Hi, everyone! Sorry this took so long and to apologize, I'm posting a long chapter! Yes, you heard that right, a long chapter.

Sam: Whoa, a long one? That's amazing!

No need to be sarcastic, Sam. Wait, how the hell (excuse my language) did you get out of the closet?

Sam: smiles

Oh, whatever! Just let me start this-

Sam: WAIT! What about the disclaimer?

Oh, yeah. WINGS!

Sam: He's not here. Runs out

Fine. I own nothing Zelda so you no sue.

"Talking"

"Animal Talking"

Thoughts

Next Stop: Death Mountain

"The next place is where?" Epona exclaimed. The trio had just left the Kokiri Village. The night was peaceful compared to what any of them had in a long while. Monsters had disappeared from the village, much to the Kokiri's relief. It was now sunrise and Navi told Epona where they were going.

"Death Mountain. I thought I made that clear." Epona looked at Navi, half pinning her ears back in annoyance. She heard the blue fairy correctly and understood, but Death Mountain?

"I heard you, Navi! It just doesn't sound like a dream vacation spot!"

The two continued to argue. Even though she was preoccupied, Epona couldn't help but notice something wrong. As Navi continued to talk, Epona cut her off and looked over at Link. He hadn't said anything that morning except saying good-bye to the Kokiri. Epona's saddle was on but Link hadn't attempted to mount now that they were out of the forest. The mare walked over to the young man and nudged him. He looked over.

"Hey, you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Epona wanted to roll her eyes but resisted knowing it wouldn't do anything.

"Wow, are you like this most of the time? I wonder what you're like when you're upset." Link gave a slight smile. Well, it's not much but at least it's something.

"Of course you would say something so cliché. You know how many times I heard that when I was younger?"

Epona was about to say something as an answer to that, but she noticed something, or someone, was missing. Navi had flown ahead, probably to look for any dangers on the field. Epona was talking to Link, and he understood everything she said!

"Link, how did you understand what I was saying? Wait, let me rephrase that, how are you understanding what I'm saying?"

Link smiled, though it was still small. "This is only temporary. You remember Saria, right?" Epona bobbed her head up and down. "Well, I promised you that I would tell you about her and the Deku Tree, so this is as good a time as ever. Well-"

"You guys, come on! There's nothing out here," Navi shouted. Link had an annoyed look on his face but didn't say anything. He just turned around and mounted Epona. You're going to tell me, Link. You can't keep things from for long.

Epona walked out of the wall of trees. The foliage had gained almost their green color. Epona just wanted to lean down and eat the fresh green grass, but she resisted knowing that they had to continue forward. They were out on the field and Epona almost flinched. After being in the now lush green forest, Hyrule Field looked like a barren wasteland. The mare had a hard time believing she had lived in this environment for seven years.

"So, which direction are we headed to?" Epona had no clue where Kakariko Village was. Link had told her that the village was the entrance to the base of the mountain, but that was all. Navi flew over and Epona almost could see in her mind the look of disbelief. The fairy said nothing about it.

"You see that mountain with the strange red clouds?" Epona did. She had always been attracted to it ever since the calm looking clouds had turned to a blood red five or six years before. "That's Death Mountain. So we need to head in that direction."

"You know, Navi, this little adventure just gets better and better," Epona said sarcastically. "So far, all we've had to do so far is walk into a forest filled with monsters, Link went somewhere and almost got killed, I had to fight a giant wolf who broke my leg, and now we have to go into a mountain called Death Mountain and has blood red clouds. This is the best trip anyone's ever had!"

Epona heard a muffled laugh from Link. Navi ignored the Hylian and made an annoyed grunt. "Epona, I don't appreciate sarcasm too much in a serious situation. Let's just get to the mountain!"

Epona snorted at Navi's behavior. When you try to lighten up the moment, the fairy scolds you. But when you don't need joking or anything of the kind, Navi becomes worse than someone being sarcastic all the time.

The mare picked up a fast trot then got up to a canter, but never got up to a gallop. She felt uneasy. There was something not right in the area. Movement was caught in the corner of her eye and she turned her head to look. Nothing was there. She turned her head back to facing forward but kept her eyes in the spot for only a few seconds. She barely saw the purple being in front of her before she screamed and tripped.

Link jumped off her before she hit the ground. Epona scrambled to her feet and saw some kind of ghost carrying a black lantern. The ghost gave a shriek and then a laugh that made Epona flinch. Link had pulled out his sword from the scabbard and easily hit the ghost with the sword. The purple creature gave another shriek, but this time in pain, and flew near Epona. Before she knew what she was doing, the mare reared up and slammed down on the ghost, causing it to disappear in a puff of smoke.

There was the sound of metal scraping and Epona looked over to see Link putting away his sword. The two walked over to each other and stared for just a second.

"Link, what was that thing?"

"A poe," Link said simply and mounted Epona. The mare snorted in annoyance once more. Why am I always left in the dark?

