Next chapter done!

Enjoy! ;)

Chapter 9: Journey to the Forest Temple

As soon as the heroes left the Temple of Time, they were instantly greeted with a horrific sight: bloody-red clouds covered the entire sky, houses were empty and some even destroyed, and only a loud wind was blowing around the deserted Market. All the happiness and loudness of this place just shifted to sadness and silence. Everyone's faces had shocked looks just by looking around.

"Oh." Mario.

"My." Luigi.

"God." Link.

"What has happened to the town?!" Toad asked.

"It used to be so lively…" Peach lamented.

"And that's not all…" Yoshi trailed as he pointed at some things that are emerging out of the ground. "Look!"

What could possibly be worse than a deserted town? A deserted town occupied with ReDeads! Yep, those are exactly what just emerged out of the ground.

"Oh, no…" Luigi paled up, petrifying in fear once again.

"Link… You might want to use the Sun's Song." Navi suggested.

"I was thinking the same thing, Navi." Link said and played the Sun's Song on his ocarina, freezing the ReDeads in place as everyone rushed out of the town, with Mario dragging away the petrified Luigi, taking off to Hyrule Field.

There, Mario freed his brother out of his stone shell before they headed off to Kakariko Village. Along the way, they decided to discuss about what just became of Hyrule when Ganondorf and his mysterious sidekick had taken over.

"My… What has Ganondorf and his newest minion done to Hyrule?" Navi questioned.

"Is that what we saw back there will become of Hyrule if they win?" Toad wondered.

"This is horrible! We can't allow that!" Link exclaimed. "Not only this land will be forever ruled by shadows, but… what about the people we've met?"

"Oh my… Now that I think about it, if Ganondorf and his minion are that dangerous, these people could suffer a worse fate…" Peach whispered.

"So it looks like the fate of this land is now in our hands…" Mario furrowed his eyebrows. "No matter what, we can't let those two bad guys win!"

"You said it, bro!" Luigi threw in.

As they approached the entrance to Kakariko Village, they all started to hear loud noises from there.

"Eh? What's with all this noise?" Yoshi wondered.

"Something must be happening at Kakariko…" Mario suspected. "Let's hurry and see what it is!"

They went through the gates of Kakariko, and looking up ahead, they were surprised to see the commotion that was happening there: a certain adult horse was galloping and neighing like crazy as the local villagers, with some of them happening to be survivors of Hyrule Town who fled here due to Ganondorf's takeover, tried to approach it to calm it down, but no success.

"Stop! Don't take Epona!" an adult woman that looked somehow familiar to the heroes cried out in the middle of this chaos as she tries to approach Epona.

"We don't have any choice, Malon." a middle-aged woman lamented, grabbing Malon's arm and pulling her away. "If we disobey the sorcerer king…"

"Him again?!" Malon angrily pushes the middle-aged woman away from her so that she could let go of her arm. "I can't stand the thought of Epona being Ganondorf's horse!"

"Epona?!" Link thought, his eyes widening in realization. "No way she'll become Ganondorf's horse! It's good that I know just the thing to calm her down…"

Taking out his ocarina, Link plays Epona's Song on it as he slowly approaches Epona. Everyone stopped and watched Link playing the song, while Epona's ears perked up and stopped her rampage upon hearing her favorite song. Her eyes were focused on Link and, having flashbacks of their first meeting seven years ago, she immediately recognizes him and runs up to him while neighing happily.

"Epona…" Link whispered, tearing up in joy as Epona had the same reaction. "It's you, Epona!" he hugs her muzzle.

"Wow, is that really Epona?" Toad said surprised. "I can't believe she still remembers Link!"

"You know, I wonder if Pearl still remembers me as well?" Peach wondered.

Speaking of which…

Things weren't look good for Pearl after all those seven years in Lon Lon Ranch; Ingo became loyal to Ganondorf and kicked Talon out of the ranch and Malon had to do all the work, otherwise Ingo would abuse the horses, and Malon hated that.

Because of that, Pearl and Epona had been stuck with an abusive owner until Epona decided to escape the ranch by herself as she was more confident than Pearl, who was more timid.

What was happening to Pearl right now? Ingo was abusing her and the other horses since Malon had snuck out of the ranch. Angered, Pearl was trying to get out of Ingo's grasp since he was pulling her neck with a rope.

"Come on, you stupid horse! OBEY ME!" Ingo yelled. "If I couldn't get Epona to be Lord Ganondorf's horse, then YOU will!"

