Begin

This was his end.

He didn’t fight against it, as he would have before, nor did he deny it, as a young soul would. A life of many adventures and time across many lands had given him peace in a way words failed to describe, and emotions failed to express.  If anything, he was thankful.

He was dying in the same place where he had grown.

His head lulled backwards against the rough bark of the tree, looking through the canopy of the forest. He searched for the sun that fought to pierce the thick blanket of leaves from far above him, watching with a sound mind as the life of the forest continued to move around him. It was ironic almost. All the lives he had met, everything about the world he had changed, and not a thing stopped for him as his life began to fade.

Cerulean eyes fell back to his wound. A deep stab from a Moblin’s spear, just beneath his sternum. He’d been lucky in the past with instincts and training, always able to make the wounds mark his arm or legs, never his torso. This time… his age had caught up with him. The memory was fresh in his mind.

The usual spry that would come with his jump was gone. Instead of a swift and deft dodge, he fell into the charging Moblin’s spear. He felt more shock than pain when he landed hard against the tree’s outer surface. It was only through instinct again that he had what little energy left that he did. A quick arrow of light from his favored bow vanquished the Moblin, but he was another story.

His eyes shut as the haze grew stronger, no longer sure if he could make out any details. The familiar stench of fresh blood crept through his nostrils. It brought him neither anger nor sorrow. Oddly enough, if anything, he would say he was at peace.

Peace… tranquility even…

Despite the many adventures he had taken and hundreds of lives he had saved, never once did he dream of dying in any of them. He did not ask to be a mighty warrior, stalwart hero, or legendary soldier. He wanted peace, quiet, and friends around him that he could easily live with. As he was, two out of the three were satisfied.

The forest did not mourn for him, and neither did it cry out in his abandon. His labored breathing was the loudest sound that permeated the forest’s otherwise calm atmosphere. There was no longer any fear of an attack from afar or near, no foes or monsters to set him on edge. He was safe, as safe as a dying soul could be.

It was a shame. Decades of fighting for the lost and forgotten, aiding the royal family in ways he never thought he could, and still his friends slowly left him. The sages foregoing their mortal desires for spiritual guidance. The caretakers of the woods, his old home, leaving him abandoned as his form grew older and older. Even the royal court finding his purpose less needed, and therefore less important, as his age and training slowly caught up to him. A dry smile met his lips as he remembered his princess’s face at the news. He held no contempt for her, no hatred or disdain in his heart. She bore enough of the emotions on herself for asking him to leave.

But that was the truth of the world, his world at least. The actions of the past always affect the future, but time cannot be stopped as all things must end. Reigns finish, corruption dies, and hope slowly drifts away. Happiness departs as our friends bid farewell, and sorrow comes as we find ourselves alone. But he wasn’t sad, not mournfully at least.

His life had been long. His adventures had been full. Lives had been saved, good deeds done, and a righteous queen still ruled the land, fair and peaceful in all of her ways. His mark on history was done. There was little left for him to fight to live for.

In fact, nothing at all was left.

“You’ve always been like that, huh Link?”

His blue eyes flickered with life as he looked above him, through the blanket of the trees. The sun blinded him only slightly as he looked for the owner of the voice, for the being that knew his name.

Then he saw her far above him, wearing the familiar clothes of green.

Saria.

Her hair was of emerald color, curling around her face as if to frame her like a porcelain doll. Face unmarred by any mark, it glowed under the soft light the sun. But if her skin glowed, her green eyes shined. She looked down at him as a child would, curious and ignorant of the pains the world held.

But Link knew this child. He knew her better than any other life. And he knew just how far from ignorance she truly was. She leapt from the branches of the trees with the grace of a forest nymph, landing on the floor of the woods with grace. Standing as tall as she could, she walked over to his fallen form. It was odd, despite all her grace and beauty, she had the saddest smile on her face. If she looked just a few decades older, she could be mistaken for a sage. He had to laugh silently at the thought.

Her being 'mistaken' for a sage.

“You’re really hurt this time, aren’t you?” she asked softly to Link, smile mimicking the sorrow her voice carried. He bobbed his head once in response. She didn’t speak again. She just stood there, staring at him. She didn’t look around herself, wondering if help was coming, or look worried as if she should go find some aid herself. She was not an ignorant child.

Saria already knew what was happening.

“Aren’t you worried? Scared?” the young child spoke again, the sad smile never leaving her face. She wrapped a finger around a strand of her emerald hair, twisting it back into place. Her steps were quiet as she approached him. Link shook his head slowly to her question, careful of the pain that was slowly ebbing through his body. She knelt next to him, her hunched form barely to his chest. She was smaller than he remembered, but that was probably another effect of time.

“You’ve done so much for everyone, more than they could ever know, but you never stopped trying to help.” Small tears stood on the edges of eyes, and the Hero of Time wished away the sight. Of all the things he might have asked for now, in his final moments in the woods he was from, the sight of his beloved friend crying was the last of them.

“I… I don’t want you to go Link.”

The sorrow in Saria’s voice truly was mournful now. It was no different than the cries he heard at funerals, of daughters sobbing over their father’s grave, or sons pleading at mother’s tombstone. He never understood the emotion, the pain of losing someone so dear. Friends, comrades, they were all close to him, to a hero who traversed time to save a kingdom. The few who had passed before him, he had mourned in a manner others would call cold.

Silently, in solitude, he let his mind grow used to their passing, to the idea that they would not join him tomorrow. It was the idea that when the next sun rose of Hyrule, it would be without their company, without their guidance, without their helping hand. Those moments had pained Link, differently than the wound he had now, but still no less painful. But he recovered, he moved on, and he rode into the new sun’s day.

What would happen to Saria now, knowing that he would now be the one to pass on? Would she mourn for him as the children he watched bury their parents, or would she separate herself from the other Kokiri, put herself into The Forest Temple again, letting the pain slowly pass away? Neither option was pleasing to him.

Link raised his hand, free of his blood and as clean as the forest floor. Placing it on his friend’s emerald hair, he held her close, careful to keep her away from the gore of his wound. She was silent for a moment, still as the tree he used now as support.

He felt her tears before he heard her cries.

Bitter tears soaked his tunic with the blood, colder than the thick red liquid.

“I-I’m sorry,” Saria needlessly apologized to him, wrapping her arms around his thick chest. She no longer kept herself from the blood, and Link had not the strength left to keep her from it. “Y-You were so a-alone, and s-s-sad. But I didn’t… I didn’t d-do anything to help.” He wanted to tell her she was wrong, shake his head and explain. But he couldn’t speak and she wouldn’t listen.

“You’ll… I’ll…” she stammered amongst her own words. Her tiny fists clenched his green tunic tight, unsure of what to say. Link preferred nothing at all.

“I’ll tell them all… I’ll… I’ll tell every sage, every Kokiri, every spirit of the forest who will listen! I’ll tell them all about you! You won’t be forgotten!” Her sobs slowly died down, her chest no longer heaving for breaths, though she held onto him no softer than before.

“I’ll never forget…”

Link was wrong before. Now he was at peace.

“I promise Link, on our friendship from so long ago, that I’ll honor you. I’ll make sure that no Kokiri forgets you, that your name is inscribed above mine in the temple, that Zelda holds your name next to their kings. All of it! You… you don’t deserve this… not you… not…” Her sobs returned softer, but no less mournful. Link had yet to remove the hand from her head, content to hold his one dear friend as close to him as possible.

