To the End of the Moon

by dashie76

Rating: teen
Tags: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Rainbow Dash, Other, Adventure, Tragedy, Crossover, Alternate Universe
Length: 23086

Seventy-two hours to unlock the gate / An unlikely traveler risen by fate / One childlike prophet who falls in the gloom / The Hero of Time, and as always, one moon

Seventy-two hours to unlock the gate

An unlikely traveler risen by fate

One childlike prophet who falls in the gloom

The Hero of Time, and as always, one moon

Edited by Gilimmar.

Published 2016-01-07 02:10:02 UTC
Last updated 2016-01-07 02:10:02 UTC

The Farmpony

After a day filled with sweat, grit, and aching muscles, a lone pony stumbled his way down a dirt path. His saddlebags clutched to his slender frame like beggars to rich ponies, and as he shuffled towards a distant light, his eyelids sagged with fatigue. Bleary eyed, he made his way across the path, and in the darkness of nighttime, there was no light to guide him in his solitary march.

He looked back across the landscape as he went. The fields, though shrouded by darkness, were clearly barren. There were only a few patches of land here and there that had borne fruit. Some had been harvested. Some of them lay in wait for a harvest to come.

His steps halted. He had reached a small cottage lying on the outskirts of the fields. Its thatched roof sagged over its melancholy cobblestone foundation, and its only two windows faced him as he approached it. It was one story tall and old.

He pushed open the door, walking into the home. The cozy interior was lit by a single lantern that flickered slightly in the cold air. A tail of ethereal, bluish light hung his saddlebags on a hook by the door. The frayed strap sagged as it tried to support the weight of the bags. He passed a cracked, rotting table on his way to a wooden door behind which shone the only other light in the house. Upon hearing a murmuring voice from within the bedroom, a faint smile touched his lips.

"...as if from nowhere. She called upon the Magic of Evil's Bane, and used it to stop the child and restore Harmony to the land. She became known as the Hero of Time and sacrificed herself for peace across the whole world."

Another voice sounded - that of a child.

"That's so cool! She must have been really brave to give herself up like that, right?"

"Oh, I'm sure she was..."

The stallion at the door smiled as he heard the older pony put the child to bed. As he heard her approaching, he stood up a little bit taller. A bit of life returned to his face as his wife came into view. Upon seeing him, she practically fell into his arms, her gray hooves gripping him tightly. After a few moments, she pulled back, revealing a deep frown. However, her sparkling green eyes betrayed her true happiness.

"You're back late again, Wind..."

Flowing Wind chuckled lightly at her criticism. He scratched the back of his brown mane sheepishly, a knowing grin stretching across his face. "Crystal, I can't afford to take time off now, especially after such a hard winter - you know that."

She sighed, dipping her head. "I know, but I still don't like it. I feel like I never see you anymore...and neither does she," she said, motioning towards the bedroom.

He frowned and reached out a yellow colored hoof. "Hey," he said, tilting her face back up to his eye level. "It's just this season, okay? Next year will be better, I'm sure of it. I'm almost done, too. We'll have to find a way to make ends meet once I finish, but...for then, at least..."

He pulled her into a tender embrace.

"We can stay together."

She sighed, leaning into his yellow coat. "Yeah, you're right...as usual..." They shared the moment for a while before she broke the hug and gave him a stern look.

"Alright, off to bed with you. Big day tomorrow!"

"Heh...please don't remind me," he replied.

They parted ways as he trotted down to a door adjacent to his daughter's. He breathed deeply, lowering himself onto his bed. He quickly began to lose consciousness, descending into a deep sleep. He let his mind wander as he sunk deeper into his bedsheets, thinking of his family once more before finally falling asleep.

~~~~~^~~~~~

He was awoken by a cry. Groggily, he shifted his body, feeling Crystal's hooves tense around his midsection.

"Wind..."

"Whu?" he slurred.

He heard the cry again.

It was his daughter. Instantly awake, he swung his hooves frantically about, trying to untangle himself from the bedcovers. After escaping - and falling ungracefully to the hardwood floor in the process - he shot out of his door and into his child's room, Crystal at his hooves.

"Sugar?! Sugar, honey, where are you?!"

After a moment's frantic glancing, both parents saw a quivering lump on top of their daughter's bed. Dashing to the far side of the room, they threw the covers up to reveal their daughter, Sugar, her milky white fur stained gray with tears.

"Sugar, what's the matter? Are you hurt?" asked Wind.

She shook her head. "N-no..."

Crystal cooed, rubbing Sugar's mane. "Sweetie, what happened? Can you tell us?"

Sugar sniffed. "Dark C-hild..."

Crystal noticeably relaxed. "Oh...so you had a nightmare? I shouldn't have told you that story, I'm so sorry..."

Sugar slowly lifted a shaking hoof, pointing to her bedside window. "Not a n-nightmare..."

Wind glanced out the window at the night sky.

His heart stopped. There was a moon in the sky. A huge moon. It easily dwarfed Equestria's in size. Its surface was dirty white and covered with craters and valleys.

But the worst part was its face.

It had two enormous red eyes with yellow pupils, each as big as a continent. They bulged outwards from its face, hanging over its crooked nose. Its mouth was pulled back into something halfway between a grin and a snarl, with two rows of yellow, flat teeth. The face was so horrid that it made Wind flinch despite his shock.

Crystal audibly gulped. "Flowing...?"

"I'm sorry..." he replied. "I can't...is that the moon...?"

Sugar sniffed. "Mommy, I'm scared..."

Snapping out of her shock, Crystal leaned down to comfort her child in a gentle embrace. Wind, still stunned, joined his wife whilst staring blankly out the the window. He was still having trouble grasping the situation.

A knock sounded at the cottage's door, startling Wind out of his stupor. He glanced over his shoulder into the hallway and then back to Crystal.

"Stay with Sugar. I'll go and see who it is."

Crystal nodded in reply, tightening her grip on their daughter. He walked slowly out of the room and shuffled towards the cottage's door. He paused for a moment by a small cupboard before opening it. A faint magical glow shined in the darkness for a moment before a shotgun floated before him. Another knock sounded as he reached the door. The shotgun floated parallel to the door, so as to conceal it from Wind's guest, as he rested his left hoof upon the door handle. Taking a deep breath, he pulled open the door by a few inches and looked out into the night. He was greeted with the sight of two Equestrian soldiers, their uniforms and golden armor engraved with markings indicative of their status as high military officials.

"Is this the house of the unicorn Flowing Wind?" droned the soldier on the left.

He frowned. "Speaking. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"A summons," replied the right soldier. "Her royal highness the Oracle has requested an audience with you."

The Oracle

With two royal guards at his back, Flowing Wind walked rigidly through the hallway. He had been taken from his home by them and flown to the castle. His wife and daughter remained at his cottage, undoubtably frightened and worried as to his current whereabouts. He had not been able to inform them of his predicament before he had been forcibly taken from his home - with little choice in the matter on his end of the 'summons.'

At some point during the chariot trip, he had fallen asleep, so he wasn't as tired as he had been before. However, his muscles were still sore from the uncomfortable vehicle and his eyes remained bleary and watering. Although his frustration and fatigue prevented him from being particularly interested in his surroundings, his eyes wandered nevertheless. The hallway was a small, simple one with little indication of the royalty that lay at the end of it. There were no paintings, no upper class works of art, no chandeliers - in fact, the corridor was only kept from complete darkness by the occasional torch that offered a small sphere of its light before fading behind Wind's continuous march towards the Oracle.

He was dimly aware that his procession had led him to that very pony. He was dimly aware of the guards stopping him before one went on ahead. He pulled back a large tapestry and walked through it for a moment before reentering the corridor.

"The Oracle will see you now."