In the middle of this, Peach's brooch, which was still attached to Pearl's mane, ends up falling out and lands on the ground. Pearl took a quick glance at it, causing her to have flashbacks of her as a young horse meeting Peach for the first time seven years ago. Determined to see her new friend again, she kicks Ingo away, picks up the brooch with her teeth and gallops out of the horse corral.

"H-Hey! Get back here!" Ingo demanded, but Pearl didn't listen and actually manages to jump over the ranch's gates like if they were a fence. Ingo had a grief look on his face as he watched Pearl galloping away.

Back at Kakariko Village, the Mario cast was watching Link petting Epona's muzzle while the villagers were astonished at what was happening in front of them.

"You remember my ocarina, don't you?" Link spoke softly to Epona, who did a soft whine.

"Oh, my! Epona usually doesn't take to strangers like that!" Malon exclaimed in surprise before running up to Link. "Hey you, you're a hero, right? Please, help Epona. Don't let her become Ganondorf's horse!"

"Malon?" Link blinked.

"How did you know my name?"

"What?! It's me, Link! Seven years ago you taught me Epona's Song!"

"And don't you remember us as well?" Peach came to her along with the others.

It finally hit Malon, "Oh! The ones from the forest! It's so nice to see you again!" she then looked at the Mario cast. "But you guys didn't seem to change that much… You look exactly the same even after seven years!"

"Um, well…" Peach stuttered, not knowing how she was going to explain this situation to Malon. That is, until another horse neigh came from the gates of Kakariko, making Peach and the rest thankful for that interruption.

But what surprised Peach was that it wasn't any sort of horse; it was Pearl! Pearl rushed up to Peach and stopped in front of her. Looking at her brooch Pearl was holding in her mouth, Peach immediately gleamed with joy:

"Pearl! It's really you!" she hugged Pearl's muzzle. After breaking from the hug, Peach took the brooch and attached it back to her dress. "You must of have looked at my brooch and remembered me, isn't that right?" Pearl nodded in response. "And you look even prettier than before!" as she pets Pearl's muzzle.

"Wow! I never thought you would become acquainted with the rarest horse species in Hyrule, Peach!" Malon ran up to the pair. "Oh, and I forgot to ask even after all these seven years: did you give her a name?"

"Yes, I did. It's Pearl."

"Pearl?! That's a pretty name!"

"I'm glad you liked it."

As Link and the others watched that conversation between Peach and Malon, Navi came out to remind the Hero of Time:

"Hey, Link! We've got something important to do!"

"Oh, right!" Link exclaimed. "Guys, I'll be heading to the graveyard. You all watch over Epona for me." he told his friends. After they nodded in response, Link made his way to the Graveyard.

"Hey, guys? Where did Link go?" Peach came back to the others with Pearl and Malon, and noticing that Link was missing.

"He went to the graveyard." Mario replied.

"Oh. Then I guess we'll just wait for him."

"By the way, something just came to me…" Malon smiled. "There's a horse salon near the coop over there! Maybe we could stylize Epona and Pearl there while we wait for Link!"

"That's a great idea! Can you boys wait for us outside?" Peach requested as she and Malon were taking Epona and Pearl away.

"Sure!" Toad nodded.

A few minutes later…

Rainclouds suddenly began to cover Kakariko's skies and the windmill hut started spinning like crazy before a raindrop fell on Yoshi's nose.

"Huh?" he blinked as he and the others looked up to see the rainclouds before the downpour finally started.

"Rain? At this hour?" Luigi wondered.

"Huh, so that's what the Song of Storms does." Link said while walking up to the others as the rain suddenly let up after a few seconds.

"Wait, so you can summon rain whenever you like?" Toad asked.

"It appears to be the case."

Then, the horse salon door opened up, and Peach and Malon came out with Epona and Pearl. Both Epona and Pearl's manes were brushed stylishly in a wavy style and they were both equipped with saddles and bridles. The only thing differentiating them was that Pearl's mane was decorated with pink pearls, giving her a more elegant look.

"Don't they look pretty?" Malon asked.

"Indeed!" Peach replied. She then looked at the rest of the Mario cast. "Uh, why are you all soaking wet?"

"Tell that to Link over here…" Toad directed to Link as Yoshi shook off the water while Mario and Luigi were wringing out their caps.

"Well, I just played a new tune called the Song of Storms on my ocarina, and apparently it causes a quick downpour to happen." Link explained.

