Legend of Zelda: The Equine Link

by CarmenColor

Rating: teen
Tags: Gore, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Alternate Universe, Other, Spike, Adventure, Crossover, Human, Main 6
Length: 7516

Two lands... Two hero's... Two fates intertwined... To one destiny.

Two lands...

Two heroes...

Two fates intertwined...

To one destiny.

Published 2013-04-05 20:20:01 UTC
Last updated 2013-04-09 21:28:01 UTC

Hyrule's Sister Universe

Link unsheathed his sword. Ganondorf stood before him, his eyes glinting a maniacle red color. The hero of time looked behind the horrible man to see Zelda, his Zelda, encased in what seemed to be a giant purple rupee. He turned back to Ganondorf as the power hungry villain began to laugh.

"What's it like to see your princess in my hands, defenseless?" He chuckled. Link growled and took his stance. Ganondorf always talked this way, but in the end, Link knew that he would be victorious. With the Triforce giving him help, nothing could stop him.

"You won't get away with this, Ganondorf. You never do."

"Heh, heh, heh... Yes, well, we have been down this road many times before," he growled, "And the power of the Triforce always tips the scales in your favor, but this time..." he laughed again, "...this time it won't." He held out his large sword, a surge of power racing through it and collecting on its tip. He stabbed the sword into the ground, a portal opening up there. He grabbed the imprisoned Zelda. "This time the Triforce will tip the scales in my own favor... Hyrule's sister universe contains the vast amounts of power I require to do this. Infinite power will be mine at last." He and Zelda were swallowed up by the portal, and Link, unwilling to desert his princess, jumped into the vortex after them. He was swept downward through the vortex, his speed increasing more and more every second.

"Aughhh!"

-LOZ-MLP-

Link found himself laying on the floor of what appeared to be a very old castle. The walls were half gone and crumbling, and what was left of the ceiling threatened to cave in at any moment. The hero of time felt like he had just run all around Hyrule field without a rest. He slowly raised himself to his feet. What had happened? And where was Princess Zelda?

On the other side of the room, Link noticed the glint of his sword. How it had managed to get over there was anyone's guess, but at the moment, it didn't matter. He took a step towards his sword to go pick it up, but found himself unable to do so as he came crashing back towards the ground. His shield smacked the back of his head, and he raised and hand to push it off of himself...

...Except he had no hands...

...He had hooves...

The newly ponified hero jumped to his feet in surprise, only to become unbalanced again. "What in Hyrule is going on?" he muttered to himself, attempting to stand again. He took several very slow steps forward, trying to get used to being quadrupedal. Finally, his feet...no, his hooves got used to the movements and he was able to walk around with little difficulty. After collecting his sword, which he found slightly difficult because he had to hold it in his mouth, Link took a few minutes to study his surroundings.

Unfortunately, this place was not familiar to him, though the style of the building was almost identical to that of the castle in Hyrule. The only real difference was the emblem. The Triforce could be seen on worst every suit of armor in Hyrule Castle, but this place, wherever it was, had a crest of six different colored gems that highly resembled rupees and two horses on the sides. Link found an old shield with the emblem on it in a pile of rubble.

Link exited the old building, thinking that it would be wiser to not be inside it, the place could collapses any moment after all. I was a miracle that I hadn't already. Link looked around, but all he could see were trees and a small overgrown trail that didn't look like any road leading to a castle that he'd ever seen. After a few moments, however, he did notice something else. Tracks. Obviously made by a four legged animal, or rather, two four legged animals. One set was large, and the others were smaller. The small tracks had drag lines in them, like Epona's hooves would make when Link tried to pull her somewhere that she didn't want to go.

"Zelda and Ganondorf must have been transformed into horses as well," Link muttered, "And they've been gone for awhile, it would seem. I'd better get moving."

Ponyville

Link stumbled through the undergrowth, trying in vain to follow the path left by Zelda and Ganondorf. The moon had risen awhile ago, but he had kept going, hoping that the trail he followed was still theirs. The forest was creepy, even by Link's standards, and he was beginning to feel uneasy. The place felt unnatural somehow, even though the things around him were the same things he'd seen in every other forest he'd ever been in.

Suddenly, Link felt a stabbing pain in his right fo-...er...hoof. He looked down, and found that he had a thorn imbedded in the flesh. Uncertainly, he tried to remove said thorn, but his lack of knowledge about how to be an equine was making it difficult. Finally, he decided to pull the unwanted object out with his mouth, but not before his vision began to blur ever so slightly. He felt slightly dizzy, and figured that the thorn had probably contained some sort of toxin or poison. He knew it was bad, but he couldn't do anything about it. He'd lost his supplies in the fall, except for his sword and shield, so he had no potions or fairies to heal himself with.