~~~~~~~~~~^~~~~~~~~~~

As he entered the room, he felt a strange sensation wash over him. It was as though a warm, comforting wind had blown over him. He shook his head slightly to regain his concentration and searched the room for the Oracle.

The room itself was nearly empty, save a few candles that burned on the floor of the enclosure. Apart from them, there were no other objects adorning the room in any way, and the walls themselves were lumpy and gray. Wind saw no sign of anypony else in the room and began to shift his legs nervously. Suddenly, he sensed movement at the other end of the room and tensed up his body. Glaring into the darkness, he gritted his teeth and darted his gaze about.

"Who's there?"

There was silence for a moment before a quiet clapping sounded. Despite the relative smallness of the room, the noise seemed to echo inside of Wind's head for far longer a time than it should have. A small filly walked into the candlelight, smiling.

"Greetings, Flowing Wind."

Wind stood still for a moment, pondering the situation. "Um...hello, little filly. Do you know...that is to say, do you know where the Oracle is?"

The filly chuckled, shutting her eyes. "Ah...it really is amazing to me..."

She strode forwards confidently into the light and laid down before the candles. Wind awkwardly shuffled closer, but as he noticed the filly's horn and wings, realization dawned on him. Noticing a change in his expression, the she smiled knowingly.

"You were expecting somepony a bit larger, perhaps?"

"Heh...um...my apologies, your highness." He sat down on the opposite side of the candles that the Oracle had taken. "You were saying before...?"

"Ah, yes," she replied. "You see, when ponies are left in the proverbial dark about something, they typically construct their own visions to explain that darkness. I find this aspect of them fascinating...it never ceases to surprise me."

Wind tilted his head slightly at this. He silently debated with himself for a moment before opening his mouth.

"I guess you've...um...noticed the moon..."

The Oracle frowned and closed her eyes. They sat in silence for a few moments before the she once again spoke.

"I am aware of the moon's...'condition.' That moon is a part of the reason why you are here."

She looked into his eyes, unsmiling. "You are familiar with 'The Legend of the Hero of Time?'"

"Yes, of course. But that's just..." The Oracle's stare caused his sentence to trail off into silence.

He chuckled nervously. "C-come on. That can't possibly be the case."

The Oracle's expression did not change.

His expression turned to one of extreme worry as he leaned farther into the candlelight. "Tell me that's not case..."

The Oracle bowed her head. "If only it were that simple."

He leaned back and stared off into space as he considered the filly's implications. If it was really true...and the moon was...how it was...then...

Abruptly, he leaned back forwards, looking desperately at the Oracle. "Wait! You're the Oracle! Y-you can stop it, right?"

She sighed regrettably. "I'm an Oracle, not a hero. Not the Hero we need."

He stood up and shifted nervously, as though he was trying to fit as many emotions on his face at one time as possible. "Wait. Waitwaitwait. The Hero is...that is, if the legend is true, the Hero is dead. She died saving us when the Black Child was resurrected by his mask. You called me, so...I...I can't..."

She sighed. "Close your eyes."

He jumped. "W-what? Why would I do that? We've got to find a way to fix this, right?"

"Just do as I say, please."

He unwittingly squeezed his eyes shut. "Okay, now what?"

"Focus on breathing."

Following the Oracle's instructions, Wind began to hyperventilate for a moment. After some time, his breathing - and heart rate - slowed to a slightly healthier pace.

The Oracle smiled, her grin both playful and knowing. "Better?"

He opened his eyes and laid down once more. "M-much. Thanks for that." He looked up into her eyes. "Can we please start at the beginning?"

The Oracle nodded.

He gulped. "Okay. In the legends, there was this old kingdom that was full of peace and prosperity. In it, there came to be a child whose heart was...uh...'black as night,' right? And there was this evil deity who was locked away in a mask who preyed on that guy and gave him immense power. He basically caused such an uproar that the entire kingdom tore itself apart in a matter of three days. And the only survivor - the 'Hero of Time' - defeated him by using the power of a different mask."

He began to motion with his hooves as he spoke. "But there were three masks, right? For the three days that the moon was falling, she found a different mask. They represented the three spheres of influence that the Hero embodied - Power, Wisdom, and Courage. When she fought the Black Child, those three masks combined into something that allowed the Hero to channel the power of another immortal being - the supposed 'Fierce Deity.' As the story goes, the Hero used the Fierce Deity's power to defeat the Black Child...and destroy herself in the process.

"But the child's hate was too powerful, such that his spirit endured throughout the centuries. Finally, the evil deity had regained enough power to resurrect the child...b-because it needed a vessel, right? It couldn't affect our world directly, and since there was no other creature with as much hate and anger as the child, it had to sort of lay low for a few centuries and regain enough power to bring him back to life.

"The reigning Princess of the time sacrificed herself in order to resurrect the Hero in the same way. But the Fierce Deity knew that the child would return...so it remained in our world, imbued in the spirit of somepony. Its power was passed down through the generations, and when the Hero returned, it was ready to fight. The Hero channeled its power and once again defeated the child. Again, she was destroyed in the process and her body was buried in the Royal Gardens."

The filly nodded. "In the proverbial nutshell, that's it. However, there a few parts of the legend that history did not care to document - or perhaps the writers were simply not aware of those details at the time. During the first battle, the Skull Kid merely died. However, during the second battle, the Fierce Deity's power erased his very being. His soul was wrenched from his body and blown apart, the pieces scattered to the farthest reaches of our world. In regards to our current predicament...it is not possible that he is responsible." She looked up, seeing his confused face. She chuckled in spite of herself. "Oh, I'm sorry. 'Skull Kid' was the child's name in the original legends."

"Okay," he replied. "But if he's not responsible for the moon being all possessed 'n' stuff, then who is?"

The Oracle frowned, sighing. "We cannot know for sure. Unfortunately, there is only one culprit who makes sense given our current knowledge."

He gulped. "The evil deity..."

She nodded gravely. "Yes, or 'Majora,' as it was once known. It has somehow gained a new vessel with which to affect our world or has gained the means by which to do so without a vessel. The latter prospect is infinitely more terrifying."

"Good, I need more fear," he replied, rolling his eyes. "I think the reality is that, whatever the case, our only hope for survival lies in the Hero, correct?"

"Yes," she replied. "However, for the Hero to return to our world in any sort of physical form would be impossible. By eradicating the Skull Kid at the climax of their second battle, she used up an unprecedented amount of the Fierce Deity's power. Because of those actions, two things happened. Firstly, the Fierce Deity's Mask - the channel through which the deity's power flowed - was shattered. It was separated into its three original forms, the masks that represented Power, Wisdom, and Courage. Those masks repelled each other and flew to the farthest corners of the kingdom. Secondly, the Hero's mortal nature was destroyed forever. Her spirit lives on in the next world, but no way of resurrecting her into a physical form that she directly controls exists."

The Oracle raised her head so as to look Wind directly in his eyes. "Only by channeling her spirit through a mortal vessel could she influence our world and potentially save us."

The Oracle continued to stare at him during a few moments of silence. When her statement finally registered with him, he stood up and backed away from the candlelight.

"Oh, no. Nope. Nope, nope, nope, nope, nope, so much nope. I'm not doing that."

The Oracle sighed. "We don't have a choice, Flowing Wind. She is our only hope of survival, and you, in turn, are her only hope of assisting us.

"But...but..." he stammered. "No! J-just no! I don't want to 'channel' her through my physical being or let her use my body to 'influence' our world! And what about my family? I can't just leave them and go off on some crazy journey without an explanation!"