"*sigh* it was nice meeting you all again and spending some time away from the ranch…" Malon sighed. "But I must go back or Ingo is going to abuse the horses."

"Abuse the horses?!" Peach's eyes widened. "What happened at the ranch?!"

"You see, Ingo kicked Talon out of the ranch and forced me to do all the work, or else he would hurt the horses and he knows I really hate that."

"Why would he do that…?" Yoshi asked.

"Because he became loyal to Lord Ganondorf…" the heroes gasped at that. "And he even tried to make Epona his horse before she managed to escape the ranch…"

"That's horrible…" Peach whimpered. "And I bet Pearl escaped the ranch for the exact same reason…" Pearl whined to Peach to confirm her that she was right.

"Ganondorf… How could he…" Link muttered.

"Well, I must go now." Malon began to leave. "Good luck on your journey!"

"I feel really bad for Malon…" Luigi frowned.

"We all do." Mario said.

"Okay, back to the important stuff. Did you get the item Sheik told you to get, Link?" Toad asked.

"I think I did." Link shrugged. "I just had to chase after some creepy ghost in order to get this," he showed them the Hookshot. "and then I came out of the Windmill Hut to learn the Song of Storms."

"Well, if that item will help us to reach the first temple, then we should get going then." Yoshi said with a shrug as they all exited Kakariko Village.

At Hyrule Field, Link climbed on Epona along with Yoshi and Toad, while Peach climbed on Pearl with Mario and Luigi.

"Oh my goodness, I can't believe I'm riding Pearl!" Peach squealed.

"Heh… Suddenly, your wish from seven years ago just became true." Mario chuckled.

"I know, right?"

"Hey, I have an idea…" Link smirked. "How about a race to the forest?"

"Oh, you're on!" Peach smirked back. Surprisingly enough, Epona and Pearl did the same thing.

"Alright, on your marks… GO!" both horses took off.

"Come on, Pearl! You can do it!" Peach encouraged as Pearl was in the lead.

"Faster, Epona!" Link commanded. "We must not let them win!" Epona nodded in response and gallops faster, catching up to Pearl.

"Oh no, you don't!" Peach teased. "Show them why you're a majestic horse, girl!" Pearl then gets in the lead again.

"Go, Epona, go!" Link exclaimed.

Both Epona and Pearl were neck-to-neck as they were nearing the entrance to Kokiri Forest. In the end, Pearl was the one who managed to enter the log leading to the forest first.

"YES! We won, Pearl!" Peach yelled as Pearl neighed in victory.

"Oh well, maybe next time, Epona." Link said while petting Epona's neck as she let out a snort.

"But Epona was pretty fast, nonetheless. I was impressed!" Peach complimented.

"Same to me about Pearl. She sure can run." Link replied as he and the others dismounted Epona and Pearl. He and Peach then tied their horses' bridles to the bridge's ropes. "We'll be back soon, okay?"

"Take care, Pearl." Peach smiled. "You did great out there." Pearl neighs and nods as the heroes went into Kokiri Forest.

"I wonder if Ganondorf's evil extended here, too." Navi wondered.

"Well, Rauru and Sheik said we have to break the curses on five temples and wake up the Sages sealed in each one." Link said. "If there's a temple in the forest, no doubt Ganondorf's takeover reached here as well."

"But if we combine our power with that of the Sages, we should be able to beat Ganondorf's sorcery." Mario added. "Maybe that's what the Medallions and Grand Stars are for."

Soon, they reached Kokiri Village, which surprisingly enough, it hasn't changed much even after seven years.

"Huh, not much has changed in here…" Toad remarked.

"Man, this sure brings back memories." Link smiled as they walked around. "Helllooo!" he called out, but no one answered. "That's strange… It's so quiet."

"And where are the Kokiri?" Navi asked.

Just then, a Deku Baba suddenly popped out of the ground right in front of the heroes, catching them by surprise. Link quickly slashed through it to defeat it.

"Yikes! There are monsters in the forest too?!" Luigi exclaimed.

"I guess the Kokiri must be hiding from them." Mario stated. "That explains why the forest is so silent."

"Those poor children…" Peach lamented.

"We have to break the curse on the temple in this place ASAP!" Link exclaimed as everyone rushed to the Lost Woods.

After navigating through this maze for a while, they would soon be able to reach the Sacred Forest Meadow…

…if a certain bratty Mido wasn't in their way.

"Hey! Who do you think you are?" he questioned before pointing at Link's garb. "That Kokiri-like clothing won't fool me! I promised Saria I would never let anybody go through here."

