Link looked around at the village. Slowly, his gaze revolved and fixed itself on Emerald. "What is here to look at?"

Emmy looked around as well, making a mental note of what Link might enjoy. "Let's see here... There's the windmill over there," she pointed at a large wooden structure, "two shops that way," she pointed once more, "a haunted house," another point, "and right down there is the graveyard." Emerald looked at Link. "Where to first?"

"The graveyard's closest. We can start there." He peered over the edge of the red roof and saw a wooden balcony. Easy way down. He stepped off, landing easily on the balcony. What he didn't expect, was the wood to give way under his weight. Link fell through the boards, and landed heavily on his feet.

"AAH!" A mare shrieked. A flock of chickens flew frighteningly fast out of their fenced in area. "No! What have you done?!" the mare asked rather loudly. "My chickens!"

In apology, Link held up his hands. "Terribly sorry, ma'am." He pointed up to the hole he made. Beyond which stood Emmy shaking her head with a small grin. "The balcony was weaker than I thought it'd be."

"You... insolent - " The mare sighed, and shook her head. "You caused my beloved chickens to fly the coop. I expect you to round them up yourself. That's 7 chickens in total. Oh, and you have until nightfall."

Navi flew out and glanced at Link. "It is kinda your fault, Link."

"I know, I know," he responded. "That's 7, right?" She nodded. "They can't have gone too far." Link turned his head to Emmy. "C'mon. We got work to do."

"Sure thing," she agreed. Emmy hovered down to Link as he got out of the pen. "I saw where they went, so this'll be a snap."

Link saw a chicken already. But catching them... Not so much. Carefully, he approached the chicken, and easily picked it up. It made no problems for him, even as he carried it and placed it in its home.

"6 more, trouble-maker," the mare scolded.

"I got it..." Who's harsher, this mare or my captain? He looked at Emmy. "Next?"

"Next closest is behind that fence over there." She pointed left, at a tall metal fence that stood beyond a stone circle under a wood arch.

Ahead of her, Link walked, eager to finish fast. "Emmy..." he started, "the one behind that fence... I don't think I can get at that one."

"That's because you haven't tried yet. You scared them, not me." She shrugged. "Sorry, but it's not my task to fetch them."

Well, it was worth a shot. He looked up at the tall fence before him. There's footholds I can use... No, it'll hurt my hands grabbing at metal edges... Link turned and looked behind him, noticing the stone staircase leading up and overhead. With a good idea in mind, he walked up the stairs and got his better view.

Emmy followed him. "So, what's your plan? What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking I can make this jump." Link noticed a fence to the left. I can use this to get more distance out of my jump.

The pegasus laughed at him. "You're a funny one, huh? Sorry, but I don't think you can make it from here to there."

"Scoff if you must, Emmy, but I'm getting over there." He backed way up, and stood beside a door. Focus. Keep up my momentum. Jump up and land at knee's height on the last fence post. Link looked close at the landing on the other side of the gap. There's a bit of land that goes down some stairs there... Should avoid rolling too far.

"Wait, you're serious?" she asked, looking at him in disbelief.

"Tell me, how sturdy is that fence there?"

Emmy tried moving it a little and failed. "Plenty sturdy... Link I don't think you should-"

"I've thought plenty. Might want to move." In a full on sprint, he dashed at the edge of the fence. With a first leap, he placed his foot on the fence post. His momentum did the trick as he sailed over the gap. As he landed, his feet slid from under him, causing him to tuck and roll against the ground, stopping just short of the stairs.

"You alright, Link?" Navi asked in concern, hovering around him. He nodded. "Good."

"Too bad it's a one-way trip." When he looked at Emmy's platform, he noticed it was higher up than the one he now stood on.

Emmy flew over easily. "You got guts, I'll give you that much. There's one down there, and- Hm? Hey, there's a ladder over there." She pointed at a tall wooden ladder leaning against a raised area going around back of the windmill. When Link looked, he saw a chicken atop the platform.

He picked up the chicken and carried it up the ladder carefully. At the top, he gathered the other chicken and walked around the stone wall, coming out the other side. Below, he could easily see the chicken coop. Emmy had followed him the whole way.