"I apologize, but your family is not what's most important in our situation," she replied. "You must allow the Hero's spirit to flow through you. The greater good demands it."

"And why can't the greater good find someone else?!" he shouted. "Why me?"

The Oracle stood and rested a hoof on Flowing Wind's shoulder. She quietly raised her head.

"That is a question that I will answer when we come to it. For now, I need your cooperation."

Flowing Wind closed his eyes, deep in thought. He had no desire to leave his family alone and cowering under the moon with no way of knowing what would happen to them. At the same time, he was still having trouble comprehending what the Oracle was asking of him. He didn't know what would happen when the Hero's spirit 'influenced the world through his body,' or whatever, but he knew that it would require a long and surely arduous journey soon thereafter. He was not prepared in any way for such an ordeal. However, if he stood idly by - regardless of being with his family - the moon would crash and all life would perish.

Coming to a decision, he cleared his throat. "...how much time do we have?"

The Oracle smiled sadly. "It will soon be the dawn of the first day. We have roughly seventy-two hours."

Wind sighed and ran a hoof through his mane. "Seventy-two hours to save the world..." He stretched, his various joints cracking from sitting on the rough floor. "Let's get started."

The Oracle smiled once more. "Thank you, Flowing Wind. History will be sure to remember your name. Your family will be honored to-"

"I know, I know," he replied, cutting her off. "Just do it before I change my mind."

The Oracle nodded. "As you wish."

She lowered her head such that her horn rested on Wind's chest. After a few moments of deep concentration, her horn began to glow with white, ethereal magic. As the spell began to take affect, he felt as though strange tendrils of something were flowing through his body. They seemed to stretch across his back, down his legs, up his neck, and every part of him until he felt as though something long and large was shifting about inside of him. It was not a pleasant sensation.

"I-I think I'm going to throw up..."

Oh, come on. It hasn't even started yet.

His eyes snapped open. "Wha...w-who's there?!"

The Oracle opened her eyes confusedly but kept her horn pressed against him. "Wind...?"

Oh, check it out. It's the little filly again! Hey, you're not going to wait until the last second to swoop in this time, are you?

Wind gazed about the room frantically, his eyes frantically searching for the source of the voice. Finding none, he began to panic. Suddenly, he felt the thing inside of him begin to grow. He felt it fighting for room within his body, trying to cram itself and him into a space meant for one pony. He felt as though the walls of the dark, featureless room were closing in, threatening to crush him.

Ah, last part. Just tough it out, big boy.

Wind did not share the voice's sentiment. He felt his strength slipping away from him, his mind grappling for any sort of foothold on consciousness. Failing to find one, he felt himself falling into a deep sleep.

Oh, come on...figures that she would pair me with someone this weak...

The Morning

A harsh light permeated Flowing Wind's eyelids, awakening him and prompting him to shield his face from the sunlight. Yawning, he sat up in his bed and stretched. He had slept very soundly and now felt rested and alert. Strangely, he recalled dreaming of a large clocktower built with an old style of architecture. He could remember nothing else. He noticed Crystal's absence and smiled knowingly. She had probably allowed him to sleep in and taken on the morning chores herself, bless her.

Unfortunately, his peaceful thoughts were shattered upon his remembrance of the previous night's events.

Snapped awake by the revelation, he rolled onto the floor, attempting to disentangle him from his bedsheets. He failed to do so and fell face first onto the wooden floorboards.

"Owww..." he groaned, sitting up and rubbing his throbbing nose. "I suppose that's one way to wake up in the morning..."

Ugh...you can say that again.

