"You want to start an exploration with Marth and Ike?" Zelda asked Link the next day. "Why?"
"Ike and Marth are really interested in Hyrule's past." Link explained. "Last night, Marth was browsing through some books in the library and..." Link paused and swallowed nervously before continuing. "...saw a picture of 'him'."
"Him?" Zelda asked in confusion.
"You know, Prince..." Link started.
"Oh, Prince Marth." Zelda answered. She sighed sadly. "I am afraid that there is no other solution. They need to learn the truth."
Link nodded with an unhappy gleam in his azure eyes. "Yes. Now, when can we start an exploration?"
"Tonight, or tomorrow." Zelda answered. "I want Ike and Marth to go to the Divine Dragon Grounds as soon as possible. The sooner, the better. Take today to prepare."
"Yes, Princess Zelda." Link bowed down.
Zelda gave Link an ancient, crumpled map. "Here's a map for your exploration. After the exploration, Ike and his friends need to leave Hyrule as soon as possible." Zelda continued. "It's for their own good. I don't want any of them harmed."
"I understand." Link replied, rolling the map up. "I'll tell Ike and Marth immediately."
As Link quickly left the throne room and strolled down the hallways, he sighed miserably to himself.
"To be honest, I don't want Ike, Marth, and the others to leave..." he said unhappily. "But, like what Zelda said, it's for their own good."
Link paused in his tracks and awkwardly looked around his surrounds. "Speaking of Ike and Marth... Where are they? Oh wait, they went to the bath house."
While Marth sat in a hot spring and gently massaged soap into his soaking wet hair, he watched Ike pour a pail full of warm water over his body. Ike shivered a bit as the clear liquid rolled down his skin.
The bathroom had several large tubs filled with clear, sparkling water. A few wooden pails sat near the entrance of the room. Smokey steam clouded the air like fog. Open, overhead windows allowed natural light into the room.
"Hey Ike, I had a strange dream last night." Marth said as he rinsed the soap suds out of his blue hair.
"What did you dream?" Ike asked as he got into the tub with Marth.
"I dreamed that I was exploring this ancient castle." Marth explained. "Strangely, everyone felt familiar, even though I had never been there."
"That's all?" Ike replied as he soaped his arms.
"Nope." Marth shook his head. "Later, I met some people. They called me Marth and seem to know me very well. Again, even though I never met them before, I felt that I knew them at one point."
"That is weird!" Ike said, his cobalt eyes full of shock. "It's just like some of my dreams!"
Marth nodded. "I wonder if Princess Zelda approved our exploration."
"Same here." Ike answered. "I really want to learn more about Hyrule."
Marth looked around the bathroom. "Link's world is really interesting, isn't it?"
"Yeah, it is." Ike replied. As he nodded, water droplets rolled down his indigo hair. "To be honest, I like his world better than ours."
"Why?" Marth asked.
"This world feels more like home for some reason." Ike explained. "When we first entered this world, I felt that I was returning from a long journey."
"Same here." Marth agreed.
Ike carefully stepped out of the tub and wrapped a towel around his waist. "I'm going to change now. How about you?"
"I'm coming!" Marth replied.
Being careful so he wouldn't slip on the damp ground, Marth cautiously got out of the tub, wrapped a towel around his body, and followed Ike. Strangely, when he set his right foot onto the moist ground, he began to feel dizzy.
At first, Marth ignored it, thinking that it was the cold air. However, as he hurried to catch up with Ike, the top that slowly spun in his head began to whir uncontrollably in circles. His eyeballs suddenly began to ache. With a small groan, Marth kneeled down and tightly clutched his head. What was happening?
"Marth." a small, feminine voice called out.
Confused and dazed, Marth looked up and spotted a woman with long, straight blue hair and cold blue eyes that gazed into his soul. She was dressed in a short red skirt, tall boots, and white breastplates.
Marth blinked and rubbed his eyes. Was he seeing things? Mysteriously, he felt that he saw the woman before...
