Equestria Warriors: Displacement of a Hero

Chapters

An Invitation and a Confession
An Emotional Nightmare, and Hope
A scarf and a temple
A goddess and a pony
A new world of old places
An arrest and a revelation
Amber and Adventure
A Gift and a Rescue
Training and a Budding Romance
The Festival and Farores Call
The Temple of Farore, Part 1
The Temple of Farore, Part 2
A Summons and An Invasion
Another Link and a Crossover, Part 1
Another Link and a Crossover, Part 2
Another Link and a Crossover, Part 3
Another partner and Another Temple
The Temple Of Din
The Temple of Nayru, the Final Blessing
My true self and the rising shadow
The Sacred Grounds
Heroes of the Seasons, Part 1
Heroes of the Seasons, Part 2
Heroes of the Seasons, Part 3
Heroes of the Seasons, Part 4
A Home for me. And my Family.
The Grand Galloping Gala
Shattered Ruins and Rare Gems

An Invitation and a Confession

Author's Note

I know I just published a chapter for this month, but I feel like writing a bunch now thanks to Men10doh_Mike helping me with the last chapter. They helped clear up a motivation block and now I may be writing a bit more. Hope you enjoy! :ajsmug:

An Invitation and a Confession

It had been almost two weeks since Rainbow Dash and I had cleared the Temple of Din, and she was still going on about our adventure. Not that I was complaining at all, her excitement and enthusiasm about it always managed to brighten my mood. I was currently walking with her, Applejack and Twilight in the ‘downtown’ area of Ponyville as the girls were looking for something to eat. The atmosphere around Ponyville had been a bit more energetic as fall was approaching. The leaves in the trees had begun to turn a soft gold, and cooler weather had slowly rolled in as everypony prepared for the end of the harvest season in a few weeks.

“I tell you what though, this year’s harvest is lookin’ to be one our biggest yet!” AJ smiled proudly as we sat down at a little cafe. The girls all ordered Dandelion Sandwiches, while I ordered some potato fries.

“Well it makes sense Applejack, you guys really know what’s what on your farm.” Dash chuckled as she stretched a bit. AJ nodded with a bigger smile.

“Yessir, but I’m kinda worried…” She said with a slight frown.

“What’s wrong?” Twilight asked as I rubbed AJ’s shoulder. She sighed and leaned back.

“I’m afraid that there’s too many apples this year, and I only have Big Mac and myself to buck them.” AJ sighed again. I frowned for a moment as Dash, Twilight and I all had the same idea.

“Why don’t we help?” We all said at the same time before laughing at each other. After a moment I composed myself and looked at AJ.

“Hun, you know you can always count on me and your friends to help you. Nopony is a mountain all on their own after all.” I said as I gave her a lopsided smile, making her giggle a bit and nod.

“Yeah, yer right Hunny. I just didn’t wanna seem like I was takin’ advantage of y’alls kindness is all. Guess that was kinda foolish of me wasn’t it?” She said as she blushed. I just rubbed her shoulder for a moment before I caught Dash looking a bit dejected at not getting any attention. I backed up and cleared my throat as our food arrived.

“So, how does Apple Bucking work?” I asked as I started to eat my fries. AJ was still looking between Rainbow Dash and myself before slowly answering.

“Well, usually I just go up to a tree and kick it as hard as I can.” She answered before taking a bite of her sandwich. I nodded, looking down at my food so as to not see their faces.

“I see… Well, I don’t think I’m strong enough to kick the apples from the tree, but I’m sure I’ll think of something I can do to help.” I nodded as I picked at my food some more. Twilight was looking between all three of us and looked very confused.

“Is… something going on between you guys?” Twilight asked with a raised eyebrow. Before I could answer, Rainbow Dash spoke up.

“I asked him out… before our little adventure.” She admitted as her ears folded back.
“I didn’t know what I was thinking, and I don’t know what to do now that I have. Link said it was OK, that he wanted to get everything with Applejack straightened out first… and now I just… argh! I don’t know how I feel!” She finished, looked really exasperated as AJ looked at her in surprise. After an awkward silence she finally spoke up.

“You asked him out… and didn’t tell me?” She said slowly as she raised her eyebrows.
“Honestly, I’m not really surprised you took to him like you did. And I’m not upset Rainbow Dash, not one bit.” She reassured the cyan mare.

“Y-you’re not?” Dash asked, a slightly confused look on her face. AJ shook her head and smiled.

“Nope. I honestly just knew this was going to happen. And I’m OK with it.” AJ smiled again as she ate more of her food.
“As long as we both agree to share him, I don’t see any problem.” She said firmly as Dash nodded.

“Agreed. I can live with that.” She said as they both looked at me. I looked up and just gave a small smile.

“I guess that settles it?” I asked as they both nodded. This nice little moment was interrupted however by the appearance of Twilight’s faithful assistant Spike.

“Twilight! A message from the princess!” He called as he ran up and handed her a scroll.

“What’s it say?” I asked her as she read it over. She looked up at me and smiled.

“You’re going to be publicly announced as the Legendary Hero at the Grand Galloping Gala in a month!” She squealed a bit as Dash and AJ smiled at me. I was a bit taken aback by the news, as being in the spotlight always made me feel like I was being studied. Then I remembered an important detail.

“But… wait, isn’t that event by invitation only?” I creased my eyebrows together.

“Yes it is, and here is yours.” Twilight said as she handed me a literal golden ticket. I stared at it in my hands for a moment, trying to process all that was going on.

“So… are you three going as well?” I asked them, and they all nodded. I sighed in relief, knowing I wasn’t going alone. Then I panicked again as I realized I had nothing to wear. Twilight giggled as Dash and AJ calmed me down.

“Don’t worry Link, I’m sure Rarity can put something together for you.” Twilight smiled at me, and once again I calmed down.

“Sorry, I can be a bit of a worry-wart when I am going to do public appearances… Even back in my old life I was like this.” I sighed sadly as AJ hugged me.

“It’s ok Hunny, we will be right there with ya.” She said soothingly as Dash rubbed my back, doing her best to be caring. I smiled a bit and thanked them for being so supportive before I stood.

“I’ll meet you guys at Sweet Apple Acres, I need to go visit Rarity real quick.” I said as I wiped a tear from my cheek. They really knew how to bring out my soft side. With a wave I turned and walked off towards Carousel Boutique down the street. I’d always thought the building was different, looking more like something I’d seen back home on Earth. It gave off old Victorian charm and was a very quaint shop. I pushed open the front door, setting off a little bell as I entered.

“One moment!” Called a voice from the back room. After a little wait Rarity walked out and smiled when she saw me.
“Ah, Link, to what do I owe the pleasure?” She asked as I walked forward.

“I need an outfit for the Grand Galloping Gala, and I was hoping… you could make it for me? I will pay you, of course.” I told her with a nervous smile. I could never place it, but something about her always made me nervous. She raised her eyebrows and smiled wider.

“Why of course dear, I would love to! Do you have an idea of what you want it to look like?” She asked before handing me a piece of paper and a pencil. I took it and began drawing out the design, my old art skills shining through as I drew a very good drawing of the outfit I wanted. She looked it over and nodded with a smile.
“Yes, I can do this. Now, I’ll need to take your measurements before you leave today. Hold still.” She warned as her measuring tape flew over and began taking my measurements. After a few minutes she was done and ushered me out, telling me to come back in a couple weeks.

“I better let her get to it. Now off to the farm.” I chuckled to myself as I walked towards the station.

After a relaxing train ride and a brisk walk, I arrived at Applejack’s. Aside from Rarity, everyone was here. Even Fluttershy, who I’d only spoken to a few times. I politely waved at her, which she returned before hiding behind Rainbow Dash. I nearly fell over as Pinkie Pie appeared beside me, giving me a big hug before zooming off to Hylia knows where. I just chuckled and walked up to AJ, giving them a hug and a kiss before doing the same to Dashie. She was a little awkward about it, but she really seemed to enjoy the attention. At least until Fluttershy giggled at her and turned her face bright red.

“Alright everypony, we got a lot of work to do, and not a long time to do it!” AJ called out to us as we gathered around her.
“Twilight, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy will be carrying the apples up to the barn while Link, Rainbow Dash and I do the bucking. Any questions?” She asked as we all shook our heads. She nodded and pointed at the orchards.
“Let’s go to work then.”

“Yeah!” We all cheered and walked towards the apple trees. I had an idea for getting them down, but I was worried it might hurt a lot. Walking up to my first tree, I looked up at it and took a deep breath.

“I can do this…” I muttered to myself as I backed up a bit. With a running start, I dove down into a roll and slammed into the tree, knocking down almost every apple into the baskets. I rubbed my shoulder as it was the part that hit the tree first.

“Not bad, sugar cube.” AJ called as I looked over. She had two trees down and was working on her third.

“I could do better.” I called back with a grin. I took another running start, hitting the second tree harder than the first and making all the apples fall into the basket waiting below. I managed to get through three more trees before I stood up and stumbled, a bit dizzy from all the spinning. I shook my head as AJ came up to me, looking a little worried.

“You ok? You can stop if it’s too hard.” She held my shoulders as I looked up with a smile.

“I’ll be fine, just gotta pace myself. Too many rolls too quickly.” I winked as she smiled back.

“If you say so Hunny. Just don’t push yourself too hard, kay?” She said as she rubbed my shoulder before going back to work. We kept at it for hours, and by the time the sun was going down, we had cleared the entire orchard. I sat on a small hill that looked over the entire farm, imagining what the future held here for me.

“You good Link?” Dashie asked as she landed beside me, sitting down and leaning on my shoulder. I just smiled at her and nodded.

“Yeah, just thinking is all…” I said as I rubbed her back, trying not to brush against her wings.

“Thinking about what?” She asked as she closed her eyes.

“Us, the future.. Everything..” I said with a slight frown.
“I guess I never really took the time to sit down and just think about it. And now, that’s all I can think about.” I sighed as she looked up at me, her Magenta eyes shining softly in the fading light of the sunset.

“Our.. Future?” She asked and I nodded.

“I know I asked you to wait Rainbow Dash… and I realized that it isn’t fair to you. Seeing how you looked this morning at the Cafe, it almost broke me seeing your reaction to me and AJ being all… intimate. So I’m going to ask you..” I paused before looking her in the eyes.
“Rainbow Dash, would you like to be my girlfriend?” I asked as she smiled softly before nodding.

“I’d like that. Very much.” She said quietly, placing her head on my shoulder as we watched the sun dip below the hills at the edge of the valley.

“I love you Dashie.” I told her softly as I kissed the top of her head.

“And I… I love you too, Link.” She replied equally as quietly. I petted her head and smiled to myself.

“Call me Johnny.” I told her as she looked up at me again.

“Alright, Johnny.” She said softly. Hearing her say my actual name sent a chill up my spine as I gently held her cheek and kissed her.

An Emotional Nightmare, and Hope

I woke up to snoring, making me frown slightly. I looked over to see Spike sleeping in his small bed. With a sigh I got up and walked outside. Twilight had let me sleep on her couch for a week since I was helping her and her friends with Nightmare Night. With a groan I got up and stretched as I made my way to the kitchen. I sat down at the little table in the corner and looked out the window.

“Two days…” I sighed quietly as I watched the sun rise.
“Two days till Nightmare Night, and I feel like we still have too much to do…”

I leaned back and yawned, mentally preparing myself for the day’s work. I shook my head hard and managed to wake myself up a bit as I made a pot of coffee and got dressed for the day.

Later, in the Town Square

“Make sure those banners are evenly spaced now!” Rarity called out to me and Spike as we held up a set of orange and purple banners. I gave her a raised eyebrow as she smirked back and went to check on the other preparations. I looked over to Spike who just shrugged at me and we kept working.

“So, what do you think of Ponyville?” Spike asked me as we got off our respective ladders. I looked over with a smile.

“I always liked it. It’s quiet, like AJ’s farm. Why do you ask?” I asked back as he walked over.

“I dunno, I just haven’t seen you in a while. And we never talked much before…” He shrugged again as I knelt down to his height.

“It’s all good kiddo. I know you’re trying to be friendly and all. And it’s appreciated.” I smiled as I patted his head.
“Now come on, we got work to do.”

“Yeah! You’re right!” He grinned as we both walked off to our next job. We worked hard the whole day, managing to get half the town finished. I gave him a high five as we began our walk back to the Library. Twilight, bless her, was as polite as she could be when she told us how bad we smelled. Spike and I looked at each other and chuckled before heading towards the shower. I let him go first as I sat on a small wooden chair in the hall. I closed my eyes and let my mind wander as I relaxed for a moment, eventually passing out as I sat there.

In Johnny’s Dreams

I walked down a dark hallway lit by dim electric lights, my footsteps muffled by the thick carpet I was walking on. There were no doors to be seen, save for one at the end of the hall. As I made my way closer to it, I could feel my body resist my movement and it became a struggle to move forward. I looked down at my feet to see them being swallowed by the carpet. I began to panic and tried to claw my body free, making no progress and only sinking deeper into the shaggy mess. As it reached up to my chest I looked up and prayed for help, my shoulders now sinking below the surface.

“Help! Please!” I yelled, my voice sounding muffled and distorted as my head sank below the surface, my right arm still barely above the surface. I felt myself suffocating as someone grabbed my hand and pulled me up. I gasped for air as soon as my head was free and looked up to see my rescuer. It was the one and only Luna, giving me a soft smile.

“Fear not, I am here.” She told me as our surroundings changed. We now sat in her study, a fire crackling cheerily in the fireplace. I looked around as I felt my heart rate slowly go down, eventually taking a seat as Luna waited patiently. I sighed and leaned back, keeping my eyes closed.

“Thank you Luna. I don’t know why that happened, but thank you.” I said weakly as she nodded.

“It’s alright Johnny. I am sorry it happened at all, nightmares usually do not occur if I can help it.” She frowned sadly as she looked out the window. I sat up and looked around, noting how everything felt slightly off.

“I’m still dreaming… aren’t I.” I asked her as I stood up. She nodded and stood as well.

“Yes, but not for much longer.” She giggled as she tapped my forehead, jolting me awake as I nearly fell out of my chair.

“Jeez Link, you’d have a nightmare or something?” Spike asked as he left the bathroom, chuckling slightly as he watched me almost fall. I sighed and got up, wondering what that dream meant.

Despite having a later start than I did yesterday, I managed to finish setting up the decorations. I sat on a small hill on the outskirts of town, leaning on an old oak tree as I watched the clouds roll by overhead.

“You hanging in there Link?” Twilight asked as she sat beside me. I smiled sadly at her and looked back at the heavens.

“I’m not sure honestly. I’ve been having strange dreams lately. Sometimes even Nightmares. It’s been bothering me a lot…” I said with a frown. She raised her eyebrows before looking at the sky as well.

“Dreams can be your subconscious trying to tell you something. Like a warning.” She shrugged.
“Or you could just be overworked.”

“Heh, probably the second one.” I snorted as I leaned on my knees. She gave me a strange smile and stood.

“We should get to bed early tonight, we have a big day tomorrow.” She said as she offered me a hand. I took it and stood, dusting myself off and walking back to the Library together.

“Please tell me you have a costume.” Spike asked me as we sat at the breakfast table. I sighed and shook my head.

“I don’t. Honestly, I think I’ve had enough of costumes for a lifetime…” I frowned as I looked out the window. Spike looked a bit bummed out but didn’t protest anymore. He had been asking if I was gonna dress up like everyone else all week, and each time I had tried to let him down gently about it. He didn’t know my story like the others did. Mostly because I had Twilight swear she wouldn’t tell him until I was ready. I looked back at him and patted his head.
“Don’t worry kiddo, I’ll still be in my normal outfit. Sword and all.” I gave him a wink and he cheered up a bit before rushing off to finish up his costume.

“He’s really taken a liking to you, you know.” Twilight said from the doorway.

“He’s a good kid. You’ve done a good job. Raising him and all that.” I said with a half-hearted smile. Twilight frowned and sat across from me.

“What’s wrong Link? You seem… off. Is everything okay?” She asked worriedly. I sighed and held my head in my hands.

“I don’t know Sparks… I just…” I started to say before taking a breath.
“I just feel like I fit outside of all this. I’m not from this world, but now I’m stuck here. It’s hard to explain well…” I sighed sadly as she patted my head.

“I understand what you mean, Link. I know it’s not easy for you, but know that my friends and I don’t know what our world would be like without you. I mean, you’re herded with Applejack and Rainbow Dash!” She smiled as she tried to lift my spirits.
“Could you imagine what their lives would be like without you?”

“Yeah, I can. I know what their futures should have been…” I began saying before I slammed my mouth shut with a frown. Twilight saw this and decided not to push me for now.

“All I’m saying is that you’re part of our lives now. And that’s not ever gonna change.” She said softly as she stood and kissed the top of my head before walking back out of the kitchen.

“A part of your lives…” I muttered to myself, watching as the festivities began.

About an hour later…

I sat on the steps of town hall, watching as fillies and colts walked around between the various booths and stages we had set up, dressed in a wide variety of costumes, some I recognized and some I didn’t. I jumped a bit when someone grabbed my shoulder from behind, drawing my sword instinctively.

“Whoa Whoa, it’s just me Johnny!” Rainbow Dash said in a panic as she threw up her hands.

“Dang it Dash, you know I don’t like being snuck up on like that…” I frowned as I put my blade away, sitting back down as she sat beside me.

“Sorry, I just wanted to surprise you with my costume was all…” She smiled apologetically as she put her hands on her hips.
“I’m a Shadowbolt!”

“You mean.. Like that sports group you like?” I asked with a raised eyebrow. She rolled her eyes and sighed.

“No, those are the Wonderbolts, the Shadowbolts are like their arch-nemesis or something.” She shrugged as I managed a smile. She smiled back before frowning slightly.
“What about you? Do you not have a costume?”

“I don’t …” I started to say before I sighed, “I don’t normally dress up for Halloween, I mean Nightmare Night. That was something my sister liked to do.” I colder her as I looked up at the darkening sky.
“I’d help her make her costume, then just hang around as she went Trick-Or-Treating.” I sighed as Rainbow gave me a side hug.

“Well, it sounds to me like you were one heck of a big bro. But… do you think it’s time to just… I dunno… move on?” She asked as I looked at her with a confused frown.

“Move on? Like… let her go or something?” I asked as she put up her hands.

“No no, I didn’t mean that…” She said as she thought for a moment.
“I mean that you are holding on to who you used to be. So why not let go and move on. Be who you are now. Did that… make sense?” She asked, looking worried that she hurt my feelings. But I surprised her when I flashed a smile.

“You’re right. I’m not who I was when I came here. I’m someone new…” I grinned as I stood up and started jogging away, Dash calling to me from the steps.

“Where are you going?” She asked as I turned my head around.

“To the Boutique! I need a costume!” I yelled back as I began to run. She smiled after me for a moment before going to find Twilight.

At Carousel Boutique

I ran up to the shop as Rarity was locking up the shop, looking up slightly worried as I slid to a stop.

“Is something wrong? You look like you need to do something important.” She said as I caught my breath.

“Yes. I need… a costume!” I said with a smile as I planted my fists on my hips. She raised her eyebrow with a small smile and nodded.

“I assume you have a design in mind, yes?” She asked as she unlocked the door and we walked inside.

“Indeed I do. Indeed I do…” I grinned as I closed the door.

About an hour later we came out, my new costume tucked away in my inventory.

“Oh… I wish you’d wear it already!” Rarity huffed as she locked the door.

“That would ruin the surprise.” I winked as I waved and ran off. She smiled and giggled a bit before walking towards the festivities.

Outside Twilight’s Library

“Where is he? Rainbow Dash said he went to see Rarity, but nobody’s seen him since.” Spike muttered as he adjusted his costume. He was dressed up as a knight of old, a prop sword hanging from his side as he looked over to Twilight. She was wearing a flowing dark blue cape and wizards hat, covered in glittering stars.

“Don’t worry Spike. He’s around here somewhere.” She said with a weak smile, looking around to see if she could spot him.

I was making my way through the festivities, a smile on my face as I wondered how Spike and Twilight would like my costume. I ducked between two booths as i tried to take a shortcut.

“You’ve met with a terrible fate, haven’t you?” A low creepy voice said behind me. I jumped and spun around, grabbing at my sword reflexively as I looked at the stranger. My face drained of all color as I recognized them. It was the Happy Mask Salesman. I hadn’t played Majora’s Mask, but I had seen him in Ocarina of Time. Yet something felt off about him. For one, he looked like he did in the games. Like a Hylian. Then I noticed the Masks on his backpack. I spotted several characters that weren’t supposed to be there, like Mega Man and Chun Li.

“You…” I frowned as I backed up a bit, my hand still on my sword.
“I know you. But you’re not from here… are you.” I said as he grinned wickedly.

“Very perceptive, Johnny.” He answered, the fact he used my real name gave me goosebumps and I drew my sword.

“Only a few know that name. And you’re not one of them.” I growled as I leveled the tip of the blade at his face. He kept his grin and chuckled.

“Yet I do know you. After all…” He said as he narrowed his eyes.
“I was the one who brought you to this world.”

“You.. Wha..?” I blinked as he turned and began to walk away.

“Don’t you worry. I won’t send you away a second time.” He waved over his shoulder as he vanished into the crowd, leaving me shaken and confused.

“That was… really weird…” I sighed as I looked down at my sword and sighed before sheathing it and turning to walk away as well. As I did so, I saw a piece of paper on the ground. I picked it up and found it had music notes on it, as well as a message.

‘Just because you hate me does not make me your enemy’

I frowned and stuffed the paper in my pocket, walking back to Twilight’s library.

“Oh Link, there you are!” Spike called as soon as he saw me, running up with a big smile.
“Do you like my costume?”

“Oh man, that is one sweet suit kiddo.” I smiled as he drew his small blade heroically.

“I know it’s not like yours or anything, but I made it myself!” He puffed up his chest proudly as Twilight walked up beside him.

“I hope you’re going to be joining us in the festivities.” She smiled as I nodded.

“And thanks to Rarity, I have a costume.” I said as I spun on the spot, equipping the costume from my inventory. I stopped spinning and put my hands on my hips.

“Who are you supposed to be?” Spike asked in confusion as Twilight snickered.

“I am Superman. An alien hero who saves the day!” I grinned with a raised eyebrow. I knew I could explain it better to him, but I was just happy I could finish the suit in time.

“Huh… so is that what the big S stands for?” He asked curiously.

“No, it’s a Kryptonian sigil. It means Hope.” I told him as I patted his head.
“Now come on, we have a lot of fun ahead of us!” I grinned as we headed towards the booths and games.

A scarf and a temple

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

EARLIER THAT DAY

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

AT COMIC-CON

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

PRESENT

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

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

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

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

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

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

"How odd..."

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

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

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

"Holy crap..."

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

"That looks like a decent place to start"

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

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

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

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

"Well that's not suspicious..."

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

You got the Heroes Bow

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

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

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

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

"I am the goddess Farore."

A goddess and a pony

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

As if reading my thoughts, she shook her head.

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

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

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

She stepped back, glowing slightly brighter.

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

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

"What the...."

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

THE NEXT DAY

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

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

Her companions laughed at her.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sweetie immediately pointed at me, half covered in shadow.

"There! See!" She was still crying.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

She took them nervously before nibbling one.

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

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

She looked at me with a shocked expression.

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

I chuckled a bit, then smiled kindly at her.

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

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

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

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

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

Things certainly were looking better. Only time would tell...

A new world of old places

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"How did it work for you then?"

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

She looked at me with a curious face.

"Could you weild magic?"

I thought for a moment before answering her.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I took her hand and shook it gently.

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

This caused her to blush as she giggled.

"Please, call me Cookie."

"Very well Cookie."

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

"Stay out of Trouble, ok?"

She gave a small nod before hugging me.

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

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

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

"Well... I knew this would happen..."

An arrest and a revelation

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I just stood there, now very confused.

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

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

"You... what?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I rubbed my neck with an nod.

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

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

After a pregnant pause, I cleared my throat.

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

The sisters looked at each other with concern.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Amber and Adventure

Author's Note

Special thanks to DisplacedWriter for helping me iron out this chapter and helping make it what it is

Amber and Adventure

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

"Gah!" I exclaimed in fear.

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

"The power of Courage... I forget I have that..." I mused as I stood up to get out of bed and dressed for today. Finding them neatly folded on the table, it seemed the maids had washed my clothes overnight, the dirt smudges and grass stains gone.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

BWOOP

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

BWOOP

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

They looked between themselves again before Luna nodded.

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

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

"This way."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

'Link...'

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

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

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

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

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

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

==========○○○●●●○○○==========

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A Gift and a Rescue

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

==========○○○●●●○○○==========

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

==========○○○●●●○○○==========

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“My name's Applejack.” She said softly as she fell asleep in my arms.

Training and a Budding Romance

Author's Note

Ok, take 2. Thanks again to DisplacedWriter for helping me with this chapter. Enjoy!

Training and a Budding Romance

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

==========○○○●●●○○○==========

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

==========○○○●●●○○○==========

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Festival and Farores Call

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

==========○○○●●●○○○==========

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Temple of Farore, Part 1

Author's Note

Special thanks to DisplacedWriter for helping me with this chapter. I really can't thank them enough for the help they've given me in this story.

The Temple of Farore, Part 1

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

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

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

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

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

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

You got a yellow rupee! What a find!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

BWOOP

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

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

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

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

“Well that happened.” I muttered as I stood and rolled my shoulders. This dungeon was trickier than I'd thought.

The Temple of Farore, Part 2

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[Shakiva. Armos Guardian Of Farore's Temple]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

YOU GOT THE BOSS KEY! TIME TO END THIS!

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

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

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

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

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

DIABABA
Twilit Parasite

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

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

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

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

A Summons and An Invasion

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

Another Link and a Crossover, Part 1

With everything going on, what with the invasion and Tyrek possibly escaping, I was stressing out really bad. To try and clear my head, I had decided to take a break from training and get out, maybe go explore the woods. Swift Blade was brutal with it, making me run ten miles a day at minimum! It left me feeling like I'd just fall apart if I let my guard down for even a moment. After walking quietly through the countryside for a little while I decided to rest. Picking a nice tree with plenty of shade, I sat down, feeling several joints buzz from being relieved of my weight.

I casually watched clouds drift across the sky, making all sorts of comical references from their shapes. As I sat there, almost falling asleep, I heard faint music. Almost like a soft whistling sound. I looked around, trying to locate the source. I got up, following the sound to find a small necklace hanging from a branch. It looked like a small stone with a hole in the middle, somehow playing soft music as a breeze blew through it. As it played I recognized the tune as the Song of Storms, one of my favorites from Ocarina of Time. I hummed along to it as I reached up and plucked it from the branch. The moment I touched it though, it flashed brightly as an ethereal wolf sprang from it. It turned to face me, and with a growl leapt right into my chest. There was a bright flash and then… nothing. I must have blacked out, because the next thing I knew, I was lying on my face.

I felt groggy and my brain acted like it was full of mud. Blinking some of the remaining spots from my eyes, I looked around at the spectacle before me. I stood on a great shining cloud, with prominent sights from the land below poking up through the wispy floor. I could see the castle and the Temple, Death Mountain and the Arbiter's Grounds. It reminded me of the training realm from Twilight Princess. Looking toward the middle of the cloud-like dimension, I notice the strange ethereal wolf again, and with a howl it suddenly transformed into a tall figure with a thick cloak of red feathers with their face hidden in shadows.

“...Huh, you’re the second Link-a-like I’ve met so far.” The stranger said with a chuckle of amusement.

I shook my head again, trying to make sure I wasn't hallucinating.

"Holy Hylia, you're real…" I said in shock, finally getting to my feet.
"And what do you mean Link-a-like? Wait… you're like me?"
I put a hand to my head, trying to understand this as it left me feeling like I'd been hit with a load of bricks.

“How’d you come to that conclusion so quickly?” The stranger asked as he reached up to grab his hood, pulling it down to reveal.. Link? No, the hair is different, but why does he have a blonde mustache and goatee?

"Well, I'm not sure honestly. A feeling mostly. Like we're connected somehow. It's hard to describe…" I said with a heavy sigh. My body finally felt normal again, all the sluggishness gone.
"So… where are we? All I did was whistle with a singing rock necklace." I asked in mild frustration, rubbing my temples.
"Then… you attacked me? Not you you, the glowing wolf you.." I tried to remember, but it had all happened so quickly.

“Judging from how you’re talking and the sound of your voice, I'm guessing I'm your first Displaced you've summoned and you’re not used to a lot of the things that have happened to you so far? As for being Connected? I suppose in a way, not in a related sort of way nor am I from your world. The only connection is that we both possess the triforce of courage from our respectable worlds; displaced by fate because of a stranger manipulating the strings through trickery.” The stranger said as he reached up to stroke along his goatee in thought.

"Displaced? Is that what we are? It's actually a bit of a relief, knowing I'm not alone in this." I chuckled in relief.
"And as far as me being 'Displaced', I woke up in the Everfree about four and a half months ago." I smirked in slight embarrassment as I rubbed my neck.

“Same as me then. I woke up in the Temple Of Time with my body changed many years ago. I was alone, confused, and freezing cold, quite a rough start to be exact. I'm Jeff by the way, hopefully you’ve kept your name much like my friend Mike?” Jeff asked curiously.

I took it and shook it happily. As we shook, both our hands glowed as our Triforce resonated with each other.
"Johnny. And no, publicly I go by Link. I use it more like a last name to be honest, but everyone keeps calling me Link." I sigh in exasperation.

“Johnny Link sounds… odd.” Jeff with said before shaking his head

"If it makes you feel any better about it, it used to be Sikes." I laughed as I shook my head.

“..Ok, admittingly Link sounds better than Sikes, Johnny Sikes makes it sound like a stage name, as if you fool people.” Jeff said jokingly with a chuckle.

"It was my dad's idea. He's this small-time Magician in Vegas. You might very heard of him. 'Sonny Sikes, Magic Extroardinair'?" I cringed a bit, as I never talk about my father. He wasn't the best dad, being gone all the time tends to make you forget your family.

“Sorry no, but I'm guessing he either came to be after my Displacedment or you’re from a different earth. Multiverse theory is weird like that.” Jeff said as he crossed his arms over his chest, he gave me a look as if studying my appearance. “Hmm, Hyrule Warrior Link, although you seem to be missing alot of your equipment?” Jeff pauses as he looks at my belt. “Or do your pouches work like mine where items shrink down when placed inside?” Jeff asked with a nod.

"It really only works in combat as far as I can tell. Farore was teaching me how to use it for a bit, but then all hell broke loose down south. Ganondorf invaded the southern coast and a Mad Titan might escape his prison." I spat bitterly.

“Ganondorf? Jeez, you got Displaced rather late since that bastard is around. Is he human shaped, pony? A mix of both?” Jeff asked with worry in his voice.

"He has his form from Twilight Princess, but he's apparently more powerful than he was there. He was sealed in the Arbiters Grounds almost three hundred years ago for committing mass genocide on the Hylian population. Zelda had been keeping him sealed in that area all this time, and it's only made him piiiiiiiissed." I said, trying to emphasize just how bad this Ganondorf was.

“Tch, you’d best get to training and preparation then. I can help with some of it if you’d like, we’ve got all the time in this mindscape. One hour here is one minute out there.” Jeff explained as he lowered his arms down.

"Thanks. I can use all the help I can get." I replied, putting my hands on my hips.
"I've been training with the Royal guards, but they really are only adept in general combat and swordsmanship, so it's just been brutal. I am constantly repeating the same drills all day, but I need something… different. Something to give me an edge." I mused aloud, looking deep in thought for a moment.

“I’ve got alot to offer, so to narrow it down me having to explain it alot, tell me what you’d like to focus most on? Magic? Swordsmenship, something unique?” Jeff asked as he moved his cloak to the side, revealing his master sword. It looked odd seeing it at the hip and not on his back.

"I'd say some advanced sword moves, maybe a magic spell or two? Sorry… I'm still getting used to being the 'Hero', so I haven't really had time to think of what I would like…" I sighed sadly.

Jeff let out a hearty laugh. “I know the feeling, I was forced to become a hero as there were many vile creatures plaguing Equestria with Celestia not having enough time to take care of it herself.” he explained to me.

