MLP:FiM Video Game Crossover Saga - Legend of Zelda Series

Chapters

Prologue 1 - Gareth & Zanth
Original Timeline: Minish Cap - Chapter 1
Original Timeline: Minish Cap - Chapter 2
Original Timeline: Minish Cap - Chapter 3
Original Timeline: Minish Cap - Chapter 4
Original Timeline: Minish Cap - Chapter 5
Original Timeline: Minish Cap - Chapter 6
Original Timeline: Minish Cap - Chapter 7
Original Timeline: MInish Cap - Chapter 8
Prologue 2 - Minish Cap Intro
Intermission 1: Gareth's Truth

Prologue 1 - Gareth & Zanth

"This is just not good...not good at all..." Twilight said. It had only been a couple of days, but the fact of the matter is, is that the imprisoned combination of Cozy Glow, Lord Tirek, and the ex-queen Chrysalis were missing in action.

"...So...how long has she been going on like this?" Shining Armor asked Flash Sentry.

"For about the past two days. I've done my best to make sure she at least eats and sleeps though. Like any good husband should." Flash Sentry said.

"...Why am I not surprised at all?" Shining Armor asked.

"Because you know your sister?" Flash Sentry asked.

"Good point..." Shining Armor said. "I'm just surprised she responded so quickly to this then." He added.

"Oh, trust me, the guards spent the entire first day double checking the grounds to see if the statue got misplaced. None of them came up with anything, sadly." Flash Sentry said.

"Okay yeah, that sounds about right." Shining Armor said.

"At least Twilight is not wasting much time. After all, these are the three who sought to destroy all of Equestria as we know it." Cadence said.

"So...at what point do we start looking elsewhere?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Yeah, Gallus, you must have some idea right?" Smolder asked.

"Not so much..." Gallus said. "But Celestia and Luna were also informed of what has been going on." He added.

"Aren't they retired? Why would Twilight contact them?" Applejack asked.

"Despite not being the rulers of Equestria, better to still have eyes out there then not have them." Flash Sentry said. "...Those were the exact words Twilight used when I asked her the same exact question." He added.

"That's my sister for you." Shining Armor said. Suddenly the doors opened; it was Celestia and Luna.

"Celestia, Luna...did you find them?" Twilight asked.

"We did not, but someone did approach us saying they knew of where they were." Celestia said. Suddenly a pitch-black male Griffon entered the room.

"...Whose this guy?" Gilda asked.

"Someone very familiar with the cause behind the disappearance of your three troublemakers." The griffon said.

"You know who did this? Was it the real Grogar?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Seriously?" Applejack asked.

"Well you never know..." Rainbow Dash trailed off.

"Point taken...especially given our track record..." Applejack said.

"The one you seek is someone more ancient then Grogar himself. In fact, he is someone who predates this planet entirely. You are looking for a being made entirely out of pure void energy." The griffon said.

"Wait someone whose existed before this planet did? How is that possible?" Silverstream asked.

"Hippogriff right, who could that possibly be?" Yona asked.

"And speaking of, who are you anyways? I've never seen you around before." Gilda said.

"You wouldn't have. I don't live in Griffonstone at the moment. I've been on the hunt for the very being I speak of." The griffon said. "Call me Gareth." He added.

"So then Gareth, how do you know about this being's exitance in the first place then?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Because...I accidently created it..." Gareth said. "In fact, I too predate this planet's exitance." He added.

"What? How's that possible?" Twilight asked.

"Long ago, I was a human man. Just an average man with an average job. There was nothing special about me or what I did. One day, after receiving my last paycheck, I was on my way to cash it in, when I was suddenly framed for a bank robbery at the very bank I was going to enter. The criminals had blown up the wall of the bank, and with no one else to blame, the entire blame fell to me. Back then, the concept of innocent until proven guilty did not exist yet, so once you were charged with a crime, you were going to go to jail for it unless you got lucky. I managed to get lucky, and was found not guilty, but back then people would constantly say you did it anyways even though you were found not guilty. Eventually, it got to the point where I had no one in my corner, and my only girlfriend distanced herself from me because of it all. I even lost my job." Gareth said.

"How terrible..." Fluttershy said.

"That's when I took a deal that was too good to be true. With nothing left to lose, it was the only thing I see making my crime go away. At least, that's what I was promised. Instead, I was transformed into a monster known as Zanth. Eventually, I was brought to my senses, and the one who I made the deal with was killed. That was six months ago from today actually. However, I should have died back then, but didn't. Instead, the impossible happened: I was reborn anew, in your world as you see me now. It wasn't long before I felt it: The void energy that made me Zanth. It's come here, to your world. And it's taken that terrible trio for it's own devices." Gareth said.

"So...how do we stop Zanth?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"I still have some void energy powers, I can use them to help you chase after the ones Zanth has freed. He has scattered them across to various worlds of video game origin. The Pegasus manipulator known as Cozy Glow was sent to the timeline of the Legend of Zelda series. The one you call Lord Tirek was transferred to the world of the Mario & Luigi Pentalogy. Finally, the former changeling queen known as Chrysalis was put into the wide world of the Sonic Adventure series." Gareth said. "I don't have much power now as I did when I was Zanth, so I can only send you lot to one series of games at a time. So, choose wisely." He added.

"Then let's go after Cozy Glow first." Twilight said.

"We're coming too." Apple Bloom said as she, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, Diamond Tiara, and Silver Spoon suddenly showed up.

"Wait what? If you five think you're coming with..." Applejack said.

"Rainbow Dash, Cozy Glow locked us in the closet remember? Me, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle have a few unanswered questions." Scootaloo said.

"Now listen he--" Applejack was interupted when Rainbow stopped her.

"No. Let them have this. I kind of what to know why as well. And it's best they get the answer for themselves." Rainbow Dash said.

"...Okay..." Applejack said.

"Plus...I have an inkling we're going to need them soon enough." Rainbow Dash said.

"Very well then. I will transport you into the world of the game that Cozy Glow was last seen in. All I can do from here is observe your progress. All of you who are going, get into one tight group; the range I have is limited." Gareth said. Once the group was formed, Gareth used his powers to send the entire group to the world of the legend of Zelda.

Original Timeline: Minish Cap - Chapter 1

The entire group that had gathered for this whole experience soon landed just south of a town that was in the middle of some sort of festival.

"Whoa...where are we?" Twilight asked.

"Looks like there's a festival going on. We should totally check it out." Rainbow Dash said.

"But we're ponies. We'll stick out like a sore thumb." Apple Bloom pointed out.

"...My sister would normally have a point here." Applejack said.

"She would? Then what changes that?" Rainbow Dash asked. Applejack pointed to the various costumes some of the festival goers were wearing; some of them were modeled after the Main Six themselves.

"...I don't know if I should be flattered by this statement, or genually concerned." Rarity said. The group headed into the town for the festival itself.

