothing would. So far he was correct.

His eyes wandered up when he began to notice a creeping feeling; the feeling he would get when someone was watching him...

...and it suddenly felt like someone had punched him in the gut. It was the rabbit he nearly killed that was eyeing him with a mix of caution and relief.

Link just felt awful. He had come very close to hunting what must have been a pet of some kind. Had it gone and fetched him help when he was attacked? If that were the case, Link knew then just how close he came to death. Had he loosed his arrow, no help would have come, and he would have died.

A dark voice in the back of his mind wondered if maybe that would have been the better thing to occur. It was the sad part of his mind that was perpetually depressed after everything he had seen in his young life. Link did all he could to fight it, though. He never let the depressing thoughts rule his mind. When he felt too sad to go out, he got up and went out anyway. When he felt like crying, he would laugh instead. When he felt no interest in the world around him, he would clean. Link was not particularly intelligent when he first arrived in this new land, but he did know one thing well, and that was how to fight, because when you're going through hell, you should keep going.

In the other room, the pegasus was humming softly.

Twilight loved writing, especially to Princess Celestia. The Sun Princess was like a second mother to her and was always good for a conversation.

She smiled a bit while she continued to re-write her letter. Once, when she was a few years younger, Twilight was sitting in on court with Celestia just to the side of her throne. It was a typical day up until the end, when she called one of the last petitioners to the stand. It was a filly that couldn't have been more than six years old.

So, of course, Celestia smiled warmly. "Welcome, little one. What is your reason for coming to court today?"
Twilight could not recall the filly's name, but she remembered what happened next. She reached out with a math book.
"I need help. I can't figure number three out. Can you help me?"
Celestia's guards were well acquainted with her soft spot for foals, and so they did not move to dismiss the child. Shocking absolutely nopony in the room, Celestia got off her throne and approached.
"Well, what's the question?"
"Forty four and twenty-two."
Celestia smiled. "Wow! That's a tough one. But you're a smart filly, so how about we try this: What does four plus two equal?"
The filly concentrated hard. "Six?"
Celestia nodded. "Very good. Now, what does four plus two equal?"
The filly eyed her in confusion. "Six."
Celestia nodded again. "Now, what does forty four plus twenty two equal?"
The filly looked dejected. "I don't know."
Celestia booped her nose. "Yes, you do. You just told me."
Twilight, to her credit, did not jump in and scream the answer in the filly's face, though she really wanted to.
Fortunately, the light came on in the child's head, and she grinned. "Sixty six!"
Celestia applauded. "Very good, my little pony."

The child gave Celestia a hug for her help before her parents finally caught up to her, took her back, and begged Celestia's forgiveness. The Princess told them the child had done no wrong, and was welcome any time.

When Twilight finally returned from her musings, the re-written letter was completed. Sure, she shaved a few of the pleasantries from it, but it still said what it needed to say. Now to send it. She powered up her horn, focused her magic, and...
"Twiiiiiiillliiiiiiiight!" called a certain young drake from another room.

His call startled her enough to accidentally burn the letter to a crisp. This time was different though. You ever have one of those days where you're trying to send a letter to the sun goddess, and you accidentally send it into an active volcano instead?

No? Just Twilight?

With a growl, Twilight got yet another piece of paper ready, and then went to tend to the young drake. And possibly send him into the volcano too. She hadn't decided yet.
End of Chapter

Author's Note

Little known fact: Friends are like balloons. If you stab them, they die.

1- How did you sleep, strange one?
2- Easy, easy.
3- Thirsty/Water
4- One moment

Leave blank for auto-named chapter

Nobody could deny that Link saw a lot in his young life. He was familiar with the use of a blade since he was around 5 years old. He was far from perfect, mind you- he'd been bested several times in his life, though each time was at the hands of a friendly who he was sparring with. Saria was terrific with the bow but trained him in swordplay too, Darunia was masterful at blocking and taught him to use his shield as a weapon, and Malon was borderline unstoppable when it came to archery and swordplay on horseback.

He'd seen a lot. It even surprised Majora when Link betrayed little in terms of shock at her apparent possession of the Skull Kid. He didn't even hesitate when she fled to the Moon. He simply followed.

Link's mind was currently on hold, however. Something broke in that dome of his and he couldn't quite figure out anything that was going on right now.

He saw no sign of any Kokiri, Hylians, Gorons, or Zora that may occupy this house, and there were telltale signs for any of them- Kokiri kept a lot of simple weapons made of bone in their homes to demonstrate their hunting prowess, Hylians were known for being finicky about their decor and would always decorate with the nicest pottery they could, Gorons kept rocks literally everywhere, and Zoras mainly lived in the water.

In other words, the only sign of intelligence he found so far was that of the rabbit and the pegasus. That meant that the house probably belonged to one or both of them. Judging by the rabbit's keeping him company while the pegasus straightened up and moved stuff around, the home probably belonged to the enormous equine.

