The next day was spent in preparation for the journey to the Ocean Gate Fortress—Sapphirine Bay was close to Zora’s Domain, so the location wasn’t too inconvenient. The three mares kept together as they walked through the Domain, looking at the sights, purchasing some jewelry and some clothes—the Zora did sell tunics, gowns and other garments for Haylian ponies of varied ‘race’. Rarity got a lovely mist-silk gown dyed a sleek shade of amethyst and Rainbow Dash got herself a woven silversteel threaded tunic to replace Skyward’s tunic. Rarity also got some silk thread and fabric to repair Skyward’s tunic with. They also purchased weapons—Rarity a silversteel bow and a quiver of arrows; given she didn't like to get within range of an enemy, and Rainbow Dash got silversteel wing-swords, blades tucked in the pegasus’s wings to allow for deadly aerial swipes and strikes.

But there was a downside to their stay; the unusual behavior of the Zoran stallions towards the group had unnerved the two Equestrian mares, so they stayed in the guest room, Skyward having warded it further to keep them safe. She too had picked up on the flirtatious glances, the playful winks, coquettish looks, the veiled gazes…

While her friends were staying in the room, the Haylian mare was currently practicing her own bladework on a training platform, flipping and twisting, swiping, slashing, firing off bolts of magic at times. Hearing applause from behind her, she turned her head to see the Zora Prince behind her—Ruyan. He smiled at her as he crossed to her and she sheathed her blade, inclining her head to him in a bow.

“Prince Ruyan. To what do I owe the honor of thine presence?”

The royal Zora stallion gazed down at her, taking one of her armored hooves in his own and laying a courtly kiss to the back of it, just above the hoof-cup.

“One came to watch thee practice. Truly thou art every inch the war mage the Princess of Hayrule hath said thou art. Graceful, powerful, lethal, swift…”

The last was breathed into her right ear, the prince having released her hoof to walk around her while he was speaking to end up just behind and to her right.

“Beautiful.”

Skyward swallowed hard—despite the prince’s praise of her sword skills, the last word plus how close he was to her, practically almost pressed up against her, had made her extremely uncomfortable. She masked her discomfort and tossed her mane as she moved away, testing her sword’s edge for sharpness.

“Beauty ‘tis only fur deep, Your Highness. ‘Tis a pony’s deeds and demeanor that shalt prove the true test.”

The prince came up behind her once more, lightly nudging her, his jewelry jingling with the motion; Skyward turned to face him, looking inquisitive, yet in her mind alarm bells were going off. “Yet, thou seem worried, mine lady. Please, tell me what troubles thee?”

The bluesteel mare pretended to ponder for a few minutes before she looked up at him. “Art thou certain, Your Highness? Thou art a busy stallion to be sure, considering what Ganondorf hast done…”

Ruyan waved a hoof dismissively. “Thou art more important right now, my dear one. Please, I beseech thee—what is on thine mind? Tell me.”

“Well, as thou knowest…I am not a Zora. Therefore, one cannot breathe underwater. This poses a problem, for me and mine companions…and one was wondering, did one’s ancestor possess any Zora Armor?”

Skyward had made it a point to not only read the ‘Ocarina of Time’ nann-ga she had gotten for Hearth’s Warming but she had also secreted it in her satchel as a reference guide—she knew her ancestor not only had fireproof armor at one point, but also, Zora Armor---armor that allowed somepony to breathe underwater akin to the Zora themselves.
The prince tilted his head, clearly thinking before he spoke again. “I shalt hath to ask mine sire whether we hath kept any relics from Time Link’s era, but I shalt find out. As for thine companions, one believes we can find a solution for thine problem. That aside, one also came to make a request of thee?”

Skyward cocked her head, and the prince continued. “I would like thou to join me for luncheon later today, if it pleases thee?”

The Haylian unicorn mentally cursed; she really didn’t want to, but to refuse him would be a grave insult and she really didn’t want to piss any of the royal family off—Zelda was counting on her, hay, Hayrule was counting on her!