His spine stiffened.

~~~~~~~~~~^~~~~~~~~~~

Crystal Star's hooves trotted back and forth across the kitchen floor as she prepared breakfast. Her filly, Sugar Fields, had yet to wake up. Although Crystal hummed and whistled a tune as she worked, an air of worry permeated the room. Crystal couldn't help worrying about the state of her husband. However, she had since calmed down from the previous night's events and-

"AAHHH!!"

Wind came barreling out of the kitchen hallway, a wild look in his eyes. Upon slamming into the far wall with a thunderous crash, he slid to the floor, groaning.

"W-Wind?!" Crystal exclaimed, rushing to his side

"Owwww..." He slowly got to his hooves, leaning back and forth unsteadily. Unconvincingly, he said "I-I'm fine...sorry for startling you..." He grinned crookedly, squinting his eyes. "M-morning, honey."

She blinked. "...Good morning. I...uh...take it you didn't sleep well?"

He winced, sitting down at the breakfast table. "No such luck. I just had a, um, bad dream. Just now."

"I...alright. I'll finish cooking breakfast, then. You're okay, right?"

He smiled just a little too wide. "Everything's fine."

Crystal awkwardly turned her attention back to the meal. Once she turned her back on him, Wind dropped his smile and let out a sigh of relief.

Thank the stars... he thought to himself. I don't like lying to her, but it's not exactly an easy situation to explain.

You can say that again. When are we going to get going?

He made a quiet squealing noise in the back of his throat.

...hello...?

Mornin'.

He began to grind his teeth together. ...G-good morning. Are...are you my conscience? Please tell me you're my conscience.

That's right, your conscience is speaking to you. How are you? it replied in a sarcastic tone.

Rolling his eyes, he shifted in his seat and took a deep breath to calm himself. Mild p-panic attack.

We haven't even departed yet. You need to get ahold of yourself.

Still slightly jumpy, he warily glanced about the room. Are you who I think you are?

Depends on who you think I am.

"Wind?"

Flowing Wind was jolted out of his conversation by Crystal's voice. He gulped. "Y-yes?"

She sat down at the table, her eyes pointed towards the floor. Taking a deep breath, she replied.

"T-the Oracle brought you back early this morning. She couldn't tell me everything, she said...but she told me enough. She said that you'd be going away for a while...and that...you might not be coming back..."

Wind blinked, still processing what Crystal was telling him. "I...Crystal, of course I'll come back. I could never abandon you. I'm sorry, I wanted to tell you myself..."

"N-no," she replied, sniffing. "This way was probably the easiest for me."

He leaned forwards, resting his hoof on Crystal's shoulder. He silently thanked the voice for giving him a moment alone.

"Crystal, slow down. I want to talk to you about it first. I have to let Sugar know. I can't...I mean, I can't just leave you."

She gazed into his eyes, smiling sadly. "No. You have to go now. The Oracle told me that you only have three days...and that any amount of time spent away from the mission is a waste."

"Crystal..."

They sat in awkward silence for a few moments, listening to the sound of the wind. It rustled and flowed past their little cottage, flying off to distant lands. The two farmponies looked up into each other's eyes and came to an understanding without words.

"She said that you should hurry."

"Y-Yeah." He smiled. "I guess I shouldn't keep the world waiting any longer."

She nodded. The two got up and walked to the door of the cottage. He had failed to notice that his old saddlebags, empty the night before, had been filled to the brim. As he swung them over his shoulders, he had no doubt that they contained packaged food, tools, and other items essential for travel. He turned back to his wife, regret in his eyes.

"And Sugar...?"

"I'll talk to her when she wakes up."

"...thank you."

As he opened the door, a rush of cold air hit him. He turned back to Crystal one last time, and seeing that there was nothing left to be said, he left his cottage and stepped out into the flowing wind.

The Town

Flowing Wind trotted across the dirt path, debating with himself. His initial plan had been to visit the nearby village and to get his bearings there, but he was no longer so sure. The more he thought, the more he realized that he had no real knowledge of his final destination that would come after the town. After thinking upon this for a few more minutes, he took a deep breath.

Hello?

Oh, hi. Am I allowed to talk now?

Uh...yes? I just thought that we should get to know each other a little bit better. After all, we're going to be like...well, like "this" for a while.

Alright. What do you want to know?

Wind stopped for a moment. What did he want to know? He had far too many questions spinning around inside of his head. Settling on one, he once again spoke.

Whats' your name?

I've got a few. Some ponies have called me Savior. I've been called Loyalty, too. You know me as Hero.

...what do you call yourself?

The voice halted in its speech for a moment.

You're smarter than I thought.

He grinned inwardly.

My name is Rainbow Dash.

Alright, Rainbow Dash. My name is Flowing Wind.

Alright.

They continued on in silence for a few more minutes. Wind gazed across the fields, enjoying the feel of the sunlight on his back. If he ignored the state of his fields, the morning was beautiful and uplifting to see.

Wind?

Yeah?

I get that you're trying to be friendly, but...we really need to stay focused on our most important goals.

...okay.

Alright. I'm not trying to be mean or anything, just...yeah. Anyways, where are we going?

I'm just walking into town. It'll take all day to get there, but it's the best shot we've got. From there, we'll be able to get a faster mode of transportation to take us...well, wherever we need to go.

So, where do we need to go? I mean, I guessed as much as the town.

Wind's hoofsteps stopped.

...what do you mean?

I mean where are we going after the town? Where's the first mask?

Y...you mean you don't know...?

...oh...

You don't know? I thought that you knew!

Alright, calm down for a minute.

Wha - calm down?! We're on a time limit, Hero! There's no time for us to be running around with no plan!

Chill. Out. Having a breakdown won't solve anything, right?

I...but...okay, okay. Fine. I'm calm, see?

Yes. You're doing much better.

Yeah, I got that. But what do we do now?

Well...I'm not sure. The Oracle couldn't have expected you to already know the locations, so she had to have left something with you to go off of. Why don't you check your bags?

I...alright...

Wind's saddlebags blew up a small cloud of dust when he swung them down onto the ground. He sifted through them, careful not to damage their contents. Coming across packaged food and water, a faint smile touched his lips, and he gave silent thanks for his wife's thoughtfulness. He finally came across a simple, undecorated wooden box, clearly not placed there by his wife. He levitated it out into the sunlight, turning it over with his magic.

I found a box. I'm pretty sure this is it...

Okay, then. Let's see what's inside.

Wind's expression scrunched up in worry. O-okay... He backtracked along the dirt path, bringing the box along with him. He then used his magic to keep the box afloat as he went back to stand with his saddlebags.

Uh...what are you doing?

He replaced the saddlebags onto his back. Well, we don't know what's inside of it, do we? It's also from the Oracle, so we can't be too careful.

What do you mean "it's from the Oracle?" She supports us. It's not like anything she gives us is going to cause any real harm.

She pulled you out of the afterlife and stuck you into my head. Now I've got to listen to you all day. I would be calling that "real harm."

You're a riot. Just open it already.

Wind's small moment of satisfaction quickly melted away. Cringing, he opened the box in one swift motion. A few moments passed before Wind turned to look at box's contents. He brought the box up to his face.

...is that...?

She's given us a...is that a rabbit mask?

Yeah...yeah, that's a rabbit mask.

Sitting in the box was a wooden, cream colored mask with a pointed noise, whiskers, eyeholes, and two long rabbit ears.

See? We didn't have anything to worry about in the first place.

I just don't get it. What in Equestria are we going to use this thing for? As Wind lifted the mask out of the box, he revealed a minuscule square of paper. Realizing that it was folded, he spread it out over the ground and saw what he assumed to be the Oracle's hoofwriting.

She's left us a letter...the Oracle, that is.

Alright. What does it say?

Wind cleared his throat.

"To Flowing Wind and the Hero,

First, allow me to express my condolences to Mr. Wind. My spell, though necessary, was clearly uncomfortable for you. For that, I apologize. Beyond that, allow me to get to the point - both of you understand your mission. Regardless of when you read this letter, know that, by noon of the morning following my meeting with both of you, your deadline will be a little over 60 hours in the future. In that time, you must collect the three ancient masks of the Hero and do battle with the Skull Kid. The first mask, passed down from Oracle to Oracle, is now with me - I am holding it for safekeeping. It is never a good idea to put all of one's eggs in one basket - to that end, you will locate and collect the remaining two masks before coming to Canterlot to retrieve my mask. You will find the second mask within an ancient castle. This castle is so old that even I know not its name nor intent. However, the legends surrounding the castle suggest that it existed during the Hero's original lifetime. The castle is hidden deep within a treacherous forest, located by the town of Bottle Grotto. Wind is familiar with this town and will know the way to it."

Jeez, could we have a little more 'RPG' in this letter?

...what's 'RPG?'

Uh...inside joke, don't worry about it. Keep reading.

Wind shrugged and continued.

"The third mask's exact location is a mystery. All we have to go off of are shaky legends of a place called 'Death Mountain.' However, there is only one mountain range in Equestria, and none of the mountains within it fit any of the various descriptions of Death Mountain. Despite this, the mountains are still your best chance of finding it, so I can only suggest that you look for the mask there.

"Return to me once you have the second and third masks. I await your safe arrival - good luck. -Oracle"

He frowned, returning the box and the letter to his saddlebags. Turning his attention back to the enclosed mask, he spun it around a few times in the sunlight. However much he examined it, he could not find anything special or particularly useful about it. It was just an ordinary wooden rabbit mask - however ordinary a wooden rabbit mask can be, that is. He turned the mask so that his face was level with its back.

Guess it couldn't hurt...

He placed the mask over his face.

Uh...I don't know about that, Wi-

RUNRUNRUNRUNRUNRUNRUNRUN

~~~~~~~~~~^~~~~~~~~~~

RUNRUNRUNRUNRUNRUNRUNRUN

WIND! STOP RUNNING!

RUNRUNRUNRUNRUNRUNRUNRUN

Oh, boy...um, wheat!

RUNRUNRUNRUN

Barley! Hay! Come on, work with me here!

RUNRUNRUNRUN

Hey, we're going to pass the town! Hello?! STOP, WE'RE AT THE TOWN!

...RUN?

TAKE OFF THE MASK!

Flowing Wind gasped, falling to the ground. Out of breath, he lay there for a few moments, trying to steady his racing heartbeat.

Huff...huff...

Oh, thank Celestia...Wind?

Yeah...I...

Wind! You okay, buddy?

I...I feel like I just ran from here...to the ends of the Earth...

Well, that's not very far from the truth...

...huh?

Shakily getting to his hooves, Wind noticed a slight change in scenery around him. His family's farm was no longer in sight and the dirt path beneath him was now a refined cobblestone road. Looking over his shoulder, he noticed a branch in the road that led into a dark, gnarled forest a little ways away from him.

I know that forest...He quickly turned away, only to see a collection of dull houses squashed together at the end of his path.

Whoa...

'Whoa' is right. You scared me there, dude.

Um...sorry...w-what happened? I remember putting on the mask, and then...

Well...you kind of lost it for a minute. You started running down the path like your life depended on it. You were going FAST, too. Faster than anypony should ever be able to run.

Wind lowered his gaze to the ground. The rabbit mask sat there, innocent and unassuming.

Fast...like a rabbit.

What?

He brought out the box from his saddlebags, replacing the mask within them. He began to trot into the village. Rabbits are fast, right? So the mask made me fast.

Well, yes. But what does that mean?