He stumbled onward, hoping, praying that he would find someone to help him. Every step brought him further and further from lucid thought, and he swayed like a drunken man...or pony... Whatever had been in that thorn had been very potent. Finally, after a while of simply trying to stay upright, Link felt his legs buckle beneath him, and the ground came up to meet him very fast. He was unconscious before his head hit the dirt.

-LOZ-MLP-

When he awoke, Link found that he was no longer laying face down in the dirt. In fact, he was actually laying in a bed, and a comfortable one at that. A cold, wet cloth was draped on him forehead, and he could see someone...or sompony walking around the room, which looked like a house of some kind. The pony noticed that he had stirred and walked over to him. As it came nearer, Link found that it was not a pony, but a zebra, something he had only ever seen in books. She replaced the cloth on his forehead.

"You are like no pony I have ever seen. The things you possess have an unnatural sheen." The zebra's speech was odd, but the message was carried through. Link looked over at his sword and shield, which lay next to the bed.

"I am not of this world," he said to the zebra, "I am on a quest to find and rescue princess Zelda from an evil power." He looked into the zebra's eyes, but saw none of the usual confusion. "I believe that this world and the one that I come from are sisters." The zebra's eyes widened ever so slightly.

"You are The Hero of space and time... To delay you would be an awful crime," the zebra said, "but if you seek help in your fight, there is a powerful unicorn by the name of Twilight." Link blinked, confused for a second.

"Where can I find her?" Link was already getting out of the bed and slinging his sword and shield onto his back.

"If she is who you want to see, I can lead you through the Everfree." Link nodded, a look of determination of his face. For a second though, he looked confused.

"How do you know who I am?"

"There are tales from old Zebraican times, that tell a story in our usual rhymes. The old goddess Epona, ruler of all, has a sister, Hylia, who is rather tall. On two feet she walks to another place, her bipedal stature not fit for this space. They say that she rules a far distant world. I believe it should be universe, from what I have heard. But there are more legends, not told to most, who tell of a prophecy that would turn our worlds to toast."

"W-what?"

"Your destiny, my young colt, is near set in stone. You must not let the evil lord king take the throne! For an evil power dwells in this land, one that could be used by both hoof or hand. Quickly, we run, for we must find the one! The one who can be of aid, if only you can persuade..."

"Please, just lead me to her!" Link said. The zebra nodded, and the two galloped out of the house and through the trees. Swiftly, they ran between the trees, for both of them knew that time was likely of the essence. They came to a town, and though Link was used to people staring at him in his bright green garb, today he wished only to get away from them and to find this "Twilight" person...er...pony.

Finally, the zebra led Link to a large building that looked like it had been built into a tree. He thanked her and ran up to the door, not bothering to knock before walking inside. To his surprise, it was a library, but it also looked like a home. He raced up the stairs, eager to meet this powerful pony.

He rushed through the door at the top of the steps, accidentally slamming it against the wall. On the other side of the doorway, Link saw a purple pony that had a deep blue mane streaked with magenta highlights. "Are you Twilight?" He looked up at her face, and noticed something rather odd. Something that he thought was impossible, but then again, he was a human turned pony in a technicolored world. Nothing seemed truly impossible anymore. This pony, though...she had a horn. She wasn't at all like any normal pony Link had seen. She was a unicorn.

"Yes, my name is Twilight. Twilight Sparkle. Who are you?" she said, "I've never seen you here in Ponyville before." Link hesitated.

"My name is Link and...well, you should probably sit down..."

-LOZ-MLP-

"...and so I have to find Zelda and save her from Ganondorf." Link finished his explanation and Twilight sat for a moment, deep in thought.

"You are the Hero of Time and you come from another universe," she said, and then her face lit up, "The ancient texts! They speak of something like this. Um, lets see...'The Hero of Time will come to the one who's friendships have saved the land. Each of them must help the other to find what their corresponding goddess did not, and unlock the ancient power sleeping within them to defeat the evil lord.' The Hero of Time is obviously you, and the 'one who's friendships have saved the land'...that's me. It has to be. Me and my friends have overcome obstacles and evil in Equestria time and time again."

"Now that we know who's involved," Link said, "what are we going to do about the rest of the riddle? 'Each of them must help the other to find what their corresponding goddess did not.' What does that mean?"