If there was ever a time he believed the goddesses truly watched over him, more than to ensure a prophecy or duty, this was it. He did not have to solve a grand dungeon, defeat a monstrous foe, or slay an old god that threatened the world. The Hero of Time had only one duty now, and he would see it done.

Leaning his head against the tree, he let his breaths grow shallow, his breathing quiet, and eyes close in content. The warmth of Saria had yet to leave him, and he hoped, truly prayed, she did not until he was gone.

Slowly, gently, peacefully, Link descended into the embrace of darkness.

End

Luna pulled her head out of the portal the moment something solid met her teeth.

The dark blob she had captured was tossed through the air as she came up for breath. Her mind swam with dizziness and fatigue, trying and failing to focus her spinning thoughts. The portal, that… device felt too similar to the corrupting powers she had fallen to long ago. Her feelings felt like emotions and her body felt like thread, loose and unwilling to help her.

It took the dark alicorn a moment to realize how silent the room was.

Through her bleary eyes, she saw the few unharmed members of the Royal Guard staring at her stock still. The both guards of Night and Day had wide eyes and small pupils as they watched their ruler shake. Celestia, just beyond them, was much the same. Her shield was down and horn no longer glowing as she watched her younger counterpart. But what truly confused Luna more so than anything else, through her hazy mind, was what she couldn’t see.

There were no wraiths flying through the Grand Hall, no spirits of black and red terrorizing or attempting to harm. There were no flaming swords swinging on metallic chains, nor any kind of battle cry that had come with the sight. Everything was still around her, and she was deftly confused why. But as her mind began to clear and the vision truly returned to her eyes, the princess of the night realized that the many beings in the room were not looking at her, but at something else.

They were eyeing the dark figure she had pulled.

It lay across the tile floor, surrounded in the same black ooze that had once surrounded Kratos. The mist upon it moved and swirled, grasping at the white stones around it without force or purpose. Now she stared dumbfounded at what she produced, unable to grasp at desperation she must have had.

A low whistle from above broke her blank musings.

“Gotta say, didn’t see that coming. Not that I mind,” Discord mused as he let himself hang from the rafters. “It’s good to see royalty following my example.” For once, Discord was completely ignored.

Princess Luna walked with a nervous trot over to black mess on the floor. Her hoof rose towards the creature, and she couldn’t help but notice the amount it shook. Was this alright? Should… should she free whatever manner of creature she had just brought into her land?

Her dark eyes looked towards Kratos, hunched over with his blades in hand. They were not lit by flames, but still held the fresh blood of several members of her and Celestia’s Royal Guard. He… he wasn’t trying to harm them now. So did she have to free this thing?

“My my Kratos, you may want to start the slaughter again.” Now Luna let her eyes dart to the draconequus high above, laying on the air now as he stroked his mane.

“Wouldn’t want them to bring any reinforcements, now would you?”

Once more, the white skinned man fell pray to the twisted words of Discord. As his blades were lit again with a mighty cry, Luna turned back to the creature still hidden in the mist. No matter the danger, no matter the consequences, she had to free it.

Fortunately, it appeared the Element of Kindness was already starting without her.

Canary wings brushed at the dark ooze harsher than Luna would have thought the skittish pegasus capable of, but now was not the time for such musings. The sound of crashing metal and crunching stone continued to fill her ears, and she knew she had to hurry. The sounds of her sister’s magic fighting the creature only encouraged her to move faster.

The black mist began to dissipate as the being came into view, and Luna noted every detail that she could in her hast.

It was far more clothed than the last thing to come out of the portal. A green fabric covered majority of its frame. A leather belt was strapped around its waist, also crossing over it’s chest. She felt metal beneath the green, no doubt in her mind that it some form of disguised armor. That much told her the creature was a warrior. She only wished to her sister’s sun that it was nothing like the beast that fought her sister still.

“RAAAAGH” The battle cry of Kratos shattered her concentration as she watched him perform that dreaded ritual again. The wraiths were coming and Luna knew it.

“Keep working princess!” Twilight Sparkle yelled as she jumped in front of her. “I’ll do my best to keep them off of you.”

Less than a moment later, the deadly apparitions flew from the white skinned warrior. Celestia gave a cry caught between anger and pain.

“Hurry Luna!” Celestia command as she continued to take the blows from Kratos. “I do not know how much longer I can last!”

Luna set to freeing the creature even faster. Twilight’s magical shield encased them in a protective bubble as they worked, but the presence of the red creatures surrounding them did little but frighten Fluttershy.

Luna worked what she thought was up on the creature, finding a free patches of skin. A few more shakes from her hooves and she found its face. His features were far kinder than those of Kratos that was the first thing Luna noted. Though his eyes were closed, he looked at peace, and with a soft smile she thought ironic for their situation. If she could go by a stallion’s perspective, it was definitely a male, by the protrusion of his jaw and cheeks.

A green hat was also placed on his head, hiding all by a few locks of his golden blonde mane. It traveled farther than most other accessories she was used to, reaching just above his forelegs. However, his ears made him more like her fellow ponies than Kratos, as they were large and sharp, much like their own.

CRASH

Luna’s attention was diverted again, and for a reason far more horrifying.

Kratos had successfully shattered her sister’s shell.

Instinct ruled the princess of the night.

With a quick flex of her wings, she barreled through the magical field of Twilight, aiming with her horn towards the white skinned creature. One of the wraiths was impaled upon her mighty barb, dissipating it like the mist of the portal. Kratos, however, saw her approach.

His blades returned to his palms as he held them before his form, meeting the charging alicorn steel to bone. The force sent him sliding back across the tile, Luna still before him. Her horn continued to press against his flaming blades, holding them in a stalemate neither could afford to lose.

“Free him!” Luna shouted with all her strength. “Free the thing I have summoned!”

“Okie-dokie!”

Pinkie burst from behind a potted plant, seen for the first time since Kratos had awakened. The red wraiths were beginning to disappear again, their forms melding into the air harmlessly. The half freed form of the green clad warrior was still immobile as Fluttershy tried to free more of it, but her shaking hooves fought her will.

“Take five Fluttershy, I’ll help him out.” Her words were oddly controlled. Fortunately, her actions weren’t.

Jumping onto the creatures, Pinkie shook her head and flank as hard as she could, letting the puffy structure of her mane and tail move as much of the dark mist as she could. More and more of him came into view.

A skin tight suit covered his lower legs. Thick boots hid his feet. An equally strong material was placed over his hands, but also coated with golden steel. But it was when the last of the mist was taken away that Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Twilight saw what adorned his back.

A sword.

“H-How do we wake him up?” Twilight asked, voice shaking in fear and exhaustion. “I-I have no idea what kind of spe-”

“Clear!”

Pinkie jumped on the creature’s chest. Hard.

“Pinkie!” Twilight shouted, more in shock than anger.

“Clear!” She jumped again.

“Beasts of burden! Lay down your lives!” The battle cry of Kratos met their ears as the Spartan continued his battle with the princesses of Equestria. In a daring move, he thrust his blades forward, fighting the strength of the dark alicorn. Luna felt her form forced back at the sudden force of strength. Given the room, he angrily threw one blade forward.

Instinct saved Luna as she furled her wings to avoid the blade. Celestia, however took the force of the flames to her side.

“Agh!” she let out a grunt of pain as her white coat was stained black.

“Sister!” Luna shouted before turning her attention again to Kratos. “Be gone from our realm monster!” By her command, she lit the end of her horn with a static magic. It grew into a force of lightening that commanded the Spartan to release a cry of pain. He jumped back from the dark alicorn, now standing her tallest wings flared once more. He gave angry shout before charging towards the alicorn again.