As she opened her mouth to voice a reluctant acceptance of his invitation, a loud splash and a clatter of hooves on stone resounded.

“Prince Ruyan! Prince Ruyan!”

The royal stallion turned to face the guardspony that had launched himself out of one of the waterfalls that poured from this training platform—Zora were swift swimmers and could even swim up waterfalls if it suited them. Skyward caught the flash of anger on the prince’s face before it was swiftly masked—and her eyes slitted a little as she looked at her blade again, pretending to look it over for blemishes or dull spots. Clearly, he hadn’t wanted to be interrupted.

The guardspony ran up to them, panting heavily. “My prince, thou art needed at the western gate…we found something…”

The prince arched an eyebrow. “Found what exactly, Luzu?”

The stallion looked up at his prince. “The Gerudo hath been attempting to breach the perimeter, my prince. We found evidence near the northern exit of the Domain to the Ocean Gate Fortress.”

Ruyan’s eyes slitted and he looked over at Skyward with an apologetic look. “Forgive me, my dear Skyward; one must away. Wilt thou consider mine request?”

“I shalt consider it, Your Highness, but thou must go, swiftly; the Gerudo wait for nopony and ‘tis likely they left traps.”

The prince nodded at her, before he bolted after the guardspony and dove off the ledge into the lake below, swimming swiftly towards the western end of the Domain. Left alone, Skyward muttered a rich curse under her breath and swiftly cantered back to the guest room. Rarity was in the bathing room, soaking in the deep bathtub, given the amounts of steam coming from the doorway along with some off key singing, and Rainbow Dash was reading in her bed, glancing at the Haylian unicorn when she stormed in and all but slammed the door shut, then locked it.

“You okay?”

Skyward huffed as she flopped onto her bed, and the cyan pegasus mare smiled wryly. “Iiiii’m going to take that as a no.”

“Argh! One is ready to bang one’s head against a wall! We art running out of time; we need to get to the fortress, yet we lack a way to breathe underwater! What is more, Prince Ruyan is a little too interested in one and I do not like it one bit,” the Haylian mare replied with a disgusted snort, and Rainbow Dash cocked an eyebrow, putting her book aside—it was the Haylian pegasus sky technique book Skyward had given her for Hearth’s Warming.

“What, you don’t like the prince or something?”

Skyward pulled off her armor and curled on the bed, feeling fatigued and worn out for some reason, even though she had done a light training session. “His Highness seems nice enough but…he is far too flirtatious for one’s liking.”

“Aaaah, so he’s being pushy; just like some of the other Zora stallions around here. Ya know, that’s really starting to get a little…scary.”

Skyward’s ears drooped and she sighed. “One must apologize, Rainbow Dash; one knowest this is no pleasure jaunt but one wast hoping this wouldst not be a trial for thou and for Rarity…”

The multicolored maned pegasus mare waved her hooves in the air towards her friend. “Now hold up, I didn’t say this place wasn’t awesome, cause…it so IS! I mean come on! This place is so beautiful, I'd love to take a flight around once it's safe again! I so wanna see if I can race some of these Zora while they're swimming! I'd beat them hooves down, bet on it!"

Skyward had to laugh at the pegasus mare’s enthusiasm, and Rainbow Dash grinned, then sobered. “The only damper on the whole thing is the Zora stallions acting so…'creeptastic' at times. Some of the others aren’t too bad…maybe a little too formal when they talk but the others?”

The Haylian pony shrugged. “They hath always been that way—minus the ‘creeptastic’ behavior from some of the stallions,” came the reply, and then sighed, rubbing at her eyes with one hoof. Rainbow Dash, seeing this, flew off her bed and landed on Skyward’s, putting a hoof on her shoulder.

“Look, anypony can tell you’re stressed out. How about you take a nap and look at the problem with fresh eyes? Rarity’ll be done with the bathroom soon, so then you can also take a nice long soak. I’m gonna go join her—that bathtub is HUGE!”