"Well, I suppose that through Princess Celestia, the goddess helped me find friendship and the magic of it when my friends and I defeated Nightmare Moon. I have no clue what the implications are on your side though..." Link looked over at Twilight again, and noticed something rather odd.

"What's that?" Her circled around her, looking at her flank.

"My cutie mark? What'd you mean?"

"I mean what is it? What does it mean?"

"Well...my cutie mark represents my aptitude for magic, and the five stars around it represent my friends, who each posses one trait of friendship that they shared with me." Link nodded, and looked back at his own flank, which he now noticed was adorned with a very familiar symbol.

"The Triforce!" he exclaimed, "it represents courage, wisdom, and power. Powers that the goddess Hylia bestowed upon me. That must be what I have to help you find about yourself, and you have to help me find those friendship things."

"Well...now that we know what we have to do...how do we do it?"

Author's Note

Oh, by the way, this is a before-twilicorn story.

Plans

As Twilight and her guest brainstormed ideas for how they had to "find" the hidden parts of themselves that the rhyme mentioned, the studious unicorn couldn't help but be fascinated by the way Link acted. He walked slowly and unsurely, his hoofsteps faultering on occation, and he seemed to have no idea how to sit like a normal pony. Then again, Twilight found herself thinking, neither does Lyra. The strange stallion actually did seem as if he didn't belong in this species.

His attire, however, fit his body perfectly, and it was somewhat worrisome to Twilight. If the goddesses of their two universes had thought I necessary for him to posses a sturdy shield and powerful sword, what exactly was she getting into? Would they need those things? Should she have those thing? Perhaps she should run it by him?

"Mr. Link?" she asked, "Why do you carry such dangerous weapons?" He looked up from trying to flip the pages of a book, unsuccessfully, as Twilight noticed. He seemed to have no use of his hooves as she or any of her pony friends did. The tan colored pony gave her a confused look.

"Why wouldn't I carry them?" he asked her, "I find them very important in protecting myself and others around me." The answer worried Twilight.

"D-do you use them often?" she asked, dreading the answer.

"Of course," he replied, as though I were nothing, "I use them frequently on my journeys. Perhaps if I did not get attacked so often, I would not need them so much... Are you okay, Twilight Sparkle?" The unicorn laughed nervously, trying to forget about how calmly he had spoken of danger.

"Y-yes, of course."

"You seem troubled."

"Perhaps just a l-little..." she sighed, "How can you speak of danger like that? Have you no sense of self-preservation?"

"Hylia protects her chosen hero," he said, "as I'm sure your goddess Epona will protect you. You should not fear whilst I am with you."

"Do you think, perhaps, that I should be equipped as you are? We have to do this together, after all, and I'm not a fan of being a damsel in distress." A funny little look crossed Link's face, and Twilight could feel that he was uncomfortable.

"You mean with clothing and weapons as I carry?" Twilight nodded in answer, "But...but you...you're a..." he shuffled uncomfortably, "but you're a girl." Twilight's response was immediate.

"And that means that I can't have something to protect myself with? Magic is good, but there are some places that interfere with magic, even when it is as strong as mine. It may be necessary for me to have a back up plan, just in case." Content with how she had explained her self, Twilight waited for an answer. Link opened and shut his mouth several times.

"I suppose you are right," he said, "but how will you get such things? Your species does not seem equipped for war."

"You're certainly right about that," Twilight said, "but I'm sure we can figure something out. Your tunic should be no problem, however. It's the other things I'm worried about." Twilight magically closed the book she had been searching through. "Come on, I know just the pony." The unicorn trotted out of the library, with Link slowly following, his trots were getting better and he stumbled much less frequently, but he'd rather not make a fool of himself in front of a group of technicolored ponies.

The gaudy building that Twilight led the hero of time to was not what he was expecting. "What exactly does this pony do?" he asked, unconvinced that this really was the place Twilight was looking for.

"She's a seamstress," Twilight said, "And the best one around too. I'm sure she can come up with something." As they stepped inside, Link's doubts grew. This place was full of dresses. How could a pony who makes dresses make tunics as well? "Rarity?" Twilight called.

"Twilight, darling!" A vibrant, flowing voice called back, "Come on in the back, dear. I'm working on my newest creation." Twilight trotted into the back of the shop, with Link following. The pony in the back was also a unicorn, as Link noticed from the floating ribbons and rolls of cloth when he entered the room, and she had a stunningly white coat and carefully styled mane. "Who is this gentlecolt, Twilight? And...what is he wearing?" The unicorn was next to Link in an instant, inspecting his green tunic with a very professional eye.

