Twilight's money was on a cat. It fit Warriors perfectly. Pretty, elegant, and with sharp claws which left nasty wounds. He hoped Warriors was a cat. He would pick him up and cuddle him and it would be great. He bet twenty rupees on it.
Everyone had a bet, and everyone watched as Warriors stared doubtfully at Twilight's crystal. Warriors and Four had both been leery about Twilight "playing with dark magic," but Twilight had argued that it was safe enough. It spiraled from there, and now Warriors's hand hovered over the crystal.
Even Time had made a bet. He sat on a log by the fire and watched. He always paid attention when it came to Warriors and Wind, Twilight had noticed. Twilight told Warriors once that he was Time's favorite, and he didn't understand why Warriors laughed so hard he doubled over. Twilight thought it was obvious.
"Just do it already!" Legend snapped. As if a dam broke, the others started shouting, too. The anticipation was killing everyone.
Warriors rolled his eyes, but he still seemed wary. Twilight was curious but was also beginning to regret all of this. "You don't need to do it, you know," he said, starting to pull the crystal back. "The first time you transform, it can be awful and weird and --"
"Oh no you don't." Warriors scowled and wrapped his hand around the crystal. The response was immediate. He blurred and shadow magic rippled through the air. He made a sound like Twilight had punched him. Twilight flinched and stepped back. He remembered his own transformation and how scary it was. He shouldn't have pushed. It was nice now, yes, but then?
Everyone leaned forward even as Twilight pulled back. Warriors was shimmering into something larger than Twilight expected.
Very large. Sky pulled Wind and Wild back as Warriors kept growing. The magic blurred and coalesced into a familiar shape.
Mostly familiar shape. Twilight had never met a horse with a giant horn on its head.
"A unicorn," Legend breathed. Only he could manage to sound both indignant and awed. "Of course pretty boy is a damned unicorn."
And a big one he was, too. Warriors whinnied and wobbled on four long, muscular legs, and Twilight, Time, and Sky all threw themselves forward to help steady him. Warriors trembled and whinnied again, shaking his massive head, and his long golden mane rippled in soft waves around him. The Triforce shone around his giant silver horn. The horn itself looked like a sword emerging from his head.
"A war unicorn?" Wild mused, stepping up, too. Before Twilight could stop him, Wild reached up and started stroking Warrior's muzzle. Twilight flinched but it seemed to steady Warriors. That was all the encouragement Wind needed to step up and start stroking Warrior's long neck.
He was even bigger than Epona. Twilight thought he had only seen one horse bigger than Warriors, and that was the massive terror Wild had caught in his era.
"A war unicorn," Time agreed, sounding smug. "Now pay up."
One day, they would all learn to stop betting with Time. Today was not that day.
That day, though, was the day they learned that Warriors could kick a moblin's head off with his back legs and his horn was strong enough to pierce a thick tree trunk if he rammed into it. He needed Twilight's and Sky's help to get free, though. Wind and Wild took pictures for posterity.