"These guys flew to some strange parts..." Emmy noted. "I thought chickens couldn't fly at all."

"Chickens with clipped wings can't fly. Seems like nopony did that here." He looked down the side and thought for a few moments. Then, he held up the chickens and gave them a toss. The two sailed through the air, landing safely in the coop. "That makes three." He and Emmy went down the ladder and back up the stairs. Atop his landing area, Link knelt and grabbed the ledge. In a few bits of hesitation, he let go, sliding down the wall, and landing rather heavily.

With 4 more to find, and Link not knowing where they were, he followed Emmy. One was found near the village gates. A second was discovered near her temporary home in an overturned crate. The third one was located near the gate to the mountain. While the fourth and final chicken was seen on a ledge that proved harder to reach, but with Emmy's help, it was reduced to child's play.

As all of the chickens returned, the mare smiled. "Thank you, trouble-maker. You're alright. I'd have done it, but... I'm allergic..."

Link lowered his head to kind of glare at her. "You're allergic... to your own chickens?"

"Unsightly so, yes I am."

"That explains their unclipped wings..." Link summed up.

"Well, for helping me out when you could have simply left it for me to do, I give you this." She took out a glass bottle with nothing in it. "It's a bottle of fine glass, and in time, it will prove itself to be invaluable to you." He took it and stored it in his pouch.

Emmy asked, "So, we went all around... Anywhere catch your eye?"

"Didn't you say there was a haunted house around here?" he replied, walking away from the chicken mare.

"I did." Quietly, she flew ahead of him, to lead him into town.

Link followed closely, and Navi as his side. "What can you tell me about this place?" he asked.

The folks around here," Emmy started, "tell me that a ridiculously wealthy family lived here. And due to their greed, they were cursed."

He scoffed. "Curses aren't real, everypony knows that."

She turned quick to face him. "You better start believing in curses. There're no lights, no furniture, no nothing. But webs... Webs everywhere."

"Heh. Sounds like the opener to a bad story." She huffed at him. "No offense to you."

Emmy sighed. "Well, you'll see when we get there. All 6 members of their family got hit with it. And nopony anywhere knows how to lift it. Not that anypony went looking. I'd wager they know how, but nopony even wants to go inside, much less talk to them. Who knows? They might end up being cursed as well."

"You keep tossing that 'curse' word around..."

The three got to the door; it was on the other side of the ledge they found their final chicken. Navi hovered up and looked inside the web-covered, cracked window. "Looks spooky in there. You sure you want inside?"

Without hesitation, Link nodded. It might actually be haunted. He knocked loudly on the door. "Anypony home?"

Some of the townsfolk gathered around to see what he was up to, but none dared approach. "If you get cursed, it's not my fault," Emmy assured.

"I'll be fine." He knocked again, but only once more. His fist went through the door. "Oh, uh... Oops." Link tried the doorknob.

"Breaking and entering?" Navi asked, earning a glare from Link.

"Come on..." She quietly landed on his shoulder. "Inspecting, investigating, that sort of thing." Looking back to Emmy, he offered, "You can stay out here in the light if you want."

Emmy sighed and looked to her sides. Then, quickly followed in after him. "Alright, I'm coming in too..." The door shut behind them as soon as all entered.

The air inside was cold, and sounds of skittering filled the hollow room. It reeked of an unpleasant scent, something none of the three could place. There were a few portraits on the walls. One of which pictured 7 ponies.

"Must be the family..." Navi commented.

"Stay close to me," Link requested. She obeyed, hiding under his hat. A small shadow descended on his left. As he looked, he drew his blade and stood ready.

"Please... hurt us not..." it asked calmly. Wary, Link approached the being. "I am the youngest, of 4, yet my kin fear more than I."

Link replied, sheathing his sword, You've no reason to fear me." A closer look at it revealed a creature with a face, 8 ... legs coming out of its sides, and a long, thin wire, suspending it above the floor. "You... What are you?"

"We, are ponies, cursed by an evil will. We took the form you see, as a result."