"Actually, that's what we're here for," Twilight said, "I need you to make me one." The white unicorn raised an eyebrow.

"I shall try my best, I suppose, but I'll need to use the actual thing if you want it done right," Rarity looked at the tunic again, "and you don't suppose you could wash it first, do you?" Twilight smiled.

"Of course," she said, "I'll bring it by later, after it's been washed." Twilight trotted out of the shop again, with Link fast on her heels.

"Why does she need it washed? It isn't that dirty," he insisted.

"That's just her being Rarity. Don't worry about it," Twilight replied as they approached the library again. They went inside and Link went to change out of the tunic in another room. He felt odd without his clothes on, but supposed that I would be fine for awhile, considering that these ponies seemed to have no taboo against nudity. He gave the clothes to Twilight, who promptly got them washed. "Wait, here. I'll be back in a few minutes."

Link watched her leave and laid his shield and sword out of the ground. How was Twilight going to get a sword and shield? More importantly, he figured, was that fact that Twilight Sparkle probably had no clue how to use them, even if she did get them. Link supposed that he would have to teach her, but he barely knew how to use them in his new form anyway. How was he to teach her what he himself didn't know?

"Rarity said she could have it done by tomorrow," Twilight said as she entered the library again, "It would be done sooner, but she needs to improvise the fabric type to match yours." The purple pony noticed the sword and shield laying on the ground. "Which, I suppose, gives us some time to worry about those."

-LOZ-MLP-

Twilight's magic enveloped the sharp sword, her mind searching it, scanning it, learning its every curve and edge. A rectangular block of metal sat on the ground near her, as well as a few other materials that she thought that she'd need. When her magic's eye had finished scanning the sword, she set it down and levitated the block and materials instead.

"I still don't think you should be doing this," Link said, "It seems like something you are not trained to do."

"Well, of course not," Twilight grunted, "Now be quiet or I'll mess up." The unicorn's horn glowed brightly, and a magenta aura surrounded the materials. Link could not see what was going on, but he hoped fervently that it would work. If Twilight was insistent on having a sword and shield to protect herself, then a sword and shield she would need. It was true that she should be able to protect herself if need be. A bright flash lit the room, and as I receded, Link found that the purple unicorn was very skilled at what she did. For now in her telekinetic grip was a gleaming sword with a magenta handle. It was nearly identical to the deep purple handled sword that he knew as his own.

"You really are amazing, Twilight Sparkle," he said, "Has anyone ever told you that?" Twilight put down the sword next to Link's own, smiling slightly at her work, even if it was for something so dangerous. "Twilight, we are going to have to teach you how to use your sword, but first, do you think you could handle making the shield now?" The purple unicorn thought about it for a minute.

"I believe so," she said, turning to face the shield and pile of supplies next to it. In another spectacular show of magical ability, a shield was made. Twilight had even altered the crest on it to the one of the Equestrian kingdom, which she had extensively talked to Link about while they were considering this plan. "There. Now...I am going to put a strength charm on my sword an shield. Do you wish for me to do yours as well?"

"Of course," Link said, "Anything that protects our gear protects us as well, correct?" Twilight nodded, casting a spell over the two sets of gear. They seemed to shimmer more, Link noticed, as stronger things often did in his own universe. "Now, Twilight Sparkle. Are you ready to learn how to fight?"

Informing

A feeling of dread filled Twilight Sparkle when she awoke the next morning. She felt as though something bad was going to happen, and that fear was augmented when Link approached her as she got out of bed. "Twilight, your friends are here to see you." She only wished to get it over with, and so headed straight downstairs. A sudden collective gasp met her, and she saw her friends staring at her in awe. She wondered what was wrong until she realized something.

She was still wearing her purple tunic, complete with the sword and shield that she had somehow managed to sleep while wearing. She bit her lip and started babbling, "Uh...hi, guys, what's up? Link told me you were here, so I came and...uh..." She noticed that Rarity was staring at her without the confused awe as the others. It was more of a respectful thing, and it greatly confused Twilight.

"Twilight," the white unicorn said, "I'm guessing that you weren't carving yesterday, were you?" Twilight looked over as Link entered the room, himself also fully dressed with sword and shield, and sighed.

"No," she admitted, "No, we weren't." Twilight realized that she had crossed this bridge and burned it, because there was no turning back. She had to tell them the truth. "Truth is, girls, that Link here was teaching me how to use this." She grabbed her sword in her mouth and unsheathed it, trying her very hardest to look heroic. Link stepped forward as Twilight put the sword back into its sheath.