"Oh my gosh! Look everyone! It has to be those mythical ponies that the Picori said would arrive during this year's festival!" One of the festival goers said.

"...Who are the--" Rainbow Dash said before the entire group was swarmed.

"Oh my gosh, this means this festival has to be blessed!" One of the locals said.

"Well of course it would. This is the 100th year since the Picori first appeared." An old geezer said.

"Guess we're pretty famous here for some reason. I have to wonder why though." Starlight said.

"These other creatures must be some allies of theirs. Come, you are all welcome to join the festival. There's going to be a sword fighting tournament in a couple of hours." Another local said.

"Sword fighting tournament? I want to see." Rainbow Dash said.

"Well...we might as well see it. Maybe it'll provide some hints as to where you know who is." Twilight said.

The sword fighitng tournament only lasted about ten minutes, as a mysterious newcomer from parts unkown named Vaati took the entire thing by storm, winning without even getting hit once.

However, as the group was heading to the castle as they had been asked by the King to be spoken to, Scootaloo was looking back at the arena. "Something wrong Scoots?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Couldn't you tell? There was something off about that Vaati. I can't put my hoof on it, but something felt off about the guy." Scootaloo said.

"Now that she mentions it, somethin' felt off about him for me too." Apple Bloom said.

"Me three." Sweetie Belle pipped up.

"I most certainly had a similar odd feeling towards Vaati." Diamond Tiara said.

"Why must you talk like that? But you're not wrong, I've been feeling the same oddness about Vaati like the others." Silver Spoon said.

"...Yeah that can't be normal. If all five of those fillies are getting a bad vibe off Vaati then we need to keep our eyes peeled." Sandbar concluded.

"Yona not sure if she felt anything odd about mystery man." Yona admitted.

"Hmm..." Twilight pondered a bit. "I don't think anyone older than the CMC felt anything odd about him either." She pointed out.

"Regardless, we're here at the castle." Starlight pointed out.

"Thank you so much for this audience." The king said. "One hundred years ago, we were told that on this day ponies that spoke english would appear by the Picori themselves." He said. "But where as the public believed this to be a sign of good will, the Picori entrusted the royal family with the truth: That their appearance would mean that they were sent in advance of an evil threat emerging." The king added.

"Hmm..." Twilight mused. "I see, so what would you like us to do?" She asked.

"To be ready incase something happens shortly after the cermony that will happen in a couple of minutes." The King stated. "I'm expecting the evil to strike shortly after the cermony's completion." He added.

"Makes sense, catch us all with our pants down." Rainbow Dash said.

A couple of minutes later, the group was outside with the king and Princess Zelda. Some guards were guarding a huge chest.

"Do you see that blade? That is the Picori Sword entrusted to us by the Picori themselves. It keeps that chest it's atop locked so the monsters inside cannot get out." The king noted.

"Interesting stuff here." Starlight noted.

"Let the cermony commence!" The minister known as Impa announced. "Vaati as winner of the tournament, you may approuch the blade." She continued.

Vaati soon showed up right on schedule. However, despite not having said anything until now, he suddenly chuckled out loud. "To think things would go this well. Winning that tournament was child's play. This chest bound by the Picori blade must hold that which I seek. I shall relieve you of it's contents now." Vaati said.

"! Scootaloo and the others were right!" Rainbow Dash noted.

"Told you!" Scootaloo said.

"What?! Guards, make sure the blade does not get removed." The King announced. Unfortunatly, two guards got swated away like they were nothing.

"Now now now, as winner I've earned the right to approuch the picori blade. I've been waiting for this moment." Vaati announced. Soon he charged up some sort of dark magic and hit the picori blade with it, breaking the sword in two. Suddenly, the chest opened and a whole heap of monsters came out. However, using mystical powers, Zelda managed to scatter the monsters who did knock out Impa and the King.

"Who are you? Why are you doing this?" Zelda asked.

"Ah you must be the current princes of Hyrule. If I leave you alone, you'll only cause me problems later down the road." Vaati said before charging up another spell which a boy in green soon leapt in front of. "TO STONE WITH YOU!" Vaati said. The boy was unable to block the spell and got injured by the spell; but Zelda was turned to stone by that same spell. "Now, to gain the contents of this chest here..." Vaati said.

"Hey wait a second..." Pinkie Pie stated. "This chest is now suddenly empty!" She pointed out.

"What?! Empty?! There was nothing in there but a rabble of monsters?! Gah. How infuraiting." Vaati noted. "No matter, I'm sure the thing I'm looking for is somewhere out there. I'm in no hurry, I can take my time looking for it." He added.

"Your not going anywhere!" Scootaloo said before she attempted to grab Vaati but he disappeared via magic powers before the orange pegasus could grab him. "What the...he's gone!" Scootaloo said.

"Where did he go? Twilight, did you get a trace?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"I'm afraid not. Whatever magic Vaati was using I can't seem to track it. It's as if something is blocking me from tracking him." Twilight noted. The King started coming too. "I'll fill you in your highness, but first, everyone, get whoever was knocked out into the castle. Stat." Twilgiht stated.

Looking over the entire carnage was a lone pink pegsus filly. "So, Vaati...what sort of power are you really capable of. Because I want in on it." She said. "You may be able to fool everyone else, but I see you for what you really are." The pegasus concluded.

Original Timeline: Minish Cap - Chapter 2

As the group waited for the green shirted child to wake, everyone was joined by an elder man the king addressed as Master Smithy, a black smith who lived south of castle town in the grasslands. Soon, the green shirted boy they now know as Link awoke and joined them as well.

"As all of you know, the sorcerer known as Vaati has turned my precious daughter to stone. While the picori blade could very well have restored her to normal, that blade is now broken. Tell me, Master Smith, what do you know of the Picori?" The king asked.

"Only what is known in the fairy tales: They are supposed to be really tiny." Master Smith admitted.

"That is true, but the Picori are no mere myth, they are most certainly real. Only the royal family knows the truth about them. They are hidden deep within the Minish Woods." The king said.

"What?! Then we must send the soldiers there at once!" Impa announced.

"No, soldiers will not do. The Picori will not show themselves to anyone but children." The King said.

"If that's the case, then why not send Link and those young ponies?" Master Smith asked.

"Wait, why us? I get Link, but why us?" Diamond Tiara asked.

"Well you are the only five of us who still fall in the age range of being children for ponies essentially." Sandbar admitted.

"So, we actually get to have an adventure? Sweet!" Apple Bloom said.

"If Link has recovered, then I shall ask this of him and the five young ponies: Restore the Picori blade and my precious Zelda back to normal." The king said.

"You can count on us." Silver Spoon said. Link then received the broken Picori blade to carry and Smithy's sword.

"Send the soldiers to search for Vaati at--" The king was about to say when a soldier rushed into the throne room.