"Told you it was a curse," Emmy bragged.

Link sighed. "Your whole family, yes?"

"Correct," it replied. "Tell me, would you be willing to help?"

"Sure, why not?" The creature retreated to the ceiling.

Previously quiet skittering grew loud, before falling silent once more. A much larger creature came down to his right and greeted. "Hello. Sorry to scare you, we mean no harm."

"No, no worries. Heard you needed help." Link studied the creature closely.

"Scattered to the corners of Equestria, on the very winds, are exactly 100 golden spiders. Their bodies turned to gold, each one must be slain, their gold retrieved and returned here. Do not think I ask this of you for nothing in return."

"100, huh..." Link asked. "How big are they?"

The creature shook itself. "I don't know. Long has it been since we even had visitors. I know not what size they've grown to, if at all."

"Alright. Well, I can't guarantee I'll find them all, but it's worth a look." He shrugged.

The creature appeared to be smiling. That is all that we could ask of you. Thank you for your offer."

Link bowed and turned. 100 gold spiders... Together, the three of them left the house and closed the door with more care than when they opened it. "So, there are curses."

"Yeah," Emmy replied. "Next time, believe me."

He paused and looked ahead. "What's that building there?"

"I'm pretty sure it's a new addition to the village..." Emmy answered.

"I can see that," Link retorted. "What's it gonna be?"

Navi came out of hiding. "I think one of the signs said, 'Shooting Gallery'."

"What sign?" Link asked. "The fairy led him around the area to a wall with an advertisement on it. "'Construction overhead. Shooting Gallery to open by next year!' Huh..." On it, was a picture of a target with an arrow shaft coming out of its bull's eye. "Fairly certain I'm too young to be using those."

"Well, then I guess you gotta wait anyway, huh kid?" Emmy teased.

"Unfortunately..."

"Hey, don't be sad. Bows are serious stuff." He nodded. "Where to next?"

"Hmm... What's left?" Link asked.

Emmy landed and listed, "The windmill right there, the graveyard, and the shops. Basically, everything we were gonna look at first."

"To the windmill then." Link walked ahead of Emmy up the stairs to the windmill. "This place is a lot bigger than it looks."

As they got to the door, Emmy opened it. "There's only ever one guy here. And he's cool with visitors."

Inside was almost entirely wooden. Music filled the air, coming from a pony with a strange instrument. His endless cranking on this instrument led to an endless melody. It was upbeat, with a nice tempo.

Link approached the stallion. "Excuse me?"

"Go around!" he replied instantly. "Round and round, the windmill spins." Link, Navi, and Emmy looked between each other. "I'm a musician, and I love going round and round."

"I couldn't tell," Link replied. "So what exactly are you doing here?"

"If it wasn't obvious, I'm trying to create a piece of musical art based on the theme of this windmill... going around and around..."

Link blinked a few times. "That's it?"

"Well, yeah. You expected more?" Link nodded. "Alright. I make rolls with notes every sunday. After I hook the ends together, I stand here all day and try to decide if it's the right one. I've gone through hundreds, even trying the same ones over again."

"How long have you been at it?" Navi asked him.

For once, the stallion stopped cranking, in turn, stopping the melody. "Hmm... I don't know." He started up again. "Been doing this so long, it's my life's work. Might as well be anyway."

"This particular one... Have you the notes on paper?" Link asked.

"Nonsense boy. If you want to play it, you must dive into it, immerse yourself in music enough to hear a song and play it back immaculately."

Link sighed. "I guess. What's the windmill here for anyway?"

"You saw the well outside, yes? The windmill draws up its water, and makes it available for the townsfolk. It so much as slows, and the well loses its pressure."

"How about if it speeds up?" Link asked.

"Then the well would run dry..."

"That sounds bad..." Emmy admitted. The stallion nodded.

"Let's go see it," Link suggested. They bid their farewells and headed for the exit. He turned and added, "For what it's worth, I think you're on to something with this one." The three left the windmill.

Emmy walked with Link to the well, which had a stone border and a wooden arch over it. On one side, another wooden sign read...