"There is a great evil in your world," he said in a low, slightly hushed voice, "An evil that I have been tracking down for such a long time. He has come here to destroy to world, as well as the one that I come from, and we must stop him."

"There are ancient texts," Twilight continued, "That foresee that Link and I have to unleash a great power against this evil and save us all."

"Twilight," Rainbow scoffed, "Been there, done that." The purple unicorn shot the pegasus a glare, and she was silent.

"If'n y'all are goin' to find this 'great evil', maybe we can help?" Applejack suggested, and Link turned to Twilight.

"Twilight, are these not your friends? The ones who you said are the living, breathing embodiments of the Elements of Friendship that you were telling me about?" Twilight nodded slowly, wondering what he was getting at. "Then perhaps they should come with us to aid us in finding ourselves."

"Of, course!" Twilight exclaimed, "As the representation of the Elements, they should all be able to help you discover friendship!" She turned back to her friends. "Rarity, you wouldn't mind making some more of those--" The other unicorn cut her off and used her magic to drag over a small decorative chest. "You...already did?"

"Of course, Twilight. I knew something was up the moment I saw his sword, and I knew that you were going to need out help." She levitated out five different colored tunics, complete with sword sheaths and hats. There a a deep purple one that she assumed was for Rarity, a pink one that Pinkie Pie had already managed to put on, a dark orange one that was a very shades deeper than Applejack's coat, a deep blue one for Rainbow Dash, and a yellow one that was a few shades lighter than Fluttershy's coat. Twilight was impressed.

"Wow, Rarity, that's amazing," Twilight said, "Do you really all want to help? Because I won't force you if you don't."

"I'm with you, Twilight," Rarity insisted, "After all, as the Elements of Harmony, I'm sure that this is just another monster to fight. Perhaps we should take the Elements with us, Twilight? You've still got them, right?"

"Yeah, they're upstairs, but before I get them, I want you all to tell me that you want to do this."

"O' course, Twi," Applejack said, "Anythin' fer the fate of Equestria."

"This'll just prove how awesome I am at saving ponies," Rainbow Dash said, a determined smile on he face.

"I'll do anything to save all my little critter friends," Fluttershy whispered.

"It's going to be so much fun-a-fun-fun!" Pinkie Pie said, jumping up and down excitedly. Twilight looked over at Link and noticed that he looked between Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie with a nervous expression. She could imagine the problems he had running through his head.

"Alright," Twilight said, content with their answer. She trotted upstairs and approached case holding the elements. A sheet had been placed over it to keep the glass from collecting dust, and Twilight levitated it off to get the elements.

Except, something was wrong. The elements. They weren't there. Twilight screamed at the discovery. The most powerful magical devices in all of Equestria were gone! Just gone! Loud, thundering hoofsteps raced up the stairs, and six other ponies, now all clad in their personal tunics, burst into the room. Five of them gasped, but Link just stared, unsure of how to act. This was typical for him. After all, he had had to search for the Triforce over and over to defeat Ganondorf.

"Don't worry," he said, "This is a test. We'll find them. Don't worry." He placed a hoof on Twilight's shoulder. "The elements have most likely been spread out across the land. I've seen this before. It's happened to me time and time again."

"But that was the most powerful magic in all of Equestria..." Twilight whimpered.

"Yes, and that is why it was targeted," Link said, "In my own world, the Triforce is the most powerful object in the world, and this very thing has happened to it many times. I know how to handle this."

"Ooh! Yay! We're going on an adventure, aren't we?" Pinkie asked, her bubbly attitude returned to her.

"Er...yeah, Pinkie," Twilight said, "but first, I need to do something..."

-LOZ-MLP-

Twilight lit her horn for the last time, raising the bundle of objects into the air. With a flash, a sword with a bright pink handle appeared in its place. She sighed, glad to be finished, and looked over her work. Five move swords, each with a handle that matched their owner, and five equestrian shields bordered with a thin line of color to match the swords. Even though she had made these weapons, Twilight was hopeful that her friends would not need to use them.

The Element Bearers plus Link left the library clad in their warrior apparel. Several ponies stopped and stared, but there was no time to stop and explain. As per a suspicion by Link to the whereabouts of one of the elements, they were heading to Apploosa, home of many of Applejack's hard working, and honest, relatives.

"I still don't understand," Twilight said, "Why would it be there?"