Skyward chuckled. “One shalt take thine advice, Rainbow. If thou and Rarity get hungry, merely ring for a servant, just do not forget to lock the door after them, all right?”

The polychromatic pegasus nodded, giving her a wink and a nudge before she fluttered off into the bathing area. Skyward yawned and crawled over the soft covers, burrowing underneath them as fatigue tugged at her once again. She did not resist as she snuggled down into the soft bed, blinking her eyes sleepily as she drifted off....

*********************
“Skyward…”

The Haylian mare frowned in her sleep and shook her head, curling up in a ball. The only thing she wanted to do was sleep, Din damn it to blazes…

There was a rich male laugh, then: “Ha, thou sleep almost as much as I once did—awaken and hearken to me, missy.”

Skyward grumbled something noncommittal and rolled over, flicking a hoof dismissively in the direction of the voice. The laughter came again, a hearty chuckle this time.

“Get up or one shalt toss ye into the river, sleepyhead!”

That snapped her awake and she shot upright. She wasn’t in her bed again; but neither did she seem to be in an astral plane. She seemed to be in the middle of a misty forest clearing, sunlight streaming through the branches above her head.

Hearing a throat being cleared, she looked over to see a pony standing close by. The pony before her was translucent, but it…no, he…he was clearly different. He bore a long, thick blond mane and tail, slightly windblown, his coat was a gentle tan color, almost like the hue of the chilled frappuccinos that Rarity preferred from Sugarcube Corner…

And eyes that matched her own.

His clothing was a short sleeved emerald green tunic with a chainmail counterpart underneath, and atop his head was a matching long tailed cap. Thin sapphire rings adorned his ears, which were pricked in her direction. He being an Earth Pony, with no wings or horn to speak of, had well defined muscle, but he wasn’t bulky—his legs were strong and sleek, his hind and forequarters well shaped. Skyward took a sharp breath when she realized who it was; there was no mistaking the spectral pony before her.

It was none other than her ancient predecessor and great uncle, Time Link himself.

The ancient hero regarded his great-niece with an amused smile playing about his muzzle. He stepped forward, chuckling softly.

“When one looks at thee it is like seeing mine brother Skyward Sword all over again. Though thou unlike he, thou hast quite the temper.”

Skyward swallowed hard, eyes wide as saucers; was this for real? Was she dreaming? Buck that was a stupid question, of course she had to be; she went to sleep earlier didn’t she?! The legendary hero chortled, reaching over to gently push her mouth closed with one hoof. Time Link regarded his niece fondly, resting a ghostly hoof on her forehead.

“Come on now, Skyward. When all ‘tis said and done at the end of the day, one is just a simple pony. Legends aside, that is all we truly art; mere flesh and blood ponies. Remember that, despite thine laurels.”

Skyward shook her head from side to side furiously before she looked up at the bigger pony—she had to tilt her head up to look at her great uncle.

“Time Link…what…what art thou doing here? Not that one is not glad to see thou; I…I wished to get to know thee but I didst not know the Goddesses were actually listening…!”

The former Hero of Time chuckled, reaching over and gently ruffling her mane with one hoof. “The Goddesses art always listening, Skyward; they mayeth not always answer, but they are always watching, always listening. That being said, so too hath I, and the other Heroes of Time that hath passed before thee. And, in times of great need, shalt the heroes of old aid the current one in their age-old quest.”

Skyward cocked her head at her relative, who gazed down at her soberly, the levity leaving his eyes as he sat in front of her. “And thou art in need of aid to be certain, Skyward. Thou art not alone in this endeavor, remember that: ye must seek aid from thine friends, mine niece. Unlike ye, I and some of the other Heroes did everything alone, even though I did have allies from the respective tribes to aid me.”

Skyward nodded her head at her ancestral predecessor. “Great-Uncle Time Link; I beseech thee for thine wisdom.”

