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6. Epona, from the Legend of Zelda series
Again, we come to a debatable definition of the word ‘vehicle’. Epona is Link’s beloved horse, who has appeared in multiple games ever since Ocarina of Time. She is named after the Celtic goddess of horses. (You could say that she is Epona-mously named, if you were the type to titter at awful puns.) I am informed by the internet that she is a flaxen Belgian horse, but my mother could probably have told me that too. Unlike my mother, I know next to nothing about horses, but I do happen to know that they are not indestructable, as Epona seems to be! She is but a humble horse, and yet remains invulnerable to all attacks, and in some games, this aura of invulnerability even extends to include Link.
Epona first appeared as a wee filly in Lon Lon Ranch. After Link’s seven-year-long cryosleep, though, she had matured into an untameable mare. Ingo wanted to give her to Ganondorf as a gift, but upon the discovery that she obeyed Link, trapped the Hero of Time and his horse in the stables. They escaped, obviously, after an impressive leap over the fence. She can also travel very fast, as horses are wont to do, enabling Link to cross Hyrule Field in record time.
This faithful mount is not just a horse though. Aside from her scary indestructibility (aside from that one time in Twilight Princess), Epona also has impeccable hearing. Play her song on your Ocarina, or a blade of grass, and she comes-a-running, even if you’re a mile a way (or whatever unit of distance they use in Hyrule). She can also talk to Link when he is in Wolf Form, but only to tell him to hurry up and change back to normal. Aren’t you glad that she never got given to Ganondorf?