"Your majesty! Urgant news; this mysterious pink pegasus child just started ordering monsters around!" The guard said.

"Pink Pegesus?! That has to be Cozy Glow. We've been looking for her." Twilight admitted.

"I trust you older ponies will take care of this, but just in case, I will assing a small attachment of guards to you all. The rest of the guards will search for Vaati." The king said.

"Well then, guess we best get going. We'll have to get Cozy Glow's answer once she's caught. Let's focus on rescuing Zelda and finding those Picori for now." Sweetie Belle said.

"Good point." Diamond Tiara said.

The new child group started searching the Minish Woods when they heard someone yelling for help. Upon checking it out, they found a strange hat-like creature being attacked by red beasts.

"What are those things?" Apple Bloom asked.

"They must be some of the monsters that came out of that chest. Let's get them." Scootaloo said. The group managed to dispatch the two red beasts.

"Oof, thank you all. Those creatures were very very rude." The hat-like creature said.

"You can talk?!" Diamond Tiara said, caught completly off guard.

"Of course I can talk child. My name is Ezlo. I am here hoping to find a way to break Vaati's curse on me." The hat-like creature said.

"You've been cursed too? We're on a quest to undo a different curse on the Princess Zelda that Vaati caused. We're told that the Picori Blade is the only way to break the curse, but currently that blade is broken. We're searching for the Picori so we can repair it." Silver Spoon said.

"I see I see. However, there's something you should be aware of young children: While the humans call them Picori, the race refer to themselves as the Minish. Strange how only this forest has kept that name. If you want to get into the Minish village located in this forest, you'll need my help." Ezlo said.

"Well then it's a good thing we saved you then." Scootaloo stated.

"Hold up, you're a hat creature. Hmm..." Apple Bloom said before grabbing Ezlo and placing him on Link's head. "There we go! You can ride on Link's head." Apple Bloom said.

"Huh...leave it to Apple Bloom to come up with the creative solution." Diamond Tiara said.

"Ah good thinking. It is most difficult for me to walk as I have no legs. Now, let us be off; time is ticking." Ezlo said.

"By the way, when we met Vaati, he said he was searching for something. Any idea what?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"I do indeed know what he is searching for, and time is ticking. The more time we spend wasting here, the more time we give to him finding what he's after. You do not need to know what it is yet, just know that if he does get it, then everything is in jepordy; not just Hyrule, but all of exitance." Ezlo said.

"Why? Will he become a god if he gets what he's after?" Scootaloo said. After a simple nod form Ezlo, her eyes went wide. "...N-no way..." Scootaloo said.

"Let's find the Minish Village, then once we figure out how to fix the Picori Blade, we let the others know." Diamond Tiara said.

"Good idea." Apple Bloom admitted. The group soon came across a giant stump that they had seen before.

"Just one moment if you would. Stand atop that giant stump there if you would." Ezlo said.

"Um...okay. I don't see what the..." Silver Spoon said. Suddenly, Ezlo shrunk the entire group down; they were all tiny sized. "BY CELESTIA, WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!" Silver Spoon exclaimed.

"Heh. Not bad eh? Just a bit of magic I picked up. Right now, your looking at the world through the eyes of the Minish themselves. I should warn you, that while your this size, you will find that some things are much different. For example, mere puddles at your normal size are bottomless swamps to the minish. So do tred carefully. Being this size is the only way you can get into the Minish village as it's entrance is far too small for you all at your normal size." Ezlo explained.

"Could've given us a little warning first..." Apple Bloom admitted. The group now traversed the woods being as tiny as the Minish themselves.

"That stump back there...what was that anyways?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"That was just a portal to the Minish side of the world. There are portals like that one scattered across Hyrule. The only way to restore the Picori Blade and stop Vaati's plan is to gain mastery of these very portals." Ezlo said.

"Fair enough. Guess this really is our adventure." Scootaloo said.

"Hope the others don't mind us taking all the glory. If mastery of those portals is the only way to stop Vaati's plan, then we may have become the only ones capable of stopping him period in a pinch." Silver Spoon said.

"Ah think in this case, ma sister would understand." Apple Bloom said.

"I could convince her, if need be." Diamond Tiara said. "That's kind of my thing." She added.

"Heh...too true." Apple Bloom admitted. The group headed for the Minish Village.

Original Timeline: Minish Cap - Chapter 3

The group of six kids soon found their way past some lilypads into the actual Minish Village in Minish Woods. It was around this time, the group was able to really take in just how the world looked to the Minish.

"So Ezlo, you sure know a lot about the Minish. Is there a reason for that?" Diamond Tiara asked. "Because I believe your holding back something of great importance." She added.

"The reason why I know so much about the minish is something I shall explain later; preferabbly when the Picori Blade is reforged and restored to it's proper power. Only then will I reveal to you why I know so much about the Minish." Ezlo said.

"...Fair enough." Diamond Tiara decided to let that one pass. Upon entering the village proper, the gorup was soon surrounded by Minish, but the Minish were talking all funny.

"...Did anyone get what those Minish just said?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Hmm...I believe that those Minish were speaking in a tongue most would be familiar with. In fact, I dare say, that I do not speak it myself. Perhaps it's some sort of new tongue that Minish have come up with. Regardless, let us see if we can find someone around here who speaks the language of you youngsters." Ezlo said.

"Let's get hunting." Silver Spoon said. The group soon came across a fancy looking Minish.

"Ah visitors. It's been so long since we've had visitors." The minish said.

"Hey, he speaks our langauge." Sweetie Belle said.

"Hmm? Oh I suppose that the other minish have been using that new fangled langauge or whatnot. The Barrel House south of here has quite a few Jabber Nuts. Those will allow you to understand any langauge." The fancy minish said.

The group quickly found the jabber nut storage and soon were able to understand the local minish. That allowed them to find the Elder's house easily.

"Oi! Visitors. You must have come far." The Elder said.

"Indeed we have. We kind of need some help. See, the Picori Blade you left hyrule long ago got all broken. Is there any way to restore it back to normal? We need it to undo a couple of curses." Scootaloo said.

"Hmm...there is one way to do as you say. But to give the Picori Blade the power of which you speak, you will need four sacred elements of Earth, Fire, Wind, and Water. One of them; the Earth Element; just so happens to actually be in our sanctuary north of here. You can get there via the passageway Futari guards." The elder said. "However, since it's been so long, I suspect a few beasts have wondered in there. You'll have to contend with them to get the element." He added.

"Let's do this then. The sooner we get that element, the sooner we can restore the Picori Blade!" Silver Spoon said. The group headed north into the Santurary, where they quikcly discovered another barrel.

"Wow...I seriously cannot believe that that barrel is normal sized. To a minish, it certainly is huge." Apple Bloom said. "And look, I bet if we find a way to burn those vines, we could probably roll that barrel." She added.