"'Dark! Narrow! Scary! Well of Three Features'. Well, they forgot 'boring'." Link looked over the stone border.

"All it does is supply water to the entire village," Emmy summed. "Pretty sure it doesn't need to actually do anything else."

Link saw a ladder on one of the inner walls. "The water's a few feet below the line here... And there's a ladder too..."

"Most likely for maintenance access." Emmy saw Link get pulled away by a dark orange aura.

"Careful kid," the pony said. "I've been around long enough to know that going in's a bad idea."

Slowly, Link turned and saw an old stallion in a blue cloak. "You must be wise. What have you heard of it? The well, I mean."

The stallion cleared his throat and sat down slowly. "That well there's got a story. A long time ago, there was a stallion in this very village who had an eye they said could see... the truth!" He leaned forward and stomped his hoof for emphasis. "Now usually, you have to train your mind's eye strenuously to see the truth, but this fella..." He began laughing. Link and Emmy turned away in almost embarrassment, only to turn back to him once he continued. "No, this fella, he had a different way of doing things...

"And his house stood where the well is now," he ended.

"That's a bit scary. An eye to see the truth." Link looked back at the well. "Eh, it's a long way down, and I can't hold my breath that long."

"Heh. Good kid. Best be movin' along now." He vanished in a puff of magic.

Emmy flew in front of him. "He was weird, yeah?"

Link nodded. "I didn't want to say anything. Anyway..."

Navi asked, "Where to next?"

Link looked around. "What's that way?"

Emmy thought a moment. "The graveyard. It's a rather grim place to be."

"Not scared are you?" Navi asked, smiling.

"Not a chance!" Emmy and Link nearly shouted in unison. They looked at each other and shared a laugh.

The three went to the graveyard and stood at the gate, looking around. There was a hut to the right. and a large array of headstones with fences lining the pathways through them. The headstones covered several elevated areas as well.

"Welcome to the graveyard!" a little colt greeted. "The guy that runs this place is a little under the weather, but I'm more than qualified to answer any questions you may have." The colt spoke with a harshness.

"Alright... Who's buried here?" Navi asked, hovering before the colt.

Roughly, the colt cleared his throat. "Our land here is reserved for members of the royal family, members of the royal guard, a few nobles here and there, oh and one is reserved for the gravekeeper. That was an easy one."

"Okay, smarty... How about this one: How many headstones are there and how many are actually buried here?" Emerald took her turn asking.

"There are 21 headstones, but there are more than 2 dozen actually buried here. Next?"

Link asked, "So... With that many here, surely there's a 'most important'. Who would that be?"

The colt pointed to the far back of the graveyard. "A married couple. Musicians, they were. Crescendo the Rising, and Diminuendo the Falling. They wrote music for the royal sisters back when they ruled in the Everfree forest. Their songs are still in use to this day, though maybe not their final works."

"BOY!!" a gravely voice called, "I HUNGER!! BRING WATER TOO!!" It came from the hut.

"Under the weather, huh..." Link asked with doubt.

"Yes. But just you wait and see. This ain't nothing serious at all! He's gonna jump up outta that hut and lead the gravedigging tour like he used to! You'll see!" The colt ran into town and out of sight.

Both Link and Emmy watched him disappear. "Alright. Well, let's go." Link turned back and headed to the two headstones in the rear.

"Wha-! Hey!" She followed after him. "Just what do you think you're doing?"

"I'm investi-" He felt her tug at his arm. "Investigating... It's what I do best." His pace slowed not, as he went on explaining. "Musicians from back when the sisters ruled as one. I'm willing to bet there's something for me to learn from them. History or music..."

"But they're dead." She had let him go, but did not ease her argument. "What could they possibly tell you? It's not like they know you're coming or anything."

"There's a chance they left something for the rightful holder of the ocarina on which I called you. And as the rightful holder, at least so far, it falls to me to discover it if it exists."

"This is a bad idea..." Emmy walked behind him.

"Then stay behind," Navi said, sitting on Link's shoulder.

Link turned and faced Navi, smiling. "Great idea." He turned further. "You should stay up here. Keep a watch out for the colt."