"Oh, great… Here we go again…" Link thought with an annoyed look. "That scowling face of his hasn't changed. But wait! Why is he still a kid?"

"Hold on a minute! Don't you recognize us?" Luigi asked, directing to himself and the rest of the Mario cast.

"Hmph, I don't even know who you are! You all look familiar, but I don't even remember you!"

"Ouch…" Yoshi winced. "That's cold…"

"If you want to see Saria that bad, I'm gonna need some proof that you're really friends of her! Something you could only have heard from her. …Not that she would ever be friends with grown-ups like you."

"Only have heard from her… Of course!" Link thought and played Saria's Song from his ocarina.

"That melody?!" Mido's eyes widened. "Saria plays that song all the time! You… Do you know Saria? That song… Saria taught that song only to her friends… OK… I trust you."

"Good." Link thought while smiling.

"You know, when I see you…" Mido looked at Link. "I don't know why, but I remember…him…" the heroes already knew whom he was talking about. "Hey, mister… Can you do me a favor?"

"What favor?" Link asked.

"If you see Link somewhere, tell him that… I'm sorry for acting all bratty towards him…"

Link could only blink after hearing that from Mido. Mido didn't know that he was already talking to Link because of how much he has changed, and Link still didn't know why was Mido still a child while he was an adult. The question about him really being a Kokiri once again ringed into his mind. For now, he decided to shake it off and replied:

"I will." Mido nodded in response to Link's answer and moved out of the way, allowing the heroes to progress.

Of course, the fact that Mido didn't even recognize the Mario cast didn't slip off the heroes' minds.

"I can understand Mido not recognizing Link, but why not us?" Toad questioned. "I mean, we haven't even changed, for god's sake!"

"I'm guessing it's because we just got into this world so the Kokiri including Mido didn't get a chance to know us since we left the forest immediately after we ventured into the Great Deku Tree." Mario guessed. "Not to mention it's been seven years, so we would be quickly forgotten nonetheless."

"Good point."

After entering the Sacred Forest Meadow, they got rid of a Wolfos and went into the small maze, where they noticed it was inhabited by Moblins.

"Moblins!" Navi informed. "Don't let them see you or they'll charge at you like an angry bull!"

"In that case…" Peach grinned, having an idea. "I'll make them sleep!" she casts Sleepy Time, which caused a sheep to fall down from the sky before it multiplied and land on all the Moblins' heads, putting them to sleep instantly.

"…Did you just summon multiple sheep to make these Moblins sleep?!" Link blinked.

"That was Sleepy Time. I could use either that or Peach Blossom, but the latter would make all of you sleep too."

"Well, at least they're taken care of." Navi said. "Let's go!"

However, after they came out of the maze, nearly approaching the entrance to the temple, a Club Moblin awaited them and hit the ground with his club to create shockwaves, forcing them to dodge. Mario then stomps the Club Moblin's head followed by Luigi doing the same thing as Link and the others ran past the Club Moblin, with the Hero of Time covering them.

Once he was behind the gigantic beast, Link slashed through him, and the Club Moblin fell and disappeared.

"Thanks for helping me, guys." Link thanked.

"No problem." Mario smiled.

As soon as they reached the entrance to the Forest Temple, which was inaccessible had Link not have gotten the Hookshot, they heard a noise of someone suddenly showing up as they turned to their left and saw that it was none other than Sheik.

"Sheik…" Link breathed as Sheik walked up to them.

"The flow of time is always cruel… Its speed seems different for each person, but no one can change it…" she spoke. "A thing that doesn't change with time is a memory of younger days… In order to come back here again, play the Minuet of Forest."

Sheik then teaches Link the Minuet of Forest by playing her harp and he copied it on his ocarina. The second warp song has been learned.

"Everyone… I'll see you again…" Sheik said before disappearing in a flash of light.

With that, Link uses his hookshot on the tree to climb up to the temple's entrance while Toad conjured a mushroom trampoline for him and the others to jump onto and reach the top along with Link. Together, the heroes walked into the Forest Temple…

To be continued…

Epona's reunion here was based off from the Manga adaptation of Ocarina of Time made by Akira Himekawa. I really love this Zelda Manga series and I happen to have the entire collection! So expect them to become inspirations for some moments in the stories of this Saga (of course, the Zelda games that had Manga adaptations of them).

And because I did not want to left out the horse race, I thought, "Hey, why not have Epona and Pearl race?"

It's off to the Forest Temple! Until then! Please review!