"Good eye. Let's go for it!" Diamond Tiara said. Doing so allowed the group to progress, finding the dungeon map and compass before coming across a centipede.

"Ack! Normally Centipedes aren't this big, but because we're around it's size now, I think we just encountered a midboss!" Silver Spoon said.

"Hey, maybe if we beat it, we'll get something for our troubles." Scootaloo said. Sure enough, the group managed to get a mysterious jar for beating the centipede.

"Hey, I recognize that thing. That's a Gust Jar. You can use it to suck up that sand we've been encountering, as well as those webs." Ezlo noted.

"What else can it do? Because so far I'm not impressed." Scootaloo said.

"Heh heh...for that, we'd need to find a lily pad around here. Trust me, it'll be worth the wait." Ezlo said. "But it's not just used for mondane stuff, you can also use it to suck up enemies and then spit those enemies out at other ones." He added.

"Okay, now I'm mildly impressed." Scootlaoo said. That was until they managed to do just that. "Okay, more impressed now." She added. The group would soon come across a lillypad.

"Ah yes, now, use the gust jar to bring it close, then got on it and fire away from where you want to go." Ezlo said.

"In other words, it'll become a handheld sail. Now I'm very impressed." Scootaloo said. "...I wonder if I could use that to actually get enough air to fly." She added.

"Your still on that?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Well duh! Of course I am." Scootaloo said.

"Never change Scootaloo. Never change." Diamond Tiara said.

The group would later come across a different sort of key then they've been finding. "What kind of key is this?" Apple Bloom said. "It looks more special than the others." She added.

"Hey, there was that door in the basement that had a big lock on it. This key is also bigger than the rest. This key must be for that lock specifically." Sweetie Belle reasoned.

"I'm still not sure where Link got that mysterious bag from. But considering it's got unlimited storage; I'm not going to complain. Nor question it for that matter." Silver Spoon said.

"It's probably not our place to do so." Sweetie Belle said. The group soon went through the big door. As soon as they did, a bunch of green jelly stuff fell from the cealing, before a green chu-chu dropped into the room.

"YIKES! That Chu-chu is much bigger then us now. I don't think we can defeat it like we normally could." Apple Bloom said.

"I think this is our boss fight. Because of course it's the boss fight. And how fitting, that something we were coming across in the woods and took out with ease we now have to go several rounds against to defeat." Scootaloo said. Using the Gust Jar, the group was able to make the chu-chu loose mass and fall down, allowing them to attack it for damage. However, this cycle took several tries to fully defeat the monster, which soon revealed to them the Earth Element.

"Score! One down, three to go! Let's go tell the Elder." Silver Spoon said.

MEANWHILE...

"Wow, this is a nice house, Master Smith." Twilight said.

"Indeed. You are free to stay here as you wish while you hunt for that pegasus Cozy Glow you said you were looking for." Master Smith said.

The group headed back to the elder.

"Ah. You have collected the Earth Element. While the four elements will indeed give the Picori Blade it's power back, with it being broken, it will do you no good." the Elder said.

"So, maybe then we can go and get Link's Uncle Master Smith to fix it." Diamond Tiara said. The elder then smacked her lightly with his can. "OW! Was it something I said?!" The high class earth pony exclaimed.

"Hmph, do you really think a human can repair that blade? What foolish thinking. No, a Minish must repair it, as only one can forge it to become receptible to the power of the elements. And it just so happens that in Mount Crenel to the northwest of Castle Town is one such Minish Blacksmith. There's even another one of the elements there as well. Another element is said to be in the swamps to the southwest of castle town, while the final one you need is located to the north of these woods in Lake Hylia. Go for the one located in Mount Crenel first, as a special Cane known as the Picori Cane lies within the same place as the element of Fire. That should aid you in never-before-seen ways." The Elder explained.

"I see. I guess that makes sense. Plus, we can kill two birds with one stone this way too. Err...no offense, Scootaloo." Silver Spoon said.

"None taken. I still can't even fly." Scootaloo noted.

Original Timeline: Minish Cap - Chapter 4

After grabbing bombs from a minish in the village's western exit seeing as how the route back through the way they came had become blocked, the group made it out of the forest and were soon treated to Rainbow Dash coming in from the air.

"Hey you. So, did you figure out how to fix the Picori Blade yet?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Yeah. It's just going to take some work. We need to go grab these elements that are scattered across hyrule in order to get the blade's power restored. And we're actually on our way to Mount Crenel now to see a Minish Blacksmith that's going to reforge the blade that's near one of the element locations." Scootaloo said.

"Back up a moment; what the buck are the Minish? What happened to the Picori?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Turns out, the Picori is the name the humans called them, but they refer to themselves as the Minish." Apple Bloom noted.

"Oh. Now that you mention it, I guess that would make sense seeing as the king sent you to the Minish Woods to find the Picori. Thought it was wierd that a race known as the Picori was hiding out in a place called 'Minish' Woods instead of 'Picori' Woods." Rainbow Dash said. "Guess this is one of those 'lost in translation moments' that Twilight would sometimes talk about." She added.

"Rest assured though, we'll let you know if we come across any hints on Vaati's location. However, there's a chance you and the others won't be able to do anything about him." Sweetie Belle said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Well, if it's going to take the power of the Picori Blade once reforged the power of these four elements to undo Vaati's curses, then it's most likely that only the full power can defeat Vaati period." Diamond Tiara said.

"I see. Wait. You said Curses, as in plural." Rainbow Dash said.

"Thought you didn't pay that much attention to Twilight's rants?" Scootaloo asked.

"I may not know enough, but the fact that I only know of one Curse Vaati's placed, and your using the plural form, well it means you've discovered another one of his victims. Wait a second...what the buck is on Link's head?" Rainbow Dash asked. "That may look like a hat, but it's not. It's some kind of creature." She added.

"Geez, about time you noticed." Ezlo said and piqued up.

"It talks?!" Rainbow Dash said.

"This would be Ezlo. He said he was also cursed by Vaati." Scootaloo said. "From what, he said he'd tell us later." She added.

"That's much different than the curse Zelda got hit with. But perhaps you could still restore him from being some hat-thing." Rainbow Dash said.

"That's the plan." Scootaloo said.

"Well then, you gals should get going. As much as I would want a piece of the action myself, you kids might be the only ones who can defeat Vaati. I suppose me and the others will have to focus on finding Cozy Glow." Rainbow Dash said.

"Actually, there might be one way you can help defeat Vaati." Ezlo said. "Vaati told me when he cursed me that he was searching for the sacred light that the Minish left with the humans alongside the Picori Blade. If Vaati gets his hands on this sacred light, then I fear not even the full power of the Picori Blade can stop him from conquering the world." He explained.

"The sacred light left behind by the Minish is what Vaati is seeking? Come to think of it, he did think there was supposed to be something in the chest when he went to open it. But I had a feeling there was no way the humans would've kept both the blade and the sacred light in the same place." Rainbow Dash said.