"Trust me Twilight, I know what I'm doing," Link insisted as the six mares counted up their bits to buy train tickets. Having no bits, not to mention no rupees, Twilight paid for Link's ticket and they got into a train car. Twilight laid down in one of be seats and closed her eyes. This was going to be a long ride.

Apploosa

"Next stop, Apploosa!" The exclamation on woke Twilight from her rest. She looked around, and found her five closest friends rubbing he sleep from her eyes. She looked over at Link, who was alert and fully awake, and probably hadn't slept much, if any at all. Twilight wondered how he did what he did with so little sleep. Perhaps in his world, the days were different?

As their group trotted out onto the station, Applejack found herself looking around, searching for a certain familiar face. Upon not finding it, she sighed, relived, and trotted casually on with the others. She found however, that the familiar face did surface as they stepped off of the platform. "Howdy y'all! I never seen ponies dressed like you are!" Braeburn. Apparently, he had not recognized her yet, so Applejack didn't say anything. She knew however, that he was bound to notice eventually.

"Hi, Braeburn! Remember me? I'm Pinkie Pie!" Especially when a certain pink pony was in their midst.

"Miss Pie? What're y'all doin' dressed like that?" the stallion asked, "Well, while yer here, how's my cousin, Applejack?"

"Oh, Applejack's fine! But I don't know why you wanted me to tell you that, because Applejack's right here!" Pinkie was suddenly behind Applejack and shoved her forward towards her cousin. Braeburn stared at her fora moment.

"Cousin Applejack?" he asked, "What're you doing here?"

"It's complicated, Braeburn. Y'all wouldn't have happened to have seen anything out of the ordinary recently, would ya?"

"I don't think so...Oh, but there was that strange light that shot off towards the Orchard a few days ago. Is that 'out of the ordinary'?"

"That sounds like just the lead we need," Twilight said, and Braeburn jumped at her voice, surprised.

"Miss Twilight! I didn't know you were here too! Are all your friends here, coz?"

"Eeyup, they are, Braeburn. Now, if you'd excuse us, we need to go check out that light thingy y'all was talkin' about." Applejack started a brisk trot towards the Apple Orchard, and the others followed. Braeburn watched them for a minute then, with a devilish speed that would've made Pinkie proud, he appeared next to Applejack.

"Why don't I come with ya? Seeing as it was me who saw the light in the first place, and I know where it landed, thought never did find anything to suggest an impact."

Applejack sighed, "Alright, Braeburn, you can come." He smiled broadly at her. "Now, lead us to where ya saw the light go." The goofy smile still plastered to his face, Braeburn led them across town and through the Apple Orchard. He stopped very abruptly and Applejack tumbled into him, her friends soon following in her wake. Link however, managed to stay upright and trotted up to Braeburn.

"Is this the exact location of the light's impact?" he asked. Braeburn looked up at him, as if noticing him for the first time.

"As close as I can come," he said, "and, cousin Applejack seems to have forgot her manners again. Might I ask just who you are?"

"Link," the tan pony said, "The Hero of Time." Braeburn raised an eyebrow.

"Mighty important soundin'. Anyways, this is where the light landed. I looked everywhere, but I couldn't find any signs of the thing."

Applejack listened to her cousin's words, and found herself thinking that perhaps this was not the place they were looking our at all. However, after a second, she felt a surge of...something that reached into her very being. It was calling to her. She took a few steps forward, separating herself from the group, and closed her eyes, trying to figure out where the calling was coming from.

"Cousin Applejack...?" Braeburn asked slowly, raising a hoof towards Applejack. Link reached out a hoof to stop him before he could touch her.

"Don't," he warned, "She's trying to find the light." Braeburn looked hesitant, but he lowered his hoof.

Applejack could hear voices. I sounded like they were singing. But where were they coming from? She could hear it, but she couldn't see where it was coming from. She didn't know what to do. "Link?" she asked, "What do I do?"

"Um, I'm not quite sure. What are you doing?"

"I'm listenin'. I can hear it, and it's callin' me, but I can't find it."

"Open your eyes."

"A-alright," Appejack said, uncertainly. She opened her eyes, and something seemed very wrong with the world. Everything was dark. The shady outlines of trees were all she could see. She turned, trying to find a source of light.

And there it was! Bright as day! A light that seemed to be coming from on of the trees itself. She trotted forward and raised a hoof to touch the tree. As soon as he hoof touched the wood, she felt a strong force pushing her back. She closed her eye as her body was tossed backwards and she landed on the ground. When she opened her eyes again, everything seemed fine. Her vision was normal, and nothing seemed to have changed.