At the stallion’s gentle nod, she continued. “Mine companions and I hath a big problem; without Zora Tunics or Armor, we cannot hope to free the Ocean Gate Fortress without them. And we art running short on time; we do not want Ganondorf discovering us. The shops do not sell anything of the sort, and the Zora stallions art acting strangely—mine friends art wary of them and the Zora Prince hath been acting like a lovesick foal; for he hath done everything short of throwing himself at me!”

Time Link frowned, putting a hoof to his chin. “One does indeed hath something for thou and thine friends, but ‘tis hidden away, high in the Domain; I shalt tell thee how to find it. On the morrow, thou shalt go to King Zora, request a private audience and speak these words to him: “Gone, gone, the form of land/Arise the ocean from the sand.”

Time Link had begun to pace as he spoke, glancing at his niece. “This shalt tell King Zora to give you the relic that allowed thine five-time great grandfather Skyward Sword to breathe underwater—and thou can duplicate it for thine allies. I knowest the royal family hath something of mine, long and long ago, but I fear time mayhap not been kind to the item Zelda entrusted to them to keep. That reminds me; on thine life, do not accept anything from the prince—I do not want thou falling into the same trap I did years ago, albeit unknowingly.”

“Trap? What trap dost thou speak of, Great Uncle?” Skyward asked, frowning.

Time Link looked her dead in the eye, his royal blue eyes stern. “When I returneth thou to the land of the aware, recall the knowledge Zelda imparted to thee about the Zora. This is springtime; therefore ‘tis their mating season; which is why some of the Zora stallions art eyeing thine allies like choice pieces of hay roast. The only ones not affected art the mated ones, or ones not of age to sire foals. Stay well away from them and warn thine friends to not accept anything from them or to encourage them. Be formal, be cold, rude if necessary.”

The deceased hero held up a hoof to forestall his niece—he wasn’t done talking. “Also consult the books thine friends from Equestria hath gifted thee. Because of the disappearance of the Zora's Sapphire long and long ago, the Zora now make armor for their chosen mates. I wilt also tell thee this again; and mind me, Skyward—accept nothing from the Zora Prince, for it shalt spell thine misery after thine quest comes to an end. I got lucky on a technicality long ago, thanks to Zelda. "

Skyward regarded her great uncle—she knew just from the timbre of his voice and the direct look he was giving her that he was serious, and she nodded at him…then threw her forelegs around him. She didn’t expect to be able to hug him, but even though he was a spirit, he was, oddly enough, solid to the touch, so she was able to do so.

Time Link blinked at the sudden hug he was getting from his great niece, but he smiled, gently returning the hug. She was family, when all was said and done; never mind the fact she was the most recent Hero…or Heroine in her case to join the ranks, and he nuzzled her gently, giving her a gentle headbutt when he pulled back to look at her. An unseen wind stirred their manes and tails, and the spirit of her ancestral uncle began to flicker and waver---Time Link knew he had reached his limit, and he had to leave soon. Seeing the distress on his niece’s face, he saluted her with a wink.

“Fear not, for we shalt meet again, mine niece! Trust in thine friends from both worlds and draw upon their strength!”

The ghostly Hero faded away, but not without one final sentence, and a broad smile of fatherly pride.

“I am so proud of thee, Skyward...so very proud. Thou art the daughter one never got to have.”

Skyward tried to call out to her uncle, but failed to do so, having to shield her eyes from the bright light that engulfed the form of her deceased relative…

*********

When she woke, Skyward sat up sharply in the bed, gasping for breath. She rubbed at her muzzle and her right hoof came away wet with tears…and she felt something fall into her lap. Looking down, she saw it was a emerald green long tailed cap; well worn, and clearly of ancient make and weave. She shook her head, glancing out at the star-filled skies beyond her window in the palace and smiled.

(I am glad to know I make thee proud, Uncle Time Link.)

