Epona's Ocarina

A soft breeze blew through Lon Lon Ranch as the sunlight started to form above the horizon. The damp grass and wood of the ranch started to slowly try from the rising temperature. The animals slept peacefully in their stalls and in the small pasture. The final wolf of the night howled in the distance and quickly faded. In the howls place was the harsh sound of a rooster, signaling the start of a new day. In one of the stalls in the barn, a little sorrel filly opened her dark eyes.

The young filly, only about three months old, stood up on her long, thin legs. She looked unbalanced and took a moment to stable herself. The filly, bursting with energy as she walked around the stall, looked at her mother, a beautiful bay with a white star hidden beneath her black forelock. The filly did a small, uneven trot over the three feet between her and her mother.

“Mama! Mama! Get up!” The young filly whined excitedly.

“Epona, the sun has barely risen,” said Epona’s mother, rather tiredly.

“But Malon and Uncle Talon always get up at this time!”

“Yes, but Miss Malon and Master Talon must to keep the ranch running.”

“Running? But Mama, the ranch doesn’t move.” Epona was quite confused. The older horse gave a whiney in amusement.

“Filly, running a ranch means working at the ranch. If the ranch doesn’t keep running...well, the results would not be pleasant. So, you don’t need to get up until they need you and that will be when you’re older. But now, I’m awake with you.” The mare got on her feet much more smoothly than Epona. Epona started to walk in a circle in the large stall.

“Can’t Malon get here more faster? Wait, that didn’t sound right. Mama, how do you say it?”

“Just faster, Epona. And Malon will be here soon.” A few moments later, a young red haired girl in a simple white dress came walking through the barn door, humming a soft tune that Epona really enjoyed. “Malon!” Epona whined happily and ran up to the stall door. Malon ran up to stall without shoes, careful to dodge the animal droppings.

“Hey Epona, Queenie! How are you this morning,” said Malon. She opened the small half door that allowed the horses to stick their heads through. Epona stretched to the hole, not quite making it. Malon stuck her hand through the opening and patted Epona’s small white forelock. Epona gave a low snicker happily. “Dad’s not back yet. I hope he didn’t fall asleep again. I’m going into Market Town to find him. As much as I hate to do this, I have to leave Mr. Ingo in charge.”

Ingo’s in charge? But he’s so mean, Epona thought. She hadn’t known the stable hand for long, but the impression from him was not exactly enjoyable.

“Sorry, Epona. I know you hate him.” Queenie and Epona glanced at each other. Even I know she doesn’t understand us, Epona thought, silently chuckling. “I’ll let you girls in the pasture before I go.” Malon walked over to a rack and grabbed two halters and lead ropes. She opened the stall door and put the smaller halter on Epona and the other on Queenie then attached the lead ropes.

“Mama, why do we wear these things?” Epona asked as Malon lead them to the small pasture near the stable.

“Epona, humans can be very odd,” Queenie replied.

“Oh.” The halters were taken off their heads once in the pasture. Now that she was in an open space, Epona started to gallop, her short, fluffy, white tail hairs starting to be blown by the wind. Moments like this made Epona feel free. Though only three months, she had already dreamed of living like the desert horses of the Gerudo. Sometimes she felt like she was flying and even dreamed she was the lead mare in the herd. But these moments were rare. She hardly ever left the stall and the times she was out she was with other horses where Queenie never let Epona leave her sight.

The young filly came withing three feet of the fence, made a sharp right turn and headed back to her mother, still at the gate.

“Bye Epona! Hopefully Dad and I will be back tonight.”

“Malon! Will you hurry up and get that lazy fat creature you call ‘father’ home! Goddesses, do I have to run everything around here?”

Malon sighed at Ingo’s hateful call. She, like the two horses next to her, didn’t understand how Talon could put up with him. But he was a good worker, even if he was controlling. Malon left to tack up one of the geldings.

“Bye Malon!” Epona whinnied.




Epona and Queenie were still in the pasture noon the next day. Ingo put little hay in the pasture and Queenie was forced to eat the regular grass most of the time while Epona was still drinking milk.

“Mama, when is Malon and Uncle Talon gonna be back? Ingo is horrible!”

“I know, filly, but hopefully they’ll be back soon.” Queenie’s words were once again right. Just a mere thirty minutes later Malon and a rather large man, Talon, came riding through the front gate of the ranch. Malon had some kind of dreaming look on her face and humming Epona’s favorite song. Talon walked into the house and Malon walked to the pasture with Epona and Queenie.

“Hey, Epona. You wouldn’t believe the person I met in town. It was a cute boy from the forest. He even had a fairy with him. His name was Link. He was kind, caring, cute. He was the one who found Dad! But he looked a little lost,” Malon said in a somewhat dreamy kind of voice. Epona didn’t understand this. Why was Malon rambling on about a boy? Malon brought her voice down to a whisper. “I think I have a crush on him, Epona. I felt sort of fuzzy around him.” With that she walked away the pasture, again humming.

Epona looked at her mother.

“Mama, what’s a crush?”

Queenie just whinnied in reply.

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