It means that we've got be more careful around masks. We were only looking for three masks, but there are clearly more than three out there. I've got the feeling that this one won't be the last that we encounter. We should keep an eye out for them, is all.

Definitely.

By this time, Wind had entered the town proper. He was walking on what appeared to be a side street - a cobblestone road flanked by wooden, low-lying houses. There was a group of foals playing by one house's porch in the dust. The town was all dull colors, grays and dirty whites smeared across crumbling homes filled with ponies of the same colors, living lives filled with ashen grays and whites that used by bright and hopeful. They weren't hopeful anymore.

Where did you say we were...?

Well, the town doesn't have a strictly defined name anymore. Different ponies call it different things. But most call it Bottle Grotto. A long time ago, it was famous for exporting the finest glassware in all of Equestria. Nowadays...well, you can see the state it's in.

What happened to it? How'd it get like this?

He shrugged. Who knows? It's been this way for as long as I can remember.

They trotted in silence for a few more minutes before reaching the central plaza of the town. It, like the side street, was dull and lifeless. The area was completely barren this time, with not a single pony to be seen. Wind sat next to a dusty, dried out fountain in the center of the plaza.

Alright. We need a game plan.

Yeah. For starters, those woods that we passed earlier have to be the ones that the Oracle was talking about. We'll need to go in there to get the first mask.

But...I guess we can't just waltz in there?

Hmm...no, no. I've been to this town before, and it's a confusing place, from what I heard. We need to find somepony who knows the area to guide us through it.

Well, you know your way around this place. Where should we start looking?

CRASH!

A pony fell onto the street in front of Wind. He jumped and stepped back from the unmoving stallion. After a moment, Wind realized that the pony appeared to be sleeping. He heard a door creak open and looked up to see a gruff, older stallion leaning out of a house.

"An' stay out!" The stallion punctuated his sentence by slamming the door.

Wind gulped. I guess that's as good a place as any to start...

The Bar

As Wind approached the run-down building, he began to hear muffled voices from within. Looking around and seeing no external markings or signs, he approached the door, took a deep breath, and pushed it open. Once his eyes had adjusted to the room's dim lighting, he saw a few wooden tables littered about the room. Clusters of stallions, young and old, conversed noisily and sat around them. Seeing a pony washing glasses behind a counter at the rear of the room, Wind realized that he he stumbled into a bar.

Wind? You want to start moving, buddy?

...huh? Wind glanced about awkwardly and made his way to the counter, painfully aware of several pairs of eyes boring into his head. The room suddenly felt hot.

He slid onto a stool, slouching down to make himself as small as possible. The bartender walked over to him and leaned on the counter. "What'll it be?"

"Um..." Wind stammered. "Cider, please."

"Dash 'a' rum?"

Wind blinked dumbly. "...what?"

The bartender sighed. "Just straight cider, then."

As he walked off to prepare the drink, Wind couldn't help but feel more and more uncomfortable in his current situation. He did not consider himself sheltered, but he still tried to avoid places like...this.

I'm starting to think that this was a bad idea...

Hey, pull yourself together. It's just a few mean looks.

He scoffed. "Easy for you to say..."

"What was that?"

Wind turned to his left confusedly. There, he saw a pony cloaked in a strange, green robe turned towards him expectantly. The deep voice led Wind to believe that he was a stallion.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I was talking to myself."

The pony nodded, turning towards the back of the bar. Most of his body, save his dark brown tail, was hidden by his cloak, including his eyes and face. Despite this, it was clear that he had a small frame, for a stallion. He took a slow sip from his drink as Wind awkwardly shifted his hooves across the countertop.

"So..."

The cloaked pony angled his head slightly, acknowledging the statement. Wind gulped.

"Are you...uh...do you live here?"

"No."

"...oh."

Wind's gaze wandered around the room. He rocked back and forth on his stool. "Are you here for family, or...?"

The pony suddenly turned to face Wind dead on. "I take it you aren't from around here."

Wind chuckled nervously. "N-no, not exactly..." Little help, here?

What am I supposed to do?

I-I don't know! What am I supposed to say?!

The pony returned his attention to his drink. "I'm not a talkative stallion. Most ponies leave me to my affairs. Unless you have business with me, I suggest you do the same."

Wind blinked. "Oh...okay." The bartender returned with his drink. Nodding in silent thanks, Wind took a brief sip. The cider burned his throat as it went down, leaving a bitter taste on his tongue. He sat in thoughtful silence for a moment before turning back to the pony.

"Actually...I do have some business with you. I know you don't live here, but do you know the area well?"

"Yes."

"Then I guess you know about those woods just outside of town, right?"

"The Lost Woods."

Wind nodded. "Yes, and I - what?"

The pony took another sip. "They're called the Lost Woods."

Wind gulped. "Um...yes! Well, the Lost Woods, then. You know them?"

"Yes."

"Okay, good. So...you see, there's something that I've been running around looking for lately, and I've heard that it's in the Lost Woods. But I don't know the area well, so I need to find a guide...to..." Wind trailed off, seeing that the pony had turned to stare at him again. Wind gulped, leaning back. He became aware that the bar's chatter had died off around him. "...to...uh...guide me...through it...?"

The bartender leaned into Wind's face, frowning. "You are talking about the Lost Woods?" he asked.

"Y-yes..." Wind replied.

At once, the bar exploded into a fit of uproarious laughter. Confused and ashamed, Wind turned to stare into the bottom of his glass, trying to ignore the mocking tones around him. Ah, man...why in Equestria are they laughing at me?

Doesn't matter. Clearly, we aren't going to get anything from these buffoons. I say we bounce.

Wind sighed. Alright... As he turned to leave, he felt somepony hold him back. It was the cloaked stranger, who thoughtfully took a final sip of drink, finishing it off. He jumped onto the ground and strode confidently in front of Wind. "Follow me."