The Haylian mare got out of bed, crossing to her satchel; lighting her horn, she searched through her things before she found what she was looking for; her ‘Ocarina of Time’ nann-ga she had tucked in there prior to leaving for Appleoosa. Careful not to disturb the other two mares, Skyward sat on her bed and began leafing through the book. As Skyward read through the section where her ancestor had to retrieve the Zora’s Sapphire, the pieces clicked in her mind when she read the line ‘spoken’ by Princess Ruto as she granted her uncle the Stone, and she dropped the book in horrified realization.

The gift of the Spiritual Stone was in truth no gift at all! Trap indeed—her uncle had been right!

She would not shackle herself unknowingly to a pony she did not love!

The bluesteel mare retrieved her book and put it back in her satchel, glancing at her sleeping friends, then at the star filled skies through the window, a scowl forming on her muzzle.

They were all in danger here; and the sooner they left Zora’s Domain, the better.

************************

The next morning, Skyward woke to the sound of knocking on the door. She got up, tugging on a loose robe meant for lounging and quickly answered the door; a pale blue Zora female wearing the sigil of the royal family and little else, bowed to her.

"Forgive me for bothering thou so early, Lady Skyward, but the prince hath sent me to fetch thou to him. He has something to show thee, something about thine ancestor's legacy?"

Skyward nodded her head--she dressed in her armor; it didn't reek because she hadn't done much in it the other day anyway, and left, sealing the door behind her to allow her friends to go back to sleep as she followed the servant down the halls to another room. Prince Ruyan was inside, with an old looking chest settled next to his forelegs. Skyward bowed to him, and he shook his head, waving at the servant to leave.

"No need for formality, my dear. How did thou sleep?"

"Well enough, even with the threat of war so close," came the reply. Skyward lit her horn and carefully pushed back the lid of the timeworn chest and peered inside. She grimly shook her head at the armor inside the ancient chest—it had decayed over time, and it was useless. The chestpiece was worn thin and there were obviously holes in the sleeves—the helm had all but crumbled away to nothing but pieces of rust and moth-eaten fabric.

“There is naught that can be done to repair this. This is…one cannot use this.”

“I can craft thou a set of armor, my dear one. Merely say the word and it shalt be done,” Prince Ruyan murmured as he reached out with one finned hoof to brush her muzzle tenderly, but she shied away from him. She was grieved about her great-uncle’s armor as she brushed a hoof over the lid as she closed the chest, looking sorrowful, before she looked at the prince with a gentle shake of her head, glancing at the chest and sighing heavily, allowing her ears to droop to enhance the semi-façade of her sadness.

“I thank thee, but one must politely decline. Please, excuse me; I must think on these developments.”

She bowed to him, and left the room, quickly teleporting back to the guest room once she was out of sight and around the corner.

Rarity let her in when she knocked, and Rainbow Dash popped off the bed. “So?”

The Haylian mare shook her head grimly as she locked the door behind her and recast her warding spell to be sure. “Mine ancestor’s armor is nothing more than a decayed ruin. The prince offered to make one a new set, but…”

Rarity blinked in confusion. “Then why not accept his offer, darling?”

Skyward shook her head. “The prince is kind, but…nay. I hath no desire for him, even though I respect he and his kind greatly.”

Rainbow Dash snorted. “Besides, the books always said that the Zora princess was crushin’ pretty hard on the Hero…or in this case, the Prince is seriously 'hooked' on you, Skyward..."

“But in this case, he’s offering you a set of armor he plans on making himself…surely you shouldn’t refuse him?”

“One knows this, Rarity, but one cannot accept the prince’s offer. If I do, I wilt end up marrying him at the end of all this, and I do not wish that.”

Rarity looked shocked. “Wha…why…why would you not want to marry him? He obviously desires yo—"

Rainbow Dash shot down from where she was hovering and put a hoof on Rarity’s mouth. She turned, holding up another hoof to quiet Skyward, who looked like she was going to lose her temper. “Skyward, don't lose it in here, you don't wanna bring the guards running in to break up a fight."