"Hey, I never said I was leaving you. Just that what you're trying to do is pointless."

Quickly, Link turned, almost knocking Navi off in the process. "It's not pointless! I'm doing this because I have a feeling there's something for me to learn here! I'm usually right, too. And I wasn't kidding. You stay up here and keep watch." He turned once more and walked the rest of the way in silence. Emmy notably had her head down.

The headstone stood half his height taller than him, and several times wider. To each side stood a headstone. Much smaller than the one they accompanied. One for Crescendo the Rising, and the other for Diminuendo the Falling. "Be warned..." a feminine voice called. Link looked up and saw dark clouds forming over the graveyard. Rain began to fall as he looked back at the stone. "Beyond the ground lies a royal tomb."

"Turn back while you still can," a male voice added. "For if one more step you take, then-" The voice stopped as Link took out his ocarina. "... That it would return to us so soon... Is surprising."

"So you are knowledgeable of it." Link grinned. "Is there anything you can teach me about it?" He almost sounded desperate. "Everypony I know just knows it holds some power. But other than that, nothing..."

The wife, Crescendo, appeared in a flash of yellow light. She wore an old style dress, with several yellow and white layers. "A strange creature you are..."

In a deep blue flash, Diminuendo, the husband, also appeared. He wore a kind of suit, made from dark blues and black. "Honey, he's different, not strange." He turned and looked at Link.

"You asked what it is we can teach you, yes?" Link nodded. "If you can reach the end of this tomb, then you will be taught."

"End of the tomb?" Link echoed.

"That's what I said," Crescendo replied. "There's a path underground that leads to our actual resting place. A pair of songs are etched into the stone. We'd teach you them now, but..." The two looked between each other. "We forgot what they were."

"Naturally," Link said under his breath. He looked down and saw the Triforce marked on the stone beneath him. "And I bet you can't tell me how to get inside."

"You'd be right. If you truly are the chosen one, then you already know how." Diminuendo floated to him to get a better look. "What'd you say your name was?"

Link hesitated. "I'll tell you once I return." He put the ocarina to his lips and played Celestia's Lullaby.

Seconds later, a lightning bolt struck the headstone, sending chunks of stone into the dirt wall behind it. Link was also thrown back from the force of the impact. Emmy had hidden behind a fence behind Link, while Navi held on for dear life. Link got to his feet, after a few moments, and looked to see a square hole in the ground.

"That's the entrance, huh..." he asked, walking closer to it. Looking down, he saw a glowing object. "Alright... Here goes..." He jumped feet first down the hole. His foot caught a vine near the end of it and turned him, causing him to land on his shielded back.

"You alright down there?" Crescendo asked, looking down at him.

"I'm alright..."

"Do me a favor, and play the left one first!" she called again.

Diminuendo argued, "No, the right one! It's better than the one on the left!"

"Or I could, you know, not play either! That's a good idea!" Link got to his feet and dusted himself off. Looking around, he asked, "Where am I..." Ahead of him, he saw a set of stone stairs, leading down. "Navi, you good?"

The ball of light emerged from behind Link. "Yeah, I'm good." She dimmed her light a little. Link walked down the stairs to a small room, opposite which, he saw a set of stairs leading upward to a door of some kind. "Odd..." she noted. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw little red circles. "Link, I don't think we're alone down here..."

He turned at what Navi meant, and saw a pair of eyes, glowing red. They belonged to a skeleton of a pony, who's likely been there for centuries. Even had a rusted broken sword at its side. Probably eroded due to the passing of time... "Hm?" Link turned around, as though he heard something behind him. Against the opposite wall, there sat another skeleton, with black sockets. This one was a unicorn. He walked to it. "Hey Navi... Who do you think these are?"

"Hmm... Maybe guards set to defend the buried here..."

Link walked up the stairs, glancing around the room. At the door, he studied it. Pushing and pulling did nothing. Hmm. "There's a handle on the bottom here..." Carefully, he picked up the heavy wooden door and walked under it to the next room, letting it slam shut behind him and Navi.