"If Vaati gets his greedy hands on that light, all of Hyrule and beyond is in danger." Ezlo said.

"You don't have to tell me twice. I'm going." Rainbow Dash said before speeding off.

"What the...she's gone already?!" Ezlo exclaimed.

"Yeah. Rainbow Dash is just that fast." Scootaloo said. The group eventually made their way back to castle town and then got stopped at the west exit. The guard wouldn't let them through until Link learnt the Spin Attack technique. So, they went to get Link to learn that move then came back to demonstrate it so the guard would let them pass. That allowed them to get to Mount Coronet where they got stopped again because they needed to transport water.

They would find a Deku Scrub who directed them to a cave in the area between Castle Town and Mount Coronet where they found a Business Scrub that sold them an empty bottle. This bottle allowed them to grow a beanstalk which then allowed them to progress. Once further up, they found another bean but this one was green, and no amount of water would grow it.

"What gives? How are we supposed to progress here?" Apple Bloom said.

"Perhaps there is a local Minish that can help us. That rock nearby just so happens to be another minish portal. And we did uncover a hole in the ground. Let us see if a minish lives down that hole." Ezlo pointed out.

"Well, we got no other ideas." Scootaloo noted. Indeed, a Minish did live down that hole and told them that the green beans needed Mt. Crenel's special mineral water.

"And how the hay are we supposed to find this Mineral Water?" Apple Bloom asked

"You'll find it near the base of the mountain. In fact, by now you've already passed its location." The Minish told them. "It's much closer to the bottom most area of the mountain then this." The Minish concluded.

"Huh...guess we're hunting." Sweetie Belle. The group was heading down when Sweetie Belle noticed a strange dent in the fence. "Hey Link, try bombing this area between the posts." Sweetie Belle told Link. Link did so and soon a cave entrance appeared.

"Well how about that: A secret cave. How'd you figure it was there?" Silver Spoon asked.

"The fence looked split for no real reason. I just took a guess." Sweetie Belle said.

"Hmm...there may be more of these hidden passages in the future. Tapping on the walls might yield some type of clue." Ezlo said. The group managed to use the mineral spring water which was much hotter than normal water to ascend the mountain further and soon came across a bunch of mining minish.

"If this isn't where that blacksmith is, I'm eating dirt." Diamond Tiara said. The group did find a black-smith looking minish.

"Ah. I see. You must be the ones the other minish have been talking about. I am Melari, the Minish Blacksmith. I have heard that you wish to reforge the Picori Blade." The Minish said.

"That's right." Apple Bloom said before Melari took the blade from Link.

"This might take some time, so while you wait, you should know that nearby are some mines the humans once used. They lie abandoned now and filled with monsters. The Element that you came seeking; the Element of Fire specifically; is located just inside the mine's deepest depths." Melari said. "I should be finished reforging the blade by the time you return with the element in hand." He added.

"Sounds like a plan. We still have Smith's sword to use after all." Scootaloo said. The group entered the mines themselves and found that they had to enter it as their normal sizes.

"Huh. Now that we're doing what is essentially another dungeon, now we're doing one as our normal sized selves. You can defiantly get a feel for the differences." Silver Spoon said. As the group continued, they came across a strange device.

"Hey, that there is yet another Minish Portal." Ezlo stated upon seeing it.

"Huh...looks like we might have to ultilize Minish Size to clean out these mines." Scootaloo said. The group soon managed to find the Picori Cane and the boss key, which allowed them to enter the boss door where they fell to the deepest reaches of the mines. There, they discovered some kind of dragonoid monster that could live in lava.

"Yikes! That is most certainly NOT a friendly dragon." Sweetie Belle said. With the Picori Cane, the group was able to defeat the mysterious monster and obtain the Fire Element. Upon collecting it, the group returned to Melari

"Ah good. You've returned. And just in the nick of time." Melari said showing off the now restored Picori Blade. "I've managed to reforge your Picori Blade and given it the ability to absorb the power of the elements. Before you head to the swamp though, there are two things you should know." The blacksmith Minish said.

"What's that?" Apple Bloom asked.

"First and foremost, even with this reforged blade in hand, you might find it difficult to reach the swamp. Find the Elemental Santuary and power up this new blade there. Second, to even traverse the swamp, you'll need the ability to run really fast. Castle Town might yield an answer on that front. I should also take this time to tell you that past the swamp is nothing but ruins; they've been abandoned for some time now. However, it is unclear if the Element of Wind is still there or not. But that's where I would recommend you go next regardless as hidden in those ruins are the Digging Mitts; an item that will help you reach the Water Element which is located in Lake Hylia." Melari explained.

"Sounds like a plan. Even if we go there and don't find the Element of Wind, we'll need to go there anyways to grab the Digging Mitts so we can get the Element of Water." Scootaloo said. The group then started their long track down the mountain.

Author's Note

So fun fact about the part with the mineral water: That was where I initually got stuck in The Minish Cap because it wasn't clear that there could be hidden bombable walls.

Original Timeline: Minish Cap - Chapter 5

The group soon managed to find their way all the way down the mountain where they were met with Rainbow Dash upon entering Hyrule Castle Town.

"Hey you guys. Did you get that element?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"We sure did. Now we just gotta find this Elemental Santuary and then find something in town to help us run fast so we can cross the swamp." Scootaloo noted.

"Something in town huh? I did notice there was a shoe store here. Try there once you find that Elemental Santuary. Also, Twilight's trying to find out where the Sacred Light that the Minish left behind was at. Though, she did ramble for quite some time once I told her about the whole Picori-Minish thing. She basically did her Twilight-ing thing once I explained it to her." Rainbow Dash said.

"Some things don't change." Apple Bloom said.

"Anyways, the rest of us are looking for Cozy Glow, but we haven't had any luck yet. She's obviously been hiding somewhere and laying low. See ya." Rainbow Dash said before flying off.

"Hey wait! We don't know where the Elemental Santuary is!" Silver Spoon said.

"Oh do not worry about that. Believe it or not but the sanctuary is actually within Hyrule Castle itself." Ezlo said.

"Wait, why is it there? And more importantly, how come none of the guards know it's there?" Diamond Tiara said.

"Because the Santuary's entrance is only visible to children such as yourselves. It is actually a gateway that the Minish themselves used long ago." Ezlo said. "And it only appears every one hundred years." He added.

"Everyone one hundred years...didn't the one-hundred-year mark happen just today?!" Sweetie Belle said.

"...I'm starting to think things might not be such a coincidence anymore. You owe us that explanation on how you know all of this as soon as we have the elements and the fully powered sword." Scootaloo said.

"Fair enough." Ezlo said. Soon the group found the sanctuary, and powered up the White Sword as the new blade had been christened before using its new power of allowing Link to make copies of himself and quickly hustled down from the castle, only to get stopped when they heard a very familiar laugh.