Except, of course, that now emblazoning the tree she had touched was a bright orange jewel shape. She gaped at it, before turning to the others. "What the buck did I just do?"

"Cousin Applejack, watch your language!" Braeburn scolded, but Applejack paid him no mind.

"You've found the entrance," Link said.

"Entrance? I thought I was lookin' fer an Element."

"Yes, well, it's never that simple," Link sighed, "I'm sure that we have a way to go before we actually find the Element. Not to mention that we still have to get in." He turned to Applejack. "Stab your sword into that mark."

Braeburn gasped, and Applejack recoiled, slightly alarmed. Braeburn howled, "But that's Bloomberg! It's Applejack's favorite tree!" Link nodded slowly.

"Yes, I suppose it would be. It would be natural for the Element to attach to something that Applejack feels so strongly about,but all the same, Applejack, I'm sure that you must do this."

Applejack raised her sword and prepared to strike the tree. Braeburn bit his lip and stared at her, whimpering slightly. Sweat trickled down her face as she tried to make herself drive the blade into the tree, but finally, she dropped the sword and sighed, defeated. "I can't." She galloped off.

"Why doesn't one of us do it for her?" Twilight asked.

"We can't," Link explained, "This is meant for Applejack alone, and only she can open it. Even if we used her sword, we could not make it work, and we would likely end up destroying the tree in the process." Link picked up the fallen sword and began to trot towards the town. "Come on. We should go back to the town and eat. We haven't eaten since before we got on the train, and I'm sure you're all hungry. We need to be able to get Applejack to do this. One of you must convince her."

"But what if we can't?" Fluttershy whispered. Link looked over at her.

"Then we are all doomed."

New Skills

Link, being the skilled hero that he was, had little difficulty transferring the sword skills he was used to using his hands for into different forms that he could perform with the blade in his mouth. At first, it had been an awkward way to hold a sword, but he had gotten used to it. Twilight and himself were practicing outside of Ponyville in a wide open clearing. Twilight levitated over some logs for them to practice on.

"The simplest moves are like this," Link said, grabbing his sword in his teeth. He cut sideways once across the log, leaving a deep, clean cut, and then he performed a verticals cut, which cut the log completely in two. Turning to another log, he performed a spin attack, splitting the log in half with a loud "HEEEYAH!!" Twilight cringed.

"I don't know if I can do this," she said, eyeing the sharp blade of her own sword, which sat on the ground. Link sighed.

"You'll do fine," he said, "but don't hold anything back. There's no need to be gentle." Twilight bit her lip and took her own sword in her teeth. Cautiously, she approached a fresh log and raised her sword. With a dull 'thwack', metal hit wood, but it was barely a cut off of the thing. Link groaned faintly.

"I told you I can't do this," Twilight grumbled, spitting out the weapon. She sat back on her haunches and hung her head, defeated.

"Twilight..." Link said, coming over and sitting next to her, "You can't expect to be good at something your first try. Here, what makes you really angry?"

"Well..." Twilight thought, "When Spike leaves the books out with their pages open." Link gave her a quick, confused look before shrugging and continuing on.

"Okay, now I want to to imagine that he left ALL the books out like that," Link said. Twilight gasped, her expression looking mortified. "Yes! Now I want you to take out your anger on that log!" Twilight stood again and gripped the sword between her teeth. The sword collided with the log, and splinters flew. Link raised a foreleg to protect himself from the shards. "Good! Very good!"

"Wow!" Twilight said, breathing hard, "I had no idea I could do that!"

"All it takes is a little perseverance, Twilight," Link said, "I knew you could do it." He patted her on the shoulder with his hoof before they continued their practicing. Link had to admit, Twilight was a pretty fast learner despite how much he knew she didn't want to hurt anything. He hoped for the life of him that she'd never actually have to use any of the skills he was teaching her. "Would you rather practice shield methods?"

"If you don't mind," Twilight said, instantly dropping her sword. She slipped the shield onto her foreleg. Link did the same.

"Okay, what you need to do is remember that you always have this with you. It's imperative. Whenever you are up against an enemy, you should have your shield ready." He raised his shield into a defensive position, and Twilight mimicked the action. "If an enemy tries to strike you, you can push forward with your shield agains his sword to momentarily disable him." He pushed the shield forward slightly and snapped back. Twilight tried to copy and did rather well, considering, but she seemed slow, and Link hoped that it wouldn't affect her fighting, but he had to make sure. He lowered his shield and picked up a stick in his teeth.