Wind obliged the stranger and walked with him to the door of the bar. Heads held high, the two strangers waded through the thick mist of mockery and out into the world beyond.

~~~~~~~~~~^~~~~~~~~~~

Wind sat with the cloaked pony on the edge of the plaza, deep in thought. He wasn't sure if he should start the conversation or wait for the other pony instead. He took the first option.

"Um...why'd you call me out here?"

The stranger turned towards him suddenly. Gah! I wish he wouldn't do that so often...

"I want to talk to you about the moon."

Wind's body tensed up.

Rainbow...

I heard, I heard. He knows about the moon.

This isn't good...how does he know about it? Is this guy a threat?

Well...don't assume that yet. It's most likely that he just looked up and saw it last night.

Okay. That's probably what it is.

Wind sighed, feigning dejection. "Yeah, I saw it, too. Frankly, I've got no idea what's going on. But don't worry about it, the Oracle will help us.

"I also want to talk to you about the Dark Child."

Wind blinked, doing his best to hide his growing panic.

Okay, maybe this guy isn't quite that simple...

You think?!

"H-hey," replied Wind, cracking a crooked smile. "You don't actually believe that old mare's tale, do you?"

"You're looking for the Hero's masks."

Dropping the act, Wind leaped to his hooves and backed a few hoofsteps away from the stranger. "Okay, that's it. Who are you?"

The stranger got to his hooves as well. "Ah...that's right. I haven't yet introduced myself." He lifted his hood up and over his face, revealing a smooth, dark brown mane flanked by two, light brown ears that flicked slightly upon contact with the hood. His eyes, a light green that somewhat matched his cloak, were half closed. Despite his bored expression, further accentuated by a deep frown, he held his hoof out towards Wind.

"My apologies," he said. "I am Kieshah the Third. Ponies call me 'Kiesh.'"

Wind cleared his throat and took his hoof gingerly. "...Flowing Wind. It's very nice to meet you...'Kiesh.'"

"I wish that I could say the same," he replied. Slightly miffed, Wind retracted his hoof and scrunched his face up. "Do not misunderstand me," he replied. "My distaste applies to the circumstances of our meeting, not to you specifically."

"Ah, I see," replied Wind. "I suppose that's understandable..."

Kiesh turned his placid face towards the sky, as though searching it for something. "I have reason to believe that The Legend of the Hero of Time is true. Upon witnessing the state of the moon last night and understanding the implications of the situation, I came to this town. Historically, this place was significant in the Hero's tale. It is now said that one of the Hero's masks resides close by." He turned to look at the door of the bar. "Everypony here clearly thinks it to be a false legend. Regardless of them, I waited for the pony who would surely come to collect the masks...and here we are."

He turned back to face Wind. "I will not bore you with my history and motives. Know only that it would benefit me - and many other ponies, I assume - to not perish at the Dark Child's hooves. I will accompany you to the mask."

Wind frowned. "I see..."

Hey, can we trust this guy?

I don't know...but he's like a brick wall. I'm not seeing any emotion in him whatsoever.

What should we do?

Wind smiled at Kiesh. "Thank you very much, Mr. Kiesh. I accept your services."

Kiesh nodded. "Good. Let us be off." He flipped his hood to cover his face once again and turned to walk through a side alleyway. Wind smiled and trotted behind him.

There's definitely something fishy about this guy. It's too convenient that he just showed up when we needed somepony like him. We have no choice but to follow him for now, but we'll need to confront him later and get some answers.

For now, though...we'll just have to trust him.

The Woods

Wind glanced around into the depths of the forest nervously. Kiesh confidently strode forwards as Wind followed his hoofsteps with slight hesitation. As they continued on their way, the cobblestone road slowly broke down until it was nothing more than a small gap in the underbrush. Wind noticed that most of said underbrush was comprised of thick tendrils of black thorns. They were unnaturally long and sharp, some stretching across the path and forcing Wind to stumble over them. The trees were all a muddy black color, with branches that curled around like jagged claws overhead. Wind felt that the forest was leeching out the last of his confidence - which he didn't have much of to begin with.

Wind gulped, trotting slightly faster in order to catch up to Kiesh. He prodded the traveler's cloak in a place that he hoped was the shoulder. Upon receiving no reply, and feeling his heart beat yet faster in his throat, he made a motion to tap again but instead lost his balance when Kiesh whipped around suddenly to face him.

"Ah!" Wind cried, falling onto the ground. "Don't do that!"

"Why did you hit me?"

Wind blinked. "Why did I - I was tapping your shoulder."

Kiesh's frown, the only visible part of his face, somehow deepened. "No. You hit me."

"I was trying to get your attention, I wasn't hitting you," Wind said as he got to his hooves. "And it doesn't matter anyways. It couldn't have possible hurt you."

"It's a matter of principle," Kiesh replied, scoffing. He turned and continued down the path. "Don't touch me like that again."

Wind hurried forwards to catch up once again until the two ponies were walking side by side. "Alright, alright. I'm sorry." He trotted in silence for a few moments. "Um...do you know when we'll get there?"

"Neither of us have any way of knowing where 'there' is. We know only that the mask resides within this forest - and even that is an assumption. We can only continue on until we find a unique area in which to search."

Wind sighed. I hope we get there soon, buddy. I'll be glad to get out of this weird place.

Why? Are you scared of it?

Wind's gaze searched the area once more, picking up little in the thick darkness. He could hear the faint sounds of large creatures lumbering amidst the trees. Something roared in the distance.

It's just...unsettling, is all.

Eh, I don't mind it.

You aren't fazed by much, are you?

Nope. I've learned that laughing in the face of fear is the quickest way to overcome it.

Huh. That's not a bad philosophy to live by.

The three ponies walked along in silence for a few more minutes. The sounds of the forest continued on around them as the already dim sunlight steadily waned in its brightness. Despite this, Wind thoughtfully began to hum a tune to himself. In a few moments, he had even gained a slight bounce in his step. He smiled, silently thanking the voice in his head for its advice. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Kiesh staring at him.

"Hm? What is it?"

"What are you doing?"

"Just trying to stay cheerful."

Uh...Wind?

Kiesh turned to face back ahead into the forest. "Our situation is anything but cheerful."

"Heh...just trying to keep up my confidence..."

Hello? What is it?

I...I know this place...

...huh? What do you mean?

I-I can't explain it...but...Wind, turn left.

What are talking abo -

Wind, turn left now!

Suddenly, Wind couldn't feel his hooves anymore. Trying to regain his balance, he felt his body beginning to fall forwards and reflexively closed his eyes.. His body was pulled to the left and dragged along by an unseen force. Opening his eyes and expecting the worst, he was surprised to see no monsters, beasts, or creatures pulling him along. Blinking, he looked down to see that he was simply...running.

W-what? Hero, are you doing this?!

Wind felt himself panting erratically as his body tore its way through the forest's underbrush. "Doing what?"

Wind felt a deep sense of dread rising within him. H-hero? Are you there?

"Yes, I'm here! What's going on? Why does my body feel so - " Wind's body's eyes widened. Its throat gulped. "Why is my voice so d-deep?"

The pair took a few moments of silence to contemplate their situation before they made sense of it. That situation quickly worsened with the realization.

How did you do that?!

"I-I don't know! I just wanted us to g-go left and...w-we went left!"

But, why?! It's my body! I decide what to do with it!

"I don't know, okay?! Do I look like I'm a scientist?!"

SCIENCE HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS!

Wind felt a jerk in his gut as his body jumped over a fallen log. Upon landing the jump with a soft thud, the pair was assaulted by a sudden, bright light. Disoriented for a moment, the Hero shielded her face with a hoof, stumbling across the grass. Quickly seeing this as a chance, Wind mustered up all of his willpower and shouted at the top of his lungs:

Stop moving!

Wind's hooves abruptly stopped, swinging his face directly into the ground. He remained there for a few moments, exhausted and breathing heavily. He heard a thump beside him and jumped, rolling onto his back. Kiesh stood over him, frowning.

"Well?"

"Well...what...?" Wind panted.

Kiesh pulled Wind to his hooves, replying, "Why did you break off, screaming in agony?"

"I...It wasn't agony, it was..." Wind paused, gasping for air. "It d-doesn't matter. I'm fine now, but...just give me a minute."