"Is it just a problem us Displaced seem to have? Getting sent to places so messed up they need a Hero?" I asked with a hearty chuckle. "No offense to you or your Equestria. It just seems to be a recurring theme here."

"From the many Displaced i've met, the reasoning for their displacement varies heavily. Not everyone was summoned for heroic deeds, others either try to live a life despite their new powers and body, or they use it for their own personal gain, good or bad. I've got a failsafe on my token so If I ever get summoned by anyone with ill intentions, I can break the contract, make their copy of my token crumble to dust, and force my way back to my world." Jeff explained with a nod.

I nod back respectfully.
"That's a good idea. I know I wouldn't wanna be pulled somewhere just to be forced to do evil shit." I snarled slightly, clearly angered by the idea. "It's bad enough we got ripped from our lives. Why make it worse with all that… stuff." My voice seemed to ooze contempt. Who would willingly choose to be evil when handed a second chance at life? It made absolutely no sense to me. That, or my Triforce was influencing me to be more noble and honorable.

“Power corrupts, and Ganondorf is a fine example of that.” Jeff said as he lowered and shook his head. “Now, I know you said advance swordsmenship, but it’d be best if I start at the lower tier.” Jeff explained as he reached behind his cloak to pull out his Hylian shield while his other hand pulled down to pull the master sword from its sheath, holding it in his right hand and his shield in the other. “Don’t worry about being harmed here in the dreamscape, it’ll be all mental fatigue.” Jeff explained as he got into position.

I also got into my ready position, drawing my sword and shield.
"Ready when you are Jeff!" I called with a grin.
'I hope I can keep up with him. He's definitely got experience on his side, so I should stay on my toes..' I thought to myself, trying to think on how he might come at me. I side stepped slowly to the right, keeping my shield up.

Suddenly, Jeff thrusted his sword straight at me, surprising me with his speed and forcing me to leap back to avoid getting stabbed in the face.

"Holy Crap your fast!" I said in shock as I landed on my feet. I wasn't expecting that, but I should have. Looking down, I noticed Jeff’s boots had golden wings sticking out of them. I instantly regretted taking my focus when he smacked me in the face with his shield.

“You gotta keep your senses sharp.” Jeff said with advice.

I just nodded, not wanting to waste my breath with a verbal response. I took the offensive, charging at him with a strong upward slice. Jeff reacted with an opposite slice, swinging it downward as our blades clashed. I pushed into my blade as hard as I could, my body refusing to back down. Yet I could feel Jeff's strength overpowering mine as I began to slowly lose ground.

“You’ve trained with veteran guardsponies, but when's the last time you’ve had an actual fight?” Jeff asked curiously.

"I fought a couple bokoblin yesterday, but they're kinda clueless." I admitted sadly.
"The Princesses don't want me to try and free the Everfree until I can hold my own. Which… isn't going well…" I blushed a bit. Jeff slid along my blade, I felt myself stumble forward as he suddenly rolled around me, soon I felt the blunt of the sword’s handle on my back.

"How…" I started to question, looking at him.
"How did you do that? That was actually really cool!" I smiled, quite impressed.

“I used your strength against you. Next time you’re fighting an opponent who has more than you, just push against their weapon, then kneel into a roll, they’ll be caught off guard since what they were wrestling against is suddenly gone.” Jeff explained

"Use my own enemies weight against them, eh? That would definitely come in handy." I nodded, giving my sword a good swing before facing you again. "You know, you're a pretty good teacher. You don't make me feel… bad, for being so.. well bad." I chuckled in amusement.

"I’m guessing the pony guardstallions have been too harsh on you, huh? Training as if going to war instead of just guarding Celestia? By the way, you would be the fourth person I've taught. The first one was a Jedi who was struggling how to use the force, second one had a Omnitrix that wasn't cooperating with him, so I taught him some swordsmenship to fall back when his watch fails, the third would be Mike, a man who got Displaced based on some kind of speedrun version of Link where he beat the game with the most minimum equipment, the poor guy only had three heart containers."

"Jeez, I could never do one of those minimalist runs. I didn't have the skill or patience. I feel bad for this Mike though. He sounds like an alright guy from how you talk about him." I smiled slightly, twirling my blade absently.

“You’ll be able to meet him if a wooden ocarina token falls into your lap.” Jeff said as he returned to his stance.

"I look forward to it. The three Link-ateers, right?" I chuckled excitedly, readying my own stance.

“Ha, nice one.” Jeff said with a chuckle as he pulled his sword arm back. “Now, I’m going to teach you the spin attack, just focus your energy into the cross-guard of your sword, then fill it up to the tip of the blade.” Jeff explained as his Master Sword gleamed brightly. Taking a leap back to provide me some distance, he suddenly twirled around, releasing a blue ring of energy around him.

"Ok… seems easy enough.." I thought aloud as I imagined my energy flowing into my sword. At first, nothing really happened. Then it began to faintly glow, getting brighter and brighter until it was gleaming like Jeff's had a moment ago. With a yell, I unleashed it, sending a similar blur ring away from me. But now I was slightly dizzy as I took a knee.
"Woah… that was awesome.." I laughed as I caught my breath.

“Wait till you learn elemental magic to channel into your weapon.” Jeff said as he rotated his sword arm around.

"Elemental attacks? Man, Magic makes everything cooler. Unless it's explosive magic. Apparently one of the Royal scientists almost blew up Canterlot. Added one too many drops of distilled sunlight." I chuckled in embarrassment.

"Exactly, elemental. I channel mine through the goddess orbs I've got in my pouch such as Fire, Wind, Ice, and Electricity.” Jeff explained as he held up his master sword, showing each element dance along it as he spoke.

"Goddess orbs… like from Wind Waker? I didn't know they could do stuff like that." I said in bemusement.

“Ah, close, but they’re not pearls.” Jeff said as he placed his shield behind his cloak until I heard a click, I guess it was sliding onto some kind of hook. Reaching into his pouch, he soon pulls out three orbs that were baseball sized. Each orb had their respectable colors and symbols belonging to each goddess.

"Woah, they look so… ethereal. Like a crystal ball." I said in amazement as I came closer to look. "Who knew such awesome power was in such a small package." I chuckled as I sheathed my sword.

“Each orb contains a small fracture of the goddess similar to the triforce except minus the whole wish granting part and instead just magical powers they wielded. Fire, Ice, Wind, Electricity, Earth, and among other things.” Jeff explained as I studied each orb.

"I wonder if there is something like this in my Equestria. I mean, going off of Zelda logic there probably is. Just gives me another thing to search for." I sighed, looking at the orbs with a slight melancholy expression.

"There may be, you just need to find whatever monster or dungeon they might be held up in, or perhaps guarded by a race. Now, I can teach you two spells, but not all of them, I wouldn’t want you passing out from overusing your magic pool.” Jeff explained as he held up the orbs. “Which one interests you most? Fire and Earth of Din? Ice, healing, and protection of Nayru, or electric, shape shifting, and agility of Farore?”

I pondered my options for a moment, before replying with a grin.
"Nayru, I choose you!" I yelled and then immediately began laughing.
"Oh… sorry, I couldn't resist." I chuckled as I tried to collect myself.

“There's a time and place for everything, but not now.” Jeff said in amusement as he put away two of the orbs.

"Yes, I'm good now. Sorry, Professor." I grinned, emphasizing the last word, causing Jeff to softly chuckle.

“Man, sometimes I miss planet earth.” Jeff said with a sigh, The hylian pauses to think for a bit. “Now, the spells i've learned how to cast with the Orb Of Wisdom would be shooting ice with your sword, channeling in your arrows or your sword, manifesting a shield of magic over you, healing yourself, surrounding yourself with a diamond barrier, reflecting spells, and a few others but I know you don't have a rod or a boomerang to use it with."

"Ok, so I should focus on ones I can use… you said I can channel it through my sword, right?" I look over concerned, as I was trying to keep up.

“Pretty much, just place your hand over the orb and simply imagine it, it’ll be slow at first but eventually it’ll come as natural as breathing.” Jeff explained as I placed my hand of Nayru’s orb. I closed my eyes in order to concentrate, trying to imagine the energy flowing through me and into my weapon. The blade cooled as a thin layer of ice formed, sending off whisps of cold steam. As this was happening, a mysterious presence could be felt. Watching us. I looked around, trying to see if I could zero in on it.

"You feel that Jeff? We've got an audience." I said quietly to him, my eyes scanning our surroundings.

"I had expected this to be honest as dreams are her domain. Isn't that right," Jeff pauses to look up. "Luna?"

"So you recognize me? How interesting…" She said as she appeared near us.

"Your majesty." I got to my knee and bowed my head respectfully, causing her to giggle in amusement.

"There is no need for that. Please, rise Link." She ordered softly and I complied.

“What Displaced doesn’t know you?” Jeff asked with a soft chuckle.

"Displaced? Is that what you both are?" She mused, looking Jeff over curiously.
"If you are anything like our Link, you must surely be of excellent character." She smiled warmly at Jeff.

“Similar but not the same as. Your Links got plenty of training, but he’s in need of experience. Those Bokoblins won’t be enough unlike what I faced back in my world.. Ah, that reminds me.” Jeff paused to look at me. “Don’t rely too heavily on your knowledge of what you know of, things are quite different in person than simply on a screen.” the hylian explained. I nodded back with respect.

"I understand. Not everything can be easy, am I right?" I chuckled happily. Luna just looked between us in pure confusion.

"What doth he mean by 'screen'?" She asked in confusion, her older way of speaking slipping out.

Jeff looked over at Luna, softly blinking at her. “A uh.. Simulation in a way projected from a box.”

"I'll show you when we return to the waking world." I promised her as she gave me a frustrated and sad look.

"Very well. I will await your return then, Link." She said sadly as she vanished, leaving us alone once again.

"Thirty three minutes have passed here, so likely thirty three seconds have passed in the real world. I should end the dreamscape before I worry the apple family of what just happened. I did leap in here rather abruptly in my wolf form to talk to you in private afterall. We can continue your training out there." Jeff explained as he placed Nayru’s orb back into his pouch.

"Oh crap, I forgot about them…" I said in embarrassment as I rubbed the back of my head.
"They'll probably be really worried if they saw it."

Jeff slowly waved his hand as the mindscape started to dissolve into Twili-particles; my vision slowly blurring into blackness. I suddenly woke up, finding myself back in the Everfree forest.

Author's Note

Ok, so a lot of chapters are getting posted today. This crossover was written almost a month ago with DisplacedWriter, and I had to make sure I had plenty of story posted before this went up. Go check out DisplacedWriter and their stories!

Another Link and a Crossover, Part 2

"Ugggh… that never gets easy…." I muttered as I slowly got to my feet. I felt a small weight on my chest. Looking down, i saw the necklace from earlier hanging around my neck.
"Huh… When did i put this on..?" I wondered aloud. Just then I heard someone running up behind me. Running on instinct, I drew my sword and swung wildly.

"Woah! Watchit there Link!" A familiar orange pony yelped in fear as she ducked quick to avoid being decapitated. I blinked, my vision slowly focusing as her face came clearer into view.

"Oh Crap… I'm so sorry Applejack…" I apologized quickly. I dropped my sword and fell to a knee as she rushed to my side.

"Hey hey, it's okay. I'm the one who came a-runnin at ya." She said as she tried to comfort me.

“..Well, good reflexes but a bit too quick on the draw.” I heard a voice, making me look behind me to see Jeff leaning against the tree with his hood raised, keeping his face hidden in the shadows.

I shook my head as I stood, Applejack giving me a hand.
"Didn't think you'd actually be coming here with me. Welcome to my Everfree." I managed to say with a smile. Applejack looked between us in confusion.

"Who the hay is he?" She asked, slightly defensive. I just patted her arm.

"It's alright. You want to introduce yourself, or should I?" I asked him with a chuckle, looking over at him leaning there.

As Jeff gets off the tree, he moves his cloak down, keeping his master sword hidden. “Just a traveling warrior of sorts, I came across Link here and he asked me for some training, he may have overdone it a bit.” Jeff said with a chuckle, keeping certain details a secret.

I just blushed a bit as I looked down in embarrassment. Has the grass always been this interesting?

"Sounds like him, he's always tryin' to do somethin' a bit out of his league." She chuckled understandingly.

“He does have a long ways to go as he’s a little green in some areas. Jeff's my name by the way." Jeff said as he extended his hand toward applejack. She took his hand cautiously and shook it.

"Applejack, but my friends call me AJ." She said politely. She was still a little unsure about Jeff, but would remain polite so long as he did. "So how did you an' Link here bump into each other?" She asked curiously.

“Exactly as I said, I just came across him here in the Everfree.” Jeff said as he looked around as if judging how deep they are in said forest. He saw the treeline wasn't far, maybe a dozen yards or so before opening to a grassy field.

"Just makin' sure. All my big brother Big Mac said was he saw Link getting jumped by a wolf." She said apologetically. "I'm just a bit protective of mah friends is all…" She chuckled. He'd noticed she rubbed her head the same way I did.

“I understand that though, friendship is the highest value you ponies hold afterall.” Jeff said with a nod. She nodded back with a grateful look.

"Not many non-pony folk seem to grasp that. It's nice to see some get it." She said, tipping her straw hat.

“Friendship is magic afterall.” Jeff said with a chuckle.

I just facepalmed after a moment with a chuckle, finally understanding Jeff's joke.
"That was so obvious yet I still didn't see that coming." I managed to get out between chuckles.

“If everything is alright, we should resume teaching you more of Nayru’s magic.” Jeff said as he looked over at me.

"Yes, right…" I replied with a slight grin as I grabbed my fallen sword.

“I think this field has plenty of room to teach you this next step.” Jeff said as he took a look around again as if looking for some pony. The hylian reaches toward his cloak reaching for where I saw the master sword’s sheath, only for him to pull out a different kind of sword after a brief flash, wait, where’d he just pull that from? I shook my head and tried to focus. He probably had some form of item storage that he could quickly access. I frowned at that, somewhat jealous. But I still followed him out onto the field, Applejack following behind me curiously.

"AJ, stay by the trees. I don't want you accidentally getting hurt." I said, turning to look her in the eyes.
"Please."

She looked like she wanted to protest, but nodded slowly.
"Be careful. I'll be right here for you." She said as she hugged me. I gave her a gentle squeeze before I turned and marched onto the field.

"I'm ready Jeff." I called out as I pulled out my shield. For some reason I felt like I had more strength here, unlike in the dreamscape.

"Now, since you just recently used the Frost Blade spell, you'll be able to learn this next spell a little easier. Which would you like to hear about, Ice shot, Ether, or Blizzard Spin?” Jeff asked as an icy mist flowed along his sword.

I thought for a moment and smirked.
"Ether!" I yelled, keeping my eyes on him so I could learn all I could.

“Don’t get too excited, while it is awesome to wield the might of magic, it can be dangerous if not handled correctly. Now, raise your sword to the sky.” Jeff explained as he held his sword up to his face. “Focus on the thought of the cold atmosphere, the same way you channel into your sword.” he explained further as cold air started to gather from the sky into his sword, however it stopped as the small amount stayed within his blade. “I won’t be using the full might of Ether for this demonstration. Once you’ve gathered enough, focus on the thought of a raging blizzard, especially if you’ve experienced being in one.” he further explained as the cold air started to spin around him. Thrusting his sword skyward, the cold air suddenly exploded into ice around him for a few seconds before the air dissipated.

"Okay… let's give it a try…" I muttered as I focused my energy. I could feel the air around me grow colder as my blade froze over like Jeffs. I pictured what a blizzard looked like from what I remember seeing about them back home. Howling winds… blinding snowfall… a swirling vortex of icy nightmares. I could feel the power surging through me, and as I thrust my sword skyward I felt it release like a fire hose. The great blast it made nearly threw me from my feet, but somehow I managed to stay standing. Applejacks jaw was in the dirt from the sheer power on display.

"Holy hay… just what is going on here?" A voice asked beside her. As AJ turned, she saw her friend Twilight standing there, looking both amazed and fearful at the same time.

"This guy… Jeff, he's teaching Link Magic." She said as she managed to pick her jaw up.

"Hylians can learn Magic? Interesting…" She muttered to herself, ignoring the rest of what Applejack had said as she began taking notes. AJ just rolled her eyes, looking back out to Jeff and I.

"Good, goood." Jeff said as he clapped happily. "Very well done, Jo-" Jeff paused to clear his throat. "Link, you're coming along nicely, remember that feeling and those thoughts whenever you want to channel Nayru's magic. Would you like to learn more ice, or move onto another part?" Jeff asked curiously.

"I think… maybe something to be able to heal? You did say Nayru could heal." I nodded as I caught my breath. That blast was exhilarating, but left me slightly winded.

“Here, catch.” Jeff said as he reached into his pouch, pulling out and throwing a green potion toward me. I caught it in my hands and nodded at him.
“That’s a green potion, it’ll restore your magic pool.”

I uncorked the bottle and drank it, feeling warmth spread through my body. But the potion tasted familiar. Smacking my lips, I realized it tasted like mountain dew.
"Well waddaya know…" I chuckled to myself.

“Now, the spell I’m going to teach you, is [Life].” Jeff said, causing my right pointed ear to twitch. He'd spoken in a different language, yet somehow I understood him. Putting the bottle away, I looked at him with mild confusion.

"What language was that?" I scratched my head as I looked at him. Even Twilight’s ears perked up.

Jeff hesitated for a moment as he looked between me and the two ponies nearby. A moment of silenced passed before Jeff’s sigh broke silence. “..Ancient Hylian.” he said.

"I wonder if…" I started saying before clearing my throat. "[This is Ancient Hylian?]" I blinked as I spoke the Ancient language, surprising myself that I even could. Twilight could be seen struggling with Applejack as she tried to run over.

Jeff blinked in surprise at how flawlessly I said it. "..Lucky, and I had to learn it the hard way reading that book." Jeff mumbled to himself. I frowned apologetically at him, a bit embarrassed at myself.

"Sorry Jeff. I didn't mean to upset you. To be completely honest, I'm not even sure how I did that…" I rubbed the back of my head again, looking down at the ground in a bit of shame.

“No worries, either divine intervention, or you got Displaced with the knowledge.” Jeff said with a soft wave of his gauntlet covered hand. Despite him brushing it off, I still felt like… like I'd hurt his pride or something close to that.

"You still know more than I ever could. After all, you are the veteran warrior here." I teased slightly, trying to get a grin out of him.

“And a whole lot of scars on my body.” Jeff said as he put his hands together. “Back to the lesson at hand, the [Life] spell will be very magic heavy as it is used to help heal the wounded and the gravely harmed. This spell will also require a great feeling of love to work best.” Jeff explained as he looked around. “Considering no one is hurt, it’ll be difficult to see the results of your spell casting.”

"That would definitely be a bit of a hiccup there." I said as I locked eyes with AJ. She gave me a small nod and a smile as I turned back to Jeff. "What should we do to figure this out?"

“Well, someone or somepony will need to willingly hurt themselves, that or heading into town to find a hurt pony.” Jeff said as he tapped his chin in thought. No sooner had he uttered those words, a loud crash was heard coming from the Barn, accompanied by a slew of profanity that would put even sailors to shame.

"Well that's convenient." I muttered to myself as I looked at Jeff with a raised eyebrow.
"Seems the Goddesses are at work with us." I chuckled softly.

“Nayru’s law.” Jeff said with a shake of my head, reminding me of a similar wording of Murphy’s law.

"You said it" I chuckled again as we jogged over to the barn to find Big Mac on the ground. His leg twisted and broken at an odd angle. Looking up, I saw a massive hole in the floor above. Applejack and Twilight followed close behind us, the former looking up and then frowning down at her brother.

"Gosh darn it Mac… I warned you that you were too heavy." She scolded him as his ears folded back. He sighed, a look of bitter shame on his face.

"I.. I know Applejack, I thought you were just teasing me about being overweight again." He said softly, trying not to look her in the eyes. She just pat his head with a chuckle.

"You silly stallion. You know I only tease you because it makes you blush." She chuckled as she sat with him. I looked over to Jeff with a slightly worried look.

"[Life] can fix this… right?" I asked him, my voice quiet so only Jeff could hear me.

"Yes it can, remember it requires the feeling of love and care for the person you’re healing." Jeff explained in an equal whisper.

I nodded, looking quickly at AJ before looking back at him. "So. What should I do? Just focus on Love and pray it works?" I asked, looking at Mac's broken leg.

“Just the feeling of love, although praying to Nayru would make sense in helping.” Jeff said with a nod. I returned the nod and knelt by Macs injured leg. "Here goes nothing.." I cleared my throat, closing my eyes and focusing on my brotherly love I had for Mac, the pure love I felt for Applejack, and my love for life in this world.
"[Nayru, goddess of law and protection, hear my plea. Return this pony the use of his leg, so he may stand in your grace and glory…]" As I prayed an ethereal blue glow enveloped both Mac and myself. After a moment I opened my eyes to find his leg back as it should, with him AJ and Twilight looking at me in amazement. I didn't have long to enjoy the victory, as I fell over the moment the glow faded.

“Son of a flying pot, he did it too quickly.” Jeff said as he caught me with an arm.

"We should take them both inside the house. Let them rest." AJ said, helping Big Mac to his feet. Although a little unsteady, his leg seemed to be fully healed.

"I have so many questions…" Twilight said excitedly, looking Jeff over like you would a magazine.

“Uh-heh-heh.. It's alot to say.” Jeff said nervously as he rubbed the back of his head. Kneeling down, Jeff hoisted me up, soon taking me over inside the house. AJ followed behind him, her and Twilight helping Big Mac as he was a little unsteady. She led everyone to the living room and eased her brother onto one of the couches.

"Put Link on that one." She said, pointing to the opposite couch. She looked both relieved and worried, as she'd traded one family problem with another. Carefully, Jeff put me down onto the couch.

“Overtime as you use those spells, your magic pool will steadily grow, but of course a Great Fairy can help you out with that.” Jeff said as he sat down on the nearby chair. I didn't move, save for the gentle rise and fall of my chest as I laid there in a half-conscious haze.

"He's gonna be ok, right?" Twilight asked slightly worried, a notepad now in hand as she jotted down her thoughts. AJ just sat by me, brushing my hair out of my face.

"Yea, nothing a green potion can't fix, but I believe some rest will be better so his mind has time to absorb the knowledge i've taught him so far." Jeff explained as an overly eager Twilight stood behind him.

She nodded and kept writing down notes upon notes, trying to make sure no detail was left out. AJ turned to Jeff with a more serious look.

"You're a Hylian, like him right?" She asked almost accusingly.

"..Yea, yea I am, same kind of hylian, just a different world though." Jeff said as he looks over at Twilight. "I'd have said no but considering how much hylian magic i've shown? I'd be unable to hide the truth." Jeff said as he leaned back in the chair.

Twilight gasped slightly and took more notes with renewed vigor. AJ just nodded slowly, looking a bit more relaxed.

"I'm sorry if I seem.. on edge about this. It's just…" She looked at me, "I love him, and you only telling half of the truth irked me something fierce." She smiled apologetically at him.

“I didn’t want to draw unwanted attention at first as it’d lead to alot of questions.” Jeff said with a nod. Twilights ears folded back as she looked at him sheepishly, knowing she was probably the reason for that. AJ just nodded understandingly.

"I can appreciate that. It's gotta be hard, being from another world. Do… do I exist over there?" She asked curiously.

“Pretty much, just not the same shape and height as you. More pony to be exact.” Jeff explained as he placed his hands together.

"So what, I walk on all fours? Like a wild pony?" She asked in confusion.

“Yes.” Jeff said as he reaches into his pouch, soon pulling out a camera that reminded me of the Deluxe Pictograph Box.

"Pic…to…graph." I managed to say weakly, causing AJ to smile down at me.

“Exactly.” Jeff said as he flicked a switch. “Just a little more upgraded.” Jeff said as he showed Twilight the screen, showing a different Twilight Sparkle who is deeply focused in a book.

"That's me? I look so different, yet still very much like myself…" She said as she looked at it closely. She couldn't believe what she was seeing, could she?

"Lemme see that." AJ said as she got up to look. "Well I'll be… that sure looks like you Twily." She let out a low whistle as Twilight blushes slightly.

Jeff raised an eyebrow at AJ, but decided to not question it as it wasn’t his business. "If you know of and understand the multiverse theory, you’ll know what I mean how each world I go to has a different Twilight ranging between pony, human, and in the middle, sometimes they’re a different creature all together.” Jeff explained as he turned off the pictograph, placing it back into his pouch, I saw it shrink in size to fit inside, revealing some things I didn’t know about. I tried sitting up and failed as AJ came back and helped me sit.

"Well, seeing as I'll be out of commission for at least the rest of today, would you mind if we continued tomorrow?" I asked slowly, still struggling to speak.
"I'm sure we can make you a space to stay in for now."

“Anywhere is fine.” Jeff said with a nod. AJ smiled kindly.

"We'll get you set up in our guest room. Usually Link takes it, but I got another place for him for now." She offered, smiling happily at me.

“That sounds like a fine idea as there’s still a little more for me to teach Link.” Jeff said as he reached up to lower his hood. “I might as well show my face now as it’s likely you’ll see it later when I go to sleep.” he said with a nod. AJ giggled slightly as he did, covering her mouth to be polite.

"Sorry, but I didn't expect a mustache and goatee. Though they are flattering on ya." She complimented, trying to make up for her rudeness. Twilight didn't say a word, instead she was sketching him on a piece of parchment.

“You’re gonna run out of paper at this rate, Twilight.” Jeff said jokingly, causing me and the other two to laugh- gah! It hurts to laugh… She blushed and made the supplies vanish with her magic.

"I can't help it. You're the first living Hylian we've met since Link showed up." She explained, still slightly embarrassed.

“And it won’t be the last, but that’s an explanation for another time.” Jeff said with his hand held up. I nodded at him, remembering the other Link Jeff had mentioned.

"Twilight, can we let our guest rest for now, and maybe ask questions later?" I chided her, and she sighed with a nod.
"Good, now we should probably get some rest. I have a feeling tomorrow is going to be quite… adventurous." I chuckled painfully.

“Hopefully without the monsters, Goddesses knows I need a break from that.” Jeff said as he got up from his chair; his red cloak fluttering with his movements. AJ helped me to my feet. Although my legs felt like wet clay I somehow managed to stand.

"If you'll follow us, I'll show you to your room." I told him as I was escorted to the stairs. Turning to Twilight I called.
"See you tomorrow Sparks!" I chuckled painfully again as I began climbing the steps. She smiled and nodded, teleporting in a puff of pink smoke.

“Sparks?” Jeff asked in amusement as he followed Applejack upstairs. I chuckled at the in-joke.

"Just a nickname I gave her. Something unique to me." I grunted as I slowly climbed the stairs, AJ guiding me along.

"At least mine is somewhat a real name." AJ laughed as we made it to the landing. With no further words exchanged, we headed up to our rooms to rest for the night.

Another Link and a Crossover, Part 3

Author's Note

This will be the last chapter for a bit. I enjoy writing, but getting chapter 11 done was a challenge for me. I'll still be posting, just don't expect them to come as quick as they have been. Thank you all so much for all your support!

Another Link and a Crossover, Part 3

My dreams were brief that night. I saw flashes of what I thought was the future. Flashes of scenes passed through my mind, from an army of monsters gathering in the desert to the elements vanishing in a flash of dark magic. More images kept running through my head, so fast I could barely recognize what I was looking at. It all came to a head as I saw Ganondorf reach out to grab me, scaring me awake. I sat up in a cold sweat, panting and huffing. What the hell was that about? I looked around, finding myself in AJs bed with her sleeping soundly beside me. Man, dreams are weird. Looking out the window you could see the sun begin to peak out from behind the mountains in the distance.

"Might as well get up.." I muttered quietly, getting up and dressed before waking downstairs to the kitchen. I began making a pot of coffee for everyone, filling the coffee maker with water.

“Good to sleep in a bed actually my size for once.” Jeff’s voice spoken from upstairs as he was making his way down. I chuckled to myself sleepily and looked over as he entered the kitchen.

"Mornin. Coffee will be ready in a few." I said with a slight yawn. I used the hand grinder to grind up the beans and put the grounds in the coffee maker as well before turning it on.

“Hmm.. isn’t there a certain Appleboom needing to get ready for school or..” Jeff pauses as he looked around unsure.

"It's her spring break. Surprisingly, the school system here is very similar to ours back home." I mused, looking over at him. "Without the corruption of course."

“I had to ask as it felt weird not seeing her here, I suppose she’s off having a sleep over somewhere or..” Jeff pauses to shake his head in an attempt to get rid of the tiredness. I nodded and I stretched.

"She's over with her friends Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle." I felt my back crack, making me sigh in mild pleasure.

“Ah, good, there won’t be any interference from them thinking they can earn their magic casting cutie marks.” Jeff said in amusement as he sat down.

"I think AJ would crucify me if they tried." I shuddered at the thought. "Thankfully Ponyville is on the other side of the great field."

“I will admit it feels weird seeing Equestria so vastly different.” Jeff said as he looked out of the window.

"Yours has no physical similarities to Hyrule?" I asked as I poured two cups of coffee.
"Or just buildings? You did mentioned the Temple of Time before." I asked as I handed him his cup.

“Only pieces like Zora’s domain to the East of Equestria, or Death Mountain to the South, also known as the BadLands.” Jeff explained as he scratched his head. I rubbed my chin in thought as he spoke.

"My Equestria is similar in layout to Breath of the Wild, but the castle is in the south, not the north. The Lost Woods are the Everfree, and we're in what used to be Lon Lon Ranch. The Great Plateau is now Ponyville, and is significantly shorter… other than that, I'd say it's a one to one copy. Of course, I haven't explored much outside the field." I said, partially rambling.

“...Never heard of it, but I guess it's a new game that got released sometime or years after Skyward Sword.” Jeff said, revealing to me that he was quite behind.

"Oh, uh, yea. Came out in two-thousand and seventeen. Here, hold on one sec." I said as I pulled a large tablet off my belt. I set it on the table and began tapping on its screen. Jeff saw a map, a camera icon, and a book icon.

“That looks much alot like ocarina of time but vastly expanded upon..” Jeff said in surprise with a nod.

"Very close." I nodded in agreement, pointing to a small settlement. "This here, this is us. And this over here is the Everfree." I pointed to a massive blob of green with the name Everfree Forest imposed over it.
"That there is the Temple Of Time." I pointed to the middle of the forest, where the outline of a structure sat alone amidst the trees.
"You following along well enough?" I asked uncertainly, not used to teaching things to others.

“So far, yea.” Jeff said with a nod. I sighed in relief.

"I assume our geography is vastly different, so I understand if things don't look like they're where they should." I said apologetically, looking at him with a weak smile. Jeff reached into his pouch, soon pulling out a map of his Equestria and spreading it onto the table, allowing me to look over it. I noticed that some parts of the area were marked by an owl statue icon, much like that of Majora’s Mask. I looked over this map with great interest, pointing at an owl icon.

"Song of Soaring?" I asked pointedly, looking to at him.

“Pretty much my means of transportation as long as there’s an owl statue to warp over to.” Jeff explained with a nod. I nodded in return, looking back at the map.

"It's incredible. Similar places, yet it looks wildly different." I chuckled, sitting back in my chair. Rubbed my face for a second before I looked at Jeff.
"Your Equestria is very fascinating man."

Jeff rolls up the map and places it into his pouch. “Which reminds me, you said you didn’t know how to access your inventory? Just open the pouch, put your hand in it, picture the item in your mind until you feel something in your hand, then pull.” Jeff explains to me. I did as he said, thinking hard on my bow. I felt something hit my palm and when I looked down I was holding my bow.

"Well would you look at that." I said in surprise. "Didn't know it worked like yours did when not in combat."

“And if yours is anything like mine, you’ll have infinite space except for your ammo like Bombs, Deku Nuts, arrows, etcery.” Jeff explained to me as he looked out through the window as Applejack bucks a nearby apple tree.

"Do you also have a hotbar?" I asked, looking at Jeff. "When I'm in combat, I have a four slot hotbar I can put weapons in, so I can quickly change them to suit the battle. I just… don't know how to get to it without fighting someone or something." I said in embarrassment.