“P-Please w-wake up!” Fluttershy was now on top of the creature, face before his own. “W-We need your help! Please!” Tears were streaming down the canary coat.

“Clear!” The pink pony landed on the creature’s chest again.

“Wake up!” Rainbow Dash yelled as she landed besides Fluttershy “Get off your flank!

“Clear!” A fourth time now pinkie landed on the creature’s green clothe chest.

“Please help…”

“Cle-” Pinkie was thrown off.

A desperate gasp of air was taken from the creature, sharp eyes opening wide as he threw the ponies off of him. He rolled onto his chest, heaving breaths that racked his body. His hair hung over his eyes, hiding the shock of his eyes from equally stunned ponies around him. One of his hands moved up, pushing over his face, feeling his own details. Slowly, his head began to rise from the ground, looking up at the scenery around him.

The creature immediately jumped to his feet.

For the second time, his presence had ceased activity in the room. Celestia watched apart from Luna and Kratos, nursing an injured side with her magic. Kratos took his blades back in hand as he defended himself against Luna’s magic, which had now ceased as she watched the thing clothed in green move by his action alone. The guards also paused from their slumped and broken forms to eye the new creature born from Discord’s magic. Said monster had his own words to say.

“Oh what a lovely display of vigor. Now I wonder just what kind of chaos he is capable of producing?”

The question seemed to travel through the mind of every pony present.

The thing in green looked around himself with nervous trepidation. His left hand hovered close to the hilt of his sword, his other silently floating behind his back. Sharp blue eyes scanned the crowd of ponies, looking from the group of four that were standing where he once lay, the battered formed of the armored guards across the hall, the two alicorns that stood in combat, an orange pony guarding a frightened unicorn, and the only other creature in the room that looked similar to himself.

Kratos had also since stopped his assault against the dark alicorn, now eyeing with the same hateful eyes the new-armed warrior in the hall. He was far smaller than the white skinned Spartan, by height and weight, but he was far more equipped for a battle than any of the other creatures around him. The monster of Hades must have been right. These… apparitions of hope drew forth something they thought could stop him.

The Spartan stepped away from the alicorn, moving now towards the other creature with a wide berth. The motion did not go unnoticed.

The green clad man drew his sword and shield at the sight. His long silver blade sang as it left its sheath, shining with a light and power far more holy than Kratos’s own demonic blades. The shield, unlike his blade, was far more decorated in colors. It had a red design on the center, not far from a phoenix, three golden triangles above that, and the shapes and bends of carefully crafted steel surrounding it. But what met the eyes of Kratos more than any pony in the room was not the design of the weapons, but the way the new warrior wielded them. The blade was in his left, shield in his right, and held by someone with clear experience in the fields of battle.

This would be far more of a challenge than ponies who had only ever received training.

“What is your name?” Kratos spoke the command deeply. More than one pony cringed under the force and chills his words brought.

The green-clad creature however, remained mute. His youthful face one of stone, but with sharp blue eyes burning against the orbs of Kratos.

“Speak!” Kratos yelled now, blades alighting under his unspoken command. No words came from the warrior, but he did take himself into a position of battle, blade pointing challengingly at the white skinned man.

“Sorry Spartan, but he really can’t talk.” Heads turned once more the form of Discord, now relaxing upon his own bed of purple clouds in one of the now few undamaged corners of the hall. “Oh, but I can answer that one question for you.” Giving an oddly polite cough into his paw, the lord of disharmony continued.

“His name Link, the so called ‘Hero of Time’. He’s been chosen by fate, destiny, and whatever other word you can think of for chance, to fight monsters, demons, and I think a god at one point.” The twisted draconequus relished the feelings that vibrated from the ponies below, but felt particular warmth from the soul he had conjured.

“Didn’t really find that much to enjoy in him myself, too peaceful and all. He kept wanting to restore harmony, and that simply won’t do here, not in the slightest. Kratos,” he spoke now to the warrior of flaming swords.

“I just received a vision from Hades,” he spoke the lie fluidly as she gave his claw and paw a wide sweeping motion. “If you are capable, able, to kill that warrior before you, the Lord of the Dead will grant you a tool of his own creation to battle your former master. Does that sound fair?”

“You lie, monster.”

For a moment, just a moment, hope flooded the ponies. This… monster was realizing he had been tricked. He would turn on Discord, he would help them defeat the master of chaos.

“Oh I suppose I was a bit obvious, wasn’t I?” His fingers snapped and the cloud beneath him disappeared. “I never was good at playing the servant, that requires too much self control for my tastes, and my tastes are well refined. God, master, ruler, lord, those are the most fun to play, because they have the least amount of rules behind them.”

“Why should I not kill you now?”

“Because I’m your only way back to Greece, the only one who can bring you to the doorstep of Ares.” The master of chaos proved once more his skill in manipulation.

“I have no need to trust you.”

“Oh but you do,” Discord nearly sang as he twisted around the Spartan again, fearless of the blades that came so close to maiming the royalty of Equestria. “You see, I brought you into this world. Me. Not these ponies, not any other god, and most certainly not yourself. Sending you back would be as easy as, well, killing ponies.”

“Stop this! Please!” Eyes turned to see Rarity speaking up, louder than she had the entire night thus far. “Can’t you see he is just using you? You’re a tool to him right now!” The glower from Kratos gave the unicorn pause, but she carried on as best she could. “W-We are not your enemies.”

“No, you are not.” He agreed with her… he agreed with her! A look of relief washed over her features, bliss removing the tension and fear that had been plaguing her form since the entrance of the monster before her.

“You are just in my way.”

Kratos threw the vile blades at Rarity.

She tried to summon the courage to avoid the blades, not fast enough. Applejack gave a cry as she ran towards the mare, not fast enough. Twilight lit her horn with the single thought of encasing her friend in the strongest shield she could imagine, not fast enough. Luna and Celestia watched in horror as the blades flew, the injured guards watched with anger. Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash didn’t know what to do.

The blades were just in front of the white mare.

But the blades never met her.

TWANG

Both blades clattered across the stone floor away from Rarity, lying on the ground uselessly. The mare watched them, stunned and scared for her life, before turning hoof and running away from the evil man as fast as her legs would carry her. Applejack put the alabaster mare behind her like the precious cargo she was.

A face of wrath etched itself across the white features of Kratos. He looked towards the source of the disturbance, and found the only other warrior in the room armed. A bow and arrow in his hands. Another thin stick was notched in the string, aiming for the Spartan.

“You dare interfere?” Kratos spat at Link, his flaming blades already coiling back into his palms. “You dare threaten me?” The green clad hero simply pulled the string of his bow harder, eyes trained on the white skinned enemy.

“At least now we know whose side he’s on,” Rainbow Dash murmured meekly as she trotted backwards. She was not the only one. A wide berth was being given to the two warriors as they stood off against once another. The Spartan of rage and silent marksman.

Slowly, however, the green clad warrior unhitched his arrow, holstering the bow and deadly metal. Kratos watched carefully, waiting for his new opponent to surrender himself. Such trivial thoughts were dashed as the warrior redrew his sword and shield, readying himself for battle. While Kratos had nothing but rage and anger upon his features, Link had a calm but stern determination.

“Oh I can’t wait to watch this!” Celestia looked up to see her most loathed enemy watching the duo circle one another, a bowl of popcorn in hand.