"I've been wondering whose been bumbling around searching for the elements. So, it's you lot." A very familiar voice said.

"Vaati." Scootaloo said as the wizard in question appeared brefore them.

"In the flesh. And look, you've managed to pick up the disgruntled state I left my former teacher in." Vaati said. "It's just so sad that your efforts to gather up the elements won't help him. The curse I put onto Ezlo is much stronger than the one I put on your princess." He explained.

"Ezlo, you know this guy? And what's he mean by 'former teacher'?" Diamond Tiara asked.

"You haven't changed one bit Vaati. Your still as power hungry as when you put on that hat I made. One way or another, I will break the curse you placed on me." Ezlo said.

"Ha! So long as I am around, that curse on you will stick." Vaati said before he summoned some monsters. "Even if they aren't what I planned, these monsters sure have become quite useful to me. You best stop them from attacking the town if you know what's good for you." Vaati said before leaving. Soon the group defeated the two moblins Vaati summoned.

"That Vaati...he hasn't changed at all. I suppose considering the circumstances, it's best I told you the truth. Vaati and I, we were once master and apprentice with myself being his teacher. And in fact, we are both Minish ourselves." Ezlo said.

"Say what?!" The girls were shocked by this.

"It wasn't that long ago in fact when I had finished creating a hat that would great the wishes of its wearer. Vaati ignored my warning to not use it and used its power to transform into the shape you've seen him in now, and in the process, became a powerful sorcerer. After cursing me into the state I am now, Vaati told me he was going off to look for the Sacred Light we minish left behind in order to become a god." Ezlo said.

"So, with the power he has now and the Sacred Light, he could very well do just that. Still, being one of the Minish does explain how you know so much about them." Apple Bloom said.

"We better let the others know about this though." Diamond Tiara said.

"...You've got to be kidding me. As if greed wasn't enough." Rarity said.

"Still, it does explain some things you girls were curious about. I'm still doing my best to figure out where the Sacred Light was hidden but I keep running into roadblocks." Twilight said. Suddenly Pinkie Pie started to vibrate.

"Oh boy! I'm sensing a doozy!" Pinkie Pie said.

"A doozy? Now?" Twilight said. "But if she's sensing a doozy AFTER we were told about Vaati and Ezlo, then that means the Doozy is happening elsewhere." She added.

MEANWHILE AT HYRULE CASTLE

The King of hyrule was relaxing when Suddenly Vaati appeared and turned him to stone before putting the king in the dungeons and then impersonating him; forcing the soldiers to search for the Sacred Light.

However, his search also turned up Cozy Glow, who was thrown into the Dungeons on the Vaati's orders while he was still impersonating the king until the Sacred Light is found.

"The fact that Pinkie Pie is having a Doozy sense now, can't be good." Rainbow Dash said. Suddenly, a man burst through the room.

"You've got to help! The king's gone crazy! The soldiers have been tasked with finding this so called Sacred Light and anyone who resists the soldiers gets thrown in jail!" The man said.

"Maybe the king believes the sacred light can cure Zelda?" Fluttershy suggested.

"But then why change his mind about the Picori Blade. It doesn't make any sense." Twilight said.

"This doesn't sound good. Twilight, you keep looking for answers, and the rest of you don't get involved any further. We'll try to find the remaining elements as soon as we can and then hopefully figure out why the King's gone crazy." Sweetie Belle said.

"Sounds like we have a plan. You better hurry." Rainbow Dash said.

"You can count on us Rainbow!" Scootaloo said. The group of kids soon went off.

Original Timeline: Minish Cap - Chapter 6

As the group wondered about Castle Town, they soon overheard a particularly interesting conversation.

"So did you hear? While searching for the sacred light for the king, the guards found this Pegasus. Who ever it was has been locked into the dungeons." One random male said.

"Wow, that's news to me. Bet whoever it was got in the guard's way." Another male said.

"...You don't think..." Diamond Tiara said.

"It has to be Cozy Glow. I'll catch up with you girls. There's something I'm going to grab real fast." Sweetie Belle said and went into a nearby store.

"Catch up to us where?" Silver Spoon asked.

"...I think I know. We better get those shoes." Apple Bloom said. The group soon discovered a pot in the shoe store after the one working there fell asleep which allowed them to find out that the one who was working there wasn't really making shoes in his sleep at all, and in fact there were minish helping him. They soon had to go through a long process of waking him up.

...Meanwhile, as the group was precuring a Wake-up Mushroom to wake up the shoe worker, Sweetie Belle was trudging through the castle with a rescued Cozy Glow whose entire look had been dyed to disguise her.

"Seriously, why are you helping me? I already told you that the whole reason I trapped you three in that closet was so you couldn't stop what I was doing, though I was going to let you out once my plan was successful." Cozy Glow said. "You already have the answer you wanted, so why bother helping me?" She added.

"Was helping me and my friends become a part of the friendship school part of your overall plan?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"No. That had nothing to do with my plan at all. In fact, I...alright, you got me. All my life up to the point I made that magic draining plan I've tried being a good friend, but every time I'd find out that those that were my 'friends' were simply using me for their own personal gain which was always involved some assortment of power. So as someone who grew up without any parents at all, I just came to the conclusion that Friendhips revolved around Power." Cozy Glow admitted.

"Wait, you don't have any parents?! But that's impossible, every creature has parents." Sweetie Belle said.

"The orphanage I eventually escaped from before coming to Ponyville had workers there who told me that they simply found me in a basket after having just been born. It wasn't until shortly before I came to Ponyville that I realized why: My parents were both unicorns. It clicked for me: My biological parents disowned me simply because I was born a Pegasus, not a unicorn. Which meant that magic was responsible for my situation. So, I made a promise to myself that I would rid the world of all magic which then morphed into that plus becoming the Empress of Friendship so that no one could use me to get them into a power position ever again." Cozy Glow said.

"And now I have all the more reason to help you. Once you've explained everything to the girls, your going to help us stop Vaati and hopefully, you'll learn what true friendship is really like along the way. And I mean genuine friendship, not the stuff you went through." Sweetie Bell said. The two were soon successfully far away from the castle.

"...Your going to force me to come along anyways. Besides, you should know that the King wasn't the one giving the orders to those guards." Cozy Glow said. "See, the real reason I got locked up is because I was spying on Vaati who turned the King himself to stone and then used his sorcerer magic to transform into a copy of the king." She added.

"...That explains everything then. Now come on, we can make it to the swamp from here. We're sure to catch up to everyone once we get there." Sweetie Belle said.

"...Let me be clear though: I'm only coming along willingly for some payback for now, but if you and the girls can't show me genuine friendship by the time this is over, that's as far as I go." Cozy Glow said. "But are you sure about this disguise?" She asked.