Link swallowed, though he had no saliva left. Everything in this house was huge compared to him. It made him feel insignificant.

The pegasus was babbling in her nonsensical language here and there, but was using few words from what he could tell. It seemed like she was cleaning up for his sake, though the room honestly did not need too much in the way of cleaning. He didn't want to make reference to the water again because he feared being considered rude, and also he wasn't entirely sure she was asking if he was thirsty in the first place. Perhaps the gulping pantomime was this culture's way of saying "It is a pleasure to have you"? Maybe it's the complete opposite and turned out to be a grievous insult?

In reality, she was just making sure the dust was under control in the room, lest it aggravate his wounds. She would feel just awful if something like that happened.

Also, she was pretty confident she had a bottle in the room somewhere and wasn't certain where she left it. But mostly the dust thing, darn it!

The pegasus appeared to grin- grin at Link sheepishly. Link did not stare at her for too long. Where he was from, maintained eye contact like that was a challenge. The Kokiri were known to fight each other over it. It was okay to look at someone's eyes for a few moments, but stare too long and you might end up in an altercation you did not intend for. It was considered humble and polite for the Kokiri to avert their gazes from the eyes of anyone. The eyes contained the soul, and to stare into one's soul was very intrusive and downright rude.

Link was thirsty.

Fluttershy was perplexed.

The creature seemed to be going to great lengths to avoid looking at her. She knew she did not sleep much the night before, but did she really look so ragged? Perhaps she needed a spa day more than she realized.

She shook her head a bit to clear it. Maybe he was just shy or scared. She was quite a bit bigger than he was, and most of her furniture dwarfed him as well. She figured he needed time to get used to the size difference.

As with any other animal, Fluttershy resolved to crouch down and appear smaller to him when she fetched him water.

She looked down at the bottle in her hoof. It was the same one she used to feed many a baby animal in her care since she first arrived in Ponyville. She even fed Angel Bunny with it when he was a newborn.

She sighed sadly. Fluttershy had taken in Angel when he was too young to even open his eyes. His mother had died shortly after giving birth, and his siblings were living with other families. When it came time to give him up, however, Angel was beyond distraught and did not want to leave her. He threw tantrums and fits with any family that may have wanted him and calmed down only when he was allowed to stay with her. He could be really mean, but he did love Fluttershy and would do anything for her.

She gave her head a shake and looked at the creature and Angel. Angel seemed to be trying to get a staring contest out of him and the creature was again going to great lengths to avoid eye contact. She wanted to help him break that habit.

First, however, it would do if she could wash the bottle she was holding and give the poor creature the water it probably very much needed by now.

Link was amazed.

The pegasus was not using her mouth to hold the bottle. It was not being balanced on her back. It was not on a plate or anything of the sort.

She was actually holding it in her hoof, as if it were a piece of metal and her hoof was a magnet. Link wondered if Epona could ever be trained to do something like that. Probably not. Epona wasn't very bright.

His fascination was only further magnified when she appeared to pull the rubber nipple off the top of the bottle, leaving a cup for Link to sip from. She had hooves, not fingers or toes to work with!

Link eyed the glass with trepidation, but hesitantly took it from her. His fingers brushed against her hoof as he took the water and he could find no sign of anything helping her actually grip anything.

How far from home are you, Link?

Something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong.

The entirety of Ponyville was now in grave danger.

The entirety of Equus too, if something didn't change.

What was the horrid conflict that was looming?

Twilight was coming very close to having another episode. An episode on the level of "accidentally causing a mass riot because Princess Celestia did not receive a letter in almost 7 days."

It was funny, really, because this episode was about sending a letter to Celestia too. Only this one did not include a botched spell and a smelly old teddy bear that she was pretty sure Big Mac still possessed.
"<3, Twilight.
P.S. Plz thank Luna 4 moon cake recipe. Spike <3 them."

She grinned while an eye twitched. As if in response, thunder clapped outside. The skies had opened up not long before. She pitied anypony that had to be out there right now. But she had this. She was ready. She was calm. Everything was good. This was going to be okay.

She's got this. She does. No screwing up this time, Twilight. Third time is the charm and all that, forsaken grammar and spelling aside.

The letter was beginning to levitate now, and Twilight felt her heart soar. She was visualizing Celestia on her throne right now, and knew that this time the letter would not miss. Spike was sound asleep, she was as focused as Derpy's vision, and this was going down now.

It was about that moment that Rainbow Dash crashed through the window behind Twilight. The crash startled her enough that her levitation was interrupted, allowing a draft from the storm outside to grab ahold of the parchment and drag it out the now shattered window. It did not last very long against the rain.