"Who are you?" Marth asked, a bit scared.
The woman suddenly stepped forward, causing a loud screech to shriek into his ears. Marth grunted and covered his throbbing ears.
"Why are you friends with him, Marth?" the woman sternly questioned, her voice rising in anger.
"Who, Ike?" Marth asked, giving the woman a strange look.
"Yes, him!" the woman answered bluntly.
"We've been friends ever since we were kids." Marth replied. He began to feel nervous. "What's wrong with that?"
"You idiot!" the woman screamed furiously. "You two are supposed to be enemies and never return to the Surface! Don't you remember?!
"Who are you?" Marth softly asked, shivering uneasily. "WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT DO YOU WANT!?"
Ike heard Marth's loud yell and quickly turned around. "Marth, are you alright?" he asked worriedly.
Marth looked up and saw Ike hurrying towards him. The woman suddenly vanished into thin air. "No." he weakly replied. "I feel really dizzy..."
Ike gently cradled the faint bluenette. "What were you yelling at?"
"This blue-haired woman appeared." Marth began. "She told me that we were not meant to be friends and return to... A place called the Surface."
"That's really strange!" Ike replied.
"Yeah. I also felt that I've known her for a long time, like a distant memory." Marth said.
"Marth, can you stand up on your own?" Ike asked in concern.
Ike released Marth, who unsteadily stood up like a newborn fawn. Marth blinked as the top that spun violently in his head slowly came to a complete stop.
"I guess so." Marth answered with a soft smile. "Personally, I wouldn't worry about it."
"That's good." Ike smiled at his best friend. "Still, I'm keeping an eye on you!"
After changing into their clothes, Ike and Marth exited the bathhouse. Outside, they met Link, who was waiting for them just at the front of the entrance.
"Hey, Link!" Ike greeted. "Did Princess Zelda approve our exploration trip?"
Link smiled softly. "Yes, she did!"
"That's great!" Marth exclaimed. "So, where do we need to go?"
"Come here." Link led Ike and Marth underneath a towering oak free, which provided a cool shade. The three sat down on the fresh, green grass.
Link opened the map and showed it to his friends. "Alright, this is Hyrule Castle Town." He pointed to a castle at the center of the map. "That's where we are now. Our destination is Mount Prism." Link pointed to a tell mountain northwest of Hyrule.
"Why do we need to go to Mount Prism?" Ike asked curiously.
"I assume that Ghirahim told you two who are the Alteans." Link began to explain. "Thousands of years ago before the Great War, Mount Priam was a popular pilgrimage site for the Alteans. They believed that the god Naga resided there. We are going there because, the Voice of Naga will gives us the answers to Hyrule's past."
"It seems very far..." Marth commented.
"Don't worry, we'll get there quickly!" Link gestured Ike and Marth to follow him. "Follow me."
Link led Ike and Marth to a barnyard behind the castle. The barnyard consisted of a wooden barn, a few stalls, and fenced fields. The sun, a glowing orb in the clear, blue sky, embraced the earth with warmth. As Link guided his friends around the yard, he cautiously avoided eye contact with the chickens, who were pecking the ground for seeds and whatnot. (Link never liked them.)
"Do either of you know what is a pegasus?" Link asked his friends, guiding them to a field.
"I've heard of them in books." Marth answered. "They are horses with wings. But, they are only imaginary creatures."
"Well, do they look imaginary now?" Link asked, pointing at something grazing in the fields.
Ike's and Marth's mouths dropped open in surprise. There, casually pacing around the fields, were several pegasi. While most of them were white, some of them were dark. A few pegasi had a pointed horn on their head, indicating them as alicorns.
"Whoa!" Ike exclaimed in shock.
"I never knew that they were real!" Marth managed to gasp.
"Princess Zelda told me that the fastest way to get to Mount Prism is by pegasus." Link explained, opening a gate. "Do you want to meet some of them?"
"Sure!" Ike and Marth answered, a bit excited.