Kakariko was a small village with a large population. Epona remembered what Link had told her that the residents of the market had fled to Kakariko for safety, but only a few people were actually out in the open. There was an old man slowly pacing behind a house, two young men in front of a tree, a lady in front of a pen, and a beggar kneeling by the side of a building. There didn't seem to be enough homes for the combined population.

Link told her to head up by the beggar and go in between the buildings. Two small, stone pillars at the entrance of the mountain and there seemed to be remains of a gate. Epona trotted through the pillars and the dirt under her hooves turned to stone just a few feet in. The mare's unnerving feeling kept growing as she climbed the mountain and the clouds grew closer.

With the uneven surface and extra weight on her back, Epona had a terrible time keeping her balance. Link dismounted her and allowed her to walk up on her own. The travel was a bit easier than what Epona expected, but she wasn't expecting a path to travel on, either.

The trio eventually reached an entrance to a city. Epona became confused. Who would build a city inside a mountain, or volcano like Death Mountain? Are these people crazy? The other two must have sensed her confusion because Link started to laugh.

"Confused why people would choose a volcano to live?"

"Uh, yeah. Who the hell would choose this place?"

"Hey! Epona, please watch your language," Navi said. Epona glared at the fairy.

"Anyway, the people who live here are the Gorons." Epona just stared. She had no idea who the Gorons were. "You didn't get off the ranch much, did you? The Gorons are rock people."

"Rock people? What's that supposed to mean? They're hard headed?"

Navi flew in front of Epona's long face. "That's not nice, Epona. They are not- well, actually they are quite literally hard headed. Never mind!" Epona gave another blank look.

"They're made of rock," Link explained. Epona swung her head up and down and gave a snort of understanding. That would explain living in a volcano.

They entered the city and at first the city just looked like a large cave. Epona looked a little closer. A platform in the center of the cavern was held up by three long simple ropes attached to the top floor. The walls had holes that seemed to connect the many layers of the city. The ledges seemed to get longer the lower the floors were. The bottom floor had a large jar-like statue that Epona could not understand the point for. The city was missing residents.

She felt Link's hand on her neck and she looked over at the Hylian. The smile was absent from the young man's face as he looked around the abandoned city.

"So, Ganondorf's has spread here, too. What could he have done to make the whole city leave?"

"If they left," Epona stated. Link and Navi looked at her. "What?" Link simply shook his head and walked to the edge of the floor. Epona followed with Navi.

Epona looked at the bare floors. How could one man do this must destruction? It's just…inhumane, I guess. The mare could tell that this city once was almost chaotic with life, but now nothing. A sound of a boulder broke Epona out of her thoughts.

Looking down on the floor right below them was a small boulder rolling around the length of the ledge. She saw Link jump from their ledge to where the boulder was rolling. Panicked, she watched as Link placed a bomb in front of where the boulder was about to roll. The bomb exploded and the boulder stopped rolling and groaned? Epona jerked her head up in surprise. A boulder doesn't talk!

The boulder uncurled and the mare saw as arms, legs, and a head popped out of the main bulk that Epona had saw rolling.

"That's a Goron," Navi explained. Epona nickered in understanding and made small leap to get to the next level. The Goron looked surprised as the horse landed. Epona was shocked herself, but for a different reason. She just jumped at least seven feet without a running start and landed on her hooves safely on the stone. The Goron shook his head and turned his attention back to Link.

"So, what are you doing here-goro?"

"Why I'm here is my own business, but who are you?" The Goron smiled a little smugly.

"I am the son of Darunia-goro!"

Link raised an eyebrow and Epona held back a snort. Who ever this Goron was, he was certainly conceited. Epona turned to Link and said "Do all Gorons act like this? Or did you actually talk to one? Or did-" Link glared at Epona, as if to say 'Don't even finish that sentence!'

Link turned back to the young Goron. "All right, you're related to Darunia-"

"His son-goro!" The Goron corrected angrily.

"Whatever. You're still related to him. But what do we call you?"

The rock creature gave a grunt and said, "Well, if you must know, my name is Link-goro."

Link and Epona jerked a little in surprise. Link had a small smile on his face and gave a small chuckle. Link- goro didn't see the humor, neither did Epona. The mare found it a bit more than a simple coincidence.

"I don't see what's so funny!"

"Sorry, but I'm just curious, did your father tell you if you're named after someone?"

Link- goro gave a suspicious look. "Yes. How did you know that?"

"Just a hunch. Did Darunia say who?"

"Okay, why are you so curious about my name?" Link just looked at the Goron. "Fine! Dad told me that he named me after his sworn brother. According to him, Link saved the Goron race from starvation by ridding Dodongo's Cavern of the monsters that invaded. That was seven years ago. Link was so respected by the Gorons because he was only ten." Though he sounded like he was proud of his namesake, there was a hint of bitterness in Link- goro's voice. Epona cocked her head in confusion.