He slowly ate the glass in delight.

“Discord!” the alabaster alicorn shouted above her. “Why are you allowing this?!”

“My dear little pony, I thought it was obvious.” the Master of Chaos spoke high above them all, looking down at them like he was the god he was.

“I don’t care about who wins or losses. All I want is chaos and disharmony. Who could ever argue that a fight to the death is anything but madness?”

Begin

The man of pale white glowered at the being before him. His face of rage and eyes of fury. Hunching low to the ground, his knuckles tightened around the jagged blades in his hands. Crackles of flames began to form around the dark edges. With a shout, the warrior charged. He threw a blade towards Link, attempting to impale him without hesitation.

Familiar, near forgotten, instincts flooded the sharp-eared swordsman. He body performed a deft jump to his side, shield raised just outside the path of the fly blade. As the blade missed its target, the white skinned man wasted no time in throwing the second, swinging it like a vicious whip. It impacted the steel of the green warrior’s shield with a loud twang.

Kratos wasted no time in pulling the blade back to his palm, already throwing his other blade at Link. The hero deftly deflected the flaming blade with a swift swipe of his sword. The Spartan now had both blades away from reach. The green clad hero took his chance.

His feet made quick work in covering the distance between the two, blade already raised above his head to deliver a vicious strike. Kratos, however, swiftly rolled backwards and out of the path of the falling steel. His own blades returned to his palms as she landed. Only soon after he stopped did he begin his assault upon Link again.

The Spartan’s body spun as he threw both blades down vertically at the sharp-eared warrior. He deftly dodged the blades with another quick leap to his side. But he was only just prepared for the same blade being brought back up from the ground. Instinct saved Link again as he raised his shield to deflect the first blade, the second missing him entirely. Kratos still wasn’t finished.

The Spartan had jumped into the air, blades behind him held only by the chains on his arm. With a battle cry the ponies had all too quickly come to fear, the fiery blades were thrown down in front of him.

It was instinct again that saved Link’s life.

Performing a deft back flip, the hero pushed himself away from the falling blades, shield raised in defense as he did so. As the blades met the ground, a familiar and vicious pillar of fire erupted from the stone tiles, shattering the floor and shaking the foundation of the room. The ponies backed away further in fear and fright, more than one gasp being uttered.

The flames impacted the steel shield Link held, earning a grunt of effort from the warrior. He kept his guard raised until he heard the chains of his foe curl back around his arms. Strategy and tactics flooded the green clad warriors mind. Kratos had far more range than he did, and was far more than merely trained with the chained blades on his arms. If the pillar of fire was any indication, he was also properly skilled in at least some minor traits of magical use. It summed up one very clear conclusion.

Link knew if he stayed far away from his opponent, he would surely be defeated.

From his crouched position, he took another mad dash towards the white skinned warrior. Kratos was already on the attack again. Link rolled to avoid the first volley of blades, use his shield to deflect the second, and stopped the last with his sword. With another cry, Kratos ripped his blades back to himself, ready to strike at the charging warrior, but Link was too close.

The Spartan moved his body to his right as Link attempted to skewer him with his blade, quickly following with a slice towards Kratos. By now, the white skinned warrior had his blades back in hand, and he easily met the thin blade with his own.

What he did not expect was the green clad warrior smashing the shield against his head.

An angry grunt came from Kratos as he hobbled back, stunned from the unexpected assault. The cry that came next was from the blade that neatly cut his skin, bleeding white onto red. He rolled to his side through his haze, avoiding the sharp blade of his opponent. Any rage he had for the beast or ponies was forgotten at the newfound anger he had for this “Hero of Time” before him.

Link charged again, shield rose more obviously in an attempt to stun the Spartan. But Kratos would not let himself fall victim to the same tactic twice. He still attempted to assault the hero with his blades, letting the chains whip and slash at the air as the green clad hero dodged and rolled past the fiery design. Now Kratos watched the hero pull his shield back as thrust his blade forward again. He still dodged, he still guarded, but as he watched the shield come close to him, he did something different. The Spartan twisted his blades against Link’s own, forcing the jagged tips to meet the solid steel of Link’s shield.

Kratos’s sword pierced the shield, clean through.

He gave a savage cry as he ripped the metal from Link’s hand. The green clad warrior gave a roll backwards to avoid any counter attack the warrior would doubtlessly commit. Instead, however, Kratos opted to pierce the shield in his sword a second time, wedging both of his fire branded blades through the steel. With only a grunt of effort, he ripped his arms apart at once.

Link’s faithful shield fell into pieces across the stone floor.

Strategy and tactics. He could no longer risk being close without a means to guard himself and Kratos was too nimble to try and avoid his blades forever. He needed to slow the wrathful Spartan down, by any means. He sheathed his sword behind his back, leaving himself momentarily unarmed before the very capable warrior.

“Do you submit?” Kratos asked as he saw his opponent on one knee, blade gone and now without a means to defend. A fierce shake of the green clad hero’s face told the Spartan all that he needed to know.

“RAAGH!” With another abominable battle cry, Kratos began his assault on Link. The smaller warrior dodged and weaved through the fiery blades, pushing off the ground with both hands and feet, agility not far from a creature of the forest.

“Be gone!” Kratos cried as he raised his arms back in the midst of his assault. The ponies knew what was coming next, twice was more than enough to know. Whether by instinct or talent, Link did as well.

In the same moment Kratos threw himself into the air, preparing to smash his blades against the ground in a vicious explosion, the green clad hero drew his bow with a hitched arrow. Link drew the string back to his head, aiming at the terrifying form of the white skinned warrior. The Spartan threw the blades down, preparing to smash his foe before he ever had a chance to fire a single bolt.

He was too slow.

The arrow flew from Link’s bow as true as a comet across the night sky. It hit the white skinned warrior in shoulder, earning a grunt as his only admittance of pain. However, the arrow’s job was not done.

Ice began to form around the thing piece of wood.

“What sorcery is this!?” Kratos shouted in pure rage as his shoulder was slowly encased in the growing sheet of frost. Link only smiled at the successful maneuver. The Spartan’s arm was quickly encased in the frigid material, wrapping around the skin, bones, and even the chains to his fiery blades. It spread quickly down his chest and opposite arm, committing the same act as before. When it encased his head, only an image of wrath could be seen.

The warrior’s blades, and body, hit the white ground as harmlessly as a boulder would roll down a hill.

“Tha-That’s it?” Link heard a feminine voice speak behind him. With labored breaths, he turned around to spy a lavender pony looking at his work. She had wide violet eyes with a hanging jaw. All no doubt from seeing a sight she had never seen, or even dared to imagine. It was not the first time such an expression caught the hero’s own eyes.

“Oh, I don’t think so,” a hauntingly deep voice spoke from above. The green clad warrior let his eyes fall up towards the voice, already knowing of the creature that possessed it. He only wished he could remember its name.

“You’d be impressed with what the Ghost of Sparta can live through, especially in the name of vengeance.” Link watched the multi-portioned creature point a sharp claw at his form, cocky grin upon his features. “Better watch little man, the fun is just beginning.”

Crack

“Uh, Did you hear that?” The Hero of Time turned to see a flying creature speak. Oh he heard it, they all had, or at least they all acted like they did.

CRACK

“The monster… his tomb is being shattered!” Link followed the distressing call of the dark alicorn, watching the ice that encased his disturbingly strong opponent begin to shatter.