That room stunk like corpses, which hit Link hard. Along the walls, he noticed, coffins were standing upright, each with either a sun or a moon on the surface.

"Who did they say was buried here?" Link asked, glancing about the room as he walked.

Navi responded slowly, "I think they said they were buried here..."

"I don't think they are the only ones. Why would musicians merit the burial of royal guards?"

In the large room, a path led through a poisonous pond. Link walked carefully over the path There was a hole in the wall opposite the entrance. He continued until he came to a headstone. To the left, was a series of notes. On the right, a different set. Link took out his journal and copied the melodies exactly as he saw them, leaving space beneath and above for descriptions and titles respectively.

Navi looked them over, then read the headstone's engraving. "'Restless souls wander where they don't belong, bring them calm with the Sun's Song'." Below it, was another couplet. "'Lunar Requiem you must play, if you wish the night to stay.' ... I don't get it."

Link flipped to the next page and copied the inscription verbatim. "Well, we got what we came for. Let's head back." He turned and immediately froze. I - I can't move!

Before him, hobbled a creature, with rotting limbs and a shambling walk. In a gravely voice, it commanded, "Get... Out..."

Though he tried as hard as he might, Link couldn't move a muscle. Move! My body's not responding!

"Link! Watch out!" Navi shouted. With the shock, Link ducked and dove out of the way. The creature lunged at him, mouth open. As if in slow motion, Link watched as the creature bashed its face into the stone. It turned and gave Link a shriek and a glare, before getting to its hooves. Not missing a beat, Link got up and bolted out of the room, stowing his notebook and drawing his weapons.

Outside that room, Link froze again, as 7 more guards advanced on his location. No! Not again! With his will alone, Link broke free, and drove his sword down the side of the 'zombie' that was closest. If I'm gonna keep freezing, then I'll need to get my attack up before I do. It crumpled as Link ran around the path. He successfully cleaved two in half before he got half way down the path. Just before he froze, Link jumped and raised his sword. The creature in front of him was slow, but eager to bite him. It got just close enough, so when Link unfroze, his blade split the 'zombie' down the middle. I can freeze in mid-air... One of the slower ones just watched him attack, close to the wall.

Link took this opportunity to run along the wall and cut off its head before leaping off and rolling, thrusting his sword into another 'zombie'. Using his foot, he slid his sword off the creature and felt something on his back. In a panic, he jumped straight up and leaned back, falling squarely on the 'zombie', squishing it between his back and the ground. Link jumped forward and rolled under another who lunged at his side, and over the one he'd slain with the thrust. Looking around, the others that remained followed, too slow to catch up to him.

Out of the immediate danger he was in before, Link opened and closed the door behind him, leaving the poison pond room. He dropped to his knees and caught his breath. "What- was- that?!"

Navi got to his eye level and asked, "Did it bite you? The one on your back, I mean?" Link checked for holes with his hand and shook his head. "Good."

From the edge of his vision, he saw the skeletons start to move. The first one picked up its broken sword while the other reached for a spear. "Oh no..." Link tried to move his legs and failed at first. Only after he took a deep breath and calmed down, did his legs finally respond. Sheathing his sword and shield, he stood and waited. The closer they got, the lower Link bent over. When the two stood at the bottom of the stairs, Link sprinted and leapt over the two skeletons. Not looking back, he ran to the glowing panel under the hole he came in. Alright, time to leave. In moments, Link was lifted into the air by an unseen force. On the surface, he landed.

Crescendo, Diminuendo, and Emmy waited for him, the latter appeared before him and hugged him. "You're safe! I felt some dark energy down there."

Link glared at the ghosts. "Why are the two of you guarded by Royal Guards? What exactly were you two researching in life that you needed guards to die for it with you?"

The two looked at each other, frowned, and looked back at him. "Alright", Crescendo started, "To tell the truth, each of us was studying a different song, one to summon the sun and another to summon the moon."

"We served the Royal Family, and were assigned to study the hereditary mystic powers of the princesses. Though we never could figure out how they actually did it, we were able to replicate controlling the sun and moon with the tones of ocarinas." Diminuendo looked at his wife.