"Why are you so bitter? Shouldn't you be proud that Link saved your race?"

The Goron gave a confused look. "What did it say?"

Link repeated what Epona said. Link- goro gave slight glare. "Does it matter?"

A flash of blue flew in front of the Goron. "Uh, yeah! Tell us, then we'll tell you why it's important." The Goron gave an annoyed look. Navi seemed to have that kind of effect on people.

"You want to know why? Fine! Link left and when the Gorons needed him again, he didn't come like a sworn brother should!" Epona could almost feel Link's guilt. "Now, why was that important?"

"Because I'm Link." Link-goro gaped a little and had an angry look on his face.

"Why didn't you come! Because you didn't come, Ganondorf captured all my people!"

The trio looked surprised. That's why the Gorons weren't there in the city? Link sighed.

"Listen, I'm sorry I didn't come. I was a little… preoccupied at the time. So, what did Ganondorf do?"

Link-goro didn't look convinced at this excuse, but started to explain. "Ganondorf awakened the dragon, Volvagia. To satisfy the dragon, Ganondorf agreed to give Volvagia the Goron race to dispose of us."

Link gave a half nod, then a confused look. "Wait, why did Volvagia want with the Gorons?"

"Our ancestors had defeated Volvagia centuries ago. Now he wants revenge against us. And to get the dragon on his side, Ganondorf agreed to- well, what I said before. Now, you leave, you traitor!"

"When did this happen? I might be able to help you!"

"Oh, and what would you do? This is not Dodongo's Cavern! It's Volvagia! For all I know, I'm the last of my race!"

"But you're not sure! So, when did it happen?"

"You won't stop until I tell you, will you?"

"Nope."

Link-goro gave a growl. "It happened a few weeks ago, but Dad disappeared before that. About five or six years ago." The same time Saria disappeared. "Are you sure you can save my people?"

Link nodded.

"Well, you'll need to go into Death Mountain Crater, but I don't think a Hylian could survive in the heat." Link-goro had a thoughtful expression on his face. "Well, I have a tunic that can help you. Follow me." The Goron started to roll off the ledge and fell to the bottom floor. Link and Epona followed, Epona having no trouble from the fall again. Link-goro lead them to a room that was heavily decorated compared to the rest of the city. Epona's eyes were drawn to a statue by the far wall.

The rock creature grabbed a chest from the corner and pulled out a red tunic. It looked like it had a rough texture and Epona could tell it was made for extreme heat. Link-goro gave the tunic to Link.

"This is the Goron tunic. It's made from Dodongo hide and bomb flowers. This allows the tunic to withstand the heat of the Crater. And it's the only kind of tunic of its kind that still exists." Link quickly switched tunics and amazingly it fit perfectly. There was even a hat!

Link-goro was about to leave when Epona started to whinny and stomp. For some reason, she felt like she needed to go in that crater.

"What's wrong with her?"

"I feel like I need to go with Link! Why else would I do this?" Link repeated what the mare said. The Goron nodded and walked back over to the chest. He grabbed a red jewel. Link-goro placed the jewel in a hollowed out spot in the strap across her chest. There was a red glow as the jewel fused with the strap.

"That's the Blood of Volvagia Ruby. It's made out of the Volvagia's blood. It has all the properties of the Goron tunic. Some say this is why Volvagia wants revenge, but that's just superstition."

"Thank you. I don't think we need to worry about what Volvagia wants. I won't actually be fighting him."

The Goron gave a slight smile and walked over to the statue Epona had noticed before. Link-goro grabbed the statue and moved it to reveal a secret passage. "The Crater is this way. Be careful and good luck." With that, Link, Epona, and Navi walked into the dark passage, not knowing what would happen.

Tbc

Ariana, aka Nereid-Great chapter. Hey, does her bloodline have anything to do with why her mane and tail are white? Just a random thought. I was more surprised that Mido didn't put up more of a fight than that. Isn't he supposed to be the "Big Boss"? Anyway, update soon!- I didn't think about her mane and tail, but okay, that'll work! Mido probably did but this is from Epona's POV. She just didn't notice Mido's fighting. Plus, the one's he's bullying is twice his size and has a giant animal with hooves that could crush every bone in his body.

Lisilgirl-GR! My login is being stupid. ANyway, that was great! Just before you told who Epona's sire was, I was like...suspcious eyes I know something like that...That was extremely awesome! So where are they off to next? The fire temple? The water? heheheheheheh! I love this story so much!-Yeah, I know how the log-in is. Sometimes my computer doesn't let me log-in either. Growls angrily But, Anywho, I think I made it a little obvious, but, oh well. So, it's the fire temple. I'm trying to stick to the correct order as the game, but this is starting to become sorta AU.

Well, WHERE'S MY REGULAR REVIEWERS! Are you busy or something? I feel hurt. T.T But, I have over 1,000 hits! You guys are reading! Now, to make me really happy, REVIEW! PWETTY PWEASE?