Twilight turned her gaze to the dazed pegasus on the floor before her, forelegs spread in front of her and her rear in the air. She grinned sheepishly at Twilight, and gulped when she saw the fire in those eyes.

Twilight decided at that moment that Murphy could die in a fire.
End of Chapter

Author's Note

What? No, I don't take Ritalin anymore. Why do you ask?

In Which Link Gets Fed Up With My Bullshit And Names The Chapter Himself

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Fuck the what what number is this

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter 18

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*Friendship noises*

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Cleverly Disguised John Cena

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Chapter The This One

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Shaggy and Scooby always run away side by side when fleeing in terror from a monster. If a great dane's running speed is 30-40 mph then that means that Shaggy can run at the same speed. This means that Shaggy is the fastest human being alive, beating

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Mother is doing a good job at picking off all of Laine's friends, but is doing a rather shitty job at stopping Laine from cutting the mouth stitches, even though she can apparate around and it's imperative that Laine doesn't do that.

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Last Joint

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Chapter 5ive

Pinkie's proclamations were always right.

It was just the way of things. She was right because she was right. She was right because she was pink. She was pink because she was right and right is pink and pink is pink.

It made perfect sense.

Her proclamations always came true within minutes of being made, with a few exceptions (some took up to an hour!) A twitchy tail meant something was going to fall, and sure enough, something fell. Typically within five minutes.

A doozy, however, is just that: A doozy. How was Pinkie supposed to know when they would come true? She's not a miracle worker, after all! Some ponies, man.

The day she made the prediction ended with nothing out of the ordinary occurring, though ordinary is admittedly a stretch in Ponyville. The others were no less wary into the night, however. It would be just like a doozy to wait for them to fall asleep before it occurred.

Then the next day came without any sign of a mishap. Now a few eyebrows were raised. Pinkie insisted that her sense was on point, however, and the others remained wary.
Then two days passed.
Then three.

Then four. The others began to lose heart that she was right, and tried to convince her that maybe, just maybe, this was the one time her sense gave her a false alarm.

It was something Pinkie denied. Her Pinkie Sense was never wrong. It told her when Twilight would finally accept her sense, and Twilight was the most logical pony Pinkie knew! It even told her when Chuckie learned that his birth mom was gone, though she was not entirely sure who they were. She had made a feel better cake for him anyway and then promptly ate it.

Nonetheless, her friends had finally dismissed the doozy. Perhaps Pinkie simply mistook a random body spasm as one this time? It wouldn't be unusual. They happened to Derpy Hooves once every seven days.

None of them were aware of what was brewing so close to them.

Link liked to think that he saw a lot in his short life.

He dealt with a giant spider that was killing the deity of the woods, the Great Deku Tree from within. He killed a giant fire breathing lizard whose hide was nearly impenetrable until weakened by explosives. He fought some kind of amoeba that protected itself by countless jellyfish.

And that was just Mondays for him.

He dealt with almost every type of foe, from gelatinous blobs to the undead, from bats to his fellow man.

Almost every type of foe.

He never had to fight a giant wolf beast made from sticks before. And he certainly never fought a giant wolf beast made from sticks that would constantly regenerate itself.

He was just wandering the trees, and the creature leapt out at him. It was huge! The monster towered over his head. It must have been three times the size of Ganondorf, and when Link battled Ganondorf, he only came up to the man's chest. And that was when he had gone into the future and aged seven years!

The biggest advantage this wooden wolf had was its size.

The wooden wolf smashed its head into the dirt before it, attempting to rip Link to shreds, but Link was nothing if not agile. He rolled out of the way safely.

The biggest limitation the wooden wolf had was also its size. Link, being smaller and more nimble, was able to avoid the wolf's thrashing and smashing with relative ease. He would find openings then, and cut at the wolf. It was Link's typical M.O. when it came to dealing with tough threats- slowly and methodically attack and weaken the enemy until it succumbed.

And succumb the wooden wolf did. It eventually collapsed in a shower of twigs, but it quickly reformed itself and Link was back at square one.

He lost track of how long his battle with the monster was, but he was not known as the Hero of Time for nothing. Link found that slicing the sticks that made up the beast into mere splinters or fragments was enough to keep it from regenerating. However, ultimately stopping the beast for good took great effort, and while Link did not suffer serious injury in the fight, it did leave him with a few bumps and bruises.

Ultimately, when the monster collapsed for the final time into the dusty dirt underfoot, Link fell to his rear and caught his breath. He pulled a splinter out of an arm, and looked out at the expanse of trees again. Perhaps it was time to go home and re-arm himself.

He was not sure if he would ever find this area of the Lost Woods again, but he didn't want to bet his life on anything. Having collected himself, Link turned about, and set out. If he walked the wrong way long enough he would find Kokiri Village before he knew it. Such was the magic of the Lost Woods.

Just not the magic of the Everfree.
End of Chapter