“Every pony get back!” It was another alicorn who commanded this time, but taller, lighter, and what appeared to be older. “Please.” Her eyes met Link’s, an act he was not prepared for. “Help us.”

Her irises showed the deepest levels of empathy and desperation. She knew of the danger she was in, the danger of what he could now assume were her subjects. Her voice spoke not too differently than another, or at least a kind of manner. Controlled in the most challenging of situations, filled with power even when asking for aide. Were he not worried and preparing for the Spartan again, Link may have given a silent laugh.

She sounded like his one-time princess.

Link gave a small smile and nod in return.

He notched another arrow in his bow as he faced the creature again, chunks of ice already falling to the floor as the creature grew closer and closer to freedom. The ponies had once again back away to the far edges of the room, too terrified of what the pale man would do in his fury, now possibly even worse than before.

The air became tense as patches of Kratos’s skin began to touch the free air of the court, larger and more massive chunks of ice crumbling beneath his doubtlessly struggling form. The few guards who could stand lowered themselves before their comrades, motioning for the Elements to get behind them. Only Applejack and Rarity complied. Fluttershy was too frightened to lift a hoof, while Twilight and Rainbow were more drawn by a nervous sense of curiosity to the warrior. Pinkie Pie, once more had made herself unseen among the chaos.

The Spartan was only moments away from freedom, but he green clothed foe did not wait. Link reached behind himself grasping at something in a parcel only Luna had a clear view of. The shape made her wings freeze. Small blue object, doubtlessly larger than her own hoof, with a sharp metal end… held by chains.

It looked too similar to the fiery tools of Kratos.

The tool, however, remained unused. Just as quickly as the hero had equipped the spike and chained tool did he holster it on his waist. Instead, he notched another arrow at the Spartan, one arm already free and sword returning to his palm. Link did not wait for Kratos to recover.

He loosened another arrow at the man. Every mare and stallion present fully expected another prison of ice to encase the white skinned monster. Instead... they beheld a sight they could not attribute to good nor evil.

The fire met the ice in a ball of flames.

“RAAAAAGH! AGH! AGH!” The searing flames shattered and melted what little ice still subdued the white skinned warrior, but saving no amount of mercy for the warrior himself. It was impossible to tell if the cries were of rage from his temporary imprisonment, or pain from the flames that slowly turned his pale skin black. Link, however, was already notching another arrow.

Kratos was prepared this time, even through his pain.

As the second bolt of either fire or ice flew towards the scarred pale target, the fiery blades nocked the thin projectile out of the air. It met the ground in another brilliant display of flames. While the ponies jumped once more at the sudden heat and explosion, neither Link nor Kratos gave it a second thought.

The Spartan charged again, wounds from the flames doing little to slow his charge. The green clad hero, instead of notching another arrow, reached for the chained spike attached to his hip. Pushing the back till the tip aimed high, he pressed something on the device.

The chain flew like an arrow.

While the ponies dumbly watched the spike soar through the air, Kratos paid it no mind. His blades were already lit by flames little different than those that burned him. The chains rattled as he pulled his arm together with a haunting battle cry, jagged steel aiming for the neck of the green glad warrior. But as the blades approached, Link dodged in a manner unlike what he had seen before.

With the press of another button, The Hero of Time flew through the air. Such an event gave the Spartan reason to pause.

Link’s flight ended with his boots on the rafters of the hall, spike embedded into the stone and handle clipped to his waist. Standing upside down, less than forty feet above the paled skinned warrior, the green clad hero, knew he had an advantage. Raising his bow, notching and arrow, he took aim at Kratos.

“Now this is the kind of stuff I like to see,” Discord interrupted the battle as he flew around Link, causing both focus and vision to shake. “Fighting upside down from the ceiling, pure genius! It’s almost as if you’ve had a lot of practice with these kinds of fights.” The draconequus must have mistaken the sharp eared warrior’s look of rage for confusion, because he felt compelled to explain.

“Oh you know, horribly outmatched, overpowered, enemies coming at you, and you having to dive into things purely abnormal to beat them! That’s like a love story for chaos! Maybe I’ll write that down sometime later.” For whatever reason, Discord failed to notice Link take aim at him with his bow. The arrow flew before the ponies or Kratos had time see him aim.

Discord, however, was prepared.

In a small flash, the mismatched creature was gone, and Link’s arrow impacting the far wall with no more harm than a flung stone. His sharp blue eyes searched the room from his reversed position, careful in his movements, but focused in his motive.

“Tsk, tsk Mr. Hero, you’re aiming in the wrong direction.” Link turned his head to see Discord floating just behind him, perfectly content in his own gravity reversed position. “But you know, as much as I love your ability to try the impossible, I dislike your desire to harm me. Well, no matter, the ghostie down below shouldn’t have much trouble with you once you’re back on the ground.”

That took a second to process.

In another flash, Link disappeared from his stance upon the rafters, only to appear again just feet away from Kratos, no arrow notched and no means of escape.

The Spartan did not hesitate.

His blades flew towards the still recovering Hero of Time, unable to process his re-reversal of gravity. One blade swiped past his arm, cutting through his tunic like air. The next just above his boots, drawing blood along his outer thighs.

Link gave a harsh grunt of pain at the sensation, hearing a few panicked gasps form behind him as well. The sensation of pain was nothing new, but it was always something to avoid if possible. But try as the warrior might, he could not escape the barrage of attacks the Spartan was unleashing upon him.

For every flaming chain ducked, the other would swiftly take his place. Every step he took back for distance, Kratos took two more forward. Each warrior knew the advantages, and the pale skinned one was not about to let one go to waste. Not against an enemy who had unleashed the fury of ice and fire upon him.

“We have to help him!” Link heard a voice of authority speak from some corner of the room. Even with his deft dodges to the fiery blades, he remembered the voice belonging to the tall alabaster creature that had pleaded so briefly to him before.

“How?” That voice he did not recognize.

“Anyway we can.”

Link didn’t know what happened next.

At one moment, he was in mid flip backward, deftly avoiding one blade low as another swung high. The next, his back was to a scarred stone wall, Kratos in mid attack four times further away. Except, he was no longer free and able in the hall. He was trapped in a bubble of some conjuration, harder than steel if the lack of ability for the blades to pierce it was any indication.

The sharp-eared warrior’s blue eyes starred at the trapped man in a captivating fashion. He was almost blissfully unaware if he had just been pulled out of some dream or shoved into a new one.

“Are you well?” Link’s focus was brought again to one of the oddly formed inhabitants of the halls, the same tall and white winged unicorn as before. He recognized the question through his shock, however, and gave a quick nod of confirmation.

“Good,” she spoke curtly, eyes turning again to the terrifying warrior, who was viciously screaming inside his imprisonment. Link followed the gaze further to see it land on another creature of similar shape, but this one far darker than the white coated one that spoke to him. Her face, and he knew it was a she, was strained with a gripped jaw, stress of some kind working hard on her body and mind.

“My sister’s spell will not last much longer.” Link’s eyes returned to the horse like creature as she spoke. “I will be brief. I am Celestia, that is my sister Luna, we rule Equestria. This fight was ours until you and that monstrous creature were forced into it. My sister and I will aid you in any way we can to vanquish this foe, then aid you again for whatever wish you have.”

Link did not have time to think.

He raised himself from the ground as his hand entered the pouch behind his back, searching for a new object inside. The alabaster mare watched quizzically as he did so. When his hand withdrew, even the princess was impressed.