The bluesteel mare subsided at this, knowing her rainbow maned friend was right. Rainbow Dash then turned to Rarity and shook her head at her. "Rarity, Skyward can’t become a Zora queen. She can’t live underwater, for one. Second, she’s the Heroine of Time! She’s got super important work to do, she doesn’t have the time to waste on this guy, prince or not! And third, does this stallion even love her or does he only care about her status as the Heroine of Time? I mean, come on! You went through something similar; does Blueblood come to mind?”

Rarity’s indignation subsided quickly at that, and she had to admit that the rainbow maned pegasus had a solid point.
“So…the armor your ancestor had…”

“Wast a gift from a king of the Zora, long and long ago. But, one suspects they let it decay on purpose, and didst not keep it up, because of a long-standing tradition that Princess Zelda changed. In olden days, the Zora’s Sapphire, which Goddesses only know where the damn thing is now; wast given from the Zoran prince or princess to the Zora he or she wished to wed. Mine great uncle, according to what he told me himself, and the ‘Ocarina of Time’ nann-ga and the lore books here, needed the stone long ago to unseal the Door of Time in the Temple of Time, for it wast beyond that door where the Master Sword rested. However, in accepting the stone from Princess Ruto…”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa…Time Link himself talked to you? How? Isn’t he dead?”

Skyward nodded at the flabbergasted pegasus. “He is, but one now knows that the spirits of the past Heroes wilt aid the current one in their quest. One is grateful for his aid; and knowing he truly sees me as blood kin.”

She brushed tears from her eyes; Rarity and Rainbow Dash both gave her a hug, then the ivory unicorn put a hoof to her chin. “Ahem; so, back to the problem at hoof, ladies. In accepting the stone, your uncle was engaged to the princess,”

Rarity mused, and Skyward nodded her head. “Aye. Princess Zelda convinced King Zora the Seventh to change the tradition should the Spiritual Stones ever be needed again; that it was silly to waste such an important item on a betrothal when the entire future of Hayrule hung in the balance, and he agreed on this, releasing mine uncle Time Link from his so-called obligation. Thus, he began the tradition of making armor for their mates by hoof, and it hast remained the same ever since then.”

The ivory unicorn nodded, and her eyes widened in shocked realization. “And now, Prince Ruyan seeks to do the same; by offering to make you a new set of Zora Armor.”

“Doesn’t seem like he’s doing it out of just lust. I mean I get the feeling he really does like you. But is it just me, or are all the Zora seem to be eyeing our flanks ever since we got here?” Rainbow Dash muttered, and Skyward sighed.

“That is entirely mine fault; Great-Uncle Time Link reminded me of this. One forgot that in springtime, the Zoras go into heat. Right now, this is their mating season; which is why the stallions art acting so off kilter, which is why I shalt remind ye both yet again—accept nothing from them and do nothing to encourage them unless ye wish to be dragged into a breeding cave for the next sevenday. And believe me when one says there art half Zoran ponies about,” the Haylian unicorn said darkly, and both mares looked at one another in shock.

“Oookay…this just got a hay of a lot more complicated. So how do we go about making you a new set of Zora Armor without accepting anything from the Zoras?”

“We do not need to forge the armor, but we must speak to King Zora, right away. Mine Great-Uncle left me something we can all use, but ‘tis hidden and only the king knows where it is. Pack thine things—after we find mine great-uncle’s cache, prepare thyselves for battle.”

The two mares nodded at her as they gathered their things—Skyward shrinking them down to fit in her satchel. Rarity opened the door and looked out it, up and down, before she nodded at the other two female ponies. The three mares traveled down the corridors to the throne room—aside from his guards, King Zora was thankfully alone. The king smiled kindly at the three mares as they approached.