“Might be the same way though.” Jeff said as he reached into his pouch, soon pulling out the megaton hammer, however Jeff had to quickly grip it with both hands the second it grew to its full size. “But I gotta be a quick thinker when I do this in combat and kind of yank it out, especially when I don’t have time to stand and do it.” Jeff explained as I studied the hammer in all its realistic properties.

"Hmm… I wonder if…" I said as I closed my eyes and focused on my HUD. As I opened them, I found my display up, with my bow in my hotbar where I left it.
"Hey! It worked!" I cheered, looking over at him. His name appeared above his head, along with a health bar.
"Jeff you're a genius man." I smiled as I patted him on the shoulder.

“Just something I figured out from being in my Equestria for so many years.” Jeff said as he slid the hammer back into the pouch, its size shrinking down to fit inside. “Alright so.. What else can I teach you for today?” Jeff said as he crossed his arms in thought. I thought as well, looking out the window and saw AJ carrying a basket of apples.

"How about another sword technique?" I asked, looking over with raised eyebrows.
"Can't ever learn too many of those, right?"

“There’s seven of them, so I’ll start with the most basic; the ending blow.” Jeff said as he headed toward the door. I followed right behind him, using my display to quickly equip my sword and shield.

"I look forward to learning it." I smirked confidently as I cracked my neck. Once outside, Jeff pulls out his ocarina and begins to play a song. With each note played, I slowly start to recognize it to be the Elegy of Emptiness as an orange ray spiraled around Jeff. The moment he hit the last note, a statue slowly manifested inside of a green and yellow glow. The statue looked… creepy, it was like Jeff, except alot more of an Armos statue with its eyes hollow and empty. I looked up at it nervously, drawing my sword and shield.

"Now what?" I asked Jeff, not taking my eyes off the statue. I'd seen enough horror films to know never look away from creepy statues.

“A moment.” Jeff said as put away his ocarina, soon pulling out what looked to be a long wooden rod with a black gem on the top. The hylian placed his hand onto the gem as he concentrated his magic into it, slowly the gem took on a green glow, matching the colors of Farore. With a swing, he sent a green ball of energy at the Armos, causing it to come to life; its empty sockets now having two pairs of green glowing fire.

"Ok, not Ben, but still creepy as Hay…" I said, raising my shield defensively. I began to slowly sidestep around the Armos as I gauged its movements. Slowly, I started to notice the Armos was mimicking Jeff’s movements, reminding me of the Dominion Rod.

“Don’t worry about it being fast, due to it being rock created from the earth, it will be slower than me.” Jeff said as he held his rod with two hands, causing the Armos to take out a stone sword replica. I chuckled to myself as I kept moving.

"You want me to be able to go all out without actually risking someone's safety, don't you." I chuckled as I dashed in and swiped my sword at the Armos. Despite it being a statue, my slash actually damaged it. Jeff raises his rod, which causes the Armos to raise its sword, and with a swing of his rod, the Armors slashes down on me. I raised my shield to block it, bracing to absorb the shock. I felt the blow connect and it knocked me back, leaving me unsteady for a moment.

"Woah, that things packs a wallop!" I said excitedly, twirling my sword as I hopped to the side and charged again, making another heavy swipe to its chest. This time, it lets out a weird deep toned ‘bworp’ sound like a robot as it starts hopping around me, with Jeff moving in a circle to control it. With another swing of his rod, the Armos swings its sword in a wide sideways arc. Leaping up in the air, I pulled off a pretty incredible back-flip. I landed on my feet, much to my surprise, and looked at where I'd just been standing a few feet away.

"Holy Hylia… how'd I do that?" I chuckled, even more excited now. Holding his hand over the rod, I noticed Jeff was beginning to channel magic into it, looking back at the Armos, I saw the Armo's eyes were starting to glow, quickly reminding me of a Beamos charging up its laser.

"Crap crap crap." I mumbled in worry and I tried to keep side stepping out of its line of sight. I did not want to get hit with that. It shoots it laser at me, forcing me to keep sidestepping as it follows and tracks my movements. The Link-Armos paused in its firing, soon hopping slowly at me with its sword raised.

"This would be so easy if I had bombs…" I grumbled as I rushed the Armos, managing to lock blades with it. I groaned under its weight as it pushed against my blade. The Armos had some advantage though because of its stone-structure as it pushes against my sword, its eyes suddenly charging up magic again. As I tried to disengage, I heard a sound any knight would fear.

Crk!

A crack was forming in my blade, and I was now sweating badly. I wasn't sure how long it would hold as I tried to push my advantage.

Crrak!

The hairline fracture worked its way down the length of the blade, time seemingly slowing down as it shattered. At that moment, Jeff commanded the Armos to lift its weapon, and hold it still. It was inches from my face.

“...Well shoot, seems I went too far there.” Jeff said with a frown. While he was distracted, I pulled out the only other weapon I could use with a shield. I knocked the Armos' sword aside and hit it with a…. Ladle?
“...How in the name of Din did you even deflect an Armos sword with a ladle?!” Jeff exclaimed in confusion. I shrugged, equally as confused.

"How do we do anything we do?" I yelled back in confused excitement.
"We literally have pocket dimensions on our belts! Magic does weird stuff!"

“Alrighty smartass.” Jeff said with a chuckle as he pulled his arm back with staff in hand, causing the Armos to mimic the gesture as magic rapidly gathered into its blade. With a mighty whoosh, it spun around like a top toward me.

"Crap!" I yelled,running from the wildly spinning statue. "Jeeeeeeff! This isn't funny man!" I hollered at him as I kept being chased by the death top. The Armos stopped spinning as its fiery eyes spiraled around due to the dizziness from the spin attack it performed so poorly on. Quickly switching to my bow, I drew back the string as an arrow appeared. I took a quick breath, aimed, and with a soft exhale let it fly. The arrow shot from my bow, arcing through the air at the Armos' face. The arrow hit it straight in its eye, causing it to let out a pained ‘bworp’ sound. The glowing in Jeff’s magic row suddenly flicked as the Armos fell over.

“...I had to wait, but to perform the ending blow, you must leap into the air and plunge your… ladle into its eye. Best do it fast before it recovers.” Jeff said in disbelief.

I charged at the fallen Armos. "Hyaaaaaaa!" I cried out, leaping into the air and driving the handle of my ladle into its eye. The Armo’s eyes flickered and shook violently, and instead of the dark explosion ganondorf’s minions usually do, it exploded with a pleasant emerald green, forcing me to cover my eyes as I didn’t know what the energy was. I coughed as the smoke cleared, looking around in a bit of confusion.

"Well that's new." I said, coughing up a small cloud of the green smoke. I looked over at Jeff with a cheeky grin. "Bet that's the first time you've seen something die via a cooking utensil." I laughed happily.

“Don’t get too cheeky though as I doubt you’d have the same luck against a boss.” Jeff said as he reaches into his pouch. “Catch, a little something considering your weapon broke.” the hylian said as he tossed something into my hand. Looking down, I noticed it was a golden ring with an emerald gem being held by silver metal. “Your damage with a weapon and your defenses will go up by one level if you wear this ring.” I nodded, slipping the ring on my middle finger with ease.

"That'll definitely be helpful." I said, thankful. I could feel the power the ring had flow through my body.

“I won’t teach anymore hidden skills for now until you get the hang of what you know now, so lets move onto something non-combat reality, perhaps a transformation mask or a song?” Jeff offered as he looks off to the side, noticed Applejack looking a little nervous and worried. I thought for a moment while tapping my chin.

"I'd say a song, but all I have is AJs old Harmonica." I said awkwardly, pulling out said instrument.

“If you still remember ocarina of time and majora’s mask, I can teach you how to focus your magic into your song.” Jeff explained as he took out his blue ocarina. I smiled and nodded at him.

"I'm familiar with those games." I said as I put the harmonica to my lips.

“Alright, the first song i’ll play is the song that I heard resonate from my token. With your instrument up to your lips, close your eyes and imagine a fierce storm, remember the feeling of the rain splashing onto your body and the power of a rumbling thunder bolt” Jeff said as he placed the ocarina up to his lips. I was expecting it to be exciting but.. All he did was played the first three notes, as if learning it just like the game. I played along, matching the notes' pitch as close as I could. In my head I imagined a raging Tempest, savage winds and rain coming down in torrents.

The harmony in the magic of Equestria guided our music, becoming a full blown performance of ocarina and harmonica. As the song ended, it suddenly started raining, causing the hard working ponies of Applejack and Big Mac to exclaim in surprise. I held the harmonica in front of me, my body not in my control as text appeared along the bottom of my view.

You learned the Song of Storms! Summon raging tempests or sunny skies!

I blinked and it vanished, giving me back control of my body again.

"Damn.. hate it when that happens…" I grumbled, looking up at Jeff. "Happens sometimes if I encounter chests or item collections from older titles." I explained as I shook my arms and legs. AJ and Mac were looking around at the rain like it came from Mars.

"How the Hay did you do that!" AJ yelled to me, looking slightly freaked. I chuckled apologetically and played the song again, stopping the rain.

"Sorry Jackie, learned a new bit of magic!" I yelled back with a sheepish grin.

“At least the apples got some moisture though.” Jeff said with a chuckle. The hylian looks back at me curiously. “Are there any other songs you wish to learn?” he asked. I thought for a moment and nodded slowly.

"One, but I'm not sure you'd wanna teach it to me." I frowned sadly.

“...Judging from your tone, it sounds like a serious one, I’m guessing Song Of Healing or Song Of Time?” Jeff asked with worry in his voice.

"The Song of Time." I nodded as I sighed.
"I know it's a dangerous song, and I'll understand if you don't want to teach it to me."

"The song is only used in dire situations, especially since you're calling upon a goddess's power to travel through time, so rather than me being the judge, I'll let this world's Nayru decide if you're worthy or not." Jeff said with a soft nod, unsure if said goddess was listening into the conversation or simply watching.

"Alright then." I nodded again, putting the harmonica back to my lips. Jeff slowly nodded and did the same, gently playing the song of time’s first few notes. I followed along like before, the music flowing through me as we played our strange duet. After the music stopped, I once again was hijacked, holding the harmonica as text appeared.

You learned the Song of Time! Don't abuse it

“My thoughts exactly, Nayru.” Jeff said with satisfaction nod as he heard her voice.

I shook once again as control returned to me.

"Dagnabbit! I hate that!" I growled, now getting a bit frustrated. I looked at Jeff.
"Does that ever happen to you? Forced cutscenes?"

"Nope, as I didn't learn those songs, I recalled them when something made me remember them while some of the songs were taught to me. The song of time was taught to me by my goddess of time. Oddly, she is a different entity than Nayru herself but has yet to tell who she is." Jeff explained with a nod as he gave his ocarina of time a gentle wipe. I grumbled in frustration as I returned the harmonica to my pouch, watching it disappear.

"Sorry I seem so upset. I just like feeling like I'm in control, so I get piiiiiiiissed when I get hijacked like that." I sighed, looking at him with a tired look.

“We can take it easy for now. Here, another present from me.” Jeff said as he walked up to me, placing something into my hand. It was a golden ring with a red heart gem, the gold part has a stylish fold at the end. I took it and raised an eyebrow.

"Another ring? I'm guessing this does something related to hearts." I said as I slipped it on my opposite middlefinger from the other ring.

“Exactly, as long as you’re moving, your wounds will slowly heal, especially if your heart is pumping due to adrenaline. That’s not to say you’d be healing as if you’re wolverine or deadpool though, so don’t do anything stupid, alright?” Jeff said with a warning. I laughed at that last part for a moment.

"Have you not seen me? I kinda do stupid stuff all the time. Like fighting rock guys with giant spoons." I chuckled before becoming a bit more serious. "But yes, ill make sure to be more careful."

"I mean it, future hero, but if you do die, I will personally go back in time and regret giving you this ring, alright?" Jeff said with a firm nod, especially when I decide to take this seriously. I nodded again, a more serious look on my face.

"I will. I want to be a Hero you would be proud of." I bowed respectfully. "I will never forget what you've taught me."

“Good, good. Now, I have one final offer, I can give you one enchanted mask that will allow you to take one form, choose what the form is and make sure it isn’t anything powerful.” Jeff said with a nod. Tapping my chin for a second, my eyes light up.

"How about a Unicorn?" I ask, looking at you thoughtfully.

“Alright, one unicorn mask coming up, just remember it’ll match the world you’re in, in this case it's anthropomorphic.” Jeff said as he took out a blank wooden mask. As he held it in his hands, he took a deep breath as twili particles and green wind started to swarm and surround with the wooden mask, soon slowly taking on a form of its own as the sounds of creaking wood filled the air. After a while, the magic left the mask, revealing it looked like my face, except as a unicorn pony with cyan skin and a golden mane. Its black eye sockets were the only thing left featureless.

Applejack can be seen standing up on her tip-toes trying to see what’s going on, especially when Jeff mentioned giving me a transformation mask.

"Woah, that looks really cool!" I said in amazement, holding out a hand for it. Jeff places it into them and I look it over, tempted to put it on but then a thought crosses my mind.
"Oh right! Jeff, can you show me how to make a token thing?" I asked as I looked at him hopefully.

"...You sure though? The void outside this world is vast, Farore knows where you may end up, those worlds or whatever Displaced lives on them will be very different.” Jeff said with concern.

"Even so, if I can do a shred of good for someone else, it's worth it." I smiled confidently. "Besides, I think a true hero thinks beyond what's in front of him, right?" I chuckled.

"..Alright, just be sure to apply the following for me. One, make sure you've got a failsafe so if the summoning in questioning is bad, you can say or use something to send you back home and make your token useless to the summoner, second add some form of method so that the summoning isn't instant so that you have time to finish what you're doing before you head to whoever the summoner is. Third, the summoner can send you back as they have your token unless again, you've got a failsafe to force yourself back home." Jeff explained with a serious tune as he spoke from experience. I nodded, taking off my scarf and holding it in front of me.

"I can do this…" I told myself as I closed my eyes and focused. My scarf floated from my hands and the winds picked up, swirling around me as my hands glowed with golden light. It brightened and the wind picked until the one scarf turned into three.

"To whoever finds this scarf, I am the Hero of Light. If you shall need my help, I shall come. To those who would do harm to others, know I will never heed your call. I will stand for life, light, and the sanctity of all living beings! If you wish to call me forth, simply hold this scarf and call for me!" As I finished speaking, the light vanished and one scarf shot skyward as the other two landed in my hands. I was breathing heavily, but grinned in satisfaction at being successful. I tossed mine back on as I offered the other to Jeff.

"I believe, good sir, this is yours." I said with a smile. The scarf was different from mine, in that the colors were reversed for him.

“Hmm, well, i’ll have to see if a good time arrives without me being busy and having to walk all over the place.” Jeff said as he took the scarf from me, carefully and neatly folding it as he placed it into his pouches. AJ walked up beside me and put an arm around me and I squeezed her gently.

"You're always welcome here Jeff. Know that." I smiled at him as I offered a hand.

“I can’t simply come here anytime I want to though, at least not yet as I’m still trying to figure out the inner workings of Twili portals, but we’ll see for later. For now, just play the notes of the song of storms without focusing your magic into it to summon me via the use of my token that is currently a necklace around your neck.” Jeff explained as he took my hand in a firm handshake.

"I will. If I ever need your help, I know where to find you. Good luck, when you go back home." I smiled sadly. Despite it only being a couple days, Jeff had really grown on me. I was really going to miss him.

“Usually I tell others how to send me back, but I think I'll do it this time.” Jeff said as he back me a salute. Suddenly a blue diamond surrounded Jeff as he slowly rose into the air, the diamond starting to spin around him. With a flash, he vanished from out of this world, leaving only memories as his only proof of existence. For a second, I felt like everything froze, leaving me confused and yet when I looked around, I saw nothing out of place, leaving me bewildered of what that sudden pause was about. I shook my head, looking back skyward.

"So long Jeff. You were the best teacher I could have ever asked for…" I smiled as AJ gave me a soft hug.

Another partner and Another Temple

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The Temple Of Din

Author's Note

Thank you everyone for bearing with me. This chapter would not have been possible without the help of Men10doh_Mike. Big thanks to them for help with the Dungeon layout and enemies.

The Temple Of Din

We decided to spend a day in the Goron village to regain our strength as well as resupply before making the climb up to the caldera. Lucky enough for me, I managed to find a pair of Goron Tunics from a shop that immediately brought the heat down to a bearable level. Dash kept complaining about how itchy it felt and how it impacted her flying abilities. I simply reminded her that the alternative would be being burned by the heat, to which she sighed and conceded the point. As we hiked higher up the mountainside we had one of the most beautiful views of Hyrule I had ever seen, the land stretching on and on for miles.

“Absolutely breathtaking…” I murmured to myself with a smile.

“Yea… it’s why I like flying. I see stuff like this all the time, but it’s nicer to see it from the ground.” Dash sighed as she stood beside me.

“Maybe one day I can see things how you do.” I chuckled, giving her a side hug before we continued to the rim of the volcano. Standing on the edge of the caldera, we both were amazed at what we saw. Sat amidst roiling lava sat a temple on an island smackdown in the middle of the crater.
“Jeez… how do we get to it? No bridges, and only you can fly…” I wondered aloud as I rubbed my chin.

“I mean… I could get us down there, but once we’re airborne I can’t climb at all. It’ll be more gliding down than anything.” Dash offered nervously. “But I won’t even be able to get myself out if there, much less both of us.”

“That should be fine. At the end of this temple there should be a portal that will take us out of there.” I reassured us both, hoping both my game knowledge and experience in Farore’s temple held up here.
“Let’s get to higher ground,” I said as I pointed to a higher peak on the rim, “it should give us more glide time and better visibility.”

“Yeah, that sounds good.” She replied and we hiked to the higher edge and took a lay of the land.
“Should be fairly easy, so long as everything is working for us.” She said as she knelt down, taking a breath and flexing her wings.
“Ok, I’m ready.” She stood up and stretched before turning to me. “I’m going to hold you under your arms, so try not to squirm ok?”

I nodded and she got behind me, grabbing me under my arms and lacing her fingers on my chest.

“Ready?” She asked.

“Ready.” I nodded, my confidence dropping by the second. And with a leap, we were airborne, gliding down towards the temple. Things were going well until a sudden updraft hit us and was immediately followed by a downdraft vacuum, dragging us far lower than we needed to be.

“Cripes this isn’t good!” Dash yelled nervously as we continued gliding down, the temple and its island still a ways away. As we were nearing the lava below, a bubble popped and shot us up higher, putting us almost back where we needed to be.

“Now watch out for that vacuum!” I warned her as I felt the air cool down again. We managed to dodge it and land on the island, swearing to each other that we would never do that again.

“Man, that was some crazy flying! Promise me we won’t ever do that again though.” Dash sighed in exasperation.

“I promise Dashie, I promise.” I nodded as I turned to face the Temple.
“And now, in we go…” I mumbled to myself as I walked to the entrance. Dash stepped up beside me and smiled.

“Don’t worry man, we got this in the bag!” She laughed as we entered together.

The inside of the temple betrayed the inferno raging around it. Inside it was cool, with high vaulted ceilings supported by polished marble columns adorned in gold and turquoise. The room’s layout felt awfully familiar, but I couldn’t quite place it. Moving through the entrance hall, we entered the main chamber. Looking up we saw that this room also had high vaulted ceilings, the columns in this room pressed against the walls and supporting what was left of a second story walkway. At the far end of the room stood a large stone face, of which I would assume was Din, in front of a raised center platform surrounded by steaming water.

“A hot spring? This temple in the middle of all this craziness, is a freaking hot spring?!” Dash yelled as I continued to look around the room.

“Considering how old this temple is, Dash, I’d say people probably came here to be healed in ancient times. Hot springs were often linked to gods, goddesses, and other minor deities. Like the Great Fairies.” I told her as I stepped up to the water’s edge.

“Great Fairies? Like in those books Twilight has in her library?” She asked as she walked up beside me.

“I think so. The Great Fairies I know are probably different to those in this land…” I answered as I dipped my finger in the water.
“Hmm… not too hot. Very nice.”

“You know, I keep forgetting you’re not from our world. You just seem to fit in so perfectly it’s nuts.” She smiled as I stood. I returned the smile and looked around once more before it hit me.

“Oh right! Now I know why this place looked so familiar! It has the same layout as Dodongos Cavern!” I chuckled as Dash looked at me confused.

“Doh-who-da-what now?” She asked with a raised eyebrow. I just chuckled and waved it off.

“It’s nothing, just a place I’ve been to. Nothing special.” I said as I looked around, spotting a door to my right, exactly where it should be.
“Come on Dash, this way.” I smiled as I pushed ahead, Dash following close behind.

“So, you’ve been in a place like this?” Dashie asked as we went through the door into a side hall. I nodded and drew my sword.

“Yeah, a long time ago. It was really dangerous, so stay close to me.” I cautioned her as we moved forward. She nodded and hung just behind me, keeping her head on a swivel so she wasn’t surprised by any monsters. We managed to make it to the middle of the hall before I felt the ground shake a bit and looked down. Crawling its way out of the earth was a Dodongo Hatchling, a green scaled creature that resembled something like a slug with a lizard’s head. It slithered its way towards us and I instinctively kicked it away, causing its scales to flash red before it exploded.

“What the Hay? They blow up?” She yelled as two more crawled their way out of the ground. I led us around them, drawing them towards a cracked wall at the far end of the hallway before answering.

“They do indeed!” I yelled back as I slashed them both, jumping back as they detonated. With a rumble, the cracked wall fell apart to reveal a large door to another chamber.
“Come on!” I called as I ran and opened the door.

“Hey wait up!” She cried and quickly followed behind me. I lifted the door and we entered the next room, only to find a torch and a chest in the center of it.

“Wait a minute…” I paused and looked around cautiously.

“What? Something wrong in here too?” She looked around as well. I couldn’t see anything, but I knew something was off.

“This room never had a chest in it before…” I said slowly as I looked around again.

“Well… you said this place was like the Dodongo… thing. But what if it’s not exactly the same? I mean come on, what are the odds?” She said thoughtfully as I approached the chest.

“You do have a good point…” I nodded as I reached down and opened the chest, lifting the item above my head as I lost control over my body.

You got the Audivox Orb! This handy ball of fun can play tunes to fit where you are, or project places you’ve been! You can only access it when not in combat in the menu

I shook my head and silently cursed as I regained control over my limbs.

“Does that happen every time you open one of those…?” Dash asked, her voice a bit worried. I just nodded a little and chuckled.

“It’s alright Dashie, it doesn’t bother me much anymore.” I stretched a bit before I heard the familiar squeak. My eyes darted up and spotted them easily. Three keese were now fluttering down toward us, screeching angrily as they began swooping down. I drew my sword and slashed one in half before jumping out of the way. Dash backed up against the door and watched as I drew my bow and sniped a second one out of the air before cleaving the third with a yell. I huffed a bit as I sheathed my blade.

“That was awesome…” Dash breathed as I walked up to her. I smiled and patted her shoulder.

“You haven’t seen anything yet.” I said with a wink, opening the door and leading us back to the hall. I was instantly hit with very creepy music and almost jumped. Dash just looked at me confused as I tried to brush it off and walked to the end of the hall, helping Dash up the short ledge as I went. Ahead I saw a raised platform and barred door with a pair of armos statues flanking a faded blue button. I followed my gamer intuition and solved the button puzzle quickly, opening the door ahead. We climbed up and moved forward, entering a short hall leading to yet another door. This time I spotted two keese hanging from the ceiling, and sniped them with my bow.

“How.. I could barely see them! How did you hit those?” She asked as I walked forward. I turned and grinned.

“I’m not in the army for nothing Dashie.” I chuckled as I picked up two pots I found halfway down the hall. Smashing them together I found a blue rupee and a bundle of arrows. I collected them and turned to the door.
“Let’s keep moving. And be careful. I have a feeling this next enemy will be tricky.” She nodded and I opened the door.

“Wow, there’s a lot of steam in here…” Dashie muttered as we entered. I had to agree, this room felt different. And as the steam rose I saw why. Where there were normally platforms surrounded by lava, I found pools of hot spring water connected by brick pathways. In the center of the room, where normally a rocky pillar would be, sat a beautiful fountain. I was taken aback by the beauty of the room, only getting serious as I saw a lizalfos lazing in one of the pools on the far side of the room.

“Dash, stay here…” I said coldly as I drew my blade and walked forward cautiously.

“Ahhh… Relaxing…” The giant lizard said in a raspy voice as it used its four-fingered hands to run water over its scales. The Lizalfos opened his eyes and spotted me, jumping up and screeching. “AHHH! Smooth skins!” It quickly drew its straight sword and readied itself for battle.

“Little racist, but ok…” I muttered as I charged forward, engaging its blade with a sharp CLANG!

“What the Hay is a Smooth Skin?!” Dash yelled in confusion. The Lizalfos jumps back and hisses.

“Die Smoothy!” It cried as it leapt over me and slashed at my back, barely managing to block the attack as I swung my shield between us.

“No you don’t!” I yelled back as I kept my momentum going and made my own slash at the monster. My blade caught it in the gut and sent it flying back as it roared in pain.

“AHH! My magnificent scales!” It cried as its side began bleeding lightly. “I won’t let that happen again, Smoothy!”

“We’ll just see about that!” I grinned as I ran at the beast, swinging my blade upwards.

“Too slow, Smoothy,” It taunted as it jumped over me again. “Yah!” It shouted as it quickly stabbed my back, but only managed to get my rear end.

“Oh! You damned lizard!” I roared as I rubbed the spot it got me. Looking up at my enemy I saw they were openly mocking me, wagging their tongue at me like some sort of child. With an angry yell I charged once again and slashed at their throat.

“Yipe!” It tries to lean away from the slash but doesn’t move fast enough. With its neck sliced it tries to speak but only a faint wheeze is heard. Enraged, the Lizalfos tried to screech and slash at my chest as I backflipped out of range. With a yell I thrust my blade forward, stabbing the beast in its chest. It grabs at its chest wound, gurgles something, then falls on its back with a heavy thud before exploding into purple smoke. With a flourish, I sheathed my sword as Dash walked up beside me.

“What was that thing?” She asked as I picked up the red rupee it dropped. Putting it away I sighed.

“A Lizalfos. Lizard men that are skilled with a blade. And very over confident…” I frowned as I looked to the next door.
“But it wasn’t the thing I was worried about.” I said cooly as we walked up to the door and went through. Entering a curved hall on the other side, we moved forward cautiously as I peeked into the next room. I heard them before I saw them, and gritted my teeth.

“Man, those things look so ugly!” Dash whispered in my ear, almost making me smile.

“These are adolescent Dodongos, and they breathe fire.” I told her quietly, her face dropping all traces of a smile.

“Like… fire?” She asked and I just raised an eyebrow, answering her question silently.
“So… how do we get through?”

“Well, there should be a torch puzzle in this room. If you stay close I can solve it fast and we won’t have to fight them.” I said as I walked slowly towards the only lit torch in the room. Sitting beside it was a long stick with a burnt end. I picked it up and lit the end of it, nodding to Dash as we moved through the room, avoiding enemies and managing to light all the torches. As soon as the last one was lit, the bars on the next door lifted and we pushed on to the next room, a short hallway returning us to the main hall. Before we hopped down I made sure to press the button and opened the door across from us.

We hopped down to the walkway below us as several statues rose from the floor. I counted three in all, one on our walkway, one on the center platform and one on the opposing walkway. All seemed dormant for the moment, but I had a feeling these statues were Beamos, stone beings that shot lasers from their lone eye. Or eyes, in this case, as they looked more like actual statues.

“Ok, we gotta be careful. These things are very dangerous and will hurt you. We just gotta stay outside their territory.” I warned Dash as we hopped across a stone to the center platform. We managed to sneak past the enemy and hop to the opposite walkway, a noticeable crack showing in the wall to our left.
“Right where you should be..” I grinned as Rainbow Dash looked at me in confusion.

“Whaddaya mean? It’s just a wall.” She said as she rolled her eyes. I just chuckled and looked down, picking the bomb flower I knew was there and holding it for a second.

“Just watch Dashie.” I smiled as I threw the explosive at the cracked wall. It Thunder against the stone and exploded, revealing a small side room with a solitary chest. I climbed into the room and opened the chest as I once again felt my body move on its own, holding up the map for the dungeon as fanfare played in the background.

You found the Dungeon Map! Now you can see where you are! Rooms you have been to already will be highlighted in green.

“Still gets annoying…” I muttered to myself as I stowed the map and turned to Dashie.
“Come on, let’s keep moving.” I told her as I walked to the door we unlocked. She looked like she wanted to say something, but held back for now as we entered the next room.

“What is this? Looks like a staircase… but it’s too tall…” Dash asked as she looked up at the elevated steps.

“It’s a defense mechanism of the dungeon to keep intruders out. Luckily I know how to get it down.” I chuckled as I walked up to another bomb flower plant. Picking one up, I walked over in front of the steps and set it down between several more explosive plants and quickly backed away. They detonated in sequence and the steps began to slowly sink down before settling.
“This way up.” I grinned and began to climb.

“You dork.” Dashie giggled and flew to the top. I eventually made it and we continued forward, finding our next alteration to the dungeon. Instead of the room with Armos guarding a switch, we were faced with a curved hall that led back to the main chamber, this time on the second floor.
“Woah, it looks so different from up here…”

“Yea, just keep a lookout for monsters. There are usually some Keese flying about up here.” I cautioned her as we began walking across a worn out looking wood and rope bridge to the other side of the room. We were about halfway across when we heard the familiar screech and looked up.
“Crap, they’re on fire…” I sighed and grabbed Dashies hand.
“Run!” I yelled and began to run to the other side, dragging her slightly behind me as we made it to the other side. We ran down the tunnel on the other side into a long hallway with a raised platform on the opposite end, a chest sitting plainly beside another tunnel leading back to the main room.

“All that for another chest?” Dash asked as she looked at me. I shrugged and walked over to its raised platform, climbing up and opening the chest. Like before my control was taken as I held up a brown reptilian leather bag.

You found a Bomb bag! It’s made from the tough hide of a Dodongo. You found twenty bombs inside! Lucky you!

I shook my head as control returned to me, looking at Dash with a smirk.

“What?” She asked with a raised eyebrow as I hopped down.

“Now we move forward.” I grinned as I walked down the next tunnel. We emerged back into the main chamber on another walkway. We followed it to the right, leading to another decrepit bridge that crossed over the main chamber. I looked at Dash and nodded.
“Wait here. I’ll be right back.” She nodded back at me and I walked out onto the bridge, pulling out my bombs as I approached a hole in the planks. Looking down I saw the empty eye socket of the Goddesses’ carved face.
“Here goes nothing…” I muttered as I pulled out a bomb. Immediately it lit its fuse and I dropped it down into the empty socket. With a loud boom, the hole glowed bright red.
“One down, one to go…” I sighed as I hopped over the gap and approached the next gap and repeated the process. As soon as both eyes were lit the face’s mouth opened, revealing a door to the next part of the dungeon. I ran back over to Dash and smiled.

“What?” She asked as I took her hand, making her blush a little.

“We need to go down, think you can give me a ride?” I chuckled with a wink. She smirked and rolled her eyes before grabbing me under my arms and gliding down in front of the giant mouth. I gave her a good peck on the cheek and moved forward, opening the door and progressing to the next room. It was a simple square room with a hole in the center of the floor.

“Is this it? The end of the dungeon?” Dash asked as she looked around. I shook my head and pointed at the floor.

“I have to defeat the boss. And it’s down there.” I said with a frown before looking at her.
“Dash, I need you to do me a favor. Please stay up here until I call you. I don’t want you getting hurt.” She could see how serious I was in my eyes and nodded, despite not being happy about being left out.

“Fine. Just come back in one piece ok?” She smiled weakly. I nodded and hopped down, instantly hearing the boss’ music start up as I hit the ground. The room was round, with a wide pathway circling a pool of lava in its center. Behind me I heard a low rumble of a growl and I smilled.

“Hello beasty.” I chuckled as I turned and faced the boss of the dungeon, King Dodongo. A mass of muscle and scales, this was one beast you couldn’t handle without some explosive assistance. It roared at me as I backed up a bit and drew my sword. The beast curled up and rolled at me, barely missing as I dodged to the side and it slammed into the wall. Turning around it began inhaling so it could launch fireballs at me. Being quick, I pulled out a bomb and threw it down the enemies throat and it exploded, incapacitating the beast temporarily and I managed to slice it once before it got back up.