Kiesh nodded. "Try not to break down like that again. It is detrimental to our goal."

Wind nodded, sitting down. His gaze wandered about the clearing, noticing its apparent lack of life. The forested area, however unsettling, was undoubtably filled with plants and animals, but this clearing was like a wasteland. The ground was hard, packed dirt with no grass or greenery in sight. The land was level, offering nothing interesting or indigenous to witness. Despite this, Wind felt a certain kind of significance to the area. Thinking little on this, he confronted the Hero.

You.

Uh...me?

Yes, you. What in Equestria did you just do?

I told you, I don't know. I just wanted you to come to this place and it all just sort of...happened.

Well, the fact that it happened bothers me. I thought that you couldn't attain a physical form in our world. That's why you need me, right?

I can't attain a physical form on my own. But we're sharing the same body, so I suppose it makes sense that we'd both be able to control it.

I hadn't thought of that...even still, it's my body. You can't do that again unless I give you permission, got it?

Alright, fair enough. That doesn't matter right now, anyways. We've made it to the castle.

Wind frowned, scanning the clearing a second time. Uh...there's nothing here.

Yeah, I know, but...it's here. I know it's here.

Well, I can't see it anywh - AGH!

Wind's statement was cut off as he felt himself being forcibly thrust onto the ground. He let out a muffled cough as an unseeable force shoved the dry, decayed dirt of the clearing over his face. He struggled to breathe for a few moments, pushing up against whatever creature stood above him.

"Stop moving already. I'm letting you up, so don't say anything."

Wind growled inwardly and felt Kiesh retract his hoof. Wind gulped in a large quantity of air immediately. However, upon attempting to forcibly spit out the dirt, he felt Kiesh force his head down again.

"I said to stay silent. If you make any more noise, I'll keep you down indefinitely. Are we clear?"

Wind managed to nod his head slightly, after which Kiesh allowed him to rise again. Wind warily used his hooves to rub the dirt off of his tongue, careful to stay silent. Once he had finished, he glanced up towards the center of the clearing...and froze.

Squatting on the ground no less than fifty feet feet away from him was a monstrous spider - easily three times as tall as Wind himself. Its body consisted of a round ball of chitin and a single, yellow-red eye as big as a grown pony's head. That eye appeared to be slightly clouded by a thin veil, its colors dulled. Its legs, although spindly by comparison to the rest of its body, were all as thick as Wind's own legs. The spider seemed to be searching for something, and its eight legs made next to no noise as they swivled the body around in slow circles, its one eye darting about rapidly.

Wind became intensely aware of the clearing's lack of underbrush.

"To my knowledge, it hasn't detected us yet," Kiesh droned. "Our best course of action is to keep ourselves as undetectable as possible."

Wind gulped and responded by pressing himself into the ground with all of his might.

What the heck?!

Hero? Y-you're seeing this, right?

Oh, I'm seeing it, alright. It shouldn't be here.

The creature abruptly stopped turning as it was facing away from Wind, who gritted his teeth.

And why is that...?

The spider's legs bent slightly and huddled together around the body, as though they were tensing up.

Because I watched it die thousands of years ago. Thousands of years ago...and in my hooves.

A period of silence stretched across the clearing for a few moments. The creature stood absolutely still as Wind looked on with bated breath.

Kiesh frowned. "I think it's seen - "

KREEEEEE!!

The spider charged towards Wind and Kiesh, its legs carrying it in their direction before its head had fully turned around to glare at them. Its clouded, yellow-red eye was filled with a fiery hatred. Thinking quickly, Wind dived sideways as the oversized arachnid slammed its front legs into the dirt. Not stopping to contemplate the close call, Wind dashed away in a random direction.

I don't get it! Why is it still alive? And after all this time, too!

THAT'S NOT IMPORTANT RIGHT NOW!!

KREEEEEE!!

Wind risked a glance over his shoulder. Eyes widening, he slid to a halt. The creature had turned its attention away from him and onto Kiesh, who stood before it with a resolutely defiant posture. Not thinking, he dashed towards Kiesh's direction, knowing that he would be too late.

"RUN! GET OUT OF THERE!"

To Wind's horror, Kiesh made no movement to escape. The spider reared back, stretching its body to full height, before sending a powerful leg hurtling towards the cloaked traveler. Wind's breath caught in his throat before Kiesh sidestepped the blow, moving impossibly fast. The creature growled and sent several more swipes in his direction. Kiesh casually shuffled across the ground to avoid the blows, at one point even walking backwards in a complete circle to dodge them by mere inches. Kiesh nimbly leaped backwards to evade the creature's next attack, gaining a good amount of distance from it. Wind saw Kiesh raise up and flick his right foreleg. When his forelegs came down again to touch the ground, the sleeve of his cloak had been pushed up by a metal apparatuse, although Wind was still too far away to see it clearly.

Kiesh made a dash towards the spider, which cocked back a right leg and thrust it in his direction. Jumping above the leg, Kiesh lightly dropped down upon it and rushed across it towards the creature's body. Another leg swung over the first one, trying to knock the pony off. Kiesh fell to the left, the second leg swinging overhead, and twisted his body in a quick, midair circle. Wind reached his side just as he landed on the ground with his right foreleg stuck out to the side, a blade covered in a sickly green substance protruding from his cloak, parallel to his foreleg. The leg that he had been running on a few seconds before crashed down behind him, cleanly sliced off of the spider's body.

KREEEEEE!! The spider stumbled, and in the brief moment when it tried to regain its balance, Kiesh spun around to face it. After plunging his blade into the dirt to rid it of the creature's blood, the blade quietly slipped back into Kiesh's cloak. He raised his left leg, aiming it at the creature, and twitched it slightly. A wooden apparatus shot out from beneath his cloak that quickly expanded to form a crossbow. When the spider finally turned around to face the pair of ponies, Kiesh shot a powerfully fast arrow into the monster's eye. Wind gasped at the brutality of Kiesh's attack...and then gasped again when he saw the arrow rocket straight through the creature, ripping out of its back.

The pair of ponies stayed absolutely still for several moments, staring up at the deformed beast. It shuddered once before finally crashing to the ground, its torn eye now devoid of all color. As the blood of the monster pooled around the ponies' hooves, silence once again fell over the clearing.

The Underground

After a few moments of silence, the shock of the situation finally overcame Wind, and he fell to the ground with a dull thud. As his head spun from the adrenaline rush, he struggled to form words in his dry, cracked throat.

"That...you j-just..."

Kiesh seemed to drift across the ground, staring into the eye of the spider. Swiveling his head around, he swept the full body of the creature with a steely, scrutinizing glare before he calmy collapsed his crossbow back into his cloak with a flick of his wirst. He trotted over to stand at Wind's side before offering the fallen farmpony a hoof. Tentatively reaching up a hoof in return, Wind was pulled to his hooves by Kiesh. After a few moments of silence, Wind finally spoke.

"Alright...okay. Two things. How did you just do...that?"

"I'll assume that you are referring to my defense of you from that rather abnormally large arachnid. I am quite an effective combatant when faced with a dangerous foe. I'm not quite as weak as I may appear.""

"...good enough. Now, could you please explain what those weapons of yours are and...how they...well, you know."

Kiesh pulled his hood over his head and recovered most of his face. Wind then realized that, despite standing right next to the cloaked traveler when his cloak's hood was down, Wind still had yet to look at Kiesh's face. The farmpony shrugged inwardly, slightly indifferent.

"I have two double-bladed swords and two crossbows that I can use," Kiesh explained. "At any one time, I can utilise any combination of two weapons, using one with each foreleg. Specify the last part of your question."

"How do they - well - okay, putting aside the fact that crossbows are meant for unicorns and that, without a unicorn, you have no logical way of triggering the mechanism and that it shouldn't be physically possible for you to lift a crossbow with one foreleg - much less one on each foreleg - how do they fit underneath your cloak? That makes (or "amounts to." Input?) four large, heavy objects, all somehow invisible beneath your sleeves!"

