The next day, Sonic was enjoying the sun on his face at Ordon Ranch. He was thinking about his trip to Hyrule. The first thing he thought about was seeing the princess of Hyrule. He could hardly wait to meet her.

"I thought you'd be thinking about the princess."

A voice startled Sonic out of his thoughts. It was Tails, and he was leading Epona with him on a leash. "Sorry, buddy. I didn't mean to scare you," he said. "That's okay," said Sonic. "You're right. I am thinking about the princess."

"I knew it!" Exclaimed Tails as he and Sonic shared a laugh. "Anyway, today's the day. The princess' birthday gift is prepped and ready to go," said Tails. "So here's Epona and I wish you the best of luck, my friend."

"Thanks, pal," said Sonic, jumping on Epona. "Come on, girl," he said to the horse. "Let's go meet the princess." Epona neighed excitedly as she carried Sonic over the fence. "Good luck!" Shouted Tails, waving. "Have fun!"

On his way through the village, Sonic met up with his friends Link and Amy. "Hey, buddy. Ready to go to Hyrule?" Asked Link. "Sure am," replied Sonic. Link handed Sonic a box and the hedgehog carefully put it in Epona's saddlebag which was just behind the saddle he was sitting on. "Send the princess our birthday wishes, Sonic," said Amy, patting Epona. "I know you've been looking forward to meeting her." Sonic waved to his friends as Epona started to walk off.

"Wait!"

Amy's voice stopped Epona from walking. She and Link jogged over to the horse. "What's the matter?" Asked Sonic. Amy took a careful look at Epona's right front leg. "She was limping. I think she's injured," said Amy. Sonic jumped off Epona and examined her leg. "Are you alright, girl?" He asked. Epona responded with an embarrassed nicker. "Don't be embarrassed," said Amy. "I'll take you to our local vet and she'll have you fixed up in no time." And with that, she gently led Epona to the nearest vet clinic. "What about the princess' gift?" Sonic called after her. But Amy was too far away to hear. "This isn't good," said Link. "Without Epona, you'll never get the gift to the princess in time."

"No biggie," said Sonic. "I'll just run there on foot with the gift."

"Oh, silly me," laughed Link. "I forgot I was talking to the fastest thing alive. That's a great idea. I'll get you a backpack that you can use to carry the gift in. We'll meet outside the vet's office."

"Cool," said Sonic. "I'll talk to the doctor. Hopefully, Epona's injury isn't too bad and will heal soon." And with that, Sonic zipped to the vet's office.

When he opened the door, a male vet wearing scrubs, a white coat and a stethoscope around his neck was examining Epona. Amy was with him. She didn't hear Sonic come in. "Doctor, is Epona going to be all right?" Amy asked him anxiously. "The poor girl bumped her leg when she jumped over the fence," said the doctor. "She has a little bruise just above her knee. If she runs, the bruise will get worse. She should stay off that leg for about three days and the bruise will go away. I already gave her a magic ice medicine that will numb the pain." He turned to the horse. "Get some rest, girl. Three days later, you should feel much better." Sonic cleared his throat. "Excuse me, Amy. Is the gift still in Epona's saddlebag? I'm going to take it to Hyrule by myself," he said. "Oh, Sonic," said the doctor. "I took the box which must be the gift out of the saddlebag before looking at Epona's bruise. It's not too serious. She just needs to rest for three days."

"Thanks, doc," said Sonic. "My pleasure," replied the doctor. "Taking the gift to Hyrule will be east on foot with my super speed." And off he ran.

When Sonic reached the other side of the bridge however, he found a strange door. "Hello? Anybody home?" He asked, knocking on the door. But as soon as he touched it, he was pulled right through it. On the other side of the door, Sonic found the entire land covered in twilight. "Whoa. How'd this happen?" He asked himself. "Could this be the hour of twilight Link was talking about? He didn't say anything about- whoa!" A mysterious hand grabbed him by the throat and threw him to the ground. Sonic was too weak to get up and found himself being transformed...