"Just trust me." Sweetie Belle said.

"...The sad thing is that while I don't really, I don't got a choice, do I?" Cozy Glow asked with a sigh.

The two soon caught up with the group later at the swamp's entrance and then explained everything.

"...Well this complicates things for sure. But for now, guess your stuck with us, Cozy Glow. Or, should we call her 'Vanilla Swirl' for the time being?" Scootaloo asked.

"That's for the best so the others don't find out she's you-know-who for now." Sweetie Belle said.

"...I trust you Sweetie Belle." Scootaloo said.

"Let's focus on getting the wind element from here and then powering up the sword further." Diamond Tiara said. "We can worry about Vanilla Swirl's whole situation when the time comes for it." She added.

"Good point. Let's go." Scootaloo said. The group soon had to go find keystones scattered across the swamp which were guarded by heavily armored looking monster knights.

"! I recognize those from the Castle. Vaati specifically created these monsters." Cozy Glow said.

"How'd he create new monsters? I know he has magic powers now, but what were they beforehand?" Apple Bloom said.

"They were these wierd humanoid jackal looking things that wore chainmail. I couldn't tell you what they looked like before this, but this is what they look like now. Vaati calls them Darknaughts." Cozy Glow said.

"! Look out Cozy!" Scootaloo said as she soon grapped Cozy Glow just as the Darknaught swung it's sword down at the disguised Pegasus.

"Scootaloo...y-you just saved my life." Cozy Glow said.

"I may not trust you right now, but I know Sweetie Belle has her reasons. Besides, if there's punishment to be had after we're done, I want you to face Twilight, not Vaati. Though depending on things, I may reconsider how I feel about you." Scootaloo said. "Let's just say, I might be willing to see you as an actual friend if you do the right moves." She added.

"...Fair enough..." Cozy Glow said. But already she was heavily considering giving up her plans for conquering Equestria.

Soon the group retrieved the kinstones from the Darknaughts and proceeded through the ruins where they found the Mole Mitts and dealt with a guardian statutue, however in the deepest part of the ruins, the group found not an element, but instead they found a tablet which informed them that the tribe that used these ruins have escaped to the skies taking their element with them.

"...So the Wind Element has been taken to the skies themselves. It seems that for the time being we'll have to go after the Water Element instead. I'm sure we'll figure out where the Wind Element has been taken to at some point on our travels." Ezlo said.

"Good idea." Apple Bloom said.

Through that dungeon, Cozy Glow had been doing her best to help out, and while it was reluctent at first, she was already starting to change. The Cutie Mark Crusaders were clearly trying their best to show her genuine friendship, and it was already getting through to Cozy Glow.

I couldn't bother telling them about the fact that I heard of a wish granting thing known as the Triforce. But the quesiton is, what's more important to me: Finally conquering Equestria, or actual genuine friends? I have yet to fully see if there's been genuine friendship from these five, but there's still time for that to change. Cozy Glow thought to herself.

Original Timeline: Minish Cap - Chapter 7

Using the flute that was given to them by a bird at the now empty former house of the Wind Element, Link, the CMC, and Cozy Glow were now able to use it to warp to the crests that they had been finding. But, upon using this new warping ability, the group were able to warp to a new part of Lake Hylia where they knew they hadn't discovered a stone marker yet.

"Seems this Wind Crest was already revealed for us, unlike the others." Diamond Tiara said.

"I may be able to fly, but I doubt I'd be able to do something so precise." Cozy Glow admitted; the pink pegasus still using Sweetie Belle's disguise. Nearby, the group had discovered a minish portal and a minish house along with it. There, the group learned that there was a minish located in Hyrule's Library that knew how to swim. The group figured that would help them reach the next element which was in a part of the lake they had to swim to.

Upon reaching the library, the group found another minish portal and used it to find a minish within a bookcase.

"Seems several books are missing." Silver Spoon said.

"Oh hey, you must be those adventurers. If you're looking to learn how to swim from the elder who lives here, I'm afraid your out of luck as several humans have checked out the books that are needed to reach his location." A nearby minish told them.

"I sense another fetch quest incoming." Scootaloo said before the group returned to normal size and headed down to the first floor, but as soon as they got down there, Cozy Glow quickly hid behind the five ponies. Before anyone could ask why, Twilight suddenly barged into the library itself.

"Here you go." Twilight said to the receptionist in charge of book returns. "All three of the books that were borrowed returned safely and sound." She added.

"Err...why thank you..." The receptionist said. The old man that was on the second foor suddenly was called down to put the books back which he did so at once.

"...Princess Twilight, you came here not to long after the library opened, didn't you?" Diamond Tiara asked.

"Yep. But then I found out that three books had been checked out but no one had returned them. So of course I went and rounded up those books myself." Twilight said.

"Well you just saved us from doing a fetch quest. In order to get to where the Water Element is, we need to know how to swim, so we needed those books to find a particular individual." Scootaloo said, leaving out just enough information for the humans.

"...Ah. I see." Twilight said, getting it. "By the way, weren't you six getting the Wind Element last time we checked on you?" She asked.

"Sadly, the entire ruins at the swamp were abandoned by the ones who had the Wind Element, and not only was the Wind Element not there, but we also have no clue where to find it now. But I'm sure that once we get the Water Element, we'll have enough tools to figure out where the Wind Element has gone off to." Sweetie Belle explained.

"That's unfortunate. But I'm sure that you'll find where the Wind Element is sooner or later." Twilight said. "I must be going now." She said before leaving.

"...So Cozy Glow, why were you hiding?" Scootaloo asked.

"Why do you think? If Twilight spotted me, and listened to my voice, disguised or not, she'd know it was me right away." Cozy Glow said.

"...Fair enough point..." Scootaloo said.

Author's Note

Considering there was an entire episode dedicated to Twilight having not returned a singular book to the Canterlot Library, I knew right away that it wouldn't be long after the library opened up in this particular set of events, she would go to said library and find out about how no one in hyrule returns the books they borrow. As such, it was very easy for me to use her to cut out that particular fetch quest.

Original Timeline: MInish Cap - Chapter 8

After the books were reshelved, the group of child heroes soon met up with the minish they were looking for only to get thrown down towards a watery area where they got some flippers that allowed them to swim. They also picked up some bracelets soon after that allowed them all to push things they couldn't before. Well...mostly everyone that wasn't Apple Bloom who was able to push the heavier objects without them.

"Got to know, how on earth can you push all those heavy objects we've come across?" Diamond Tiara asked.

"That's easy: Because ah work on a farm." Apple Bloom said.

"...Right. Forgot that little factoid." Diamond Tiara said. Regardless of this exchange, the group soon managed to find the next dungeon which made them all minish for the entire thing.

"Oh boy. I'm getting flashbacks to the first dungeon we went through." Scootaloo said.

"Well I wasn't there for that one." Cozy Glow said.