“Ah—Lady Skyward, Lady Rarity, Lady Rainbow Dash. One trusts thou art enjoying thine stay here?”

“Aye, we are, King Zora. Though…we beg a private audience with thee, if thou dost not mind?”

King Zora inclined his great head, waving at his guards, who departed the chamber. Once they were gone, he cocked his head inquistively at them. “What dost thou wish to ask of me, my dear?”

Skyward stepped forward and looked the king straight in the eyes.

“Gone, gone, the form of land…
Arise the ocean from the sand.”

King Zora blinked, before he nodded slowly at the bluesteel mare. “What thou seeks is close to the Ocean Gate Fortress—there is a cavern hidden behind a waterfall. Time Link’s legacy is there. I take it mine son showed thou his decayed Zora Armor.”

“He did, Your Majesty, and we hath no time to waste. The longer we tarry, the stronger Ganondorf’s hold becomes.”

“And we shalt not tolerate his nonsense against thine people,” Rarity snapped, and the king laughed heartily. “Well said, Lady Rarity, well said indeed.”

The king glanced around before he looked down at them. “One knowest that mine son hath shown an interest in thee, Lady Skyward. But the choice is thine to make—t’would be a great blessing for this kingdom if thou did decide to wed mine son, but nonetheless, thou art thine own pony and I shalt not anger the Princess when she made it clear to me to not allow anything to hinder thee from thy quest.”

Skyward shook her head at the royal Zora stallion. “If Hayrule falls then there is no future for anypony, King Zora. And…forgive me; thine son is a good pony and wilt be a strong, fair leader in time, but a half Zoran pony would not be able to ascend thine throne. Your son would be forced to abdicate as a result. I think…’tis better that thou might dissuade him for the sake of thine people.”

King Zora nodded sagely at her. “Though thine mark is Courage, you speak with Wisdom, Heroine of Time. Now, hurry—there is a passage you and yours can take to where Time Link’s hidden cache is near. Laliu will take you there—hath no fear, she is trustworthy.”

The regal if incredibly rotund royal Zora clapped his finned hooves together, and a slim female Zora, her scales a soft sea blue color and clad in the silversteel armor of the Zora Royal Guard popped up out of the central pool. “Thou sent for me, mine King?”

“Aye. Take Lady Skyward and her companions to the western siphon gate of the Domain—they wish to rid us of Ganondorf’s evil as soon as possible. And keep this quiet—inform Mazz that I wish to see mine son within five minutes of their departure through the gates.”

The female guard bowed to the king before beckoning to the three mares, leading them out through a hidden tunnel that was veiled by two large statues and a waterfall to the left of the throne. The passageway was lit only by luminous stones, and what seemed like hours passed but only fifteen minutes went by before the female guardspony pushed on what seemed like a dead end, exposing them to the overcast outside. There was no path, just grass and a rocky slope, a rushing tributary flowing downward from higher up of one of the craggy cliffs that barred entry from this side of the sea. They could see the beach below them, a strip of pale golden sand, as well as a vast expanse of water, the smell of salt filling their noses even from this distance. Further down the coastline, the three mares could just make out the sight of the Sapphirine Bay Harbor, which was obviously under attack given the smoke plumes they could see.

It was a sobering sight--a reminder that this was indeed, war.

Laliu nudged Skyward, who looked at her. “Go to the beach—the Ocean Gate Fortress’s entrance is underwater, thou shalt be able to see it easily from the beach. Good luck, all three of thou. And, be careful; the prince was looking for thee earlier, Lady Skyward; he may have guards out searching for thee.”

Skyward winced inwardly—this was the last thing they needed. “May Nayru bless you and yours, Laliu; thine warning is most appreciated. Come on, girls; we art running out of time.”

The female Zora mare bowed to Skyward, Rarity and Rainbow Dash, before she moved up the ridge towards the large tributary and dove into it, clearly making her way back to the Domain, while Skyward and her two friends gazed down at the beach below.

It was now or never.