"What are you doing?" Twilight asked. Link set the stic down against he could speak.

"I want you to try to block me and use the shield thrust to disable me if you can," he explained, but Twilight looked hesitant, "Don't worry, I'm just using this stick." She nodded and raised her shield. Link took up the stick in his teeth again and prepared to strike.

The first strike glanced off the shield, and Twilight made no attempt to disable him. She's smart, he thought, you never go for disabling right away unless you're a pro. The second and third strikes were met with much the same, but the fourth was when she tried to disable him for the first time. Unfortunately, she was a little late, and nothing happened. Seeing her mistake, she quickly adjusted and had timed it perfectly for the next blow. Link was fairly certain she had done it right, considering that he felt disoriented.

"Are you okay, Link?" she asked, and Link looked over at her, smiling broadly.

"I'm fine Twilight. I've been in much worse situations," Link said, "This is nothing." Twilight found that a little unnerving, but she had no time to dwell on the matter as a white unicorn approached the area. It would seem that Rarity had finished her tunic.

"Twilight, darling! I've been looking everywhere for you! It took me awhile, but I finally finished this for you!" The alabaster pony levitated over what was unmistakably a tunic. It was purple, unlike the bright green of Link's own tunic, which had also been brought, but other than that, they were near identical, right down to the hat that went with it. Rarity had even found something to make the straps and a sheith out of, just like Link's had. Twilight briefly wondered if Rarity knew what the outfit was for, and decided that it was near impossible to know, unless-- "Twilight? Whatever have you done to those logs? It looks like you were trying to cut firewood."

Twilight panicked just a little bit, but managed to stay a least partly composed and she replied, "Well, you see..." She stopped, unsure of what to say next. What was Rarity going to think of her? She bit her lip.

"This is my doing, miss Rarity," Link said, "We were, um, trying our han--hooves at carving." Twilight nodded slowly, unsure if she was okay with lying to Rarity like this, though she did not want to have Link go to all that trouble just for her to blow it.

"Yeah," Twilight added nervously, "I, uh, I'm not too good at it though." She levitated all the logs into a pile. "Thanks for making this for me, Rarity. It's great, just like everything else you make." Twilight took the tunic from Rarity and levitated Link's over to him. He was very grateful that his clothing had been returned to him. He didn't much care for not wearing clothes.

Rarity left, though a bit too slowly and with a constant eye on the pile of logs, and Twilight carefully inspected the tunic that had been made for her. "I hope you don't mind that I lied to her," Link said, "It's just that you looked like you didn't want her to know."

"Thanks," Twilight said, trying to put on the tunic. She wasn't quite sure how to, but finally, after a little trial and error, she managed to get it on. It was actually pretty comfortable, and the sheith at her side didn't abstruct her movement any. She slid the shield onto her leg and placed the sword in its sheith to complete the look. Though she couldn't see what she looked like, she figured that it was probably amazing, as was the norm with anything made by Rarity. She found her mind wandering.

"Twilight?" The eyes of the pony in question snapped towards the one wh had spoken. Link was staring at her with an eyebrow raised slightly.

"Yeah?"

"It's getting a bit late, isn't it?" Link asked, "I know that I usually have no trouble protecting myself at night, but perhaps we should head inside? Your princess, er, Celestia, was it? Yes, well, she'll be lowing the sun soon."

"Oh, of course! You don't mind sleeping at the library, do you?"

"Of course not, Twilight. I've slept in much less comfortable spots after all. You don't need to worry for me," a yawn interrupted him, "Oh, sorry about that. I'm not usually tired at this time of day. I was tired last night as well, though I figured that it was just stress..." he stopped talking for a moment, blushing ever so slightly, "I'd hate to bore you though, so perhaps we ought to go before I start rambling."

The two tunic clad ponies walked back to the library. Twilight was relieved that everypony had already retired to their houses for the night. She wasn't sure what they'd think if they saw her waltzing about town in her new get up, and she planned to keep anypony from seeing it for as long as possible. She supposed that Rarity might tell about the strange clothing she had made for Twilight, but even the alabaster unicorn didn't actually know what it was for, besides wearing, and to store a sword in... Twilight shuddered, wondering what it would have been like had their roles been reversed. Would she have done something like that for Rarity if she knew it full intent? What would Rarity, as well as the rest of her friends, think when they learned of what Twilight had to do?

Not tonight, she thought, Don't worry about it tonight. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it.