“This is a lot more intense than in the games…” I muttered as I repeated the same move two more times. The monster looked worn down and angry as it roared at me and charged, rolling at me as I once again dodged its attack. It slammed into the wall and roared in pain before turning to me and taking in a deep breath. I took out one last bomb and sank it deep in its throat. With a muffled BOOM, the beast roared in agony as it thrashed and rolled around before getting itself trapped in the lava that filled the middle of the room. I watched as it slowly stopped moving, and the lava began to harden. It exploded into purple smoke, leaving behind a heart container as a blue ring of light appeared on the ground beside it. With a firm nod I looked up at the ceiling and called out to Dash.

“All clear Dash. It’s safe to come down now.” I yelled up at her. After a few seconds, I saw her glide down and land beside me, looking around excitedly.

“Where’s the thing you fought?” She asked, looking slightly lost as there was no obvious monster in sight.

“Gone. Returned to Tartarus. Like all monsters once they are defeated.” I sighed as I walked forward and collected the heart.

You got a Heart Container! This brings your total hearts to Five!

I sighed as I felt all my fatigue fade away and looked up to see a fiery red headed woman staring at us.

“Din.” I said as I bowed slightly. Rainbow Dash looked up at her and went pale as she heard the name I said.

“Wait, the Din? As in the Goddess?” She asked as Din rolled her eyes.

“No, I’m Din, the pizza delivery girl. Of course I’m the Goddess!” She smirked as she put her hands on her hips. I chuckled as I looked back up.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Goddess.” I said as I stood up straight. She just waved her hand dismissively.

“None of that please. It works for Farore and Nayru, but not me. I don’t do the whole ‘Goddess’ stuff when I’m talking to mortals anymore.” She said as she frowned. “Just gets a bit too awkward. Anyways kid, you passed my trial. I hereby bestow to you the blessing of me. Congrats.” She waved her hand towards me as a ball of pulsating red light appeared and flew towards me. I held it up and admired it as some text appeared in my vision.

You have received the Blessing of Din! This means that the Goddess recognizes you as a true Hero!

The ball vanished from my hands, appearing in my inventory as I looked back at the Goddess of Power.

“Din, I won’t let you down.” I grinned as she put her hands behind her head.

“I know, kid. Now go home. You got a long way to go before you’re ready to face him.” Din said with a smile before vanishing into thin air.

“Wow…” Dash murmured before I pat her on the shoulder.

“Come on, let’s go home.” I smiled at her as we walked into the circle of light and vanished, reappearing outside Applejack’s house and startling her and Big Mac.

“What in tarnation? Where the hay did you two come from?” AJ asked as she rushed over to us.

“Oh, well that’s a bit of a long story…” I chuckled as we walked back to her porch.

The Temple of Nayru, the Final Blessing

I stared out across the waves as our ship rocked softly in the surf. I had been asked to accompany Twilight to an island outpost far to the southwest in the Great Sea by Princess Celestia herself. Apparently we were supposed to be ‘checking in’ on the local inhabitants, since any and all communication with them had ended. Besides us, all of our friends had decided to come along. I smiled to myself as I looked around at everyone enjoying themselves. Only Twilight didn’t look happy, but that was more from seasickness than not being cheerful. I gave her a reassuring pat on the back as she smiled thankfully at me.

“Don’t worry, I used to get sick on boats too. You go on them enough, you get used to it.” I said in an attempt to make her feel better. She just nodded, not wanting to try and speak at the moment. With a soft smile I got up and walked towards the helm, where our captain stood, a hand firmly on the wheel. It had been hard to find somepony willing to traverse the Great Sea since the rumored return of the Demon King, but we managed to convince Swift Sail to take us. He had been one of the best captains in the Royal Navy before he retired, and never boasted about it. I stood beside them and watched the horizon, waiting for our destination to appear on it.

“Don’t quite understand why ye need ter get to Dragon Roost, but if it’s ter help the Princess, I guess it must be important.” He said gruffly, adjusting course as he spoke. I looked at him with an indifferent gaze.

“I am not too sure why we are going either. But orders are orders. I just hope nothing is wrong when we get there.” I spoke calmly, despite my anxiety spiking through the roof. Thanks to Fluttershy I had learned to keep calm under pressure. She had admittingly also had problems doing the same, but we were learning together. I smiled to myself once again at how lucky I was. I had friends here who always wanted to help me, and I them. Swift Sail nodded back to me.

“Aye. Pray to Hylia everypony there is alright.” He said coolly as our destination finally appeared on the horizon. It was a tall volcanic island whose peak was ringed in clouds.

“There it is…” I said in amazement as it drew closer.
“Dragon Roost Island.”

We dropped anchor just off shore and rowed to the island in Swift Sails’ smaller longboat. He waved us off as he went back to his ship, sailing back to the mainland. The moment my feet touched land, I heard the distinct melody I remembered from when I played Windwaker. It was the theme to Dragon Roost Island. I smiled to myself and began to walk down the beach, Dashie and AJ clung to both of my arms as we went, the others following behind us. Once in a while I could hear them giggle at us, but it didn’t bother me at all. I had actually wanted to take them here for a few weeks, ever since I saw it on a map at the barracks. We followed a path leading up towards the outpost, finding it completely deserted.

“Where is everypony?” Fluttershy asked as we looked around.

“I have an idea, but I hope I’m wrong.” I said as I looked up to the second floor.

“What? Where do you think they are?” Twilight asked as I began walking up the ramp to the next level.

“There’s an ancient Temple inside the volcano. It was sacred to the Rito tribe that used to live here, and that’s where I think we’ll find them, if they’re still here.” I told her as we walked through a doorway back outside. In front of us was a small pool of water, right where I remembered it to be. I could see the ruined remains of the bridge that once spanned the expanse on the other side.

“Well now what genius? How do we get across?” Dash asked frustratedly. I looked back at them and pointed towards the Temple.

“That temple is too dangerous for any of you. Even you Dash. If it’s anything like what I remember, it will be filled with tougher monsters and traps than anything you have seen so far. So please trust me, and stay here. Stay safe for me.” I said as I gave them a hard look. Even Rainbow Dash backed down, since she knew how dangerous this place really was. I gave them a nod before turning and jumping into the water and swimming to the other side.

“Heeeeey! Johnny!” AJ called to me and I turned to face her. She gave me a small smile.

“Come back to us safe, Kay?” She said with a weak smile. I smiled reassuringly at her and Dash.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. And remember, I love you both.” I called over with a wave. AJ and Dash both blushed deep red and smiled as Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and Rarity looked at them with their own devious smirks. Twilight was looking up at the peak of the island, looking deep in thought.
“Hey Sparkles!” I called over to her. She looked at me as I gave her a nod.
“I got this.”

“I know Link. Now go!” She called back as I turned and ran down the path. I rounded a corner and faced a pool of lava. Looking around I saw some familiar statues holding stone baskets. I pulled out my bomb bag and threw one into the nearest one. With a slightly muffled explosion it tipped forward and fell, making a small area for me to stand on. I moved forward and repeated the same process until I was safely across. I moved forward, entering the temple as quickly as I could. The first room was simple enough to figure out, there was a simple block puzzle I quickly solved that opened the way forward. Entering the next room I found two moblins weilding torches and seemingly unaware of my presence. I had forgotten that these monsters were incredibly unperceptive and a bit oblivious. I managed to get the jump on them, slicing their heads off in one swing.

“Man, I feel a bit overpowered for this dungeon. Must be my training kicking in.” I muttered to myself as I looked around. I saw two unlit torches sitting on a raised platform on one side of the room, with a lit one and a pot of handheld torches on the other. Taking one and lighting it, I walked over and lit the other two, making a chest appear. Opening it I found a small key and used it to unlock the door ahead. Pressing on I found myself in the heart of the volcano, a large lake of molten rock radiating heat below as I looked around at the various walkways that had been constructed here. Looking to my right I saw a lavafall blocking my way. With no other option I followed the path I was on as it snaked its way around the left side of the cavern before crossing a small bridge to the other side. The way forward however was blocked by a massive rock, behind which I could see a door. With a little help from some explosives, I cleared away the boulder and began walking forward. Hearing something running up behind me I drew my sword and spun around, the tip of my blade mere inches from the chest of Twilight Sparkle.

“Twilight!” I yelled in frustration as I sheath my weapon and frowned at her.
“I could have killed you!” I said in angrily as she looked up at me with a slightly embarrassed look.

“S-sorry Link… but I couldn’t help myself. I had to know what was in here after you said it was an ancient temple.” She said meekly with a slight shrug. I sighed and shook my head before turning back towards the door I cleared.

“Well it’s too late for you to turn back. Just stay close and don’t touch anything.” I warned her before setting off again, Twilight falling close behind. We entered the next room and were confronted by a pool of lava blocking our way forward. Several stone jars were laid around the solid platforms that framed the pool, and when I shook one, I heard water slosh around inside.

“So this is what you meant by ‘traps’?” Twilight asked as I hefted a jar on my shoulder.

“More or less. Some, like this, are easy to figure out.” I told her as I tossed the jar into the molten rock. It exploded and doused a good chunk in water, solidifying it instantly. I hopped across to a chest on the next ledge, with my companion following closely.
“But you always need to be vigilant. You mess up on a big one, and it could be fatal.”

“Incredible, this is what you do when you go on your adventures?” She asked as I turned towards the chest. I gave her a short nod and opened it, raising the dungeon map above my head as I heard the familiar fanfare play.
“What was that about?” She asked as I shook my head a little.

“Just something that happens to me when I open certain chests. Part of the Curse of the Hero.” I said without thinking, clamping a hand over my mouth as she began firing a barrage of questions about it. I promised her I would answer them after we got out of here, hefting another water jar into the lava as we hopped to the other side of the room.

“This place seems like a rather odd place for the Rito to have a temple. With all the lava, you’d think they’d burn themselves easily.” Twilight mused aloud as we moved along.

“I thought so too when I first came here.” I agreed, referring to when I first played Windwaker . I climbed the ladder in front of me to the ledge above, offering my hand to Twilight as she climbed up behind me.

“You’ve been here before? How is that even possible? You said you had appeared in the Everfree.” She frowned as I gave her a sheepish smile.

“It was a long time ago, in another world. And so far it seems to be roughly the same.” I told her as I opened the next door. The next room was dark, a pair of boarded up passages the only noticeable features.
“Twi, stay behind me.” I said calmly as I drew my sword. As soon as I approached the passage opposite the door, it exploded towards me as a Moblin lunged out. It swiped at me with the cleaver it was holding as I backed up, thrusting my blade through its skull as it exploded into purple smoke.

“Whoa… that was really… violent.” Twilight said nervously as she looked at me.

“It’s only going to get worse for me as I move forward. Each temple or dungeon I venture into will be more difficult than the last.” I said with a grunt as I broke the barricade on the other passage and moved on. The path continued forward, with a small alcove lit by torches branched off to the right. I hopped up on its little ledge and made my way to the back of the opening, finding a chest there. Opening it, I held up a small key as a familiar fanfare played, and I was told this key could only be used in this dungeon.

“You really are a strange one, Link.” She commented as I shook my head.

“Heh, yea, guess I am. But hey, what hero isn’t?” I joked as we moved on to the next room. We emerged back into the center chamber, the fiery geyser of lava still shooting up into the air as we moved to the left, only to find our path blocked by a boulder.

“How do we get through?”Twilight asked as I saw a small cluster of bomb flowers growing behind the rock.

“Like this.” I answered as I drew my bow and shot an arrow into the closest one, setting them off and blowing the boulder to pieces.

“I guess that works.” She said as we moved along the path. We were now back where we started, next to the locked door and the path we took earlier. Using the key I got, I opened the door and we went to the next room. Instantly we were rushed by several red Chu-chus, two of them leaping at us as I pushed Twilight aside.

“Oh no you don’t you slimy shits.” I snapped as I slashed through one and turned it to dust. One managed to hit my arm and I felt the limb burn like I’d dipped it in acid, making me yell out in pain. I watched as I lost a heart worth of damage, roaring in anger as I slashed through the abominable slimes. One by one they crumbled to ash, leaving me standing in the middle of the room. Turning towards Twilight, I sighed in relief as she appeared unharmed.
“You OK Sparks?” I chuckled as I walked over to her. She looked up at me from the floor as I helped her up.

“Sparks?” She asked as we walked toward the next door.

“Figured you’d need a nickname if we’re gonna be friends, right?” I smiled at her as I opened the door. Fresh air hit us as we walked outside, making us sigh as we finally felt cool after being in the heart of the volcano.

“I guess we are friends then.” She smiled back as we looked up the path ahead. There was a rickety old rope bridge spanning between the outcropping we were on and the one next to us. I tested its strength as I inched across, making it to the other side as I then motioned for Twilight to follow. On this side there was only a ladder up that we climbed. The ledge it put us on was small, barely big enough for us to walk comfortably. There was a smaller ledge leading to the next platform, and periodically a jet of fire would shoot out of the wall along the path.

“Twilight, you need to do as I say here. This is really dangerous.” I warned her as I took to the narrow path.
“Stay on this side until I tell you to.”

“Alright Link, just be careful.” She said worriedly. I gave her a nod as I made my way across, getting closer to the flaming geyser. I waited and watched as the flames shot out and retreated before quickly making my way across. I took a deep breath to calm myself before turning to Twilight.

“OK, now slowly make your way across, and stop where I did.” I called over to her as she nodded and began to cross. She stopped just before the flames and looked at me.

“Now what?” She asked, trying not to look down.

“When I say go, you go!” I called back to her, and she nodded in response. I watched the fire die down and yelled to her.
“Now!”

She quickly shuffled across and fell into my arms as I caught her.

“It’s OK Sparks, I got you.” I smiled reassuringly. She only nodded as I let her catch her breath. Beside us sat another large boulder that blocked the way forward. I could see the traditional way to clear it off to the left, a set of ledges and platforms leading to a bomb flower patch, but elected to clear it with my own bombs. I lit one of the charges and rolled it over, covering Twilight as the explosive detonated and showered us in rock fragments. I looked at the now cleared door and back to Twilight.
“Shall we?”

Back inside the mountain, we began to make our way through puzzles and challenges more easily as we began working together. The dungeon seemed to follow the original layout as far as I could tell, even the rats (which gave Twilight a scare). And sadly I lost two more hearts to a couple keese, bringing my health down to only two remaining. Finally after a lot of hard work, we made it to the peak. The Great Valoo seemed to be really angered, and I had an idea as to why.

“Stay close to me Sparks, these stairs will give way.” I said as I took her hand and began running up, each step falling to the sea below a few seconds after we stepped on them. Making it to the top, we saw the Rito clan imprisoned in a cage. As we stepped forward to help, a gate closed behind us and two moblins dropped down from the ledge above. I rushed forward and engaged them as Twilight darted around to the cage to check on everyone. I managed to dispatch them both, but I got hit again in the process. Now I heard the dreaded low health beep, that annoying sound warning me to get some hearts, and soon. As soon as I defeated them, the cage door opened and freed the Rito. I dropped to a knee as Twilight rushed over.

“Link! Are you ok?” She asked worriedly.

“Never better Sparks…” I grunted as I tried to stand, and failed. She helped me sit down as a young Rito girl came up and sat with us.

“You’re hurt.” She said plainly. I gave her a raised eyebrow and chuckled weakly.

“What gave it away?” I smirked through my pain. She just shook her head and pulled out a bottle.

“Here, drink this.” She said as she handed it to me. I recognized what it was. Red Potion. I drank it and felt all my wounds heal up. I managed to stand and gave the girl a smile.

“Thanks kid. What’s your name?” I asked as she stood as well. She returned my smile and gave a small bow.

“I’m Medli.” She said as I offered her the bottle back. She shook her head at me.
“Keep it. You look like you’ll need it more.”

“Thanks. I owe you one, Medli.” I smiled. A larger male Rito walked up to us and introduced himself.

“I am Zephyr, chief of this tribe. We owe you a debt of gratitude, hero.” He said with a bow.

“I just did what was right, sir.” I said as I held up my hand. He nodded and motioned for me to follow. We walked over to a chest at the back of the cage as he turned to me.

“In here is a treasure we’ve held on to from the days of old, when our young would have to climb the mountain on their own to collect a scale from the Great Valoo to prove they had reached adulthood. Please, take it with you and let it aid you on your journey.” He said as I approached the chest. Cheekily, I turned on the sound from the Audivox orb so that everyone could hear it as I opened the chest. They all watched as I leaned in and pulled out a beautiful pair of iron gauntlets, holding them above my head as the fanfare played.

You got theGRAPPLESHOT! Use this to latch on to far off objects or swing across Great distances!

Everyone looked shocked as I equipped the gloves, as they had not expected the display.

“By Hylia, this must be a sign.” Zephyr said as I walked past him. I turned to Twilight and put a hand on her shoulder.

“You should go with them back to the village. The next part is going to be really difficult, and I won’t be able to protect you.” I told her, to which she nodded.

“You’re right, I know that, but I’m worried about you, Link. You can be kinda reckless.” She said with a slight smile.

“Being reckless is what got me to this world. Either that or just dumb luck.” I smirked as she gave me a gentle hug.

“Come back safe. For Applejack and Rainbow Dash.” She said quietly. I could tell that wasn’t all she had to say, but I wasn’t going to push her on it. I just returned the hug and backed up.

“I’ll see you at the bottom.” I smiled as I gave a mock salute, using the Grappleshot to launch myself to the ledge above.

“Good luck!” She yelled to me as I waved and vanished from sight.

I walked down a short path before dropping to the bottom of where the stairs used to be. To my left I could see some branches I could latch onto that lead to another door. I swung across, landing on the platform with a roll. Entering the mountain once again, I was faced by two moblins on another rope bridge. How these bridges didn’t burn, I had no idea. But I charged in, dealing with them quickly and making a chest appear on the floor below. I walked to the middle of the bridge and cut the ropes, dropping me down to the lower level. I opened the chest and found a red rupee, which I tucked into my wallet. I pressed on, clearing room after room, knowing what the boss of this dungeon was. I knew what I had to do, as far as the game went, but I was starting to second guess myself as to my actual skill. Holding the boss key in hand, I stood before the mammoth door and opened the lock. With a mighty clank, the chains and lock fell and the door opened.

“OK bug boy, let’s do this…” I muttered to myself as I entered the final room, a large circular room with wooden walkways lining its upper floors. The smashed remains of ladders littered the ground, preventing access to them. The Great Valoo’s tail hung from the ceiling, surrounded by a large disc of stone. In the center of the room was a pool of molten lava, and as I approached it the surface began to roil as a gigantic insect-like creature burst forth. It spewed fire and slammed its claws against the ground, the armored shell it had protecting it from attack and the heat. The beast roared at me as I began darting to the side, aiming my gauntlet at the dragon’s tail hanging above me. Latching on, I used it to swing to one of the wooden platforms on the opposite side of the room. This movement caused the stone disc to fall, crushing the creature and cracking its shell. I smiled as I felt a sudden surge of confidence. I could actually beat this thing. With an angered roar, the monster slammed the stone back into the roof, and we began the same routine. I successfully performed the same maneuver two more times and managed to destroy the armored shell. Landing in front of the beast I smiled as I dragged it down to me with the Grappleshot and began hacking at its one center eye, delivering the final blow as it roared in pain, slowly petrifying before exploding in a cloud of purple smoke. Its eye fell in front of me and exploded, leaving a heart container behind. I collected it and heard the fanfare, watching as my life increased by one. I looked around for the portal out of here and was surprised to not see one. But standing in the middle of the now hardened pool of lava stood a dark haired woman in a flowing blue dress. As soon as I saw her, I knew who I was looking at.

“Nayru. It is a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance.” I said as I took a knee. She smiled kindly as she walked forward.

“You are too kind, Hero. Now rise.” She said softly, her voice shooting yet somehow firm. I did as she said and stood up, watching as she approached me.
“You have come from a great distance to find me by chance. Yet you undertook my temple and saved those imprisoned here. For that, you have my thanks.” She said with a nod.

“It’s what anyone should do.” I answered, giving her a small smirk. She smiled back as she held out her hand. I took it and she began to speak.

“Hero, chosen by us, the goddesses. I grant you my blessing.” She said in a commanding tone as a ball of pure blue energy appeared between us. I took it gently and she nodded before fading away. I held up the orb as a somber fanfare played.

You got Nayru’s Blessing! Now you can enter the Sacred Grounds!

I stood there for a moment, realizing finally that I had all three goddesses blessings. A portal of blue light appeared beside where I was, and I stepped through it. When my vision cleared up, I found myself standing in the middle of Ponyville surrounded by the gang. We had all apparently been teleported here at the same time and now everyone was looking at each other in confusion. All but me and Rainbow Dash, who looked over at me with a knowing smile. I put a hand over my heart and looked at the sky as I thanked the goddesses for their blessings.

My true self and the rising shadow

Author's Note

So this chapter is going to be hit or miss with some people. Some of you will like it, some of you will question my choices and probably not like it. But it's something I wanted to do. I hope you enjoy anyway.

My true self and the rising shadow

It had been almost three weeks since our visit to Dragon Roost, and I had been given a full interrogation by Twilight about this ‘Curse of the Hero’ I’d told her about. She wanted to know everything, and somehow managed to fill almost four volumes with the information I told her. There still were things I had left out, but she seemed satisfied for now and had let me leave her library. Now that I was free, I decided to check in on Rarity and see how my suit was coming along. Entering the boutique I was surprised to find a familiar face sitting in one of the chairs behind the counter.

“Well if it isn’t a little trouble maker.” I chuckled and walked up to her. She looked up and gasped before squealing in delight.

“Link! It’s you! Oh my Celestia, it’s so good to see you!” Sweetie Bell cried as she ran up and hugged me. I returned the gesture and patted her on the head.

“Good to see you kid. You still getting up to no good?” I teased as she mock pouted, rolling her eyes and smiling.

“No, but me and my friends made a club. We’re trying to get our Cutie Marks any way possible!” She said proudly. I smiled and patted her on her shoulder.

“Not bad kid. This club got a name?” I asked, watching as she puffed up her chest.

“We are the Cutie Mark Crusaders!” She announced as Rarity emerged from the back.

“Oh, hello Link. I do hope my little sister isn’t bothering you.” She said as she set some fabric down on the counter. I chuckled and shook my head.

“Not at all. Just catching back up with her. But I did come by to see about that suit I ordered.” I told her as I pulled out my wallet.

“Oh yes, it’s finished. I must say, it was quite the challenge to make from that drawing you gave me. But I managed.” She sighed as she pulled a garment bag off a rack and set it on the counter.
“Will you be paying in Bits or Rupees?”

“Rupees” I said as she counted in her head.

“Oh, that’s going to be about fifty then.” She told me as I handed her a nice shiny purple rupee. She took it and I picked up the garment bag, stowing it in my inventory. As I did this, I heard a shocked gasp come from Sweetie Bell.

“Where’d it go?” She asked as she circled around me.

“Don’t worry kid, I still have it. It’s just in my magic storage.” I chuckled as I ruffled her hair. Rarity giggled quietly at this, since she was familiar with my powers.
“Anyway, I’m off. I gotta go to Canterlot and meet with Luna.” I smiled again as I began to walk to the exit, waving at them both.

“Bye Link! I hope I get to see you soon!” Sweetie Bell called as both her and Rarity waved.

I made my way towards the station, lost in my own thoughts and was shocked as a pair of cyan arms wrapped themselves around my waist.

“Where are you headed?” Rainbow Dash asked with a chuckle, placing her chin on my shoulder.

“Oh, I need to talk with Luna about something. I was headed to the station to take a train to Canterlot.” I explained as I turned to face her. She was wearing her usual tank top and jogging shorts, which was super cute on her, and looked like she just went for a run.

“Oh? Well why don’t I come with? I’ll meet you at the station!” She smiled and zipped off before I could protest.

“You’re going to Canterlot?” A familiar voice spoke up behind me. I turned to find AJ standing there, hands on her hips and giving me a sly smile. I sighed and gave her a defeated smile.

“You wanna come too?” I asked and she just winked and hooked her arm around mine.

“Course I do. I haven’t gotten to go on one of your far-flung adventures, so the least you can do is let me tag along.” She stated as we walked through town. I couldn’t argue with that. I really tried to keep her and the others out of my adventures since they were so dangerous, but they always managed to tag along. As we approached the depot, I spotted Dashie waiting. She’d changed into a nice sundress, which was very interesting. She never liked to dress girly. But looking at her now, it seemed to look almost natural. When she saw me and AJ walking up she blushed a bit, quietly taking my other arm. I leaned down and pecked a kiss on her cheek.

“You look nice.” I whispered in her ear, making her blush more and nod. I gave AJ a kiss as well and bought our tickets. As soon as we were boarded, the train took off, rumbling down the tracks as we headed to the capital.

One train ride later, we stood in the middle of Canterlot. We walked through the city, looking at all the shops and restaurants as we made our way to the castle in its center. As we approached the gates, two guards approached us.

“Halt! State your business.” One of them barked. They huffed and hefted their spear.

“Link and two of the elements of harmony to see Princess Luna.” I said with a small smile. They nodded and set the other guard to see if it was OK to let us through. We waited a bit before the guard came shuffling back. They nodded to the first guard and we were let through. We were led through the halls to Lunas private chambers where the guard knocked.

“Come in.” A tired voice on the other side answered. I opened the door and the three of us entered. Laying on her bed was the princess of the night, rubbing some of the sleep from her eyes.

“Princess.” I said with a short bow. She nodded to me and I stood straight.
“I apologize for waking you like this.” I said with an apologetic smile. She shook her head and returned a smile.

“It is quite all right. For what did you need me for?” She asked as she motioned for us to sit on her couch. The girls and I sat down and I looked at Luna.

“I came to ask you about how you enter dreams.” I told her, making her give me an incredulous look.

“How do I enter dreams? Well, I’ve never really thought about how I do it before. I suppose it’s like envisioning a door into someone’s mind, and opening it.” She answered as she held her chin before looking back to me.
“Why are you interested in this?” She asked as I gave her a serious look.

“Because I fear Ganondorf is attempting to enter my dreams.” I said coldly, making her Dash and AJ gasp at my words.

“Art thou sure?” Luna asked, her accent slipping out as she gave me a serious stare. I nodded, and she leaned back and tapped her chin.
“This is quite the dilemma. How long does thou art believe he has been attempting this?” She asked as I tried to think.

“Not long, maybe the last month or so. At first it was just this feeling of darkness. Then it began taking shape, and talking to me. But I could never understand what it was saying. And last night, it spoke clearly.” I shuddered as AJ and Dashie put their hands on my shoulders.

“What did thine dark shadow say?” Luna asked. I looked up at her with a slightly worried expression.

“It said ‘I am coming’” I told her. She frowned as she began pacing. She was muttering to herself as we sat there, watching her. Eventually she stopped and called for a guard. Once they arrived, she told them to go fetch Celestia. They nodded and hurried off. We waited in silence for what felt like hours until the doors opened and Celestia strode in, looking at Luna with worry. She didn’t seem to notice the three of us sitting on the couch as she began speaking with her sister.

“What is it Lulu? You never call for me during the day, did something happen?” She asked as she looked her sister over. Luna sighed and nodded.

“Yes, something indeed has happened. But not to me, to our hero here.” Luna pointed to me, and Celestia finally noticed us. She blushed and cleared her throat.

“Well, what seems to be the trouble?” She asked and I repeated what I’d told Luna. When I finished she looked just as worried as her sister did.

“I’m worried, princesses. If he’s trying to get inside my head, what could he do?” I asked and they looked at each other.

“Well, a lot actually. He could do some serious damage to your mental image.” Luna said with a pained frown. I raised my eyebrow as I frowned as well.

“My mental image? What could that do?” I asked as Luna looked to her sister for a moment.

“Well…” Celestia began, “it can cause you to cease to exist within your own mind. Making you a living corpse…” She said with a sad look.

“So it’ll turn me into a vegetable if he get in. Perfect.” I groaned in exasperation.
“Is there any way to prevent him from getting in?” I asked as Luna nodded slowly.

“There is, but it requires you to let us in.” She said as I sat up.

“Do what you have to. I can’t let him win. Not now…” I said with a determined look. Luna sighed and nodded.

“Very well. Prepare thyself, Hero.” She told me as her eyes glowed. Everything went dark and suddenly I was back in my room on Earth. I looked at myself in the mirror and felt disgusted by my own reflection. I was fat once again, my scraggly beard wild and full of crumbs. I still could not believe I had let myself live like this. Yet the only thing that was the same about myself were my eyes. They shone with a vibrant blue, filled with hope and wonder.

“Is that… you, Johnny?” I heard Dashie ask behind me. My body stiffened as she spoke, and I slowly turned towards her voice only to find both her and AJ, as well as both of the princesses. I nodded sadly and hung my head.

“Not very heroic now, am I.” I said as I tried not to cry. I sniffed and looked up, putting on my bravest face.
“This is where I lived. Before I came to Equis. It’s part of a dream loop I’ve been stuck in. The day I was sent to your world.” I told them as I pulled my costume out of the closet and began to put it on. They followed me as I went down to the car, where my friend Mikey was waiting. They watched me go to the convention, and as soon as I approached the merchants booth, a dark shadow appeared. It slowly morphed into a humanoid, taking a few steps towards me with an outstretched arm.

“I am coming…” It spoke with a raspy voice as it became more defined. It took the form of Ganondorf from Twilight Princess and gave an evil grin.
“I am coming, and there is nothing you can do to stop me boy.” He growled as I held up my prop sword.

“Fat chance Ganon-dork” I told him as I slashed through him, making his image disappear. As soon as his visage vanished, the convention hall around us vanished. We were now free floating in darkness.

“So, this is what you have had to deal with.” Luna thought aloud as I just stared at my hands, not wanting to see the girls’ looks about my appearance. Applejack floated to me, lifting my chin and giving me a smile.

“Yer still the same guy I fell in love with. I can see it in yer eyes.” She said comfortingly and brushed my cheek. I looked over to Dashie, who was looking a bit uncomfortable.

“I get it Dash. I’m not what you’ve come to love…” I said as she finally looked at me and blushed. She floated over and put a hand on my shoulder.

“It’s not that. I just hate seeing you look like this. Because I know you’ve grown beyond this.” She said as she looked me in the eye. I nodded and began to glow, turning into the Hero everyone recognized.

“You’re right. I’m not the same guy I was then.” I smiled gratefully at her before turning to the princesses.
“Now, how do we ensure Ganondorf can’t get back in?” I asked as Luna floated over.

“Simple, I cast a protection spell on you whilst in this dream scape.” She told me as she raised her hand above my forehead. I felt a cold shiver run down my spine and snapped awake back in Luna’s room. I looked around as everyone else woke up, now feeling better about my dreams.

“Thank you Luna. Truly.” I said with a small bow. She smiled and nodded.

“It was my pleasure. You should be safe from any further harm inside your dreams.” She promised. Looking outside I saw it was almost night and silently cursed myself.

“Damn. Last train to Ponyville probably left already..” I grumbled as Celestia looked at me.

“Well, you may stay here if you wish for the night. You wouldn’t be a bother.” The Solar Regent chuckled softly. I sighed and smiled.

“Thank you. Both of you. I gratefully accept your offer.” I told her as she sent a maid to prepare a room for us. I turned to AJ and Dashie and smiled.
“Let’s sleep for now, we’ll talk about what happened in the morning. Ok?” They nodded and we were led to a room by a maid after bidding the princesses goodnight. The room had a large bed big enough for all three of us and a dresser with a mirror. A door off to the side held a small bathroom with a shower, which I took advantage of. One hot and relaxing shower later, I emerged with a towel around my waist and found the two girls fast asleep in bed. I dried off and tossed my pants on before climbing in bed myself, drifting off into a peaceful sleep.

The Sacred Grounds

It was strange, waking up inside the castle after I moved out months ago. Even stranger were the two mares clinging to me in their sleep. And yet it felt right. Doing my best not to wake them I slipped out of bed, got dressed and made my way down to the kitchens for some breakfast. As I approached the door I caught the smell fresh baked bread emanating from inside. I heard my gut growl at that moment and walked in, finding Celestia sitting at the small table in the corner eating some bread and butter.