Crescendo looked at Link closely. "You found two songs, right? There was one on the left, and another on the right of the headstone. The left one is mine. It brings awakening, passes the night, and brings the morning. The Sun's Song."

"Mine is the right one. It brings rest, finishes the day, and brings out the moon. Lunar Requiem." Diminuendo added. "A pair of melodies." Carefully, Link took out his notepad, and after catching his breath and retrieving his writing utensil, he wrote all their information. "just don't play the Sun's Song when it's already out. Same applies to Lunar Requiem and the moon."

"Why not? Link asked.

The two fell silent. Then, the mare answered, "I'm not sure... We don't know what would happen." They shrugged.

Link looked at the two, then Emmy. "Well, I think I got all I came for. Let's go."

Crescendo flew in front of him. "Wait..." she said. "You said you'd say what your name was..."

He turned, then glanced back. "My name is Link. I'd say remember it, but... It's unimportant."

Diminuendo flew and stood behind him. "Rubbish. It's a name. It alone can make you strong. Trust me, I know." The ghosts watched as Link and Emmy walked out of the graveyard. "Think he'll be alright? The ocarina is a heavy burden to bear."

Crescendo nodded, and started to fade. "I know... Still, he's a long time away from summoning windstorms."

Outside, in the village, Link looked at Emmy and asked, "You said there were shops here?"

She nodded. "Two of them. Yes."

"Then let's go check them out," he suggested.

I won't tell him yet... It'll be funnier if he found out himself. Emmy lightly giggled and followed.

Emmy led him to the gate up the mountain. She pointed to a building on the left. "That's one of them. Not sure what it sells."

On the front door hung a sign reading, "Closed For Renovations." Link sighed. "That's a bummer. Was hoping they had some food."

"Hey maybe the other shop has something for you."

Link looked at her. "Oh? And where's that at?"

She pointed behind them at another building.

He glared at her as he walked by and saw yet another sign. "'Gone for Field Study.' Did you know this?"

"Of course. But you wanted to see them, and you have seen them. Wish granted."

Link sighed. "Alright, I'll give you that." He looked out over the village. That's everything, huh..." Emmy nodded. "Alright then. Well, It's nightfall. Better tell the transporting pegasi I'm done with my business so I can get back to Canterlot. But that can wait until morning."

"About that... Can I join you?" Emmy asked. "Back to Canterlot I mean?"

"Maybe. You should be pardoned for helping me, at the very least." Link made his way to the motel they were staying at.

Emmy stayed close to him. "... Could I bunk with you tonight? I could really use the company..."

Link nodded. In the room, she got comfortable in one of the two beds while Link prepared his journal for the fourth entry.

July 23
Saturday
Kakariko Mura

I successfully completed the task I was given by Princess Celestia, with the help of a good friend, Emerald Storm. She showed me around the village today, and I learned quite a number of things. On the next page is a drawing of a shambling creature I encountered in the tomb of the musicians. I also learned a pair of songs for controlling the sun and moon. I won't play them when I can get caught, so no worries there.There's a windmill that draws up water from a well, with a stallion inside cranking a strange instrument. There's a chicken caring mare here who's allergic to her chickens.

He paused as Emmy asked him a question. "For Epona, right?" Link nodded. "Could I go back with you to Ponyville? I know I said 'The Running of the Leaves', but I wanna surprise everypony."

"I'll need to clear it with Princess Celestia, but other than that, sure."

There's a haunted house that's got a cursed family. CURSES ARE REAL! 100 gold spiders needed to break it. There are two shops here, both closed. A shooting gallery is gonna be open by next year. Hope to be one of its first takers. Signing off.
-Link and Navi

Link set aside his hat as Navi occupied it. He removed his pouch and stowed his journal and writing stuff. Laying down, he sighed as a few of his muscles relaxed after the day he's had.

"Link..." Emmy said, "Thank you for helping me out... Really." She turned over and closed her eyes. Besides, I can feel something in or near Ponyville... calling to me...

One bloody year... I've been writing this over the course of one year. Way too long to make you wait. But in my defense, there were a lot of angles to cover.

Insert my usual requests.