When Ike, Marth, and Link entered the field, most of the pegasi and alicorns ignored the humans and Hylian. Yet, a chestnut-brown pegasus with a white mane quickly looked up when she heard the three males enter. With an excited, happy neigh, she swiftly rushed towards Link.
"Wah!" Link shouted when the pegasus abruptly ran into him, knocking him onto the ground with a thud. "Epona! I missed you too!" Ignoring the dull ache in his back, Link began to gently stroke his pegasus's mane.
"Epona?" Ike asked. "Is she your pegasus?"
"Yes!" Link answered. "I've known her ever since I was a child!"
"That's neat!" Ike replied. "Do you ride her?"
"Yep!" Link said as Epona nuzzled his blond hair. "I really enjoy flying on her!"
"So," Marth began, looking at the other pegasi and alicorns. "which pegasus should we choose? Which one has the best personality?"
"Most of them have a friendly personality." Link answered. "Try talking to each of them."
Ike and Marth nodded and began to try to talk to the pegasi. The two humans tried everything, from baby-talking to gently stroking their mane. Yet, despite their affectionate efforts, most of the pegasi ignored them and angrily neighed at them in annoyance.
"Man, they aren't as friendly as Link said." Ike sighed sadly.
"I think the pegasi aren't used to humans." Marth responded.
"Yeah..." Ike shook his head.
"Maybe we can ask Link for some— WOOAH!"
Marth was abruptly tackled by a whirl of white. Colors spun around his view and pain explored through his body.
"Marth!" Ike yelled in shock, running towards his friend. "Hey, get off him!"
Marth looked up and saw a pegasus with a blond mane gaze dearly into his eyes. With a loving, soft neigh, she gently nuzzled Marth's forehead with the side of her head.
"Uh, can you please get off me?" Marth awkwardly asked.
The pegasus obeyed obediently and stepped off the bluenette. As soon as Marth got onto his feet, the pegasus went to his side and affectionately looked at him.
Ike laughed. "Hey Marth, I think that pegasus likes you!"
Marth smiled hesitantly. "I guess so." He gave the blond pegasus a pat on the head and suddenly froze. "Uh, Ike? I think you need to look behind you!"
Curious, Ike turned around and spotted a pink-haired alicorn timidly looking at him. Her tail slowly wagged in shyness.
"Oh, well hello there..." Ike said with a small smile, trying not to scare the alicorn. He began to pet the alicorn's coat. The alicorn quietly whinnied in pleasure.
"So, I see you guys found your pegasi." Link spoke, walking towards his friends. Epona trailed behind him.
"Yep!" Marth answered. "This pegasus is really friendly. I think I known her at one point!"
Link paused before smiling at his friends. "Well, that's interesting!"
"Link, I forgot to ask you something." Ike spoke up. "When are we going to start our exploration?"
"Oh yes!" Link exclaimed. "We are going to begin our exploration tonight. Princess Zelda said the sooner we finish our exploration, the better."
Author's Notes: Here's some fan service(?). Enjoy you pervs.
Welp, here's the the 6th chapter. When writing this chapter, I couldn't decide if the story should include horses (Epona from Legend of Zelda) or pegasi (Fire Emblem). I eventually decided on pegasi, so please don't get angry at me for turning Epona into a pegasus! T.T
In the next chapter, Ike, Marth, and Link will begin their exploration. Hopefully, this story isn't boring and whatnot. I mean, I hadn't been getting a lot of feedback and followers on it. (I'm not complaining. I'm just pointing things out, don't worry.)
As for the poll, the fanfic More Than It Meets the Eyes has the most votes. Lone Flame and Hollow are tied. (Yes, it includes a guest's vote.) I'm still going to keep the poll up, so please vote if you hadn't!
Annoying Story Questions:
Who do you think was the lady Marth saw in the bathhouse?
Do you think other characters should join the exploration?
(You don't need to answer this): Any suggestions on what should happen in chapter 7?
Note: I don't own SSB! Nintendo does!