“Morning…” I greeted her tiredly as I sat down and tore off a chunk of the bread, eating it slowly. The Princess nodded to me with a smile and slid the butter dish towards me.

“I hope you slept well. Today is a big day for you.” She smiled kindly as I spreabutetter on another piece of bread. I sighed and nodded, remembering that I was to enter the Sacred Grounds today. I had seen their entrance a long time ago, back when I lived here at the castle. It was down in the dungeon, near where Princess Zelda slept in her amber tomb. I took a bite of my bread and thought for a moment before speaking.

“I am unsure if I’m truly worthy of that sword Celestia. I… I don’t know if I’m really ready..” I told her with a small frown as she placed her hand on my shoulder.

“No one is ever really ready when responsibilities are thrust on them. Do you think I was truly ready to rule this land when Mother went to sleep?” She asked as I looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

“I guess… no?” I answered and she nodded.

“I had been alive for hundreds of years by then, but had never really had much responsibility placed on my shoulders. I hated the idea of ruling. But when Mother sealed herself, everyone turned to me for leadership. So, what I think I’m saying Johnny is that it’s ok to feel unsure of yourself. Just do your best, and everything will be fine.” She smiled before getting up from the table.
“Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some royal duties I need to attend to.” She said with a wink before leaving me alone in the kitchen.

“She’s right… I can do this…” I reassured myself as I walked back to my room. Applejack and Dashie had already woken up and smiled at me as I entered, both of them giving me a nice warm hug.

“Mornin’ hun.” AJ said as she kissed my cheek.

“Yea, morning.” Dashie grinned smugly as she kissed my other cheek. I chuckled and kissed them both.

“Morning to you both. You sleep ok?” I asked as they nodded.

“It was definitely better than my bed at home…” Rainbow Dash yawned as she stretched a bit.

“Yeah, but it was nice… y’know…gettin’ ter sleep in the same bed an’ all…” Applejack nodded as she blushed. I smiled and rubbed her cheek before I sat on the bed.

“Today is going to be challenging for me. Not just physically, but mentally and emotionally. I do not know what I’m going to encounter in the Sacred Grounds, but I know I can face that challenge knowing you’ll be by my side.” I told them as I looked up, both of them giving me the same confident smile. I finished gearing up as the two of them got dressed and soon we made our way to the dungeon.

“It’s… down here?” Dashie asked as we passed the room Zelda was in.

“Yeah, I saw it once when I was down here before. Didn’t know what it was until I got a vision of it in my dreams.” I told her as we approached a stone door, the mark of the Triforce barely visible on its surface.

“What does that mark mean? I’ve seen it before.” AJ asked as I moved to place my hand on it.

“It’s the Triforce. A symbol of the goddesses.” I answered as the same mark appeared on the back of my hand, the bottom right piece glowing brighter than the others.
“And a symbol of their chosen wielders.” I said as I placed my hand on the stone. The Triforce instantly lit up and glowed for a moment as the door slid down into the floor.

“Woah… that’s some powerful stuff there…” Dash muttered as we stepped through the doorway. It led to a circular room with three more doors leading off, each bearing the symbol of one of the goddesses.

“So what do we do now?” AJ asked as I looked at the doors. I approached the one bearing Farore’s symbol and placed my hand on it. The mark glowed a soft green and the door opened.

“I need to face these challenges myself, so wait here. Please.” I said as I looked at them. Their faces told me they didn’t want to, but they nodded and stepped back.

“We’ll be right here… when you come back.” Dashie said sadly as I gave them a small smile and charged off into the darkness.

I walked down the dark corridor until I saw a light ahead. I ran towards it and suddenly found myself in a place I prayed I’d never see again. My dad’s ratty old trailer outside Las Vegas. I was in my room, the walls covered in old video game and movie posters, and my bed a total mess. I looked in the mirror I had on my dresser and sighed as I still looked like Link. I took a deep breath and stepped out into the hallway, the smell of cigarettes and body odor hitting me hard as I walked towards the living room. Sat in his disgusting old Lazyboy recliner sat the source of a lot of my childhood trauma, sipping a beer as he watched a football game. My father, Sonny Sikes, the King Con of the strip. And I hated him with every fiber of my being. When I lived here with him as a kid he would torment me in his drunken rage, throwing empty beer bottles and beating me. I never had the courage to stand up for myself. And now here I was, presented with another chance.

“Grab me a beer boy.” He called from his chair, his voice grating against my ears like sandpaper.

“Get it yourself you lazy bum. I’m not your servant.” I snapped at him, watching as he turned to face me, his face coated in stubble and cheeto dust.

“You mouthing off boy?” He asked as he got up from his seat and numbered over.
“You disrespecting me? IN MY HOUSE?!” He spat as he raised his fist to hit me. He swung down, aiming for my face as I caught his wrist and looked him dead in the eye.

“I am not afraid of you anymore dad. You do not control me.” I told him calmly as the room faded to black. Before I knew it I was back in the central hub, the door sliding up behind me. The symbol etched on the surface remained lit as I looked at the girls.
“One down. Two to go.” I said with a forced smile, the two of them hugging me quickly.

“You got this hun.” AJ reassured me as she stepped back.

“Yea, you’re gonna rock the last two!” Dash agreed. I nodded with a small smile and approached the door of Power. Touching the stone surface its symbol lit up and tye door slid open. I gave the girls a wink and charged in.

I ran forward through the darkness until I entered a large chamber. I recognized it as the miniboss room in Twilight Princess’s Temple of Time dungeon. And that meant I knew my foe. It stood in the center of the room, a tall dark knight clad in heavy armor.

“Darknut.” I sighed as I drew my sword and shield.
“Let’s dance fancy pants.” I chuckled as I ran forward, rolling under the enemy’s attack as it swung its heavy cleaver, and attacking it from behind. I managed to knock off a few pieces of armor before it made another swing at me, this one connecting and sending me flying. I hit the ground hard and rolled, managing to get to my feet and looking at my foe.

“That wasn’t nice.” I grinned as I charged in again, managing to take off a few more bits of armor and avoiding his strike. After landing a few more strikes and finishing off his armor, the Darknut threw its massive cleaver at me and drew a large broadsword. I rolled to the side to avoid getting hit by the massive weapon, getting to my feet in time to lock blades with it.

“Impressive. Most impressive.” He said, surprising me. I never would have thought that monsters in games could speak. I pushed him back and leveled my shield.

“So the bucket head speaks. This world is full of surprises.” I huffed as I leapt forward, slashing at his chest only to be blocked. I got knocked back slightly and growled.
“You are one tough cookie.”

“You are an admirable foe as well.” He grunted as he stepped forward casually.
“But your luck is about to run dry, hero.” He said as he slashed down at my head.

“Perhaps. But not today!” I chuckled as I blocked his blade with my shield and stabbed him in his gut. He clutched at the wound and reeled back, groaning in pain before falling on his back. His sword clattered to the ground, his breathing labored as he looked at me.

“Well done… Hero…” He said weakly before turning into a purple explosion. I sheathed my sword as the room went dark, and found myself back in the main room. Dash was fast asleep in a corner, snoring softly as AJ came up to me.

“Hey… you doin’ ok?” She asked me as I gave her a hug.

“Yea, just getting a little worn out.” I sighed as I rubbed her back.
“Tell Dash I’ll see you both soon.” I said with a wink as I approached the third door. Like the two before, it glowed as I touched it, the stone sliding down and I walked calmly into the darkness.

I walked down the darkened hall, feeling my way along until I came to another stone door. I placed my hand on it like the others, but instead of opening like before, words appeared. As I read them I realized it was a riddle.

’The fool wastes me, The average man spends me, And wise man invests me, Yet all men succumb to me. What am I?’

“Hmm… what could this mean…” I thought aloud as I tried to think.
“Is it… Time?” I asked as the door glowed brighter, vanishing and opening up to the next hall. I pushed on, the wall guiding me as I approached another door. As soon as I touched this one, another riddle appeared.

‘The more you take, the more you leave behind. What am I?’

“Well that’s easy. It’s Footsteps.” I said confidently as the door vanished like before. I sighed and shuffled on, eventually coming to a third door.

“If I’m thinking right, this should be the last one.” I thought aloud again as I placed my hand on the door. Instantly the text appeared:

’An old man wanted to leave all of his money to one of his three sons, but he didn’t know which one he should give it to. He gave each of them a few coins and told them to buy something that would be able to fill their living room. The first man bought straw, but there was not enough to fill the room. The second bought some sticks, but they still did not fill the room. The third man bought two things that filled the room, so he obtained his father’s fortune. What were the two things that the man bought?’

“Oh wow, this one’s a head scratcher…” I muttered as I tried to think.
“What would cost only a few coins but manage to fill a room? Uh…. Perfume?” I asked and was met with a sharp electric shock. I shook my head, looking up at the riddle with a frown.
“So that didn’t work… uh… Matches?” I asked again and the door slid down, revealing I had made my way back to the main room. Rainbow Dash had woken up from her nap and smiled at me. AJ looked over with a smile as well as I walked forward. As soon as I entered the center room, a set of stairs fell into place that led down even further. Looking at AJ and Dashie I nodded and together we walked down the stairs into the unknown.

“Jeez, you’d think there would be a light or something down here. I can’t see anything!” Dash grumbled as we delved deeper.

“There probably used to be torches down here, but they’d have long burned out by now.” I suggested.

“That would make a lot of sense.” AJ agreed as she held my arm.
“Seein’ as how were probably the first living things down here in centuries.”

“That would seem to be the case.” I nodded as I saw a faint light up ahead.
“But I think things are about to get better. There’s light down there.” I told them as I began to be able to see things better. We made it to the bottom and found ourselves in a large round room ringed with large statues, and stained glass windows depicting the ancient sages lining the walls. I smiled to myself as I recognized it as the same room the master sword was held in the Windwaker.

“Is that sunlight?” Dash asked as we stepped forward and looked up. Sure enough there was a shaft leading to the surface, letting a beam of sunlight shine down.

“An’ look at those windows,” AJ said as she stepped up to the one depicting Saria, “who d’you reckon these people were?”

“Those are the seven sages of old. Once, long ago, they aided my ancestor in a fierce battle over the fate of Hyrule.” I explained as I stepped towards the middle of the room, where a gleaming sword sat in its plinth.
“Their spirits still guard this place, waiting for the hero… for me… to come back..” I said solemnly as I looked down at the blade of evil’s bane.

“Then don’t keep them waiting.” Dashie smirked as she stood to my left.

“Yea. You said they’ve been waitin’ for ya, so pull that sword an’ show them your here.” AJ grinned as she stood to my right. I grinned at them as well before turning to the sword.

“Thank you. Both of you. You’ve believed in me, even when I didn’t believe in myself.” I told them as I gripped the hilt, giving it a sharp tug as I felt my chest burn slightly. With a grunt I watched as the three blessings I had been given flew out of my chest and began circling us. Above our heads, the statues moved one by one, aligning above us and making a ring as the orbs of light spun faster.

Then the music kicked in, the familiar tune filling me with confidence as I gripped the hilt and pulled, the sword finally giving and I held it up as the music crescendoed, the blessings vanishing as I held the blade in my hand.

You got the Master Sword! This legendary blade is filled with a light that drives away the darkness!

“Ha! Hyat! Heyaaaaat!” I yelled as I gave the sword a couple swings before sheathing it with a flourish.

“Thank you Link…” A voice in front of us called. Looking up we saw the seven sages from the windows. I stepped forward and kneeled.

“No, I must thank you. For all you’ve done for Hyrule, and its successor Equestria.” I told them as I looked up.
“I know it was through all your power together that Zelda was able to trap Ganondorf in the Arbiter’s Grounds. And I will finish what you could not all those years ago.” I told them as one by one they faded away, smiling and proud until only Saria remained. She gave me a soft smile and stepped forward.

“You remind me of a very good friend, Link.” She said, her voice sounding far away as she began to fade.
“You’ll be a great hero. I have faith….” She smiled again as she faded away, leaving the three of us alone once again.

“Goodbye Saria. I hope your Link was as great a hero as he could be.” I said quietly before turning back to my girls.

“Were those… their ghosts?” Rainbow Dash asked as I smiled and shook my head.

“I’m not sure. But their souls are at peace now. I can feel it.” I sighed, a single tear rolling down my cheek as I hugged them both.

“Come on Sugar Cube, let’s get out of here.” Applejack said as we began to walk back up the stairs. I looked back one last time, silently thanking the sages once again before leaving for the world above.

Heroes of the Seasons, Part 1

Author's Note

This is the beginning of a three-way cross over with Men10doh_Mike and DisplacedWriter. We hope you guys enjoy!

Links to their stories:
Legend of Equestria: A Displaced Hero and [Displaced] A Forced Hero Rewrite

Heroes of the Seasons, Part 1

’I hate Mondays.’ I grumbled to myself as I rode the train, headed for Canterlot. I had been promoted to Captain the week before and had been asked to attend weekly briefings on monster movements, which were anything but brief. I yawned as we clattered along the tracks, watching the countryside roll past us. I opened up a paper bag I had with me and pulled out a small apple pie.

“Thanks AJ, I owe you one…” I muttered before taking a bite. Applejack was one top-notch baker and had sent me off with a bag full of small apple pies for me to have on the trip. I finished the pastry and stuffed the rest in my inventory, hoping to eat them later. I was just about to close my eyes when I heard a voice call out to me.

“Alright hero of light. Come on over, I’ll need your help being Celestia’s bodyguard and to restore the Rod Of Seasons.” It said as I felt myself begin to float.

“Well, so much for that meeting..” I muttered as I cracked my neck and vanished in a ball of golden light.

In Another Equestria

I appeared a few feet in the air, landing a tad unsteady and cursing under my breath before looking up.

“Oh, uh… hey. Don't mind me, I'm just bad at landings.” I chuckled slightly before spotting Jeff, noticing he looked… younger. Healthier even.

“I take it you're the one who summoned me?” I asked Jeff, pointing to the scarf he was holding that matched my own.

“That I did.” Jeff said with a nod as Celestia made her way beside me.

“Another Link or..” Celestia pauses for the second Link to answer.

“I am another Link, yes your highness,” I nodded in a short bow to her. I adjusted my scarf so it looks better. “But please, call me Johnny.”

"Another guy cursed with a piece of the triforce I assume?” Asked a guy who looked just like Link from Ocarina of Time. He walked up to me and held out a hand to shake. “Nice ta meet ya Hero of Light, Johnny, I’m Mike.” He said with a frown.

I took it and gave it a shake. “Pleasure to meet you. So..” I looked at everyone gathered here with a grin. “What seems to be the trouble?”

“My Rod Of Seasons is starting to run low on power, I’ll be needing Jeff and the rest of you to protect me as I restore it at the Temple Of Seasons, there will be four rooms, each one containing some form of puzzle. Back when Luna was still herself, she insisted the puzzles to be there in case any creature tried to start trouble.” Celestia explained as she held the staff in her hooves.

I nodded in understanding as Celestia finished explaining, looking thoughtful as I paced calmly for a moment. “Seems straightforward enough. I'd be honored to assist you.” I bowed again and smiled warmly.

“Anything for you, Princess,” Mike said with a smile. “I’ll never turn down a request from one of my favorite ponies, well technically alicorn but still.”

“Good, good.” Celestia said with a nod and a smile as she looks between the two Links. “Do any of you have any questions before we proceed through the gates?”

I shook my head as I put my hands on my hips. “I'm good, your Majesty.” I chuckled once again.

“Just one,” Mike said holding up his index finger. “How much ‘resistance’ do you estimate we’ll have to deal with?” He asked with air quotes then crossed his arms.

“That would depend on if any monsters got inside, but I have doubts.” Celestia said as she approached the huge ivory gates. The sun princess holds the rod into the air, then slams the bottom of the rod into the ground, causing vines to grow out of the ground and wrap around the gates, soon opening them slowly with a loud creak. The gates were a bit rusty from lack of use.

“Well that was loud…” Mike said rubbing one of his ears to ease the pain. “Damn these super sensitive ears.”

“I feel you Mike.” I said as I shook my head. Drawing my sword I walked beside him. “We should be on guard. No telling what might have gotten in here.”

Mike nodded and quickly drew out his Ordon Sword.

The three Linkateers and one Princess enter the courtyards and down a stone path. The structure inside looked familiar to that of the castle of the two sisters, except remaining in the theme of the sun with her cutie mark as the glass windows. All was eerily quiet other than the sound of their breathing. The path soon opens up into a large room with four doors, each having a mark presenting the four seasons of Summer, Spring, Fall, and Winter.

Jeff looks around, trying to take note of anything that may have been disturbed as sunlight poured from the golden glass ceiling. All three hylian’s ears twitched as something crashes right through the ceiling. Upon looking up, they’d see a large red armored Dark Nut falling through the glass roof, forcing Jeff to react as he holds up his Fighter’s Shield over Celestia, blocking the shards of glass from hitting her.

“Looks like this place has a bouncer, hope everybody’s got their IDs.” Mike says jokingly as he readies his shield.

“Oh ha-ha, real funny!” I laughed mockingly as I too raised my shield. “Let's kick some armored butt!”

The Dark Nut raises his fists as a ball and chain form out of magic into his hands, letting out a warcry at the four.

Jeff withdrew his Master Sword as a blue glow dances along its blade, and soon crackling with electricity as the hylian channels the Thunder Blade spell into it.

“You can handle yourself in a fight right, Princess?” Mike said as he started to separate from the group circling the Dark Nut. “I know my Celestia can!” He yells as he starts to move further away.

I grinned widely as I sheathed his sword and circled the opposite direction Mike went.

“Not at my current strength but I’ll try to aid as best as I can.” Celestia said as she readies her staff.

The Red Nut suddenly swings its massive ball and chain around, forcing Jeff to roll out of the way of its swing path.

“Damn, despite its size this guy’s weapon is fast…” Mike says mentally cursing.

“I have an idea, but it's really stupid!” I yell to the others, a pair of large iron fists appearing on my arms.

“As long as the idea doesn’t kill us, go for it!” Mike yells sheathing his weaponry and pulling out his bow.

Jeff sheaths his master sword for a moment as he transfers the spell into his hands, soon pulling out his Hero’s Bow as he takes aim at the Red Nut, letting loose a Shock Arrow into its visor. Electricity spreads through its body; its armor being a conductor for the arrow’s shock, causing the monster to let out a loud deep throat scream.

Mike holds his ears in pain. “Again with the damn screeching, man I really need Twilight to make me some fuckin ear muffs or somethin’!” Mike shouts with only one eye open and gritting his teeth in pain.

I growled slightly at the screeching before shooting one of my fists at the Darknuts head with an angry yell. My fist connects, causing the Red Nut to stumble backwards, it retaliates by swinging its ball around, soon swinging it overhead down at me.

“Alot of bosses do that, I’m guessing surprised that someone managed to hurt them.” Jeff explained as he nocked another arrow.

I rolled to the side to avoid getting crushed by the spiked ball, managing to get to my feet and laugh gleefully. “I can't believe that worked!”

“Yo I wanna try somethin’ real quick, Hey Ugly!” Mike shouts making the Red Nut look at him as he mimed pulling an arrow from a shoulder quiver. It lit up in red flames as he shot it directly at the monster’s eye hole. “Taste my fire!” He said as the Fire arrow hit dead on.

The Red Nut let out a grunt of pain as the arrow hit its eye dead center, only for the grunt to become a screech as the arrow exploded inside of its helmet. It suddenly swings its ball around at Mike as Jeff shouts out for Mike to look out.

“Oh shit, I shoulda seen that coming.” Mike said with a chuckle as he quickly backflipped to attempt to jump out of its range. Only to be hit mid-air by the ball and sent across the room.

At that moment as the Red Nut is yanking its chain to pull the ball back, Jeff releases another Shock Arrow, lighting up the knight in an electrical current.

I opened the fists, launching one at the Darknuts head and the other at the chain directly connected to the ball. “Here goes nothing!”

Pow! The hit managed to knock the Red Nut's helmet off, and now what stared at the trio was a spectral blue pony head with glaring red eyes.

“A ghost Dark Nut, or a haunted armored?” Jeff asked as the Red Nut went to pull its chain again, yanking my fist chains.

“A Poe, no doubt, has possessed the armor…” Celestia said with a frown as she began gathering sunlight into her staff, however slowly.

“Oooohhhhh shiiiiiiiit!” I yelled as I was ripped from the ground, now spinning with the ball and chain.

Mike sits up and shakes his head. “Okay, that was bigger than I thought it was…” He shakily stood up and watched as I was being swung around.

“GET…. MEE…. OFFF… THIS… THING!” I yelled as I was swung around mercilessly.

“Let go and the walls will catch you, or Celestia could try and catch you but either one will work!” Mike yelled as he began to walk back toward the Big bad monster.

Jeff gave Mike a long confused look at the mention of the walls catching me.

Celestia switches spells mid channeling as I let go of my iron fist. The alicorn’s staff of seasons casts a spell, causing a flower to bloom from the ground to catch me.

Feeling like I was gonna hurl, I doubled over and lost what little lunch I had in a very un-heroic way.

“Oh man, remind me to toss you a snack later, you’re gonna need the energy after that.” Mike said as he got back into a good stance and nocked an arrow.

I didn't reply but gave a weary thumbs up before trading my Grappleshot for my own bow, equipped with bomb arrows.

“Celestia!” Jeff exclaimed as he took out a black bomb wrapped in metal, igniting it using a small burst of fire from his hand channeled via Din’s Orb. The hylian tosses it over to her as she uses her staff’s magic to make a vine shoot out of the ground, grabbing the bomb and flinging it at the Red Nut’s exposed head. The bomb explodes, further hurting the knight and pissing it off further.

I drew one of my explosive death sticks in my bow, aiming for the Red Nuts feet before letting it fly.

The Red Nut begins to charge as the alicorn princess, only to be halted as a bomb exploded at its feet, drawing the ire of the mini boss’s fury as it charged straight at me, furiously swinging its ball and chain around over its head.

“Pyrotechnics, you gotta love ‘em, too bad I don’t have Bomb arrows… but what I do have are these!” Mike quickly put away his bow and arrow, pulled two Bombchus from his inventory, and aimed them directly at the Red Nut. “Time for some Kaboom-boom!” He releases the Bombchus and pulled two more out and repeated his actions. “And for the finishing touch, a nut to blow away the big nut!” He pulled out a small deku nut.

“..But Mike, don’t those travel up walls?” Jeff asked as the two bombchus crawled up the knight’s foot, jerking and jittering along the bumps on the Red Nut’s armor.

“FIRE IN THE HOLE!” Mike shouted as the second set of Bombchus started climbing the Red Nut. He tossed the Deku Nut and as the first set of bombchus reached its head the Deku Nut hit it and flashed the area causing all four bombchus to explode simultaneously. Mike laughed as he plugged his ears while the explosions shook the area a bit.

“Well now, aren’t you the reckless type?” Jeff asked in amusement.

While the Bombchus went off, Johnny had quietly switched to his plain bombs, rolling one between its feet. “Think fast chuckle nuts.”

The Red Nut places a hand on its head, as if trying to stop the pain that disrupted its vision. KABOOM, my bombs exploded at its feet. Letting out a curdling scream, it started to swing its mace and chain around quickly.

“..Hylia’s tears it's gonna try to destroy the pillars!” Jeff yelled out as he went to get an arrow, however Celestia is quick on the draw as he aims her staff, firing off a beam of sunlight, knocking the Red Nut into the nearby wall. The knight slid down the wall and flopped into a sitting position; its ghostly head flickering out until it sat there as a now empty large suit of armor. Celestia collapses onto her knees due to being heavily spent on magic.

Mike walks up to Celestia with a small bit of pain in his every step. “Are you alright, your Highness?”

I had passed out from exhaustion in the middle of the room, the fight having taken quite the toll on me.

“I won’t be able to assist again until we get clear one of the rooms.” Celestia said as she slowly rose up using the staff of seasons as a cane, holding onto it with her front hooves.

“If you require help I can always carry you, with my golden gauntlets you would be nothing more than a feather on my back, your Highness.” Mike offered as he quickly closed his eyes and a second later his gear disappeared from his back. “It’s no bother to me.”

“N-no, that won’t be necessary.” Celestia insisted as he slowly moved over to the center of the room; her deep violet eyes looking between the four doors.

“Okay then, guess I’ll collect Johnny for the time being.” Mike said as he walked over and kicked me gently to see if I was faking being knocked out.

I groaned as I was kicked. “Oww….”

“So, which door will we try, princess?” Jeff asked as she stepped over to her. Mike carefully picked me up and, through a lot of effort, carried me piggyback style.

“Sorry… overdid it, didn't I?” I apologized as Mike carried me.

“Only a little.” Mike said quietly.

“I.. uh..” Celestia pauses to look at the doors again, frowning as she tries to remember how she did it last time. “Let’s try the traditional way.” she says as she makes her way over to the door with the Spring symbol, pushing it open as she enters it with her Hero Jeff following behind.

I tried to get off Mike's back and walk on my own, only to fall trying. “Ow… Dammit…”

“Here, drink this,” Mike pulls a bottle of Lon Lon Milk from his inventory and places it in front of me. “It should help, try not to chug the whole thing, you can have it again if you need it,” Mike walks with Jeff and Celestia. “And I’ll need the bottle back.”

I take the bottle and stand up, taking a few sips before following the others. “Gotta get it together man… a slip up like that is dangerous…” I chided myself. I passed the bottle back to Mike and tried to put a brave face on. Mike quickly put the bottle away and instantly reequipped his sword and shield to his back, just to be safe.

Heroes of the Seasons, Part 2

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Heroes of the Seasons, Part 3

After the four exit out, the Links notice Celestia gazing out toward the main chamber and the broken glass that remained scatter across the floor, she lets out a soft sigh as she is reminded of Luna. “If she were here, she would play her harp of time to repair the mess the Red Nut created..” Celestia said with a frown as she carefully trotted over.

I winced a little as the battle replayed in my mind. “At least we don’t have to do that again…”

“If only Zelda’s Lullaby repaired more than just signposts I’d try to repair it, I don’t like seeing priceless art in shambles.” Mike said with a sigh.

“Remember what I said, princess?” Jeff asked as he places his hand onto her shoulder.

“I know, but it is still seven years from what my future vision has shown me, and if only it would come sooner.” Celestia said as she placed her hoof onto Jeff’s hand.

“Once the time comes, Princess, I hope you’re prepared to give her all the love she deserves,” Mike said, remembering back to when his Luna was freed. “Lord knows she’ll need it.” He said then walked toward the winter trial.

I kept quiet for now, unsure how to approach this topic. I just walked beside Mike and avoided eye contact.

“Oh you have no idea how much I’ll give her once the nightmare is cleansed from her.” Celestia said with a nod

“Just don’t get two-shotted like I did, Jeff.” Mike said holding his side remembering the pain from his fight with Nightmare Moon again.

“I’ve got seven years to prepare, to experiment with my magic, and try to find more artifacts the original Link has left behind. Goddesses know where he did them all.” Jeff said with a nod

“Just be sure to be safe. Your world sounds far more dangerous than mine, and even I have a hard time exploring back home.” I said with a serious face. “So don’t let down your guard. Ok Jeff?” I turned and looked at Mike with a concerned expression.

“I wholeheartedly agree, my world is much more lax than yours and I’ve felt the cold hands of death,” Mike admitted with a frown. “Though the way I’ve seen you handle yourself the two times I’ve seen you I doubt you’ll need it, but still good luck.” He said with a genuine smile.

“To put it simply, think of every monster we know of from the games, but some having feral-like intelligence with others being more smarter than and often acting differently than the simulation. They all have one thing in common the moment they see us; fight for survival. We entered their nest and they saw us as an invader.” Jeff explains to the two Links.

Celestia soon enters through the winter door as a cold breeze escapes from within with Jeff following behind.

Quickly equipping my normal tunic, I followed close behind as I pulled my scarf up around my face. “Damn it’s cold…”

As a show of endurance, Mike quickly slid off his equipment, took off his tunic and hat revealing his toned upper body and his hair put up in a ponytail, put the tunic and hat away, and put his equipment back on. “Ahhh, that feels so good, I hate heat.” He said with a deep breath and a smile.

“I gotta admit, that quick-equip is alot more useful than me needing to manually reach in just to take out.” Jeff said with jealous in his tune of voice.

“I don’t use it often, honestly, I love doing things manually, then again I didn’t know I could use a pause menu till like my second month in Equestria…” Mike admitted. “Though it does come in handy when I need to make quick changes.”

“I thought I could only access mine in combat for the longest time. At least until…” I cast a quick glance at Jeff. “A friend showed me how to open it under normal circumstances.”

For like a split of a second, I could have sworn I saw Nayru nod in approval. As the three Links talked and walked, each step softly crunched under their leather boots almost like music to their ears. The area looked like an absolute wonder land with the ground covered in a blanket of ice. To Mike’s ears and mine, we could hear the sad notes of the Snowpeak mountains playing in our hylian ears.

“So I wonder what we’ll have to do for this trial, I hope we gotta make snowmen or somethin’ I’ve never been able too in my life.” Mike said with an excited smile. Alas, as they got closer, Mike saw an open area with many silver rupees standing around, but not spinning like their video game counterparts. Some of the silver rupees looked out of reach on top of ice blocks and frozen pillars, with a frozen statue of Celestia in the middle. The alicorn princess couldn’t help but smile at the statue of herself.

“I remember Luna making that for me when we solved this puzzle years ago.” She said with a warm smile.

I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath of the frigid air, exhaling contentedly as I looked out over the frozen expanse of water. “The last time I was standing by a frozen lake, it was with my father back home. He took me ice fishing one year, and we ended up catching nothing.” I chuckled as I knelt down, placing a hand in the snow. “He tried his best to be a good dad… but still ended up failing….” I finished with a sad sigh.

“At least he tried, Johnny,” Mike said as he patted me on the back. “My father was a strict man… at first…” Mike said then started to walk around getting a good look at the large amount of silver rupees. “He always expected the best outta me, then he bought me my first video game and it went downhill from there,” Mike tried to jump up a ice block to see if he could and didn’t even make it half way. “Long story short, He stopped caring as much and I just played games everyday.” Mike admitted then walked back to me and put a hand on his chin in thought.

“Yeah, I feel that. My dad… wasn’t strict. He just wasn’t around. My mom raised me and my sister mostly.” I sighed sadly. “Dad ran a show in Las Vegas, one of those cheesy magic shows they charge a fortune for. But he’d pop up every now and again, wanting to see us and ‘build up our relationship’, or so he’d claim.” I took a deep breath as I tried to stay calm. "Then one year… he just stopped coming….” I balled my hands into fists as I glared out over the ice.

Jeff let out a soft sigh as he went to gently rub at his forehead. “You’re making me miss my earth, guys.” The hylian said with a frown.

“Sorry bud, the music is kinda brinin’ out these depressing feelings, damn Snowpeak from Twilight Princess…” Mike said with a frown as he sat next to me and pulled me into a side hug for comfort. I silently thanked Mike and accepted the hug.

“Glad I don’t hear music like you guys except for whatever is coming natural.” Jeff said with a nod as his gaze returned to the silver rupees. “Collecting those will be a breeze since there’s four of us.” however, Jeff’s words jinxed things as a soft playful giggle was heard. Suddenly from out of the ground, four Deku Scrubs popped up, but unlike the normal Deku Scrubs, their bushes were white and their bark-like skin was a lighter color of blue.

“Then let’s make this more fun!” A voice exclaimed from out of the air.

“Ah, the season spirit of winter. You weren’t here last time.” Celestia said in amusement.

“Well last time it was just you and your sister but this time you’ve got three cutie heroes with you!” The voice said playfully before suddenly, a white coated and blue maned pegasus appeared with beautiful glittering wings.

“Well shoot, someone got loose with the glitter jar again..” I managed to chuckle quietly to myself.

Mike chuckled at my joke. “Good one, why are we being held at ‘gun’ point though?” Mike asked, pointing at the firing squad of deku scrubs.

“Except those aren’t ‘Normal’ Deku scrubs~” The spirit said in a song song voice.

One of the deku scrubs spits at Mike, but instead of a Deku Nut, it was a-POMF… a snowball hits Mike’s face harmlessly, causing the spirit of winter to giggle.