Another shield was in his grasp, far larger than what should have been capable for any pouch to carry, but still appearing out of nowhere all the same. It had a shape similar to the one Kratos had so easily shredded, but with a very clear and vivid difference. The top was not of harsh thick metal, but smooth and well cared for glass, reflecting every detail of the world that bounce of it with perfect clarity. Link equipped the shield over his right arm before motioning with his left.

Celestia would have preferred words. Words were quick and easy to distinguish. But if the small chance that Discord’s words were true, and this warrior could not speak, his motions would have to do. He gave a point to her horn, a gesture to his shield, and then a vicious gesture towards Kratos.

The princess of the sun believed she understood.

“Very well.”

“Agh!” Both heads turned to see the smaller alicorn shuffle back on her hooves as the shield around Kratos shattered. In his hands were no longer blades of steel and fire, but now bolts of lightening and death, crackling with energy and destruction.

“I am not a fool to be ignored!” he shouted into the room, sure that every life within heard his demands. “I am Kratos, a Warrior of Sparta, and none of you will keep me from my vengeance!”

Link gave a nod to Celestia before running around the warrior, shield raised and prepared for any spell the man may through at him. His focus, however, was more towards the two creatures that had so easily imprisoned him and freed his foe from their mortal combat.

“Use the cockatrice spell,” Celestia spoke to Luna as she galloped to her side. “And aim at Link.” For the briefest of moments, the dark alicorn looked at her sister with a wild and shocked gaze. The taller sibling did not have the time to explain.

"Now!” Luna didn’t hesitate from her sister’s orders.

The two alicorns lit their horns simultaneously, moving in synchronicity. Their heads gave a slow roll as the magic gathered at the tips before firing forward in a vicious bolt. As the alabaster alicorn predicted, Link was prepared and ready.

The spell impacted his shield of glass, swirling against the surface like a stone thrown into water. In a more controlled situation, Celestia realized, she would have marveled at the sight. But whatever peace the shield portrayed died the next instant.

The bolts fired back, but towards a new target.

Kratos had his sights on the alicorns with magic, his own fists of lightening ready to viciously throw another bolt. He was not prepared for their spell to clear miss him. Nor was he ready for the impact from his back.

The effects of the spell were immediate.

Stone crawled across his back, hardening slower but far harder than the ice of Link’s arrow. The sensation as hauntingly familiar to the Spartan, and knew how little good he could do at the moment. Instead of striking at any being in the room, he lowered himself to the ground, placing his blades above his head as the stone surrounded his entire form.

In a manner of seconds, the vicious Spartan was encased in stone, completely immobile.

Both princesses released a breath of relief at the sight, trusting the security of the prison they had created. Link however, did not. Instead, the hero moved to one of the far walls, putting hands against the stained glass as his eyes attempted to see through it as well. A starless night hung above the horizon, but the object of his vision was closer than the unseen celestial orbs.

“Ah, what are you doing?” He heard a voice speak beside, or more specifically, above him. He spared a brief glance to see the cyan coated pegasus looking at him questioningly, only to look back to the glace again.

Dash watched the green coated warrior look through the glass with something close to what Twilight had when she was reading one of her books. Something close to concentration, but also with a mix of curiosity.

“Seriously, what are you doing?” When he turned to her, he had only one thought in mind.

Strategy and Tactics.

Link walked towards the two large equine figures, careful of his wounds as he did so. They regarded him carefully, despite the side of the battle he had chosen.

“What worries you, warrior?” the smaller of the two asked him. “You act as if the battle is not won.”

The warrior looked to her with deep breaths, still exhausted from the battle before and wounds he bore. His hand motioned to the still stone frozen Kratos before pointing towards the glass he had just walked away from. The princesses had no idea what he was doing?

“I’m not sure I follow.” the tall alabaster alicorn spoke. “The pale warrior is subdued, and the battle won. What is there to fear?”

“Um, your highness?” A timid voice called. Both tall alicorns and warrior turned to see a canary pegasus. The focused attention of the group brought the already frightened pegasus to her knees, cowering behind her pink mane.

“My apologizes Miss Fluttershy,” the dark alicorn spoke again trotting slowly towards the cowering creature. “I did not mean to frighten you as I have before. Pray tell us what you wished to say?” Fluttershy timidly raised her head, looking into the kind features of the night princess as she smiled down upon her. The pegasus found herself smiling in return.

“Oh, I just wanted to ask what Link saw outside the windows.” Luna’s eyes opened wide in recognition.

“Outside…” Luna’s mind searched quickly for just what existed beyond the stained glass of the hall. It faced North, away from Canterlot, outside the reach of Ponyville. It gazed solely upon the landscapes of her land, upon the forests, the skies, and the mountains. The princess swiftly returned her attention to Link.

“Did you mean the mountains?” The warrior quickly began to nod.

“You believe he is from the mountains?” Celestia asked with a quirk of her eyes. That seemed rather improbable, if not impossible. The warrior’s fierce shake of his head let her realize she inferred his actions incorrectly.

“Nope! He wants you to send the big bad meanie to the mountains!” a bouncing pink pony spoke up, appearing from where Link could not imagine. Celestia turned her gaze to Link with the same questioning look in her eyes.

“Is this true?” The warrior quickly nodded. Then swiftly, Link raised his hand. He motioned again to the stone warrior, to the windows, but now placing a hand against himself.

Only one pony understood the meaning of that gesture.

“You want to go with him?” A lavender unicorn questioned as she trotted forward. Link looked down at her with a small grin, nodding in confirmation once again. His joy fell on the pony like water on rocks.

“No! That’s insane and unneeded!”

“Uh, no offense to ya Twi’, but stone ain’t exactly the most solid prison lately.” Here, sharp eyes turned hard as they spun to the draconequus still floating in the room, eagerly chomping on a glass bowl filled with popcorn.

For more than one pony, his inaction towards the recent imprisonment of Kratos was anything but comforting.

“That’s not the point. We should try and-”

CRACK

“Oh no,” Fluttershy spoke softly in fear, already backing away on her hooves. She was not alone, as more than one pony gave the statue of the warrior fearful eyes.

“M-Maybe we were just hearing things?” Rainbow spoke hopefully. “I-I mean, it takes the Spirit of Chaos more than a year to break out of that, there’s no wa-”

CRACK

Twice was enough. Link was already running to the statue’s side, blade drawn to his side. He slid to the statue’s side, placing a gloved hand across an already growing crack of the warrior. The solid figure shook beneath the sharp eared warrior’s touch. It only forced him to grip the stone arm.

Looking back to the group he waved his sword towards the window, a fierce look of determination in his eyes. Celestia looked out the window, through the colorful glass and to the mountains that lay far beyond. When her eyes returned to the warrior, she spoke quickly.

“I cannot bring you to return once I send you.” It was not a fact to be discussed. Instead of hesitation however, Link aimed his blade above his head, pointing to the rafters above him. Quickly, the ponies let their eyes follow his lead.

The collective gaze fell on a small glowing ball high in the room, in the very spot Link had placed himself with the sharp tipped tool still locked at his side.

Neither Celestia, Luna, nor any pony present knew what it meant, but they knew this warrior was confident in its ability to do whatever it had to. The princess of the sun gave a nod before lighting her horn.

“May the heavens be with you.”

In a flash of light, the two warriors were gone.

There were no cries of anger, pain, resentment, or fury. Just a sudden flash like a star, then empty space where they once stood.

End

“Well, that was anti-climatic.”

Celestia looked high at the draconequus.

