Legend of Zelda: The Equestrian Hero

Rainbow Dash had flown to Ponyville, while Luna and Link traveled to the San Palomino Desert. Two days after the duo visited the desert, the rain stopped pouring. The endless acres of sand stretched into the distance. Link was vaguely reminded of the Gerudo Desert back in Hyrule, as the San Palomino Desert wasn't populated. It wasn't as if the Arbiter's Grounds or the Spirit Temple could reappear in this place. On the horizon, the canyons pointed into the clear blue sky. Where would the temple be? The air brimmed with heat. At least the Princess of the Night was using a cooling spell. He glanced at Luna, and she wore a faint grin. When they had met each other, he thought she would be like Midna. Well, no two princesses had the same personality. Back then, he hadn't been happy at the prospect of Midna leaving Hyrule for good.

Link replayed the scene in his mind. He hadn't liked Midna at first, but they had become close friends over the course of their journey. He considered Zelda as just a friend. Midna, however, could have been his love interest. But as the princess of the Twilight Realm, Midna had her own responsibilities and her own life. And considering Princess Luna... she had a gentle personality, and was as courageous as Midna would be. It wasn't that Zelda didn't have courage. Zelda was more of a wise diplomat and ruler. Of course, comparing the princesses would be like comparing oranges to apples. However, would his friendship with Luna end on a similar note to the way Midna had departed?

A shuffling noise interrupted Link's thoughts. Leevers and moldorms charged at him, and he levitated his shield. He directed a flurry of slashes and jabs. Luna unleashed a powerful blast at the creatures, then retrieved a map from her saddlebag. The scorching wind rippled through her star-studded mane. When the duo had chatted with Discord about temples, the draconequus seemed to know where each dungeon was located. To be fair, Discord had been around for a long time. Was there any history between Luna and Discord?

"We're getting closer," Luna said. "I have a feeling we wouldn't find Twilight Sparkle here. For all we know, she could be in the Frozen North. The weather in the north can be deadly." She stashed the map into her saddlebag. "Remember when Discord and I discussed the Crystal Heart?"

"Yes. Why?" Link replied.

"I think Sombra has stolen the Crystal Heart after breaking free from his prison. He is cunning and dangerous. Before Celestia and I defeated him, he governed the Crystal Empire with an iron hoof. He was a cruel tyrant. Under his rule, nopony was happy. They were oppressed. When the wrong pony is in power, the nation can suffer. As long as the Elements of Harmony are around, Sombra will never win."

"You did vanquish Chrysalis without using the Elements, though. By the way, Sombra sounds harsh."

"Chrysalis won't escape her prison for a while." Luna walked ahead. "Sombra is indeed a wicked stallion."

They meandered past the vibrant desert blooms, navigating the area. Time whizzed by as they held a conversation and exchanged stories. Link found himself gazing at Luna. If she was a Hylian maiden, what would she look like? Would she be as tall as Midna, or the same height as Zelda? Luna's eyes met his, and he turned his attention to the jagged canyons. A small chortle bubbled from Luna's lips.

"It's not every day that a stallion stares at my visage," Luna said.

"I was deep in thought," Link replied.

"I saw you gawking at me."

Link glimpsed an entrance to a temple. The yawning arch beckoned the duo into the temple. There was quicksand in the center of the room. He raced to a nearby platform. A cluster of fire keese swooped down at him and flapped their wings aggressively. He blocked their attack and swung his blade at them. The bats dropped into the sand. He continued toward a door, and Luna accompanied him. They strode through the entryway, finding themselves in another room. This one contained stone columns on both sides of the chamber. A pair of stalfos lunged at them. He parried the blows, then bashed the shield into both stalfos. A pot flew at him, and he ducked.

Link spied a set of levers in the corner of the room. A chest idled by the levers, and he approached. A beamos unleashed a fiery red pillar at him. He yanked a bow from his saddlebag and released an arrow at the beamos' eye. Green bubbles closed in on him, and he held up his shield. The bubbles bounced on the ground. He sliced their skulls, and they dissolved into dust.

Link opened the chest, revealing a note about the levers. He pushed the blue lever first, then the yellow one, and finally, the gray one. A hidden door slid into the right side of the arch. The duo proceeded into the adjacent corridor. In front of the inner balcony was a platform that hung from the ceiling. Stairs descended from the opposite sides of the balcony. He trotted downstairs. A group of moldorms leaped at him, but he stabbed them. He scanned the area and detected a floor switch. Disembodied squeaks, along with puffs of dust, alerted him to the possible presence of ghoul rats. Those things were a nuisance. He had dealt with them at Arbiter's Grounds and the Cave of Ordeals.

"Invisible rats?" Luna asked.

"They're called ghoul rats," Link replied. "I used to be able to transform into a wolf. As a wolf, I could see things that aren't visible."

"Mind if I use the sight spell again?" Luna stepped toward Link, and her horn glowed. "Here you go."

Luna shuddered. Did the ghoul rats latch onto her? Link retrieved a boomerang from his saddlebag and directed it at the invisible critters. The boomerang sent the rats plummeting into a nearby quicksand. He made his way to the floor switch, then depressed the switch into the ground. Steel bars retreated into the arch, unblocking a door. A spiraling staircase guided the duo into a dimly lit vault. Small skeletal bipeds surrounded them, then advanced. He widened his stance, readied his sword, and performed a huge spin attack. The skeletons crashed into a wall and shattered.

Meanwhile, Celestia cast a spell upon her mirror. So far, her sister hadn't been captured, or worse, murdered. Oh, and Ganondorf was incensed at the fact that Chrysalis wasn't returning. The former queen of the changelings deserved the banishment. A scene in Twilight's castle replaced the other one. Four of six Element bearers were freed; Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash. When Ganondorf had spoken to Sombra the other day, he allowed Sombra to keep the Crystal Empire. However, Sombra would have to obey Ganondorf. Those two were somewhat similar, though. At least they didn't let Tirek escape Tartarus. The spell halted, and the mirror darkened.