Mike wipes the snow off his face and chuckles. “At least it’s not a chunk of ice being thrown in my face,” He stood up and crossed his arms. “Just a warning to you Winter Spirit, I have a short fuse when it comes to getting pelted with snow balls, it may not hurt me but it gets annoying.” Mike said trying not to sound threatening.

“Then you’re gonna be really annoyed then as those Snow Scrubs will be firing at you collect the rupees. You can’t deflect them back and NO trying to kill them! This is meant to be fun!” The spirit of winter said warningly.

“We’d best get it done then before we’re buried in it.” Jeff said before laughing heartily.

Mike sighed deeply then cracked his neck. “Well then, we just gotta get this over with,” He said with a crack of his knuckles. “Come on boys, let’s show this Spirit how fast we can collect some rupees!” Mike shouted in a drill sergeant tone with a serious smile.

I equipped the Grappleshot and cracked my neck for the fourth time. “Let’s go to work.” I said with a determined look on his face.

Jeff pulled out his Clawhook shot, taking aim at one of the silver rupees as he released a claw-like spear at one of them, yanking it as it retracts back to the device’s gauntlet. At the command of the spirit of winter’s voice, the Snow Scrubs start firing snowballs from their nozzle-like mouths at Celestia and three Links.

Quickly slapping away a snowball headed for his face, Mike started to sprint towards a large ice block with a silver rupee on top of it. “Johnny over here, I’ll throw you up, try and grab the ledge,” Mike shouted. “Get the ones high up first.” He turned to face away from the block, bent over a little, and interlocked his fingers ready to toss me up as high as he could.

I ran over and nodded at Mike, stepping up as Mike tossed me up. I grabbed the ledge of the block and hoisted myself onto it and collected my first silver rupee. “Got one!” I yelled down.

Jeff leaped to the right to avoid a snowball shot, and with left foot planted, ducks into a roll to avoid the second, however he is hit in the face by the third shot as he quickly goes to wipe it off and continues to sprint to one of the silver rupees on the ground, quickly throwing his body down into a leg kick over to duck over a fourth shot as he slides by and grabs it.

Celestia meanwhile is teleporting around avoiding the snowballs, flying toward the silver rupee on the pillar and grabbing it with her hoof as she flies by.

Aiming at the nearest tower holding another silver rupee, I extended my other hand down to Mike. “Grab a hold bud, and hang on tight!” I grinned.

“Ten-four good buddy!” Mike said as he grabbed the Grappleshot I lowered to him.

As Mike gripped the lowered fist, I winched him up topside and made sure he didn’t fall. “Good?” I asked as I kept my aim on the next rupee.

“Yep,” Mike quickly backhanded a snowball preventing it from hitting him or me. “Damn those things are accurate.” He said with a groan.

“What, you expected them to be Storm Troopers?” Jeff asked jokingly as he crouched down.

“We couldn’t pray hard enough for that!” I laughed as I shot my fist towards the next target. “Grab hold Mikey!” I called as my fingers grabbed the ledge.

Mike held on tight. “Celestia, leave one silver rupee on a pillar close to the one we’re ascending, this’ll be cool.” He shouted to the airborne Princess.

“If you say so.” Celestia said as she dove down to avoid the snowball barrage, swiping a rupee off of the ground. Meanwhile the spirit of winter was clapping her hooves excitingly.

With a grunt from both of them, Mike and I were yanked up towards the top of the next pillar with incredible speed. The cable used in my Grappleshot making the ride feel unusually smooth.

Once on top of the Pillar, Mike let me get the rupee while he quickly equips his iron boots. “Okay, get ready to fly,” He said with a chuckle. As he get into throwing position again with his back aimed at another pillar with a silver rupee on it. “This is gonna be so cool.”

Recognizing what he was doing, I got into position, turning to face Mike. “Just say when!”

“On three,” Mike said with an excited smile. “One!” Mike finalizes his position. “Two!”

“Three!” I yelled as I charged at Mike.

I stepped up on Mike’s hands and Mike threw me off the pillar with all his strength, enough for Mike to end up on his back on the pillar. With a front flip graceful enough for an Olympic Medal, I landed safe and sound on the next pillar and scooped up the rupee. “Ta-da!” I laugh as I take a bow. Mike gives me a round of applause as another barrage of snowballs came flying toward Celestia, forcing the alicorn princess to use her magic and redirect them right back at the Snow Scrubs.

Jeff leaps into the air, allowing the winds to cause his roc’s cloak to spread out, showing the magic of the Roc feathers as they slow his descent; the cloak spread out almost wing-like. Jeff lands graceful onto the other side of the lake as he snatches the eighth rupee.

Mike stands back up, unequipped his iron boots, and looks down off the pillar. “Oh shit, I forgot about getting down,” Mike looks up to me. “Got any ideas that don’t involve fall damage, buddy?” He asked with a nervous chuckle.

With a grin I nodded back. “Yeah, but you’re not gonna like it. Do you trust me?” I called over.

Mike grinned and laughed. “As far as I can throw ya!” He called out ready for whatever I threw at him.

Throwing a fist at the edge of the Pillar opposite Mike for leverage, I aimed the other at my friend. “This may hurt, I’m not sure!” I yelled as I launched the iron fist at Mike, grabbing him snuggly before yanking him over to my pillar.

“Ahhh, holy crap that’s ice cold!” Mike yelled.

“Yeah, but that’s not the worst part!” I grinned devilishly as I picked Mike up and tossed him on my shoulder. “Ready?”

“No… but go ahead.” Mike said with a nervous gulp.

“Jeronimo!” I yelled as we jumped off the pillar without being attached to it. “Woooohooooo!” I yelled as I fired the Grappleshot at the lower pillar from before, swinging us both down safely to the ground.

Once back on his feet on the ground Mike looked around and saw the last two rupees were frozen in large ice blocks way smaller than the giant ice block. “I think I can thaw those out, hang on.” Mike pulled his bow out and pulled an arrow. Letting the arrow go it flew and tinked off the ice. “Wait what?” Mike shot another arrow, the same thing happened. “Am I outta magic?”

With a quick swap, I traded my fists for my own bow and fired off a bomb arrow, shattering one of the ice blocks and freeing a rupee. “Well, that worked.” I grinned as I fired at the other trapped rupee and freed it as well.

Mike put away his bow, walked over, and collected the two remaining silver rupees. “Thanks,” He said with a groan. “Damn bad memory, makin’ me look stupid…” I patted him on the shoulder reassuringly as everyone gathered back together.

Once the last rupees were tallied up, the spirit of winter was having an absolute giggle of a fit. “Bravo! Bravo!” the pegasus said with a cheer as the Snow Scrubs delve back into the ground. “As your reward, you can keep the rupees, aaaaand~” The spirit paused as she clapped her hooves once, causing a stone platform to rise up. Allowing Celestia to do her things, slamming the rod of seasons’ tip into the hole as energy flies out of the four corners of the sky.

[The Rod Of Season has been empowered by the Winter Wraps!] that same annoying notification popping up on Johnny and Mike’s vision.

Jeff holds one of the silver rupees up to the sun, studying them careful. “Hold up, they’re fake?”

“Well of course, dummy! They’re just blue rupees who lost their color years ago.” The pegasus said as she stuck her tongue out.

“You really think we’d get real silver rupees? No one in their right mind would just let some random heroes take home hundreds of rupees a pop.” Mike said with a chuckle.

“Would have been nice though.” Jeff said in disappointment as he dropped the transparent fake silver rupees into his pouch.

“You’re not wrong there, bud.” Mike admitted as he pulled out his rupee wallet to check how many he had in total.

“One more to go, I’m so giddy right now. That sunrise won’t be as straining as before.” Celestia said happily as she kind of trots in place, reminding the links of youthful energy.

“I’m excited for you, Celly, you’re already lookin’ much better than you were about a couple of hours ago.” Mike said as put away his rupee wallet and he began walking toward the trial’s entrance.

I was noticeably happier now, feeling like a useful member of the team for once. As they walked back towards the entrance I could be heard humming the Zelda main theme.

Heroes of the Seasons, Part 4

After they left the area of Winter, Celestia was already heading straight to the door of Fall while holding her rod and not using it like a cane.

“I wonder what sort of puzzle will involve falling leafs?” Jeff asked as he ponders on the subject.

“No idea, but let's try to keep from burning down the room, dead leaves catch fire the fastest, no fire what so ever.” Mike said as he equipped his classic green tunic and hat with his pause menu.

I drew my sword and shield, nodding at Mike as we marched toward the Fall trial.

The moment the four arrived, they were greeted by quite a sight. They were standing on a wooden platform with orange leafs scattered around overlooking a huge forest with some of the trees towering over them. There were also some tree houses built nearby.

“Man, what a sight, so peaceful it could put my butt straight to sleep.” Mike said with a smile.

“Yooou can say that again~” A voice spoke up from above, making everyone and pony look up to see a big orange leaf drifting down, showing a sleepy looking orange pegasus with a mane made of orange leaves.

Keeping my sword tip lowered, I watched as the Pegasus landed her leaf on the ground and nodded a bow.

“Still the ever tired one, spirit of fall.” Celestia said jokingly.

“Heey, not my fault the season of fall is sooooo relaaaxing..” And at that moment, she fell asleep standing.

“This mare’s gonna put me to sleep, anyone got ear muffs or somethi…” Mike yawns. “Fuck, it’s all ready happenin, need to…” Another yawn. “Do this quick…” Mike said his eyes becoming heavier with every moment.

My eyes twitched as I fought sleep, swaying ever so slightly as I looked at Jeff. “You lead this one, I think Mike's out for the count and I'm struggling here.”

Jeff gently sways to the power of suggestion, he quickly shakes his head to get rid of the tiredness. "Nope, nooot gonna happen." the hylian said as he pulls out his ocarina of time, quickly playing the Lost Forest theme as he began to dance a little jig to get his body synced with energy and everyone elses.

“Oh yeah baby!” Mike started dancing to the tune, his tiredness gone. “Damn, Darunia wasn’t wrong, this tune is hot to dance to!” He said with a smile.

I looked like I just drank an entire pot of coffee as I whipped my head around.

“WAFFLES! Waffle…” The spirit of fall shouted as she woke up, pausing to blink her eyes as she looked at the Link. “I forgot to mention there’s Wolfos in those tree houses you should look out for.”

I took off in the direction they indicated, yelling an aggressive war cry similar to Soldier from Team Fortress 2.

“That soldier’s a spy!” Mike shoutted in responce to the war cry with a chuckle. “But in all seriousness, let’s take down some evil bow-wows.” Mike said then drew his weaponry and sprinted after me.

Once every Link has been energized by the song, Jeff puts away his ocarina, then pauses to stroke his goatee in thought. “...Wolfos.. Hmm, hold up, we might be able to do this more peacefully. I know you can turn into a wolf using my howling stone, Mike, but what about you, Johnny?” Jeff asked as he looked over at the mentioned Hylian.

Mike stops in his tracks and looks back at Jeff. “Diplomacy, it could work but I’m not sure all three should go wolf, I don’t know your experiences with the form.” Mike said sheathing his weapons and pulling out his howling stone.

I was out of ear shot, but could be heard yelling and screaming. Jeff went into a moment of silence, then suddenly yelled out my name in the hylian language.

“The hell was that?!” Mike yelled confused and fightened. A yell replied in hylian, sounding closer than the other yells.

“Will you stop screwing around!?” Jeff asked in minor annoyance.

Mike walked over to and looked over the edge, seeing what looked to be endless fall. He couldn’t even see the ground. “Uh try not to slip I guess… Don’t think you can recover from falling into an abyss like that…”

I came running back and tripped, falling on my face and stayed down. “Ow….”

“I’ll ask again, have you learned how to use my Howling Stone, if by chance you came across it in your world?” Jeff asked curiously as he grabbed and held up his Howling Stone; oval shaped stone with a hole and a sheikah eye chiseled around it.

Without lifting my head, I held up my copy of the stone. “Yes, I know how to use it…”

“Alright, good.” Jeff said with a nod as he concentrated on his howling stone, causing black particles to gather onto his body, forcing him to hunch over and fall onto his front hands. As the particles cleared, it reveals the hylian in his wolf form looking like the original but the top part of his back is a lot more shaggier to present the roc’s cloak of his hylian form.

I got to my knees and activated mine, turning into a lighter green version of the Wolf.

Mike walked back to Jeff and I and put the Howling stone’s string around his neck. “I’ll keep this on me and stay in this form incase we need it, you two go and try diplomacy, but try not to offend their delicate evil hearts,” Mike said with a chuckle. “Celly, stay by me.” He pulled out his Longshot just in case, holding it with both hands like a rifle.

I made a noise that seemed to be a chuckle before turning to Jeff and nods. Walking over to the edge and crouching down, the first hylian-in-wolf form leaps across to the second tree house, making it look super easy to do.

Taking a running start, I followed after Jeff, almost missing the platform.

Mike saw that and nearly bursts out laughing but he held it in, only letting out a small snort.

“...First time?” Jeff asked me, but to Mike’s ears it was mostly a feral growls and grunts.

“Yeah… never really jumped that far before…” I replied with a huff. “Lead the way.”

With a nod, Jeff circles around the house as he looks for a way in until he finds a small opening. Ducking his head, Wolf-Jeff goes crawling inside with me close behind him.

Once inside, they notice a number of Wolfos patrolling around what looks to be a floorswitch with Celestia’s cutie mark on it. The moment Jeff emerged from the hole, all Wolfos’s eyes were now on him.

I poked my head out from behind Jeff and looked around curiously. “Wow… tough crowd.” I tilted my head, looking at all the canine enemies apprehensively.

One of the wolfos drew near and took a deep smell of Jeff, nodding in approval before doing the same to Johnny, only to snort. “New smell, new member?” The Wolfos asked Jeff, giving them a nod. “What reason here?”

Jeff glances over at the switch, then back to the grey wolfos looking down at him with its sickly green eyes. “A.. pack member of mine is having trouble getting over here.”

“Problem no, you come, stand on switch, make bridge, magic poof.” The wolfos said with its broken english, or in Equestrian terms, its broken Equine in wolf language. With a nod, Jeff makes his own to the floor switch, sitting on it as told. Meanwhile outside, Mike and Celestia see a wooden bridge slowly sliding out toward them, allowing them to cross.

“Seems they’ve already started doing stuff…” Mike said to Celestia then got an idea. “Hey, Celestia I know it’s gonna sound weird but are you able to carry me while you fly?” He asked hesitantly.

“..In what matter? I assume you mean by magic?” Celestia asked curiously with a tilt of her head.

“As long as we’re in the air and not close enough to be spotted, I don’t care how,” Mike answered. “I’m pretty sure if we were spotted any wolfos would attack on sight.” He pointed out.

Celestia gave a nod. “Good idea, plus I might admit the Fall Trials are different this time. Last time we had to look through leaves to find hidden switches instead of being this high up.” the alicorn princess said as her horn lit up, incasing Mike in the same golden glow as she lifts him up in a magical grip.

“This way we’ll be able to keep a watchful eye on the Wolfio Brothers.” He said with a chuckle.

“I heard that.” Wolf Jeff said as he pokes his head out of the small entrance, then pulling the rest of his body out, but of course again, just wolf grunts to Mike’s ears.

“Heard what?” One of the wolfos asked confused.

“Nothing..” Jeff said as he got up, giving his body a brief shake to get rid of the dust caused from going through the hole. Walking over to the edge, Jeff makes a mighty leap to the other treehouse and circles around it, looking for the same Wolfo sized entrance.

I kept myself near on Jeff's tail, no pun intended, as I followed him around, still feeling awkward in this form.

Finding the entrance, Jeff crawls through the airspace and coming out on the other end. Once I was also inside, the two Wolfians notice only a lone Wolfos that is surprisingly bigger than normal.

“..New Wolf, come challenge, prove strength.” The dark grey wolfos said, surprisingly Jeff of such a challenge being issued.

“We’re not here to fight, I just w-” Jeff is quickly interrupted as the wolf stomps down its paw.

“CHALLENGE, NO TALK!” The large Wolfos said as it came barreling straight at the two Links.

The roar was heard even by Mike and Celestia. “I hope that’s not a bad thing… Get us a little closer. I can almost see into the treehouse through the leaves of the roof.” He said. Celestia nodded as she flew up directly over the house.

I tensed up at the sudden turn of events, growling softly as I stared down the oversized Wolfos.

Cussing in hylian, Jeff quickly leans his head down toward the side of his body and makes a yanking motion, causing the Master Sword to materialize into his teeth. Wolf-Jeff leaps over the big Wolfos, while I rushed forward and sunk my teeth into the Wolfos’ leg.

The wolfos lets out a quick howl as he is bitten, forcing the Wolfos Alpha to stop in the middle of its sprint, it was about to bite only to be interrupted as Wolf-Jeff slashes at its tail.

After biting its leg, I let go and backed away before beginning to circle around the Alpha and looking for the next attack opportunity.

Raising its large paw, it attempts to claw at my body, narrowly missing me as I sidehopped and growled.

While I kept the Wolfos distracted, Jeff pulls his head back half way, soon channeling the Ice Blade spell into his sword, allowing cold air to flow along his weapon.

“Man he's vicious…” I snarled as I charged at its feet, biting the other leg this time.

Despite the bite, The Wolfos Alpha raises its other paw, swinging it down at me. I managed to jump back to avoid being hit. After Jeff fully charges the spell, he swings his head downward, slashing at the big dogs tail and causing it to yelp, quickly turning around to face the wolflian that attacked him. Slowly, ice rushes up the dog’s back, encasing half of the wolf's body.

“Man, that's a cold way to go.” I chuckled as I paced back and forth, watching the Alpha closely.

The Wolfos begins to madly bite at its frozen casing, slowly chewing bits of ice off of its lower body.

“Jesus, that alpha is ravenous, biting itself to free it from its icy prison,” Mike said as he carefully watched the battle from above. “Celly, just in case, keep an eye on the other tree houses, if any other wolfos start running to help their alpha, we need to deal with them.” He told Celestia with a bit of worry in his voice.

“I already have been since the battle started.” Celestia said as he kept an eye out.

“Good, just checking.” Mike said as he faked a chuckle.

I looked over at Jeff with a slightly worried expression. “Uh… should we change back? I'm not sure I can keep fighting like this for much longer.” I sighed nervously.

“You gotta learn, especially when there comes another time you’ll need to fight like this.” Jeff said before leaping over the Wolfos as he spun his body like a corkscrew to slash at the alpha’s neck, causing them to increase their efforts into breaking the ice.

“I get that, I just wish I had more… I dunno… practice?” I called back as I managed to get behind the Alpha and with a leap, dug my teeth and claws into its shoulder.

The Alpha fell over, loudly whimpering in surrender. Jeff, upon noticing the look in the big wolfo’s eyes, slowly sheathed his master sword, causing it to vanish at his hip. The hylian-in-wolf form makes his way over to the switch, pushing it down and allowing the next wooden stair to extend itself toward the next house. With nothing left to do, Jeff leaves the Alpha to tend to its wounds and the ice that was still around its ankles.

“No tell pack, lose to tiny wolfs.” The alpha cried quietly.

Jeff emerges from out of the hole, giving his body a shake to rid of the dirt collected. Already he’s making his way across the wooden bridge, with me following close behind him as we head for the next one.

“Seems like a lot of trouble for some simple switch puzzles.” I commented as we ran forward.

“Considering those are the trials Celestia takes, it was probably meant to be alot more simple to get through if she had gone in alone.” Jeff explains as he is getting near the end of the bridge. He softly blinks his eyes as he notices Wolfos coming out of the house, soon lining up like Guards. As the two hylian-in-wolf forms walked past, they all bowed their heads in respect. “..aaand now I’m starting to wish I had known this would get easier if we took care of the Alpha.”

“Yeah, but maybe this will help us in the future, you know? Like in our own worlds.” I mused aloud as we both kept walking forward.

Luckly for the two, the way inside was opened; no holes to crawl through as Jeff steps onto the switch, making the next bridge extend out. The last and fourth house was the same way with Wolfos bowing their heads, allowing Jeff to step onto the switch.

“You defeat alpha without killing, new wolfs are honorable, you have free reign of home.” One of the larger wolfos spoke in a slightly broken form of Hylian.

Slowly, a giant tree skyrocketed from the middle of the room, revealing a stone platform, making Celestia eagerly fly over, momentarily forgetting Mike on her back.

“Woah, don’t forget about me, Celly, I nearly fell,” Mike said as he was jolted back suddenly. “A fall from this height wouldn’t kill me but it’d really hurt.”

“OH! Right.” Celestia said as she landed, placing Mike down from her magical grip. With Mike safely on the stone platform, Celestia makes her way to the hole as she plunged her staff into it. Like the four other times, light pours from the four corners of the room.

[The Rod Of Seasons has been empowered by the final essence: The Falling Leaf!]

“And that is all.” Jeff said as he sat down, still in his wolf form as he didn’t want the wolfos to know he’s not truly a wolf.

“You make friend with big horn wing horse and green ugly furless monkey thing?” A Wolfos asked before smiling. “If they your friend then we will leave them alone.” The wolfos says then walks back into its tree house with it’s brethren following behind.

“Well Jeff, it seems like you made some loyal new friends.” I smirked as I turned to head back.

Suddenly, Celestia’s body took on a bright glow as the Rod’s top started to rapidly spin. After a bright flash, Celestia descended back down looking VERY heavenly. The three Links had to cover their eyes and for a moment they could have sworn they saw her skin having a golden shine.

“Well well well, here comes the sun.” I chuckled as the light faded enough to look at her.

“A little bright there, Princess, love the sparkling, burns my eyes but still looks good,” Mike said shielding his eyes a little with his hand. “You sure you’re not the embodiment of the sun herself?”

“Alot more than that. Truth be told, I used to be a Goddess many years ago. This Rod Of Seasons you see in my hooves is what remains of my powers.” Celestia said as she made her way down the stone platform. “One of the six goddesses responsible for Equus’s existence.” Mike’s jaw dropped astonished.

I did a double take at that. “One of the Goddesses… who made the world?” I breathed in disbelief. Only Jeff would have heard me since we were both still wolves. “And here I thought my Celestia was amazing.”

“I’m only telling you two since you’ve done so much to help me and Jeff out, so it's only fair to tell you what I’ve already told him. Now, if there are no questions, I'm going to warp us back to the entrance.” Celestia said happily.

I nodded and flashed my doggy grin. “Let's do this, eh Jeff?” I chuckled, looking over to my friend.

With a wide wave of her rod, All three Links and herself include are all incased in a blue diamond as it spins in place, with a flash of white, the four teleport back to the start of the tower.

All four diamond-encased warpers appear at the gate. Celestia turns around and uses her magic to close it using her vines. “I’ll need to come back later with some repair’ponies to help put the glass roofing together again, or perhaps get it replaced, then afterwards see what else there is to be done here.” Celestia said as she inspected the tower’s outside. The four seasons around the tower were now stronger than ever.

“What a Goddess…” I sighed before changing back into my Hylian form, stretching slightly before turning to the other two Links. “Well that was fun eh?” I chuckled jokingly.

“A little shockin at the end, but better than what I was doing before being summoned here.” Mike admitted as he crossed his arms and took in the scenery around the tower.

“I was actually on a train, heading for the Grand Galloping Gala.” I sighed as I rubbed my neck.

“I was having a conversation with Twilight about what happened with Gohma,” Mike said as he put away his longshot. “She was worried about me as I had to disappear and get two new fairy spirits after what happened.” He admitted with a frown.

“You two should make some alterations to your tokens so you’re not yanked away in the middle of something.” Jeff suggested as he stretches his arms above his head.

“Nayru gives me a full minute before she makes me travel through the void actually, I had ample time to gather my things and travel here,” Mike elaborated. “That and she stops time while i’m gone.”

“I was sleeping, so it didn't bother me much…” I replied with a grin.

“Heh, good to see you have the favor of the goddesses then, it does make things a little easier.” Jeff said admittingly.

After finishing her inspection of the tower, Celestia turns around to address Mike and I. “For your great help, I wish to reward you both. Name it and as long as it is within my power as princess and secret goddess of Equus, I will provide.” the alicorn said with a nod.

Mike thought for a moment then looked to the solar princess. “Not sure if you can do this but, can you give me a heart piece, last time I was here I got one from a chest but I’m sure you can create one with your secret Goddess powers, Princess.” He said with a chuckle at the end.

I tapped my finger against my chin as he thought for a moment. “Hmmm…. What do I really want? Hmmm…” I muttered as I paced slightly before an idea struck me. “I know!” I turned to face the solar regent. “I wish for six precious stones that represent the Elements of Harmony!” I smiled confidently, my hands on my hips.

“Not a problem to grant~” Celestia said as she raised her Rod Of Seasons, moving it in a circle motion as falls swirl, cold winds blow, sun fires burning, and flowing rain moves above her head. All four come together to clash, causing a small heart bead to appear brimming with magic. The moment it floats down and touches Mike’s hand, it changes shape and size, becoming a Piece of Heart.

I watched as Mike was forced to spin around and hold his arms up, the Piece of Heart floating just above him.

With a blink and an eye twitch the piece of heart vanishes into his body and he regains complete control of his body. “Damn auto pilot, always making me turn away from everybody…” Mike grumbled as he turned back to face everyone with an annoyed look on his face.

“As for you, Hero Of Light.” Celestia said as she channels the four seasons together, allowing a small treasure chest to appear into my hands. The moment I opened it, I found six beautiful stones inside.

My face remains calm, but they all see a tear run down the side of my face as I close the chest and put it away. “Thank you… your majesty…” I said as I took a knee before her.

“Take good care of those gems as they’ve come from my royal treasury.” Celestia said with a note, hinting to me that the stones held a lot of value.

“I will.” I replied as I stood and sniffed, clearly becoming emotional and trying to hide it.

“So, is that all you needed us for, Jeff?” Mike asked.

“That will be all, at least it wasn’t anything dangerous like the last time you had to help me fight the jellyfish boss underwater.” Jeff said with a shake of his head.

“Well before I go,” Mike walked up to me and held out his closed fist. “It was nice meeting you Johnny, be on the look out for a beige potato ocarina around your Equestria, I’d love to come see your world.” Mike said with a genuine smile.

I looked down at Mike's fist and smiled, returning the fistbump with a chuckle, though only my triforce piece glowed. “I'd like that. I'll be sure to keep an eye out for that ocarina. You keep an eye out for one of these then.” I grinned and held up the end of my scarf.

“You know I will,” Mike walked over to Jeff and also held out a closed fist. “Alway’s good to see you too, bud.” He said still holding his smile.

“Hold up, I just had a thought.. Considering we all have a triforce piece, could that mean we would make a wish? I mean they’re all the same size and shape.” Jeff said curiously as he taps his chin.

Mike chuckled, nervously putting down his fist. “I uh… no longer have my Triforce piece…” He admitted with an embarrassed look. “I lost it after the goddesses made Hyrule appear in my equestria, I assume with the sacred realm being present and the Master sword back in it’s pedestal it was taken as a precaution or something.” He explained.

“Thank the goddesses your visits here are brief, I really don’t want to draw the attention of monsters or evil people, so hopefully our respectable pieces of courage aren’t compatible in granting wishes together.” Jeff said nervously.

“Who knows…” I mused as I wiped my eyes, looking at my new friends with a smile. No… not friends. Brothers.

“Well as I’ve said before, if you need me, call me, I’ll always help one of my fellow brothers of courage,” Mike said with a heroic pose. “You can call me too, Princess, don’t ever forget that.” He added.

With a smile, I turned and faced the setting sun, looking out at the horizon with a smile. ‘Things will only get worse from here’ I thought to myself as I closed my eyes.

“See you guys later, Jeff you can send me back whenever.” Mike said as he stretched.

“Lets see what the future holds, Nayru willing, Mike.” Celestia said as he bowed her head in gratitude.

Hearing Mike, I turned back to the group. “You are a good friend Mike. And one of the best Brothers I could ever ask for.”

“Like wise, Johnny, stay safe out there and remember to tell AJ I said she’s an outstanding baker.” Mike said with a wave.

“I will. And tell Twily she's one lucky mare. She's got herself one helluva partner.” I grinned with a wink.

“If there’s nothing left, I’ll be sending you two back.” Jeff said as he takes out a wooden ocarina and a copy of my sash while holding out his fist to the other Links.

“One last thing before we go, let’s have a Triforce Heroes fistbump as a cool send off!” Mike quickly suggested putting out a closed fist in between the three links.

“Three Links of a feather work best together.” I grinned as I held up my fist.

Jeff let out a hearty chuckle at Johnny’s words. “The three Linkateers.” he said with a teeth revealing grin.

They fistbump, Jeff’s and my triforces shining brightly while Mike’s shines faintly.

I nodded. “It was fun while it lasted, so let's do this again sometime!” I laughed as I snapped to attention. “Until we meet again!”

“Au revoir mes amis!” Mike said with a two finger salute.

“You may return to your world, Hero of time. Johnny, your contract is complete.” Jeff said as he goes to play the song of time to send Mike on his way while I was about to return to mine.

A pillar of blue light surrounded Mike and lifted him into the sky, with a flash of blue light he vanished into the void to return home.

With a nod, I jumped and was enveloped in a ball of light before vanishing, little particles of light hanging in the air for a moment before they too vanished.

Back in my Equestria

I appeared back in my seat on the train, the small wooden chest of stones sitting in my lap. I smiled and looked out the window, watching the countryside roll by, already missing my new brothers.

Author's Note

DisplacedWriter, Men10doh_Mike and myself hope you guys enjoyed this trio crossover! We had a lot of fun putting it together, and appreciate your support!

A Home for me. And my Family.

Author's Note

I know this Chapter is shorter than my most recent ones, it's only meant to be a bridge chapter. So enjoy this short break from all the hustle and bustle!

A Home for me. And my Family.

I was jolted awake as my train came to a stop. With a yawn and a stretch, I looked out the window to see Ponyville bustling with people. I got up and exited the car, making my way through town as I enjoyed the crisp morning air. It had been a few days since I had helped Mike and Jeff, and I still missed them. It had felt nice to have brothers for once. But I wasn’t sure that I’d get to see them again. Maybe I’d see Jeff, I had his token. But I had yet to find Mike’s. I remembered what he told me it was. The Fairy Ocarina from Ocarina of Time. I wondered where it could be found, or if it could. I shook my head and pushed the thought from my mind as I arrived at the shop I was headed to. I looked up and chuckled at the name on the sign. Lots of Lots,Plots and Homes! Realty Office it read. I pushed open the door as a little bell jingled, signaling my entrance. A dark gray Pony sitting behind a desk looked up and grinned, walking over and shaking my hand.

“Welcome sir. I am Plots, one of the proprietors of this Realty Office. How may I help you today?” He asked as he shook my hand. I blinked for a moment before smiling back.

“Yes, hello. I was wondering if you had any homes up for sale?” I asked as he nodded and gestured for me to sit at his desk.

“Of course, we have many houses for sale. What kind would you like?” He asked as he handed me a binder full of listings. I flipped through the pages, trying to see if there was one I liked. I made it all the way to the back of the book before I spotted it. A simple two bedroom home outside of Ponyville proper, surrounded by trees and a small river in the backyard.

“This one. It’s perfect.” I told him as I handed the binder back. He looked over the listing and looked at me with a raised eyebrow.

“Are you sure? It needs a lot of work.” He asked and I nodded.
“Very well then sir. Will you be paying in full or in installments?” He asked as I pulled my wallet out.

“In full if you please.” I answered as he checked the price.

“As you wish sir. That will be thirty two thousand bits, or three thousand two hundred rupees.” He said as I began pulling out the rupees. His face went slack as he watched the gems stack up. I placed the last one on the table and nodded.

“There you are. Three thousand and two hundred rupees.” I grinned as he slid a document over.

“This is the deed to the property. Just sign it, and the house is yours.” He said as I read it over. After a moment I took his pen and signed my name and he handed me the keys.
“Do you need to be shown the property sir?”

“No, I can look at it myself.” I smiled, shaking his hand before leaving. I followed the map Plot had given me, walking out of town and into a grove of maple trees. The path was severely overgrown, but I managed to push forward until I entered a small clearing. Sitting near the center was a small house. My house.

“Man… the girls are going to love this place…” I smiled to myself and I walked towards the home.