“I was hoping for a bit of disemboweling, maybe even a decapitation. I mean really, is it too much to ask for one thing to go my way? Such a waste. But then again, if I didn’t see it coming, and nothing else did either, then I guess that makes it really unexpected. Close enough to chaos that I’m satisfied.”

“You’re a monster.” Just as before, Discord paid the curse not even a wave of his claw.

“Oh maybe to you, but I assure you I’m worth more that. After all,” He flashed away only to appear just before the alabaster mare. “I did make sure those two will have a fun trip.”

Those words made Celestia freeze.

“What did you do Discord? Speak without riddles to hide behind.” The draconequus gave the solar ruler a cryptic grin as he regarded her.

“Let’s just say… I turned that short trip of yours into a quick drop with a sudden stop.”

Link was falling.

He wasn’t falling a few feet, not even a few stories. From the distance he was from the ground he would have sworn in a silent vow that even Death Mountain would seem small compared to.  The clouds rushed past him, the wind deafened him, and Kratos was almost free from his prison.

The warrior didn’t hesitate. He pushed the Spartan from his grip, letting the crumbling statue fall away on its own. His hand hands cupped one another, summoning the blessed magic within him.

Slowly, a green ball of light began to form between his palms. Even with the rushing wind, it kept itself between his open appendages, more loyal to him than the boundaries of the world. It slowly began to rise from his palms, slowly rising as if its descent was slowing. So close, the spell was so close to being completed.

A fiery blade struck the ball in two.

Link’s hand caught the chain more out of instinct than strategies or tactics. He quickly felt himself pulled towards the bearer of the monstrous devices.

“What have you done!?” The pale skinned warrior roared over the rushing wind. He threw his second blade towards Link, but the updraft of the wind quickly took it from its intended path. Before Kratos could let out a growl of annoyance, Link planted his feet to the monster’s large chest, kicking off of him with all of his strength.

It sent to the two far apart from one another, though doing nothing to stop their terminal velocity descent. But the pale skinned warrior was far form through with Link, and his sword were still ablaze with the intent to strike again.

Strategy and Tactics.

The green clad warrior drew his bow before Kratos threw his blades again. There was little room to dodge with nothing to push off of, but the long held instincts of the Hero of Time served well as he twisted and bent his body in ways to avoid the oncoming blades. He was not, however, able to avoid the fire that scorched his tunic, burning the green material black and earning hisses of pain.

He moved through it all though, notching an arrow at his bow as he took aim. Kratos knew now what to expect from the arrow though, and readied his blades for the oncoming assault.

But it never came.

The pale warrior lowered his fierce blades to see Link well out of his reach, falling far beyond the length of his chains. His bow was holstered and hands drawn into a close. Once more a green orb floated in his hands, rising in parallel to his chest. Anger overtook the Spartan for his foolishness. He bent his body to approach, trying desperately to reach the green clad warrior as he performed his spell.

But then Link was gone. Vanished in a flash of green.

The pale skinned warrior’s blades met only the same air he was falling through. Angered eyes looked down to see his descent only quicken the longer he was in the air. The rocky mountains were approaching fast, and he had no way to slow his fall.

Kratos’s cries were deafened by the roaring wind.

When Link appeared again, the floor was much closer than the mountain was before. Falling at the speed he was, the shocked looks of the ponies beneath him, Link knew on instinct that hitting the stone floor would be little different than the jagged mountain side.

Strategy and Tactics.

His gloved hand reached for the hookshot on his belt, pressing the trigger on its handle. The sharp point of the device flew like an arrow from his bow. No sooner did it hit the ceiling above him did Link find himself pulled away from the stone floor.

Instead however, the green clad warrior found all his momentum pulled into a swing.

His muscles groaned as his body was lashed in a vicious arc, ending with him smacking head on into the solid stone wall. Breath left him instantly as pain swam across his back like water. Only the swords of Ganon could possibly compare to the level of pain that consumed him.

Link’s fall was not complete, however. As soon as his trusted hookshot dislodged itself from the ceiling, his body fell once again, landing upon the stone floor with a painful thud. A low moan of misery came from his lips at the sensation, but he was still once more thankful to his tools. The pain was a sign they had succeeded in preserving his life.

Fatigue overtook Link’s now still form, forcing his breaths to become ragged and deep. His eyes fell shut, not enough energy left in him to even make sure he was safe. The still constant pain had reduced him to nothing more than a tired mess of limbs.

“Now that is what I was looking for!”

He groaned in pain at the voice. The warrior knew he had to look, had to see the vile creature, if only to assure himself that he was not about to be thrown into another battle.

“I mean c’mon! That’s what I wanted! A warrior pulling out all the stops and using magic in ways even I’ve never seen before. Ice Arrows? A Hookshot? Mirror Shield? Those were amazing!” Link felt himself cringe as the beast flew down to him, blocking any light with his slithering form.

“Maybe I should have picked you first after all, convinced you that these ponies were just more poes, right? Or maybe skinned Stalfos? No, you’d react better if I told you they were slaughtered children of your precious Epona, correct?”

Despite his pain, Link felt himself snarl in anger. His muscles cried in protest at the gesture, earning a grunt that forced his angered expression to fall into pain. It only earned a dark chuckle from the multi-purposed draconequus.

“Hilarious, but enough for now.” With a push of his wings, he sailed into the air again, high above the ponies and warrior beneath him.

“This is just the beginning, the first chapter in an epic that will rewrite the laws of life and death!” His paw and claw threw themselves to his sides and he nearly screeched his declaration, earning expressions ranging from rage to fear on the ponies below.

“But I must stop for now, preparation need to be made.” His claw pointed cruelly towards the alabaster alicorn, who stared back at the monster defiantly. “Prepare you troops and ready the guard dearest Celestia. You never know which corner I’ll be hiding around, what kind of warrior I’ll send next. A monster from the sea? An angel from below? Maybe a demon from above? Who knows? I don’t, you don’t, and that’s the best kind of knowledge there is. The kind that can’t be obtained.”

With a wicked laughter he blinked out of existence, leaving the ruined hall, ponies, and warrior behind.

Celestia watched the spot he had vanished from for only a moment before turning her eyes away. Her ponies were in fear, her and her sister’s guard severely injured, and the warrior who had fought for their safety wounded on a far wall.

She was a leader, and she needed to act.

“Lieutenant,” the solar princess spoke as she turned her head to the collective of guard ponies. Said guard walked apart from his fellow guardsman, golden armor chinked and damaged from the assault of the Red Wraiths of Kratos. Aside from scuffled patches of fur that doubtlessly would hold bruises beneath, the pony unharmed, and least of most compared to the others around him.

“Yes your majesty?” he questioned as he gave a low bow to his ruler.

“Send for the healers,” Celestia spoke. “Acquire every pony capable you can, even the students.”

“Of course, your majesty.” The Royal Guard of the day court gave a low bow before running from the hall, horn moving the small amount of debris that blocked his path. The alabaster alicorn gave a low sigh as he departed.

“So…” Princess Celestia began, eyes turning to the warrior who had so fiercely fought on behalf of her ponies. “Your name is Link?” Said green clad hero looked up at her mutely, arms dead at his sides as he leaned against the once Grand Hall’s wall. Labored breaths came from his form and sweat pressed the bangs of blonde to his skin.

The warrior nodded once in response.

