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.