"Yeah. And if playing Video Games had taught me anything, it's that in this sort of case, we can expect to see harder challenges then from the first dungeon where we were minish sized for the entire dungeon." Scootaloo said. "And, judging from what I'm seeing before we even step that far into the dungeon, this dungeon combines the two tropes gamers hate with a burning passion." She added.

"What tropes are those?" Silver Spoon said as she walked when she suddenly slipped and fell; slidding over some ice.

"Silver Spoon! What just happened?" Diamond Tiara first shouted then questioned.

"Like I was saying, the tropes are Ice Physics and Water Levels." Scootaloo said. "Never thought I'd see the day when I'd have to experince those tropes first hand though." She added.

"Well if it makes you feel any better, the water stuff seems to just be swimming and nothing too complex." Cozy Glow admitted.

"...That does actually make me feel a little better, but we still have to deal with Ice Physics the entire time. At least we have those flippers which somehow allow us to magically swim." Scootaloo said. "...Kind of makes you wonder how Link having those items allows us to swim as well..." She added.

"I wouldn't question it, but I also wouldn't be surprised if we come across a different Link later on somehow that doesn't have the items, and we don't have access to this Link here, causing us to not have the ability to swim anymore." Cozy Glow said.

"...The chances of that happening when we've already found you are slim." Scootaloo said.

Later on in the dungeon, Cozy Glow actually saved Scootaloo from a falling Icicle. "...Guess that makes us even from the last area." She said.

"Whatever..." Scootaloo said as the group headed further into the dungeon. Cozy Glow wouldn't admit it, but she was actually enjoying seeing the conversations the group was having as they traversed through the locations they had traveled to so far. Plus, sometimes they'd include her which was showing her how friendship can be genuine and not be used just for some power position. It was affecting Cozy Glow quite a bit, actually.

Later on, the group found the boss key, and went through the boss door, where they encountered a Blue Chuchu; making a repeat boss from the first dungeon with the added electricity element. However, upon beating what they thought was the boss, the group found the element trapped in ice.

"Yikes, looks like the element's been frozen solid." Cozy Glow said.

"Well, considering we were using light to melt some ice earlier, we should try finding a way to let light in. However, I think this ice is more resilient; we're going to need a lot of light to melt that ice." Scootaloo said.

"I was thinking the same thing actually. Look above the element." Cozy Glow said. Sure enough, there was a shutter above. A big one. "Something tells me more than one switch is going to have to be pulled to open that big boy up." Cozy Glow pointed out.

"I'd hate to admit it, but I think your right." Scootaloo said.

"Well nothing for it. Let's go searhing." Sweetie Belle said.

"Oh great, more ice physics then." Silver Spoon said.

After going down one path, the group found a lantern that they could use to melt small ice without the light shutters and was even able to being kept being used without consequence. Eventually they flipped one switch and then went down another path to get another switch. This melted the ice on the element, but also the ice on an Octorock which proceeded to swallow the element.

"Hey, now that's not fair." Diamond Tiara said.

"So wait, was that Blue Chuchu not even the real boss? But that was a harder version of the first boss." Scootaloo said.

"Looks like this dungeon has two bosses then. Nothing for it. Let's just beat the Octorock and get back that element." Cozy Glow said.

"Something tells me, this boss will have ice physics too." Silver Spoon said. She wasn't wrong. And what was worse, the Octorock was a much harder fight then the Blue Chuchu so it took them twice as long to beat. But they did eventually beat it and got the element for real this time.

Upon exiting the dungeon though, the group was suddenly visited by some sort of ghost king.

"Children...I sense that you have been collecting the elements. I am Ghostuff, the grandfather of the kingdom's current king. I have been silently watching you in secret. If you wish to open the path to the final element, come to the graveyard in western hyrule after powering up the White Sword with the element you've just gotten." The ghost king said before vanishing.

"Well what do you know, we have a lead on the Wind Element, and it comes from a ghost none the less. Let's follow their instruction and head for the castle first." Ezlo said. The group agreed and headed that way right away.

Prologue 2 - Minish Cap Intro

Long ago, the demon king Demise sought to conquer the surface world, but the goddess Hylia managed to save the remaining humans by placing them on a single outcropping of land that she sent skyward.

A thousand years later, a plan in place by the goddess Hylia managed to prevent the return of Demise. Demise was promptly sealed away in the mystical master sword, the location of which was kept top secret and only really for use in dire situations.

However, monsters still roamed the lands, and the people needed protection and with the sword needing to sleep, the people began to panic.

Out of nowhere mysterious creatures known as the Picori gave one man a new blade that was given the name "The Picori Blade" and a lady of the royal family sacred power.

The monsters were sealed away with this combined might and people charished the blade to this very day...

Intermission 1: Gareth's Truth

Back in Equestria, Luna was monitoring the dream realm when she came across Gareth's dream. She had noticed something peculiar: The dream she was seeing was one being played on an endless loop. Curious, she looked closer, and saw the events that Gareth had explained about.

"For the one who still monitors the dream realm from time to time, you certainly couldn't help your curiosity about me, could you?" Gareth suddenly appeared, the real Gareth.

"Considering that I too have made mistakes of my own, I am curious why you are punishing yourself by looping the events that lead to Zanth's creation over in your head without end." Luna noted.

"It's not a punishment. It's a reminder to myself. I was weak willed back in this time. So weak willed, when an offer to better my life came, I took it without thinking of the potential consequences. I was naive, and it has caused this conundrum." Gareth said. "That's why I play this on loop. A reminder to myself to never be this weak willed again. To never take deals from a stranger you've never met. Especially when the deal sounds too good to be true. No doubt that if you were offered a similar deal to mine before becoming Nightmare Moon, you would've taken it. Do not lie to me about it either." He said.

"Maybe so, but if the wording made me hesitate, I would do so. As the then princess of the night, such a thing as a deal that sounds too good to be true would've left me with questions that I would've asked." Luna added.

"Hmph...you are smarter then I. And stronger willed too." Gareth said. "And yet, if you were also accused of a crime you didn't commit and every single one of your subjects pegged you for being the guilty party regardless of what you said, then you would've become desperate if even Celestia left your side." He added. "Because that's what happened to me essentially. And it ended up creating Zanth." The griffon concluded.

"You speak as if there is no way to redeem your other half." Luna said.

"That's because there is none." Gareth said.

"What do you mean? There must be something." Luna said.

"There is nothing. Because what Zanth is now is an entity born out of sadness, lonliness, and anger." Gareth said.

"What do you mean?" Luna asked. "You sound like you know more about Zanth then you first let on." She added.

"...You are correct. I do. Perhaps, when the group returns with Cozy Glow, I will tell the full truth then. But just know that no matter what you try on Zanth, that monster cannot be redeemed. The only way to stop it will be to kill it." Gareth said.