Celestia had observed the effects of Ganondorf's takeover. The citizens of Equestria hid inside their homes, and many of them were afraid to confront the monsters. The castle guards trembled whenever they were in the same room as Ganondorf. If anypony so much as said a negative word about him, he would send the innocent pony to prison. He hadn't locked her behind bars yet. She trotted to the throne room. As usual, the vile stallion lounged on the throne. He didn't deserve to be the ruler of Equestria. The royal sisters should be on the throne instead. Ganondorf was desperate for power, and he had gone low enough to usurp the righteous alicorns.

"You again..." Ganondorf muttered. "Here to yell at me once more? I bet you would oppose my people. They had to tolerate the desert."

"You shouldn't take out your anger on innocent ponies," Celestia retorted.

"You so-called heroes sure love throwing the word 'innocent' around. You have no idea what's it's like to be reincarnated many times and watch as your people perish in the boiling heat. The land of Hyrule is lush, and so is Equestria... why can't I have either kingdom? What did I do to gain a terrible fate?"

"Ganondorf, you should realize by now that you don't need to pursue absolute power."

Ganondorf let out an aggressive snarl, and his eyes turned white. His teeth became fangs. "No one shall stand in the way of my ultimate goal!" His voice echoed off the stone walls. "Not even a silly alicorn with a little neck! If I hadn't turned into a pony, I would have wrung your neck and Luna's neck by now!"

Celestia unfurled her wings. "Not under my watch. You can't lay a hoof on Luna or the rest of Equestria."

"Says the mare who surrendered!" Ganondorf rose to his height and stormed forward. "You can say goodbye to both, since you care about them. I'll take what should've been mine." A dark aura enveloped his horn, and he encased Celestia in a crystal prison.

"Coward!" Celestia pounded the crystal, yet it didn't crack on impact. "Resorting to such measures, aren't you?"

The crystal carried Celestia to the royal dungeon, and she found herself in a windowless cell. Ganondorf would pay. She hoped the heroes would hurry, as the dark lord was going too far. She didn't want him to hurt Luna. After all, he said he would wring the younger alicorn's neck. At least she could see Cadence's family in an adjacent cell. The crystal disappeared, leaving her to fume in silence.

"Troubled past or not, it doesn't excuse Ganondorf's actions," Celestia whispered.

"This temple can be disturbing," Luna pointed out.

The duo had been exploring the temple for an hour. In the narrow passageways, they had encountered redeads and gibdos. Parts of the temple reminded Link of the Shadow Temple, as it also contained skulltulas, dangerous traps, wallmasters, and dead hands. He cantered into another hallway. He and his archenemy might have transformed into ponies, yet the bipedal monsters were untouched for an odd reason. By the time Link and Luna arrived in a darkened room, they discovered the Master Key.

Link grabbed the key, and as soon as he moved toward the large door, floormasters emerged from the shadows. He unsheathed his sword and slashed the beasts. Then, he carried the key to the door and pushed it into the lock. The door rolled away, revealing a huge, sunken chamber. For a moment, he wondered if he would fight Stallord again. Last time he battled the monstrous skeleton, it took place in Arbiter's Grounds. He yanked a spinner from his saddlebag and mounted it. The beast's eyes glowed. This time, it wasn't Zant who resurrected Stallord. A disembodied male voice garnered his attention, and he recognized the tone.

"You came this far? Say hello to your old friend... he decided to visit Equestria..."

"Shut up. I figured you would resurrect this thing," Link replied.

"Maybe the Frozen North will kill you, in case Stallord doesn't..."

Link rolled his eyes and watched as Stallord straightened its spine. A horde of staltroops materialized, forming barricades to guard Stallord. Luna bombarded the staltroops with kinetic blasts and powerful spells. More staltroops spawned. Link hacked and stabbed the aggressors. The spinner rammed into Stallord's spine. He pounded the spine again, and Stallord disappeared into the sand. As the sand vanished, he moved the spinner into the center of the pillar. The skull ascended into the air and roared at the duo, making them fall to the ground.

Luna took to the air, while Link mounted his spinner. Blade traps filled the walls, and Link ducked them. The demonic skull unleashed fireballs at the duo. Luna conjured a spell and fired her magic at Stallord. The blast smashed the skull, and Link's spinner collided against it. Stallord collapsed onto the floor. Link slashed the skull several times. Then, Stallord jumped to the top of the pillar. The beast crumbled to dust.

A bridge surfaced. Luna teleported herself and Link to the bridge, and they began trotting toward the exit. They spied a cell in the corridor. She opened the cell, and Applejack stepped forward. She would help the five mares search for Twilight Sparkle in the Frozen North. Then, the Element bearers would use their respective Elements to defeat Sombra.

"Link and I rescued the other Elements. We have yet to save Twilight," Luna said. "After saving her, we'll stop Ganondorf."

"So, how's Equestria?" Applejack replied.

"Ganondorf is still ruling the kingdom. He won't be on the throne for long."

"How did he not find you?"

"I wore a disguise, and later on, he probably gave up. Let's return to Ponyville."

"Good idea."

The trio teleported outside. Luna glanced at the sky. Soon, it would be nighttime. And it would be wise to not physically traverse the distance, as it could take up extra time. Besides, the royal alicorns couldn't afford to lose Equestria to a ruthless tyrant. The wind howled past the canyons. Of all the temples in Equestria, she considered the desert temple the creepiest place in the land. Skeletons, undead creatures, and disembodied noises added to the spooky atmosphere. She summoned the teleportation spell again, and the trio disappeared in a flash.