“I thank you… on behalf of all of my land, and all of my subjects, for fighting for our protection.” With the grace of a queen, the princess of the sun lowered herself into a bow, giving all the respect that she could to the tired and drained warrior. Through injured limbs and exhaustion, Link gave the princess a genuine smile, offering the deepest nod he could give in return. He felt a muscle groan as he did.

“Please, allow me.” Link felt something surround him.

It wasn’t far different from the fairies of the fountains, healing wounded travelers as the stumbled across their small homes. An aura of peaceful warmth surrounded him, relaxing the tense and strained muscles in his arms, painlessly closing the few wounds Kratos had successfully opened, and most importantly to him, calming his frantic and confused mind.

A pleasured sigh released itself from his lips before he knew it was even there. Blue eyes rolled backwards as his lids shut firmly intending to take the tired warrior into a dreamless sleep. But just before he could let himself drop away, the sensation stopped and feeling returned. Feeling that brought no pain, no fatigue, and no sign had been in a battle of any sort.

“Can you stand?” It certainly felt like he could. His leathered gloves pushed against the stone wall behind him before extending his legs. The forces of his muscles easily moved him back onto his own two feet, and without a single groan from any muscle in his body. Link put his hands before his eyes, giving them testing flexes as he worked his rejuvenated limbs. Honestly, it felt like the battle with the demon man never occurred.

His blue eyes looked up to the alabaster alicorn, standing but a hoof’s height above him. They met each other’s gaze in a smile.

“I do believe some introductions are in order,” Celestia began as she turned her head slightly, breaking gazes with Link. His eyes followed, resting on the only ponies clothed in no armor and barren of any wounds. They all watched him varying forms of nervousness, some more akin to fear. He smiled regardless. It wasn’t the first time he was given such reactions, and he doubted, even in this apparent death, that it would be the last.

“H-Hello.” A lavender unicorn stepped towards him, standing to just above his waist. “My name is Twilight Sparkle, personal student of Princess Celestia, bearer of the Element of Magic, brother to the Captain of the Celestia’s Royal Unicorn Guard, second born in the-”

“I think he gets it Twi’.” Link’s eyes turned to a pony with a coat that matched his eyes. He did his best not to show too much surprise at the flying creature with a mane made from rainbows. He must not have done well enough, as the pegasus gave a proud smirk as she looked at him.

“Impressed huh?” she spoke confidently with a hoof to her chest. “Name’s Rainbow Dash, fastest pegasus in all of Equestria. And I’ve just gotta say, after seeing the way you kicked that guy’s pale butt, I’m happy you’re on our side.” Still flapping her wings in the air, she put a hoof towards the green clad warrior, whose sharp blue eyes fell on it questioningly.

With as much hesitance as most of the ponies had for him, he reached out his own leathered arm and grasped the appendage like his sword. From the broad grin the pegasus gave him, he knew he made the right decision.

“I must attest to the young Rainbow’s words. We are most fortunate to possess you as an ally over foe.” Link turned to see the dark alicorn from before marching towards him. Unlike the elder alabaster ruler, she came just a hoof beneath his height, but held as much poise and power in her stance and form as any ruler he had ever met.

“My name is Princess Luna, Ruler of the Night. I am pleased to finally speak to you, Sir Link.”

That was a title he had not heard in quite some time. Not since his departure form the Hylian Court, since his last meeting with the Queen of Hyrule. Familiar and long held instincts rose to his mind as he knelt down on one knee, fist on the floor in submission to the ruler.

“Oh my.” He heard a timid voice speak from somewhere beyond his view of the floor. It would be the first time his instincts had failed him, should the act be an insult of some kind to this equine species. Hesitantly, he began to raise his head, eyes looking to the dark alicorn before him. Her eyes wide with surprise, though the warrior could not see any traces of disgust or insult upon them. His fears were alleviated when she placed a hoof on his shoulder.

“Rise.” The command felt all too familiar. Link pushed himself from the stone, eyeing as gently as he could the dark coated princess.

“How did you know he was knighted your highness?” Link saw the violet unicorn question, and it was a very good question.

“In truth, I did not. I assumed from the crests that adorned his shield that he may once have served a kingdom with rulers minutely different than us,” Luna caught her sister’s gaze, “you and I.”

“And I must say Princess Luna, you have quite the eye for detail.” These words came from another unicorn, with a coat that matched the tall alicorn ruler. She gave a small but very feminine bow towards the taller figure of Link. “My name is Rarity, Sir Link, and it is a pleasure to meet you.” She held his gaze for a moment before he noticed her lip twitching.

“I… I must also thank you for before. For saving me from that dreadful brute of a thing.” Her hoof scratched at the ground as she spoke. “So…. So thank you very very much. If there is anything I can do to help you, you have only but to ask.”

“I’m right there with ya.” Before Link could turn to the new voice, an orange hoof was pushed to him, chest high. “Name’s Applejack partner, an’ like Dash said, we’re mighty keen on havin’ ya on our side. It means a bushel of apples what you did for Rarity, and I thank ya for it.”

The Stetson hat-wearing pony gave a bright smile to the warrior, one that he returned as well. Wrapping his fingers around the orange hoof, he shook it all the same. But no sooner did he release the appendage then did a new pony assault him.

Literally assault.

A blur of pink knocked into the green clad warrior, sending him from his footing and crashing into the ground. The air was knocked form his lung as he landed on the stone floor, eyes looking up in shock. They met the large blue eyes of an incredibly bright pink pony.

“Hi there!” she cheered only breath’s length away from Links face, “my name’s Pinkie Pie, and I’m so glad I met you! I love meeting new ponies, but you’re a new MA-A-A-A-AN, so that makes this even more special!

“Oh, Pinkie, I think you may be frightening him.”

Link turned his head only slightly to see a canary pegasus standing far away from him, but with both of her pink eyes locked on his. Their vision was shared for only a moment before she ducked behind the dark alicorn, hiding herself from his view.

“Oh, Fluttershy, I’d say you are the one being scared by him,” the pink pony on his chest spoke again. “But c’mon! You’ve got a lot to tell us! Where are you from? How old are you? How many parties have you been to? Do you have a lot of friends? What’s it like having only two legs? What are those things on your hoo-”

“Calm down Pinkie,” The lavender unicorn spoke this time. Link felt the weight of the pony being taken off of him as an aura of purple surrounded her, lifting the otherwise energetic mare off of him. The warrior gave a grunt before raising himself to his feet again, lightly brushing off the dirt that had collected on him.

“You’ll have to excuse my friend, she tends to get… excited around poni… thin… um… lives she hasn’t seen before.” Link heard Twilight give a light chuckle as her fore-hoof rubbed the back of her mane nervously. He only smiled down in response. “But she did raise some good questions actually, between the rest of them. There is one question I wanted to ask you though…” Her hooves clicked together with nervous intention as she summoned the courage to speak the words.

“Do you mind if I ask some questions?”

Link gave a polite and kind nod as his answer.

“Alright!” Rainbow Dash soared in front of him, landing besides the violet mare, a proud grin on the pegasus’s face. “Colt, I’ve got a lot of things to ask you!”

As the Elements began to ask their questions towards the new life in the Grand Hall, Celestia moved away from the group. Her eyes and mind were more drawn to the other new addition to her once flawless castle. It possessed no life. It had few discernible features. And most terrifying of all, she had no hoof in placing it there.

The princess of the sun stared down at The Portal of Darkness.

To herself, out of earshot of any pony around her, Celestia mumbled a single question she was determined to figure out.

“What are you?” Next Chapter: The Tank and Mage Estimated time remaining: 7 Hours, 28 Minutes