“Johnny, where the hay are you taking us?” Rainbow Dash asked as I led them down the path.

“Yeah Sugarcube, where are you taking us?” Applejack asked as I chuckled.

“Now if I told you it’d ruin the surprise.” I smiled and walked on, both of them giving each other a shrug and following after me. We walked through the trees for a moment in silence, the sounds of nature surrounding us like a fog as we entered the clearing.
“This is what I wanted to show you.” I said with a smile, gesturing to the house.

“Who’s dump is this?” Dash asked and AJ smacked her on the head. Dash looked over with a confused look before turning to me. I frowned and walked up to the door as it dawned on her.
“Oh man…”

“Yeah, you done messed up Dash.” AJ sighed as she followed after me. Dash looked at the ground and slowly walked up to the open front door. Inside was in better shape, but it was obvious it was going to need a lot of work.

“Wait.. This is your place? I.. I didn’t mean…” Dash tried to say as I gave her a hug.

“It’s ok. It may be a dump…” I sniffed as I pulled back to look at her.
“But it’s our dump.” I said as I managed to crack a smile. She smiled back and hugged me tight as AJ came over and hugged us both.

“Yer darn right.” AJ huffed with a smile. I sighed happily and let go, looking around the house.

“It’s in rough shape, but I know a few things about building houses. I figure I can have it fixed up in a few months.” I grinned as they looked around.

“A few months? Where are you gonna live until it’s finished?” Dash asked as I sat on a metal folding chair.

“Here. Might as well be close to the jobsite and all that.” I shrugged as they looked at each other.

“You know you’re welcome in our homes… right?” AJ asked as I looked up with a blush.

“Y-yea, it’s just… I know how we feel about each other.. And I didn’t really want anything… too intimate to happen till we’re… y’know… married.” I explained awkwardly as they both grinned and chuckled. They both walked up and hugged me.

“We get it hun. I know it’s a bit much at this point, so don’t you worry none.” AJ smiled as she kissed my cheek.

“Yea… it’s something you can’t rush. Ironic, coming from me.” Dash chuckled as she kissed my other cheek. I stood and smiled at them before looking around once more.

“We will make this a home. Together.” I grinned as they each took an arm.

“Together.” They both agreed.

The girls had left earlier for Canterlot, mostly because Twilight was helping Celestia keep everything organized. I had stayed behind for a bit to take care of a few errands for them as well as myself and was now getting ready to head to the station.

“You coming Link?” Spike asked as he rushed off towards the station, leaving me with our bags.

I chuckled and stowed them in my inventory, following after him at a more leisurely pace. I made sure to double check Rarity’s shop was locked up tight, as well as the Golden Oak Library. I had taken to living in my house while I was working on it, so I didn’t have to wake up early and travel. It was also beneficial to me to be here since it put more of my friends closer to me. I smiled to myself as I wandered towards the station, humming a few scattered verses of Van Halen’s Livin’ on a Prayer as I enjoyed the afternoon air. I eventually made my way to the station as the train pulled in and Spike ran up to me.

“Come on Link! We’re gonna miss the train!” He yelled to me as I sauntered up onto the platform, flashing my ID to the conductor. He checked it over and nodded, letting us in and we sat in an available private compartment.

“Ahhh… perks of the job…” I sighed as I sank into my soft seat. Spike sat across from me and looked out the window.

“I still can’t believe you get to ride for free. Is it just a military thing?” He asked as I nodded.

“Yea… Being a Captain sure does have its perks.” I chuckled as the train pulled out of the station, rumbling off towards Canterlot.

The Grand Galloping Gala

Author's Note

This chapter is a crossover with Men10doh_Mike.
Here is a link to his story Legend of Equestria: A Displaced Hero

The Grand Galloping Gala

I leaned back in my seat as the train rumbled along down the track, relaxing as Spike took a nap. I reached into my pocket and pulled out a small bag. I held the small leather pouch containing the stones that world's Celestia had given me, feeling their energy radiating outwards. I smiled and tucked them back in a pouch on my belt as the train pulled into the station. Deciding not to wake Spike I picked him up and carried him out. Stepping off and onto the platform I looked around and sighed.

“Canterlot. Feels like it's been ages.” I muttered to myself as I began my walk through town, looking into the shop windows as I hum a tune. As I passed one shop I paused, looking at a fairly innocuous object sitting in the window. It was a simple potato ocarina, with a single triangular green gem in its mouth piece.

“Well well we'll, what have we here…” I muttered as I stared at it through the glass. It looked just like how Jeff had described it. Stepping inside a small bell jingled, alerting the shop owner to their new customer. A small green mare walked out of a backroom and bowed.

“Welcome to Odds and Ends, an Emporium of Wonderful things!” She said with a cheerful smile.
“How can I help you today?” She asked as she looked up at me. I politely returned the smile and pointed to the window.

“I was curious about the ocarina. How much is it?” I asked her as she looked where I was pointing. She tapped her chin for a moment before looking back at me.

“Well, I think I'd let it go for… twenty bits.” She decided as I looked in my wallet. All I had in bits was maybe eight at most. I looked up at her with a chuckle.

“Seems I don't have enough bits, will Rupees work?” I asked, pulling a yellow gem out. She thought for another moment before nodding, grabbing the ocarina from its display and putting it in a small pouch.

“I'll take that rupee now.” She said as I handed her the gem. She slid the pouch towards me and bowed.
“Thank you for your patronage sir!”

“Thank you as well.” I replied with a wave as I exited the shop, feeling a gust of wind push against me as I stood there for a moment. Turning around I found an empty, derelict shop.
“What the….” I blinked, making sure I was seeing right. I had the pouch in my hand, so I knew I hadn't imagined it. I tried to brush it off, walking away and just telling myself it was some kind of magic. That had to be it. I kept walking, not paying attention to where I was going and slammed into someone, knocking me to the ground. Thankfully I hadn't dropped Spike.

“I'm so sorry, are you alright?” A male's voice asked as I looked up, finding an armored white unicorn stallion offering me a hand. I nodded and took it, standing up and dusting myself off.

“I'm sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going.” I told him with a small bow. He chuckled and held up a hand.

“It's alright. I'm not hurt at all.” He reassured me. He offered his hand and I took it, shaking it as he introduced himself.
“I am Shining Armor, captain of the Solar Guard. What's your name?” He asked with a cheerful smile.

“Link.” I answered, watching as his face fell a little.

“Link? As in the Hero? What are you doing out here, dressed like that?” He asked as I motioned for him to quiet down. He leaned in and I whispered to him.

“I don't like drawing attention to myself. And I needed to do some shopping.” I told him as he calmed a bit. He nodded and stood up.

“Then let me walk with you, I am curious to know more about you.” He told me as we both began walking. He asked about where I was from, and I had to lie and tell him I was from the old Kingdom of Hyrule. He nodded and asked about how life in Equestria was, and I answered honestly. I told him about some of the wonderful ponies I met, the adventures we'd been on. And when I mentioned Twilight he smirked, telling me a few stories about their childhood together. We had a good laugh and stopped, arriving at my destination.

“Shining, you are a good guy. I hope we run into each other again. And.. is it possible for you to deliver this one to your sister?” I asked as he chuckled.

“Of course. And next time, let's try not to actually run into each other.” He answered as he took Spike from my shoulder. The little dragon stayed fast asleep as Shining Armor waived and wandered off. I turned towards the building in front of me, a blacksmith, and entered. A dark brown earth pony was hard at work in the forge, hammering away at a rough sword-shaped object on an anvil. He looked up and set his hammer down, walking over with a smirk.

“Welcome to the Silver Steel Armory, my name’s Steel Forge, what can I help you with?” He asked as I pulled the bag of gemstones from my belt, along with a drawing of a shield.

“I'd like to commission this, if you can manage it.” I told him as he took the drawing and stones, looking them over. He scratched his chin and nodded.

“Yeah… I think I can do it. It'll cost ya though.” He told me as he walked us to his desk.
“There's a commission fee of fifteen Rupees, and we'll talk about the price when you come to pick it up.”

“Sounds good to me. I heard you had the best forge on Equis, so I know your work is worth the price.” I said with a smirk, handing over the gems as Steel Forge gave me a proud nod.

“Come back in a few weeks, should have it finished by then.” He told me and I nodded, leaving the shop and making my way to the castle.

“Wonder what the girls will be wearing…” I muttered as I walked along the cobbled streets, approaching the gates casually as a guard approached me.

“Halt. Only royalty or invited guests may enter.” She said, slamming her spear end on the ground.

“I am Link, here on invitation to the Grand Galloping Gala from Princess Celestia herself.” I replied with as much authority as I could muster. She looked me over, obviously not buying it one bit as I sighed. I accessed my inventory and swapped outfits, now wearing my normal hero's tunic. Instantly she backed up, realizing I had been telling the truth and allowed me to pass. I walked up to the front doors and they opened on their own, letting me into the grand entry hall. A very familiar face was waiting for me.
“Hello, Morning Breeze.” I smiled as she bowed towards me.

“Master Link, a pleasure as always.” She said as she smiled in return. She seemed to be blushing slightly, but I wasn't sure.
“Welcome back to Canterlot Castle.”

“It's good to be back. Is there a room I could use? I would like to get changed before the Gala.” I asked as she nodded.

“Of course. This way sir.” She told me and began leading me down a hall. We walked for a while before stopping in front of one of the rooms.
“Here you are sir, would you like to use the shower? I can fetch you some fresh towels.” She offered and I nodded. With a small smile she bowed and walked off, leaving me alone for the moment as I walked inside. I looked around the room, feeling a bit nostalgic from my early days here in Equestria. It felt like a lifetime ago, yet it had only been a few months. With a chuckle I pulled the suit bag from Rarity out of my inventory, setting it on the bed. I opened it up, revealing a crisp blue suit coat over a green dress shirt with a pair of white dress pants to go with them.

“Outdone yourself again Rarity.” I chuckled to myself as I unequipped my outfit, leaving me in a pair of dark blue undergarments. I was checking myself out in the mirror when the door opened and Morning Breeze stepped in, freezing a bit as she saw me.

“Oh, uh, I can um… come back in a moment sir.” She said as she inched back towards the door.

“It's all right, I was just getting in the shower.” I said calmly, entering the bathroom and closing the door, feeling very flushed from embarrassment. I heard Breeze place the towels on the table and exit the room, and I made sure to get cleaned up quickly. Once I dried myself off, I put on the suit and checked myself in the mirror.

“Definitely outdone herself. Gotta make sure to thank her.” I told myself as someone knocked on the door. I looked up and called out to them.
“Come in.” I told them as the door opened and Morning Breeze walked back in. I gave her an apologetic smile and she smiled back.

“A fine suit sir. It fits you well.” She told me as she helped fix my collar. I chuckled and pulled her into a hug.

“Thanks. For everything you've done for me… and the Princesses.” I told her as I felt her return the hug. I patted her back and pulled away.

“Thank you sir. That means a lot.” She told me as she bowed once again. She walked to the door and turned to face me.
“When you are ready, walk down the hall, the Gala will be in the Grand Ballroom.” She said before walking out. I smiled after her and turned to see the pouch sitting on the bed. I picked it up and dropped the ocarina into my hand. Instantly I heard a voice call out to me from the instrument:

“To the one that finds my token, I am Michael, Displaced as the Hero of Time, Link. I will always help up-and-coming heroes, so if you need anything I may be able to help with or just want a sparring partner just say the phrase. ‘I call forth the Hero of Time to aid me in my time of need,’ then play any note on this Ocarina to summon me, Heed my warning though, if your heart is filled with darkness know my token will disintegrate if you try to attempt to summon me.”

“Well, here goes I guess…” I muttered as I took a breath.
“I call forth the Hero of Time to aid me in my time of need.” I recited the line before playing a bit of Epona's Song. As soon as I finished playing, a soft and motherly voice called out to me.

“The Summoned displaced wishes to bring extra party members with them, will you accept them?”

'Damn, am I accepting collect calls now?' I chuckled to myself.
“Yes.”

“Please stand by, they will appear shortly.” A few moments pass then three pillars of blue light fade into view. From the pillars, three silhouettes appear and softly float down to the ground and land with soft clicks of boots and hooves. The blue pillars fade away and reveal Mike in a cyan tunic and hat, his Twilight wearing standard librarian attire as she would normally wear, and a third person who looked nearly identical to Mike, minus the hat, but had the color scheme of Dark Link. Mike raised his hand with a wave.

“Yo, Johnny my man, it’s been too long.” He said with a big smile.

“I just saw you last week.” I said in confusion before it clicked.
“Wait, time works differently between worlds, I forgot.”

“Yep, it’s actually been about three weeks give or take a few days since we helped Jeff for me.” Mike said as he walked up to me and offered a fist bump, which I accepted.

“No shit? Man. I'm still sore from all that.” I chuckled before turning to his companions.

“Hey, I'm Johnny. Welcome to my world.” I said with a bow.

“Hi, Mikie’s told us a lot about you, my name is Twilight Spa-"

“I know who you are, Miss Sparkle. I too have one of you in my world. In fact, she's here tonight.” I told her with a grin.

“Oh really, that’s amazing!” Twilight said with a squee of glee. “I wonder if she has extensive notes on you, like I have for Mikie.”

“Oh boy does she. Four volumes. And it's not even half of it.” I sigh, giving a small smirk.

Stars form in Twilight’s eyes as she just imagines the notes as the darker twin of Mike walks up next to him and bows with a smile.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Cole, Cole Macgrath.” He said in a refined tone.

“Nice to meet you too…” I said politely as I gave Mike a questioning look. Mike quickly and discreetly nodded.

“My brother said you were a capable fighter and puzzle solver when he told us of your little adventure with Jeff.” Cole said with a warm smile.

“Really now?” I said with a surprised smile.
“Well, being in the Army does make one a good fighter. The puzzle solving is a natural talent.” I chuckled as I began to feel more at ease around Cole.

“So… What did you call me for bud? Not that you would need a reason too.” Mike asked curiously.

“Right…. The thing is… I'm going to propose to my two special someponies tonight, and I needed a friend here for… emotional support. Since it'll be in front of all the Royal, and most prestigious, ponies in Equestria.” I laughed a bit nervously.

“Really? That’s wonderful, I hope they say yes to your proposal.” Twilight said with a warm smile.

“Wait… why would all of the royalty and nobles be here?” Mike asked, a little confused. I gave a small chuckle.

“For the Grand Galloping Gala, of course.” I smiled meekly.

“Huh, time does work differently, ours is happening in a week.” Cole pointed out.

“Well if that’s the case, it’s a good thing Rarity finished our suits a few days ago.” Mike said with a chuckle.

“My dress isn’t finished yet so I’ll have to stick with my normal outfit, I hope Princess Celestia doesn’t mind.” Twilight said with a giggle.

Without skipping a beat, I pulled my scarf from my inventory and tossed it to Mike.
“You can wear this. It's not much, but it'll help you stand out a bit.”

Twilight walks up next to Mike and he passes her the scarf.
“Are you sure? This looks really important to you, I wouldn’t want to damage it or anything.” She said a little apprehensive.

“Good thing you thought of that already. Or… at least my Twilight did. She cast a protection spell on that, as well as my normal garments. They will self repair over time.” I smiled reassuringly.

“Smart,” Mike said as he closed his eyes for a moment. And instantly his outfit swapped to a forest green tuxedo with the Hylian royal family symbol above the jacket’s breast pocket. He even still had his sword and shield on thanks to Rarity putting holes in the back so Mike could wear his leather belt under his suit jacket. “Kinda wish I asked you to do that, Twily.” He said with a chuckle as Twilight put on the scarf.

“Umm, mind if I use your bathroom to change into my suit, I uh…” Cole said embarrassed.

“By all means, go right ahead. It's all yours.” I nodded to him.

“Thanks…” Cole said as he walked away into the bathroom to change.

“So, what did AJ say when you told her I said she was an amazing chef?” Mike asked as he adjusted his triforce cuff links. I chuckled a bit and smiled.

“She said, and I quote ‘Weren't nothin at all. But thanks anyhoo’” I smirked.

Mike chuckled. “How’d I know she’d say that.” Cole exited the bathroom in a suit mirroring Mike’s but in black instead of green. He too also still had his weaponry on.

“Sorry, I don’t have the same special powers my brother has.” Cole said as he leaned against the wall.

“It's alright. You both look real snazzy to boot.” I nodded approvingly. Feeling a bit left out, I equipped my own gear, my Master Sword and a worn Royal Guard shield appearing on my back.

“Oh I forgot to say while we were last with Jeff that My brother, Spike and I have been officially knighted in our world, we’re part of the royal guard now,” Mike said with a proud expression. “They’ve grown so much better in their training.” Cole blushed a little from the praise. I grinned and clapped Cole on the shoulder.

“Congrats man. You guys seem to have been working really hard. And if you're half as good as Mike here, you earned it.” I told him encouragingly.

“It wasn’t easy but Spike and I have really shown improvement, We even helped take out go… uhh…” Cole drew a blank at the name of something. “What was her name again?” He asked.

“Queen Gohma…” Mike said, his mood darkening a little. I shuddered at the mention of that infernal arachnid.

“I hate Spiders…” I grumbled.

“Ditto to the thousandth percent.” Mike said looking down and his hands and remembering some pain. I put a hand on his shoulder.

“Hey, it's alright man. Let's put that behind us for now. After all, tonight is the party of parties. And I have a big surprise nopony will see coming.” I smiled with a wink.

Twilight gave Mike a hug and a peck on the cheek. “He’s right, Mikie, there’s no reason to think back on that hard-fought battle,” She said giving Mike a lift in mood. “We can treat this ‘adventure’ as a mini vacation.” Mike nodded and smiled again.

“Yer right,” Mike took a deep breath. “So when’s the party start?” Mike asked.

“Oh, it's already started. But not for very long, maybe thirty minutes at max?” I said as I moved to the door.
“I don't think we missed much.”

“Oh we should get going then.” Twilight said following me hand in hand with Mike.

“Don’t want to keep the princesses waiting for their snappily dressed hero.” Cole said with a chuckle.

“Oh ha-ha.” I smiled, leading them down the hallway.

“My bro’s right though, that outfit looks good on ya, Johnny.” Mike complimented honestly.

“It's my Military Dress uniform. I got to design it when I made Captain.” I said as we approached the ballroom.

“Wow, bigger than I expected,” Mike said as he looked around at the large crowd of ponies. “Lots of… faces… hope my social anxiety doesn’t flare up.” He said with a nervous tug of his shirt collar.

“Don't worry Mike. We all have your back.” I gave him a reassuring nod as a soft yet deep voice spoke up in front of me.

“It seems we have… unexpected guests.” Luna mused as I turned to face her. I gave a short bow before speaking.

“Princess Luna, may I introduce Mike and Cole Macgrath, as well as Mike's fiance Twilight Sparkle. They are from another world.” I added as she had looked at me confused for a moment. She nodded understandingly as I explained it to her and she gave Mike and his party a short curtesy.

“Then I welcome you to this Ball, please enjoy yourselves. I will inform Celestia so she is not surprised.” The Lunar Regent nodded before drifting off into the crowd. I let out a sigh after she left.

“Huh, yer Luna doesn’t speak in ye Olde English still?” Mike pointed out.

“Heh, she does when she gets surprised or frustrated. Kinda cute.” I smirked with a shrug. I turned back around to the crowd and spotted Rainbow Dash looking around nervously. I waved her over as soon as she saw me, and I introduced her to Mike, Cole and the other Twilight.

“Nice to uh.. meet you.” She said, giving Mike's Twilight a confused look.

“Hi Rainbow, or… Johnny’s Rainbow, this must be really confusing.” Twilight said with a wave.

“You have no idea…” Dashie nodded before smirking a bit.
“I gotta go get our Twilight, Johnny, she's gonna blow her lid when she meets herself!” She said and in a flash of color, she was gone.

“Welp… Only a few moments of peace- I mean uh…” Mike trails off as Twilight looks at him with a disapproving frown. “Nothing… Twily.” He said sheepishly, making Twilight giggle and smile. Then, from across the ballroom.

“WHO'S HERE???” Yelled the voice of my Twilight.

“Here we go.” Cole said with a chuckle and an amused smile. In a matter of moments, my Twilight came running up, sliding to a stop in front of her doppelganger.

“Oh my Celestia, there is another me.” She said as she looked Mike's Twilight over.

“Hi me, I’m you from another Equestria,” Mike’s Twilight said as Mike tried to pull away from her to not get mixed up in the double Twilight study session only to be pulled back by his Twilight.

“Well obviously you are, but look at you!” My Twilight squealed giddily.
“I never thought I'd actually get to meet myself like this! I gotta take notes!” She cried before pulling a notepad and paper out of thin air.

“Oh no, I left my notepad back home,” Mike’s Twilight said with a frown. “Do you have any spare notepads, Me?” She asked her twin.

“A note taker without a notepad?! Unacceptable!” My Twilight said with a huff and summoned a second notepad and pencil.
“Luckily I keep spares!”

“Twily, I love you with all the fiber in my being, but can I please go someplace else?” Mike asked. “I’ve had enough testing done to me to know where this is going.” His Twilight hesitantly let go of his hand and took the notepad and pencil from herself.

“Okay, you can go, but before you go,” She quickly hugged Mike and pulled him into a kiss. I snickered as my Twilight looked from her twin to Mike and then to me. I put my hands up and back away a bit.

Mike’s Twilight pulled away from their kiss and turned back to her twin. “So what kinds of magic do you know?” She said as Mike walked away from the two Twilights with Cole following him.

“Oh all kinds of Magic…” My Twilight began to say as I followed after Mike.

“They'll be busy till you need to go.” I chuckled as I looked around the room.

“Let’s just hope your Twilight doesn’t induce any more testing of my powers or magic,” Mike said holding his head. “I love her but the tests where she studied my whole body front to back top to bottom was…” Mike trailed off. “Slightly invasive.” He finished.

“Same to you man. I don't think I could handle any more probing for information.” I shuddered at the thought. At that moment AJ found us, giving me a big warm hug.

“Heya shugah. Who’re your friends?” She asked, still holding on to me.

Mike chuckled. “Hey it’s me, Goku!” He said then started laughing. Cole stood there not getting the joke with a super confused look on his face. I sighed and smacked Mike upside his head.

“Ow, sorry I couldn't resist,” He cleared his throat, waved, and put a hand on his belt. “Howdy pardner, mah name’s Mike, I’m just a southern cowboy thrown into a different world completely different from my original world, I’d tip mah hat to ya but I ain’t got one on.” He said with a southern accent. She giggled a bit and looked up at me.

“I like this one,” She said, looking back at Mike.
“Applejack. A pleasure tah meet ya.” She chuckled.

Cole waved. “My name’s Cole, I’m Mike’s twin brother as you could probably tell by the way we look.” He said still looking at Mike confused at that earlier joke.

“Nice tah meet ya Cole, I hope mah Shugah Cube here ain't bein’ a bother.” She smirked at me. I chuckled at her antics and gave her a kiss.

“You're such a goof.” I smiled as I brushed her hair up. I turned to Mike and Cole, still smiling.
“You guys wanna see something awesome?”

“I don’t see why not,” Mike said with a smile. “Yer not gonna do a backflip outta nowhere are ya?” He asked with a chuckle. I smirked and shook my head.

“Something even cooler.” I winked as I pulled the Audivox Orb out of my inventory. I whispered something to it before tossing it up into the air. It stopped and floated about thirty feet above us as the air began to shimmer, the visage of Dragon Roost Island slowly forming above our heads.

“Uh… What in god’s good name is that?” Mike asked confused, Cole looking confused as well.

“That is the Audivox Orb,” I said with a smile as the music started playing, “and this is the first dance.” I said with a wink as the music began to play.

“What is this song?” Applejack asked as we danced. I gave her a twirl before I answered.

“Remember the island we went to? With the Rito people?” I asked her, to which she nodded.
“This is the song of the island, brought to life.” I said with a warm smile.

Mike is tapping his boot to the beat of the song with his eyes closed. “Ahh, just how I remember it, That Audivox Orb is pretty neat, Johnny,” Mike complimented. “Is that what you were talking about when we were helping Jeff?”

I gave him a nod as I twirled AJ about, smiling as the song began to pick up tempo. I looked down at her and smiled, praying to the goddesses for my first miracle of the night.
“Hold on tight.” I smirked as she tightened her grip. The song reached its peak as we spun, AJ looking down to find us dancing in thin air. She looked at me and I winked, and we danced faster as we kept up with the music.

“Nice move, Johnny, didn’t know you could do that, I’m kind of jealous.” Mike said clapping a bit.

“That is pretty impressive,” Cole said honestly. “Seems your music and dancing have drawn a crowd though.” He said looking around the room at the crowd of ponies staring at me and AJ dancing in the air. We danced until the song ended, slowly floating down to the floor in each other's arms. I stepped back as the Orb dropped into my hand, and I nodded slightly. Stowing it away I sighed, feeling relieved as the crowd erupted in applause. I looked around in surprise, momentarily forgetting I was at the Gala as Rarity, Pinkie, and Fluttershy walked over to us.

“Wowie Link! That was some awesome dance moves!” Pinkie cheerily said as Rarity looked at Mike and Cole with narrowed eyes.

“Uhh… Bro, why is his Rarity looking at us like that?” Cole asked a little scared.

“Huh, no idea… I’ll ask,” Mike said with a chuckle. “Hello, Rarity Belle, is somethin’ botherin’ you?” He asked as he smiled. She looked him and Cole up and down for a moment before speaking.

“Where did you get those garments? They clearly have my stitching and flourish to them, but I have never made such clothes before…” She asked with a slight frown.

“Oh, well we got it from you… Well, at least our Rarity in our world.” Mike said casually. She raised her eyebrow in disbelief.

“Your Rarity? In your world? What sort of nonsense are you saying?” Rarity scoffed as Pinkie leaned over in front of Cole, squinting really close to his face.

“Uhh… Is there something on my face?” Cole asked as he leaned away from Pinkie a bit. She then smiled and giggled.

“Of course something’s on there! It's your face!” She laughed before bouncing away to who knows where.

Mike watches the pink deadpool bounce away and chuckles. “Every Pinkie is the same, funny, crazy, and random.” Mike said with a shake of his head. Rarity huffed and looked at me.

“You know these two? Is what they say true?” She asked me, to which I nodded. She looked back at the twin Links and huffed before walking off, leaving Fluttershy alone with us.

“N-nice to meet you, I'm Fluttershy….” She introduced herself quietly.

“Hello, Fluttershy, Is your evening going alright? No panic attacks I hope.” Cole said in a calm and gentle tone. She nodded and stood right beside me, looking a bit nervous.

“Y-yes, it is. Thank you…” She replied quietly.

“Good, is Angel doing ok?” Cole asked with a smile.

“He is, thank you for asking. He's being a really brave boy for me right now, staying home by himself.” She nodded with a small amount of pride in her voice.

“That’s nice, oh by the way, my name is Cole, it’s nice to meet you.” Cole said with a chuckle.

“And I'm Mike, we’re twin brothers,” Mike said with a smile. “Obviously…” He said quietly berating himself.

“Cole… and Mike…” She said as she looked at your faces, memorizing them like she did with all her friends.
“You look a lot like Link… if you didn't notice already…” She said with a small smile.

“Yeah, that we do… That we do,” Mike said with a chuckle. “We’re not so different from each other, all three of us were thrown from our original homes into present-day Equestria, though Cole and I are from a different world separate from this one.” Mike explained.

“I know it’s a bit complicated, but it’s the truth, Miss Fluttershy.” Cole said with a chuckle. She looked into both of their eyes and nodded.

“I see. I hope your world has my friends in it. I feel like we would get along really well.” She said with a small smile before hurrying off to find Rarity. I watched after her with a smile as I felt a hand on my shoulder.

“Are you going to introduce me to your guests Johnny?” Celestia asked as I turned to find her beside me, dressed like you'd expect a princess to look. I nodded and turned to Mike and Cole who drew their swords, pointed them down to the ground, knelt down, rested their hands on their pommels, and bowed their heads in respect. Celestia giggled slightly at them in amusement.

“There is no need for such formalities, please rise and introduce yourselves.” She told them as she smiled and rested her hands in front of her. They both stood back up but kept their swords and hands still.

“Princess, allow me to introduce to you my friend Mike, and his twin brother Cole.” I said as she stepped closer and held out her hand to Mike.

“So you are the one who aided Johnny recently. It is nice to finally put a face to the name.” She smiled at him.

Mike shook her hand and smiled. “I am, it’s a pleasure to meet you, your highness.” Cole nodded.

“Nice to meet you, Princess.” Cole said with a smile. Celestia bowed her head slightly and smiled.

“Heroes like yourselves are rare flowers. It brings me great happiness to know your world has you both,” She smiled again, “but I am sure my counterpart has already told you as much, no doubt.”

“Yes she has, she even knighted my brother, Spike, and I not too long ago.” Mike said with a proud pose. Celestia smirked at the mention of Twilight's adopted dragon, pleased knowing Mike's Spike was doing well for himself. I sighed with a smile and gave the Princess a wink as all of my friends gathered around us. Even both Twilights had made their way over, despite still talking between themselves.

“Some things just don't change Celestia…” I whispered to the Solar Regent with a chuckle, which she returned.

“Indeed.” She agreed.

Mike and Cole both sheath their weapons. “Well, this gala is already going good, I hope our gala goes just like this one.” Mike said as his Twilight grabbed ahold of Mike's hand and gave him a peck on the cheek. This made Celestia beam with joy as she patted Mike's Twilight affectionately. I smiled as well until I remembered something I needed to do. I dug into my inner coat pocket, which was acting like my pouches, and pulled out three rings. I held them in my hand and stared at them as I took a breath.

“You can do this…” I told myself as I looked over to AJ and Dashie. Mike gave me a reassuring pat on the back and I gave him a thankful smile as I stepped forward. Standing in front of them I cleared my throat.
“Applejack? Rainbow Dash? I uh… have something I wanted to ask you both.” I said nervously, looking at them as they looked at each other with a smile. I took another breath and got on one knee.

“I know I'm not from this world, and have little to offer other than myself. But would you both do me the greatest honor… and marry me?” I asked them as I felt my whole body burn with anticipation.

“Of course I do.” Applejack nodded and I slipped her ring on, the deep blue gem twinkling like the night sky.

“You already know I say yes.” Rainbow Dash grinned and I slipped her ring on, its bright red gem flashing like a small sun. I stood up and put on my own ring, with its glittering green gem set right in the center. Without a word I pulled them both into a hug as Rarity tried to hide herself, tears of joy rolling down her cheeks. Everyone else clapped for us as I smiled.

“Aww, how cute,” Mike said as he held up Twilight's hand and kissed her ring. “I hope you’re gonna be as happy as us my brother of courage.” He said with a warm smile.

“Yeah, congrats,” Cole said while clapping. “I wish you the best of luck from here on out.”

“Thanks guys. I'm really happy you're here for this.” I smiled as the doors to the Ballroom were blown off their hinges. I looked at Mike and Cole, drawing my sword, and charged towards the danger.

“What the hell?!” Mike shouted as he drew his blade and held his Twilight behind himself.

“Damn, I should’ve kept my mouth shut, I jinxed us.” Cole said annoyed as he drew his sword and shield. Standing in the now open door was the Gerudo King himself, looking much like he did in Twilight Princess.

“You who follow the light… You will fall!” Shouted Ganondorf, drawing his massive iron cleaver and leveling it at me.
“And you, hero, shall not see the light of day.” He cackled as he snapped his fingers. Instantly all of my friends, Rarity, Pinkie, Fluttershy, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Celestia were all entrapped In large dark crystals. I watched helplessly as they rose into the air and vanished, turning towards Ganondorf with pure hate in my eyes.

“Big mistake pig.” I growled as dark smoke seemed to radiate off my body.

“You got some nerve showing your big ugly face here, King of Evil!” Mike shouted as he let go of his Twilight’s hand and pulled the Mirror Shield from his back. “Twily, get outta here, get to safety.” Mike said, prompting her to quickly vacate the room.

“So this is that Ganondorf guy you talked about, Mike?” Cole asked as he walked with Mike toward where I stood shields at the ready. As they got closer, they could see the smoke around me thicken as I gripped my sword tightly, my body trembling as I glared at the Demon King.

“Such pathetic creatures. I will enjoy ending you quickly.” He grinned before charging. I leapt at him and our blades collided, sending out sparks and shockwaves as I fought for control.

“Cole, I know you want to show your mettle, but make sure the civilians are okay, Johnny and I should be enough to at least hold back Ganondorf's assault!” Mike shouted, making Cole look over to his brother.

“Are you sure?” He asked, earning a nod from Mike. “Alright then, be careful!” Cole quickly ran around the ballroom helping civilians escape.

“I’m with you Johnny!” Mike said as he ran up next to the clash of blades. He could see my eyes, once bright blue, were now being stained with red as I pushed Ganondorf's blade towards him.

“I can do this myself!” I roared as I knocked the Demon King's blade aside, moving in for a kill shot and getting violently punched in the gut, sending me flying back and hitting the ground hard. I panicked when I saw my hearts drop down to one, looking up at Mike in fear.

“Toryah!” Mike yelled as he tried to attack Ganondorf from behind. Seeing the attack coming, Ganondorf quickly spun around and hit him with the flat side of his blade, knocking the wind out of him. Spinning around, Ganondorf sent him flying across the room into a pillar to my left. He lands on the ground in a sitting position and holds his stomach in pain. “S-son… of a…” He said with pained breath, blood leaking from his mouth.

“Mike!” I cried out as I shakily got to my feet, my sword knocked out of my hand. All I could do was back up slowly and watch as the King of Evil slowly walked towards me, laughing at my condition. I watched as he raised his blade before looking at Mike.
“Shit…” Was all I could say before I was cleaved in two, my torso falling to the floor as my legs stood there.

“JOHNNY!!” Mike shouted at the top of his lungs.

Ganondorf smiled at his handiwork and turned, walking out of the Ballroom the same way he came in.

“Y-you… Bastard, if I had my light arrows you would’ve been toast…” Mike said with fury in his voice.

I was once again in darkness, the sound of wind howling in my ears.

“So, you finally showed up.” A voice called to me. I opened my eyes to find myself in a grayed out wasteland littered with wrecked vehicles and buildings.
“Over here bud.” The voice called again from my left. I looked over and saw a figure sitting by a fire, watching me as I got up slowly and moved closer.

“Who are you? And better yet, where am I?” I asked them as they chuckled.

“Where you are is the In-between. And as for who am I,” they said as they dropped their hood, revealing an older version of my own face, “I'm you.” He gave a grin as I raised an eyebrow.

“You're me? But doesn't this break some kind of time-space law?” I asked as he chuckled.

“Only if it happened in the realm of the living. This place is more like purgatory for our soul. Each and every incarnation of it ends up here. At least the ones sent to Equestria…” He frowned slightly as he tossed a log on the fire. I watched him and tried to figure out what version of me he was.

“You were… a Jedi?” I asked him. He nodded slowly before showing the saber hilt on his belt.

“Very perceptive of you. Yes, I was displaced as a Jedi Knight. Lived out a long and peaceful life on my Equestria. At least until the Empire arrived…” He said sadly as we both watched the flames.
“That's the thing with some Displacements… they bring more than just you to the world. It's almost like they tailor-make each one for the one being displaced.” He said as he looked at me.
“Judging by your getup I'd say you got sent to a mash-up of Hyrule and Equestria yea?” He asked and I nodded.

“Yea, and I'm trying my best to be a hero the people need.. and sometimes doubt if I can be…” I sighed as he chuckled.

“Welcome to the club. We all feel like that at first kid. You just gotta trust in yourself. Besides, you're a lucky one.” He told me with a warm smile.

“How so? It's obvious I died.” I groaned as he chuckled again.

“But that's the thing kid, you have Game Over mechanics on your side. You can go back and keep fighting!” He laughed, pulling his saber from his belt.
“I am not so lucky. My world fell because I wasn't strong enough to take on the entire Empire on my own. Who really could? But for me, the fight’s not over.” He said as he handed me the hilt. I took it and saw how damaged it was, and that it was missing its Kyber crystal.
“Take this. I know it will help you in the future, as it helped me.”

“Are you sure? I'm not sure I could take your weapon. Won't you need it?” I asked as he shook his head.

“When the time is right, you will fix this saber and free my spirit. But until then…” He stood and I followed. He put his hand on my shoulder and smiled as a bright light began to envelope us.
“The Force will be with you. Always.” He told me as I was blinded.

A bright light filled the room where my body had been, blinding Mike temporarily. When it faded, I stood there intact.

“Who the hell just flash-banged me?” Mike said, still furiously covering his eyes. I blinked at him in confusion.

“What?” I asked. He stared at me as if he had seen a ghost, speechless. I tilted my head, not remembering I had died right away.

Standing from his sitting position painfully, Mike quickly grabbed me and pushed me out of the room in the opposite direction Ganondorf left.

“Hey, hey! What's the matter? Did I beat him?” I asked in confusion.

“SHH!, Shut up, Ganondorf just left the other way…” Mike said quickly. “And the fight wasn’t even close, brother.” Mike coughed up a little blood.

“Oh…” I said quietly as I began to remember the fight. I held my gut and began having a panic attack as well as hyperventilating.
“Oh sweet Jesus….” I whispered as I began to cry. Mike painfully sheathed his weaponry and embraced me in a hug.

“It’s alright, brother, calm yourself,” Mike said, patting my back. “You’re not alone, I’ve been there as well.” Mike admitted as he shed a tear.

“They're all gone…” I cried into Mike's shoulder.

“Not all of us, young hero. Not all of us.” Luna said as she appeared with Cole from around the corner.

“Take him for a moment, He…” Mike hesitated for a moment. “Experienced the cold hand of death for the first time,” Mike said, bringing a cold chill to Luna and Cole. “I gotta go grab some stuff from the ballroom real quick.” Mike said as he walked back into the ballroom. Luna knelt beside me as I shook, from fear or anger I could not tell anymore. My mind was racing with everything that had happened, and I was beginning to fade from consciousness.

“Rest hero, I will watch over you…” Luna calmly reassured me, stroking my head as I passed out.

Luna's POV

I held Johnny in my arms as Mike filled me in on what had happened in the Ballroom. I listened as he told me of Ganondorf's appearance and how Johnny had his friends and loved ones sent off to the far reaches of time and space. When he got to the part when they fought the Demon King I could see something bothered Mike greatly.

“You need not tell me if it troubles you, Michael.” I told him with a reassuring smile.

“I could’ve prevented it, is all I'm sayin’, Lulu,” Mike said as he scolded himself. “If only I didn’t lose my most important items.” He took Johnny’s chest strap off and sheathed his sword and shield, resting them next to him.

“You did what you could, my child, and I'm sure he knows that. It is all we can do now to pray he pulls through this internal struggle of his.” I sighed as I looked up.

“This is turning out to be one hell of a vacation.” Cole jokes trying to lift the mood. I snickered at the joke, giving the dark hero a faint smile.

“Indeed it seems to be for you.” I nodded.

Mike remembered something important and gained a worried expression. “Did my Twilight get out to safety?” He started looking around in a panic.

“Yes, she is currently in my study behind a magic barrier. We can go let her out now I suppose.” I nodded, trying to stand while carrying Johnny's limp body.

“Cole, grab Johnny, your silver gauntlets will make him weightless, I’ll carry his gear for now.” Mike said, making Cole nod and stand next to me.

“Don’t worry, Princess Luna, I got him.” Cole said as he quickly lifted Johnny onto his shoulder effortlessly.

“Thank you, now follow me.” I told them and began leading them up to my study.

“I wonder how you’re still with us, Lulu?” Mike asked. “Celly was taken for christ sake.” He pointed out. I nodded and thought for a moment as we walked.

“Perhaps it is because I was not around when he was sealed away. I was, after all, sealed off on the moon until recently.” I theorized aloud, looking at Mike with a shrug.
“And another thing Michael, how do you know our nicknames? Only Celestia and myself know of them.” I asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Actually, my Celestia and Luna had a big meeting with me and another Hylian and I kinda overheard your nicknames,” Mike admitted casually. “It stuck and I’ve been calling you two those names and have never been told not to, kinda force of habit now.” He said with a wave of his hand.

“Are we getting close to your study, Luna?” Cole asked, getting tired of carrying Johnny.

“Yes, it's right here.” I answered him as we stopped in front of double doors. I waved my hand in front of them and the light simmered for a moment. Opening the door we found Mike's Twilight pacing back and forth, looking worried to no end.

“Hey, Twi…” Mike is cut off as Twilight quickly tackles and hugs him, nearly knocking him over.

“You’re alright!” She shouted in worry. Mike barely kept his footing and hugged her back.

“I’m good, but Johnny… not so much.” He said making Twilight look to Johnny worried.

“Is there anywhere I can put him down comfortably, Luna?” Cole asked.

“On the sofa, here.” I pointed to a plush couch against the wall. Cole nodded and gently placed Johnny onto the couch as Mike shuffled over and placed Johnny’s gear on the ground next to him, still in a death grip hug with Twilight.

“So what happened after I left the ballroom?” Twilight asked as Mike shuffled them over to a couple of chairs. I gave Mike a pained frown, wondering how he would tell her. Mike sighed deeply and looked into his betrothed’s eyes.

“Remember in that fight with… Gohma?” He asked making both Twilight and Cole’s expressions darken. “Our host suffered a similar fate, to what I did… ‘Sept my death was a bit ‘cleaner’ than his.” He said with air quotes.

“What do you mean?” She asked not liking where the conversation was heading.

“He was bisected… at the hip… clean in half…” He said causing Twilight to gasp and look visibly sick.

“But…” She said looking at Johnny. “He looks alright now, what happened?” She asked, confused.

“No idea.” Mike shrugged as he sat down with Twilight.

“He has been touched by divine hands, that much is certain. I can feel the power on him, even though it fades.” I said as I placed my hand on Johnny's forehead.
“I am worried for him… no being has had to endure so much pain in such a short amount of time…”

“Only reason I didn’t pass out after I died and revived was I had time to think about what happened, that and Grim helped ease my mind.” Mike said as he started to feel the pain in his gut again.

“Did he remember what happened? After he reappeared?” I asked him.

“I uh… Hinted at it as I pushed him out of the room, didn’t think he’d pass out though, sorry.” Mike apologized sincerely as he pulled a small energy bar from his inventory.

“It's quite alright, my guess is that he had a moment of amnesia and you reminding him triggered the memory full bore…” I looked at Mike with an understanding sigh.
“I have eased his mind, and he should wake soon.”

“Good, I hope his health was recovered when he respawned, I don’t have many recovery items on me.” Mike said as he bit into his energy bar.

“I should be able to heal any injury he may have, do not worry.” I assured him as Johnny groaned and opened his eyes.

Johnny's POV

I was floating in darkness, unable to see or hear anything as I drifted. I remembered Mike telling me I died, then getting overwhelmed as my mind forced me to relive the moments before it. It was excruciating to watch, but I couldn't look away. But as I was watching it unfold everything had gone black, and then I was here.

“Do not worry…” A voice called out as I saw a bright light shine on me through the darkness. It enveloped me and I soon found myself awake in Luna's study, surrounded by Mike and his friends as well as Luna.

“Hey you, you’re finally awake….” Mike said jokingly as he chuckled. “You were trying to fight Ganondorf, right?” He asked in a Nordic voice.

“Oh for fuck sakes Mike…” I chuckled weakly as I tried to sit up, making Mike start laughing hard.

“Huh?” Cole and Twilight both say super confused as Luna giggled, being clued in from watching my memories.

“Sorry…” Mike wiped a tear from his eye. “Sorry, I couldn’t help myself, bro.” He chuckled. I managed to sit up and gave him the bird.

“I hated Skyrim… damn game gave me migraines for days…” I grunted as I rubbed my face.

“Am I missing something here or…” Cole said still confused.

“Nothing important, bro, just a game back on earth that’s joked about constantly for its iconic writing,” Mike said his laughter finally calmed down. “So, how you feeling, Johnny my man?”

"I don't know…” I said as I stretched.
“I feel alright, just something feels off..” I frowned as I looked at my hands.

“What do you mean?” Cole asked curiously.

“I feel… colder… like when the shadows took over…” I looked up, one of my eyes it's normal blue while the other was a deep crimson. Twilight gasped.

“Your eyes, Johnny, one is red like Cole’s…” She said then caught herself looking over to Cole.

“Huh, what does that mean?” Cole asked a little confused. I gave Mike a worried look as I got up and looked in a mirror.

“Uh…” Twilight said, at a loss for words.

“Damn, I was hoping to never have this conversation…” Mike said quietly. “We’ll talk about it when we go back home, bro, don’t want to bother our unrelated friend with our personal business.” Mike poorly deflects.

“Oh… Okay?” Cole said as he starts thinking to himself, trying to piece together what Twilight meant. I went up to him and patted his shoulder.

“Don't worry about it, Cole. I'll wear it like a badge of Honor. And as a reminder. One for all the amazing friends I have, and that includes you.” I gave him a reassuring smile.

Twilight and Cole both smile, though Mike frowns as he stands up.

“Hang ten, I gotta do somethin’ real quick.” Mike walked out of the study, closing the door behind himself in a hurry.

“Wonder what’s eating him?” Cole asked with a raised eyebrow. I gave him a shrug and walked back to the sofa.

“Who knows honestly. We heroes often think and work in mysterious ways.” I smirked before looking at the floor with a frown.

“Are you alright, Johnny? You’re looking a bit down.” Twilight asked with a worried tone of voice.

“Well… I am. My fiancé's were kidnapped along with my friends, as well as Celestia. And I have no clue where they could be…” I said slowly as I closed my eyes.
“I just wish I had a clue where to start…”

Twilight quickly moved from her chair to next to me on the sofa and gave me a warm hug. “I’m sure you will figure that out, Johnny,” Twilight said trying to cheer me up. “Knowing what Mikie told me, I just know you’ll get everypony back without a doubt.”

“Thanks, Twilight. You're right, if I am patient and listen like I should, the way forward will present itself.” I nodded with a small smirk. As soon as I spoke something on my belt beeped at me, making us all jump in surprise.

“What on equis was that?” Twilight said as she pulled away from me, looking me over trying to find the noise.

“I-I feel like I've heard that noise before,” Cole said with a hand to his head in slight pain. “Some kind of annoying reminder noise from a game?” He wondered out loud as I checked my belt, pulling out the Sheikah Slate as the screen lit up.

“It's the Sheikah Slate. This thing’s been quiet for months now, why did it start up?” I asked as several markers lit up. I tapped one and the map zoomed in on the castle.
“What on Earth…” I muttered as I tried to understand what was going on.

Mike walked into the room with a stern expression. “I’m back, sorry ‘bout…” He spots the Sheikah Slate. “What… How… Why do you have that?” He asked confused as he walked up and looked over my shoulder at the screen.

“What are these colored icons?” Twilight asked. I looked at them carefully and realized they lined up with my friend's coat colors.

“I think…” I thought aloud, “that these are the locations of the dungeons that they got sent to…” I looked at some that were grayed out and wondered what that meant.

“Well, lucky you, you have a map that tells you where to go,” Mike said with a smile. “That makes things a billion times easier.”

“Maybe. There's no telling how dangerous those dungeons will be. And some are grayed out too, so I might not be able to get to some of them…” I frowned as I looked at him.

“And that’s the twist,” Mike said with a frown. “I wish I could help ya there, but I’m sure you’ll figure it out, with help from the lunar princess.” He smiled at Luna and patted my shoulder.

“Thanks, Mike. I owe you. More than you know man.” I told him as I stood and offered him my hand.
“I hope we meet again soon.”

“Don’t worry, Johnny, the second I find your scarf, I’ll call you,” Mike said as he grabbed my hand and shook it. “Maybe next time we’ll have an ‘actual’ vacation.” He said with a big grin as Twilight stood up and took off my scarf.

“Before we go, here’s your scarf back, Johnny,” Twilight held out my scarf for me to take. “Thank you for letting me borrow it.”

“It's alright,” I told her as I tossed it back on, looking just like my old self, “maybe next time I'll have Rarity whip up a dress for ya.” I said with a wink.

“Sorry our visit went south at the end, hope we didn’t cause that,” Cole said with a nervous chuckle. “Though it was nice meeting you, Johnny.”

“You're fine, I was bound to meet that damned pig anyway. I'm just glad you guys were here, and had my back.” I said as I shook Cole's hand.

Mike, Twilight, and Cole moved to an empty part of the room and stood together. “To send us back, say this, ‘Hero of Time, you may return to your world’, then play a note on the fairy ocarina.” Mike said with a smile. I gave him a sad smile as I pulled out the ocarina.

“I'm gonna miss you man.” I told him before standing up straight.
“Hero of Time, you may return to your world…” I said before playing Zelda's Lullaby.

“See you again soon, my brother of courage!” Mike said with a two-finger salute, as three pillars of blue light surrounded Mike, Cole, and Twilight. They were lifted into the air and then with a flash of blue magic they disappeared into the void between realms.

“Travel safe…” I whispered as Luna moved beside me, giving me a hug as my friends vanished.

Shattered Ruins and Rare Gems

I walked around in a daze, still processing what had happened. My friends, my fiancé's, were gone. Taken by Ganondorf and scattered across the land. And now I had one of the worst responsibilities imaginable. I had to go to their families. I had to tell them that their children were gone. Princess Luna had told me to go home and rest before undertaking this task, but I hadn't even made it to the station in Canterlot. I didn't even know where to begin, let alone what I would even say. I mean really, how the hell do you tell someone that their kid is missing and might never be found?

“What am I gonna fucking do…” I grumbled as I trudged down the street, not paying attention to where I was going until I bumped into somepony. We both fell down and I began profusely apologizing before freezing up when I saw their face.

“Oh Link, it's you!” Cookie Crumbles giggled as she stood back up, dusting her dress off as I sat there. She tilted her head slightly before crouching down to my level.
“Is something the matter? You look like you've seen a ghost.”

“I…” I swallowed, “I have… something to tell you.” I said quietly as Cookie frowned at me in concern.

“What is it dear?” She asked as I tried not to cry.

“It… it's Rarity. She….” I choked, a tear rolling down my cheek as Cookie pulled me into a hug. As she did I broke down, crying like a child in the middle of the road as ponies passed by, throwing disgusted looks our way.

“Pay them no mind…” Cookie said calmly as I sucked in one ragged breath after another. As I calmed down, she pulled back and looked at me.
“Now, tell me what happened to my daughter.”

I slowly began telling her what happened, her face betraying no emotion as I explained how I had failed to stop Ganondorf from taking her away. As I finished she put a hand on my shoulder

“It sounds to me like you are putting all the blame squarely on your shoulders, Link. I can tell from how you're speaking that you put up as good of a fight as you could. But to me, it also sounds like there is still a chance you can save her. Correct?” She asked as I nodded slowly.

“If I can locate the dungeon holding her and clear it, yes. But.. I don't know where it is, or how long it'll take. It could be weeks, months or even years!” I said in exasperation.

“I have faith in you.” Cookie smiled as we stood up.

“Thanks Miss Cookie. I'll save your daughter. I promise.” I nodded with a weak smile. Little did I know, that was going to be tougher than I thought.

My friends were missing and a war brewing and here I sat, alone on the floor in my empty house, not even a couch to sit on. It had been only a week since The Gala incident, when the sorry sack of shit Ganondorf showed his ugly mug. I had been painfully reliving that moment over and over, not being able to sleep as I grieved. Spike was staying with Luna at Canterlot for the time being, since I didn't want him to be living alone in the Golden Oak. That was only a temporary thing, I had been trying to fix my mess of a cabin so he could stay with me for a couple days. And it was going as poorly as one would expect.

“Ugh…. I can't fix this….” I sighed in despair as I threw my hammer across the room, hanging my head in defeat.

“Well now… I have yet to see you in such a state as this…” A voice called from my front door. I looked up to see Luna standing there, looking at me as a worried look was on her face. I sniffed and stood up, turning to the dark Alicorn with a bow.

“Princess. I assume I am asleep?” I asked as she shook her head.

“Not this time, Johnny. I came to check on you, for Spike has been worried about you. As have I.” She walked slowly towards me as I looked at the floor.

“I.. I'm sorry Luna… I wasn't… I wasn't strong enough…” I choked out as I began breaking down once again. She pulled me into a comforting embrace as she let me cry, letting all my pain wash away as I kept bawling. After a few minutes I managed to calm down and sniff.

“Thank… thank you…” I bowed weakly as she smiled softly.

“I know your heart aches Johnny. As does mine…” She closed her eyes sadly, “but we know our loved ones would not want us to fall into such despair. So please, for them, stand tall.”

“You're right…” I nodded as I smiled weakly at her.
“I know I'll save them. It's just… when…” I frowned sadly, only to be startled as my pocket beeped at me.

“What was that?” Luna asked as I pulled the Sheikah Slate from my inventory. As soon as I did, the screen lit up and a beacon lit up at the top of Mount Hebra.

“That…” I grinned happily, “is one of our friends.” I told her as I pointed to the map. She looked at the glowing silver icon with a raised eyebrow.

“You are certain of this?” She asked as I shook my head with a smile.

“Of course I am. I have to be…” I frowned slightly as I put away the device. I gave Luna a smile as I began walking towards the door.

“Johnny, be practical! The top of Mount Hebra is hundreds of feet above the surrounding peaks! It can get cold enough to freeze you solid! How will you reach it?” She asked as I gave her a grin.

“I have faith I'll find a way, don't you worry Princess.” I grinned with a smile.

I pulled my parka tight as I trudged up the mountain path. Luna had given me an older map from when Equestria had been Hyrule, showing several old bastions and fortifications that now lay ruined. And atop Mount Hebra sat such a structure. As I crested a small peak it came into view.

“Snowpeak Ruins.” I said with a small frown. Back on Earth, when I'd played Twilight Princess, this dungeon had always been a pain for me. From the slick ice that coated many of the floors to the Chilfos and their spears, I could never seem to clear it without dying a few times. As I trekked closer I began to worry that history would repeat itself. I shook my head vigorously, pushing the thought from my mind as I approached the steps to the door.

“You got this. For your friends.” I nodded to myself as I climbed the stairs and opened the door. With a creak it swung open, leading me into a large foyer partially lined with suits of armor, leading to a once grand cascading staircase. Both sides had collapsed at some point, making passage to the upper floor impossible from here. I looked up and saw a couple swinging chandeliers, right where they should be.

“So far it seems like how I remember. Let’s hope it stays that way..” I said as I tried to pep myself up. I moved forward towards the door ahead of me, opening it and moving to the next room. Usually a female Yetti named Yeta sat here, warming herself by the fire while her husband Yeto made her a soup in the kitchen to the left. But the fireplace was as cold and dark as the rest of the structure.

I sighed and sat beside the empty grate, a few charred logs still in the fireplace as I pulled out my field survival kit. Twilight had made one for each of us back when we had thought about going on a camping trip, and now I could finally put it to use. I pulled out a couple pieces of scrap paper and a match, humming as I stuffed the paper between the logs before striking the match. I dropped it onto the paper and watched as a cheery little fire burst to life, throwing light and warmth around the room as I took in my bearings.

The room was just as I remembered, a small rectangular room with four entrances. Two of them were barred off, with one of the open ones being where I'd come in. I turned to the other open door and sighed.

“Let's see what's for dinner.” I chuckled as I walked over and went to the next room. It turned out to be the kitchen, just like the game. A giant empty cauldron sat in the middle of the room, a thick layer of dust and frost coating the rim.

“This place seems… gloomier than I remember..” I muttered to myself as I saw a door to my left.
“Let's just hope this place doesn't kill me like it usually does.”

I progressed through the rooms, solving the various puzzles I encountered as I did. It all followed the game fairly similarly, albeit without the food fetch quests. Instead I found a special key that unlocked one of the doors in the center room, allowing me to progress. Now I found myself outside of the mini-boss room, staring at the door as I tried to shove my anxiety aside. I took a deep breath and pushed it open, stepping into the room behind it. Just as with the rest of the mansion, this room looked just like it did in the game. A round room with barred storage lockers on either side of the walkway down the middle. I stepped around the sets of armor in the middle of the hall, making my way to the door at the end. As I approached it, iron bars dropped and blocked my exit. Then I heard it. The familiar whooshing sound got louder behind me and I turned around, just as the set of armor in front of me was smashed to pieces by a ball and chain.

“Hello ugly…” I grimaced as the armor cladded Darkhammer yanked the ball back to itself, swinging it in a circle above its head. I drew my sword and shield, readying myself as the beast drew closer. With a grunt I rushed forward, rolling behind the ball and chains reach and then around behind the beast, my blade falling on its exposed tail. With a surprised roar, it fell to one knee as I attacked the tail a few more times before it kicked me away. I slid to a stop and grunted, a bruise now forming where the kick had landed.

“Damn, that hurt..” I huffed as the Darkhammer approached again, swinging its weapon over its head. With a grin I swapped to my Grappleshot, firing a fist at the swirling chain and grabbing it. The beast roared angrily as I dragged it towards me, only to be silenced as my fist crushed its head. It fell lifelessly to the ground before exploding into purple smoke, leaving the ball and chain behind. I placed a hand on it and it vanished as I lost control of my body once again. I turned and held out my hands as a shrunken version of the weapon floated before me.

You got the BALL AND CHAIN attachment for your GRAPPLESHOT! With the GRAPPLESHOT equipped, press A to switch between fists or the BALL AND CHAIN!

As soon as the item vanished into my inventory I regained control of my body. I rolled my shoulder and frowned as I walked to the end of the hall.

“Never gonna get used to that…” I sighed as I opened the door. Stepping into the next room I was confronted by a wall of ice blocking my way. The Grappleshot fists weren't tough enough to break the ice, but with this new attachment it crumbled easily. I retracted the spiked ball and nearly fell over, the ball being significantly weightier than the fists. Putting them away I saw what I had uncovered. A chest. Usually holding a ring of Ordon goat cheese, it now held a gold key. I held it up automatically as text appeared in my vision.

You got the key to the Right Wing! Use it to unlock the last wing of the dungeon!

I smirked and stowed the key in my inventory as I exited the room.

Back in the central room, I sat by the fire and collected my thoughts. Ahead of me was the final push of this dungeon, and I couldn't have been any more nervous. The usual boss of this dungeon, Blizzetta, used a living host to channel their energy through. And with the Yetti absent, that could only mean I'd have to fight…

“Rarity…” I sighed as I watched the flames.
“Please make it out of this safely…”

After my short rest I pushed through the last few rooms in the mansion, pausing outside the doors to the chapel. This room is what usually got me when I played Twilight Princess in the past. And now the stakes were higher since I could now feel the pain inflicted on me. I closed my eyes and pushed open the doors, stepping inside as they closed behind me. I looked to my right, the altar right where it should be.

“Hold onto your butts…” I chuckled nervously as I walked toward the door to the altar. As I approached, like in the Darkhammer's room, iron bars dropped, sealing the door ahead of me as well as the doors leading out. From the holes in the roof dropped over half a dozen Chilfos, icey guardians weilding wicked sharp spears of clear ice. One dropped right beside me and I scrambled to get clear of it, only to run right into another. I equipped my Grappleshot and switched to the Ball and Chain, firing a fist at the closest enemy. With the sound of rending metal, the beast vanished into a puff of powdered snow.

“Well shit, that wasn't so hard.” I chuckled before an icey blade stabbed into my shoulder. I gasped at how cold it felt, turning and pushing the attacker point blank.

“Fuck! That's cold!” I yelled as I became more aggressive, punching two more at close range. I could feel my shoulder locking up as I fought, and I took a couple more hits because of it. With half of my body locking up, I got angrier and fought harder, taking two more down as I got slower. Only two remained between me and the key to the boss room above, and I went for it. I hobbled forward and sucker punched one of them, shattering it's head as it's partner stabbed my side. With one last heave, I dropped the ball on its head and crushed it, both of us falling to the ground. I laid there for what felt like hours before feeling finally began to return to my limbs. I would later learn that it was a side effect of the Chilfos spear, called Frostbitten.

“Well… at least I'm not dead…” I groaned as I managed to sit up, leaning on one of the remaining pews. As soon as I was able to stand, I opened the door to the altar and opened the chest on it. I picked up the item and held it in front of me.

You got the BEDROOM KEY! Now you can gain access to the bedroom where your friend is being held!

I held the key in my hand and took a breath. This was it. This was what I had worked for. I exited the chapel and headed up the ramp to the bedroom. Inserting the key into the massive heart-shaped lock, it split in half and the door swung open.

“Let's do this..” I snorted and charged inside.

Inside the bedroom now, I looked around at the ancient furniture. Once very fine drapes now hung in tatters over the windows above. As I reached the center of the room, I looked ahead of me and stopped. A very familiar white unicorn sat, trapped in a dark purple crystal. I took a step towards her and jumped as the windows above us shattered and ice cold winds rushed in. The room began to frost over and when I looked back to Rarity, she had vanished. I looked up as a giant decorative egg made of ice dropped down, slamming into the ground and destroying the meager furnishings as the floor became one big sheet of ice.

FROZEN ELEMENT OF GENEROSITY

BLIZZETTA

“Ohhh, this ain't good…” I sighed as I equipped the Grappleshot with the Ball and Chain. I threw a punch and broke the outer layer of ice, sending the egg sliding across the floor as it bounced off the walls. As it came close again I threw another punch, breaking another layer and sending it flying faster.

“This is way more intense than the game makes it look!” I yelped as I rolled out of the path of the ice egg. Getting back to my feet I cocked back a fist and gave the egg one more punch, launching it against the wall so hard it shattered, leaving the dark crystal behind. I could see Rarity inside, looking like she was in pain. Before I could take a step closer, the crystal floated back into the air as an icey palanquin formed around it, with a ring of ice spikes forming around that.

“Gods, I hate this part!” I groaned as I scrambled to get out from underneath the floating masses. They followed my movements for a short bit before one by one, the spikes slammed down into the floor, lodging themselves. As the last one impacted, I turned around and turned it to powder with a punch from the Grappleshot. Ripping themselves free, The remaining spikes formed a ring over my head, slamming down to create a barrier around me. But since I had destroyed one, there was a gap. I dove through it as the palanquin slammed down where I had just been standing only a moment before. Reacting quickly, I threw another punch, damaging the palanquin as the cycle repeated. It took another two hits, but as the crumbling remains of the icey box shattered, so to did the crystal. The fragments of the dark energy scattered to the wind as Rarity's body floated down. I caught her and waited for her to wake up, praying I hadn't hurt her. After a moment of nothing happening she groaned, slowly opening her eyes and looking at me.

“L-Link…?” She asked weakly. I nodded, smiling softly as she let out a sigh.
“I've had the most horrible nightmare… it was so dark… so cold…” She shivered. I shushed her and gave her a hug.

“It's ok Rares, I got you.” I said comfortingly as she wrapped her arms around me. We held each other for a long while, mostly since she was still getting feeling back in her legs. As we stood the room seemed to glow a soft red. Looking up, we saw a crystalline heart float down from the ceiling, landing only a few feet from where we stood.

“What is that?” Rarity asked as I moved to pick it up.

“This,” I said as I knelt down, “is a heart container.”

As soon as I touched it, my body stood up automatically as I held it in front of me, text appearing at the bottom of my vision as a familiar fanfare played.

You got a HEART CONTAINER! Your life has increased by One and is also now fully replenished!

I breathed out a sigh as I felt new vitality flow through me. I looked at Rarity and smiled.

“They're how I get stronger.” I said as I gave her a smirk. She smiled back as a portal of blue energy appeared in the center of the room.
“And that is our cue to leave.” I nodded as I took Rarity's hand, guiding her to the portal.

“Is it safe?” She asked worriedly. I gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

“Course it's safe. And if it works like the others, I know where it'll drop us.” I smiled as we stepped through the blue light, vanishing into thin air.

With a flash of energy we appeared back in the Town Square of Ponyville, startling many ponies going about their daily business.

“Ugh, always leaves an aftertaste…” I mumbled, smacking my lips as the faint taste of orange lingered for a moment.

“Well, that was certainly something..” Rarity said, her voice sounding slightly dizzy.

“Let's get you home Rares, then tomorrow I'll take you to see your folks.” I smiled as I walked with her towards the Boutique.

“Thanks Link, I really appreciate this.” She smiled back. I gave her a smirk.

“Call me Johnny.”