Kiesh held up a foreleg and flicked back its sleeve. Expecting something to spring up from the depths of Kiesh's cloak, Wind flinched and took a step away from the traveler. Kiesh sighed and thrust his hoof towards Wind, who embarrassedly rubbed the back of his neck as he shuffled back to Kiesh's side. He saw a band of metal wrapped around Kiesh's foreleg, its surface glowing with a dim golden hue.

"All ponies, earth ponies included, have magical resonance. A unicorn's horn simply allows for the amplification of that resonance, resulting in a noticeably powerful influence. There is one band on each of my forelegs, each made of a enchanted stone that connects to my magical resonance. The bands are designed to summon objects upon my mental command - in this case, my swords and crossbows. The crossbows are also magically enchanted - they trigger upon my mental command."

"Huh...that's pretty interesting," replied Wind. "And even if one weapon is damaged, the bands can just summon another one?"

"Magic doesn't usually work that way," droned Kiesh. "Summoned objects are almost never a product of thin air. Only a select few ponies in all of Equestrian history could break scientific law and create matter out of nothing - I, on the other hoof, only have the four weapons that I mentioned. Their molecular structure is converted into energy by the bands and then stored in the same place, so if a weapon is damaged, I still need to repair it."

Wind blinked dumbly.

Kiesh sighed tiredly. "I only have four weapons. They can shrink and grow."

Wind's eyes lit up. "Ah, now I get it!"

"Good," replied Kiesh. "Now - you left me earlier and ran here. That monster happened to be here, as well. I do not believe that to be a coincidence. Now, tell me why you came here so suddenly."

"Heh...well..." Wind fidgeted nervously for a moment under Kiesh's dull gaze before sighing and straightening his posture. "Alright, look - that mask that I'm looking for? It's in this clearing. I...can't really tell you how I know. I, myself, don't really understand it. But you're just going to have to trust me. The mask is somewhere close by."

Kiesh pondered on this for a few moments. "...very well." He abruptly left Wind's side, trotting across the clearing at a brisk pace.

"Anyways, now we - hey, wait up!" Taken by surprise, Wind made a dash to catch up to Keith before slowing his pace to match the cloaked traveler's. "Want to tell me where you're going?" Without replying Kiesh continued his march across the dead earthen ground. Rolling his eyes, Wind resigned himself to trusting in Kiesh's judgement for the time being. However, just as the pair had settled into a comfortable, silent march, Kiesh halted. "Wait here," he said.

Wind obliged, bringing himself to a halt. He noticed that they had stopped in the rough center of the clearing. From here, the distinct lack of trees unburdened the cool wind, which flowed around him softly.

"Alright...why are we here, exactly?"

"The spider from earlier was not from the edges of the clearing," Kiesh explained. "It simply appeared in the clearing's center. Therefore, there must be an underground nest in the area. If that mask is close by, like you say it is - that's the only place where it could be."

"I see," Wind replied. "And if you're right, then that also explains its eye being so fogged up. It's eyesight would have been dulled from living underground."

"Precisely." Kiesh stepped forwards until he was a few feet in front of Wind. Kneeling down so that his cloak touched the ground, the pony slowly swept his gaze across the ground before him. He felt one part of the ground with his hoof, knocked it, and finally stood up. Confused, and seeing nothing unique about the earth before him, Wind decided to step back even further to give Kiesh more space.

Grunting, Kiesh threw his left foreleg out to his side, causing a sword to slide out of his cloak and click into place above his hoof. Now that he was seeing it up close, Wind saw that it was double-bladed and wickedly sharp, tapering down to a point that hovered a few feet from Kiesh's body. Kiesh glanced at the ground once more before taking aim and plunging the blade into the cracked soil, hilting it easily. He yanked the sword up, shook off the dirt and seemingly allowed it to slide up his sleeve again. Watching closely, Wind openly grinned when he noticed that the blade was actually shrinking, not being pulled back up. That's so cool...

Suddenly, Wind gasped as he felt the ground beneath him shift. Nearly losing his balance, he planted his feet firmly into the dirt. After steadying himself, Wind looked back towards the spot that Kiesh had stabbed. He noticed a small indent in the soil for a split second before it rapidly grew. Suddenly, a cloud of dust was thrown up into Wind's face. He coughed for about a minute until it cleared out, and once it did, he squinted towards the ground. His eyes widened. A large hole, no less than ten feet across, had simply appeared before him. Looking down into it, he saw only darkness with no traces of a bottom or of light. Gulping, he turned his head to look at Kiesh, smiling nervously.

Kiesh grinned for the first time since they had met - although it seemed to be more like a smirk. "You first."

The Nest

Breathing shallowly, Wind was gradually losing his composure. His forelegs were wrapped around Kiesh's midsection, gripping it tightly as the mysterious traveler descended into the spider's nest. Both of his forelegs were equipped with swords, and he was routinely plunging them into the tunnel's walls as he "walked" vertically down using them. Despite the small amount of visible sunlight above him, Wind felt as though the blackness lying below could swallow up his last bit of vision at a moment's notice.

Hey, are you doing alright?

Wind audibly gulped, a bead of sweat running down the side of his face. Y-yeah. I'm fine. Just a little bit n-nervous.

Well...if you say so. Just try to relax, okay?

Uh-huh...

Trying to take a deep breath, Wind only managed a rattling gasp. Shaking his head slightly, he turned his gaze to the world above. At this point, the only visible scrap of sunlight was a small circle that was so far away that it didn't even illuminate Wind's level. Wind felt the walls around him pressing together, squeezing the air out his lungs. The air was too musty, too humid, too dank -

"We're here. Jump down."

Wind took in a breath of air sharply. "T-there's no light. How can you t-tell we're at the bottom?"

"I can feel it with my back hooves. Now jump down so I can put on a light."

"But what if it's another f-false floor? Like the one we used to come down here in the first place? W-we have to test it first, I can't just - "

"Jump now, Wind."

Wind's eye twitched slightly.

Come on, do as he says. You'll be fine. I promise.

Tightly shutting his eyes, Wind let go of Kiesh. After a frightening moment of free-fall, Wind's back hooves connected with the floor, and soon after, his front hooves followed. Wind closed his eyes, took a steady breath, and savored his brief moment of victory.

A bright light appeared, illuminating Kiesh's grim, cloaked face. The moment was shattered.

"GAAAAHHHH!!" Wind promptly fell onto his backside, his breathing short and shallow once again. After a few seconds, Wind composed himself and glared up at Kiesh. The traveler simply sighed and offered Wind a hoof, which he rigidly accepted. Upon being pulled to his hooves, Wind noticed that the earlier light had been emanating from a small lantern that Kiesh had now placed on the ground. Frowning, Wind leaned in towards it as Kiesh turned to look into the surrounding darkness.

"Um...isn't this mine?" Wind asked. Kiesh responded by casually lighting a second lantern and hoofing it to Wind. "Hold on. Both of these were in my saddlebags. How did you...?"

"Don't worry about that right now," Kiesh said, cutting Wind off. "For now, we only need to concern ourselves with finding the mask that you agreed was down here." Knowing that Kiesh was correct, Wind sighed and turned his attention to the cavern surrounding him. The floor beneath him was not as dry or featureless as the land above, and it held a slight bit of moisture. Despite this, it felt far more solid than the dry, hollow clearing, as though it had been worn down by several pairs of hooves trotting throughout the cave. Pairs of hooves...just like his...

Wind quickly dismissed the thought.

Looking up, he saw that the entrance pit above him ran parallel to a wall of the cavern. Feeling the wall with his hoof, he felt it spring slightly at his touch. So the wall isn't hard and packed like the ground...odd. he thought. (Gilimarr - I'm not sure about how to format the preceding sentence in which Wind thinks to himself. Do you have any suggestions? It just feels slightly...off, to me.) As he pulled his hoof away from the wall, he felt it stick to him slightly. Not enough to prevent his hoof's escape, but just enough for him to notice. He then saw that his lantern's sphere of light only extended so far around him, and only lit the one wall underneath the entrance. Beyond that sphere lay only a murky darkness.

Wind gulped and spoke to Kiesh over his shoulder. "Uh...I've never really been in caves or anything. How do you think we should traverse it?" Kiesh remained silent for a few moments, prompting Wind to turn around to face him. The cloaked traveler seemed to be staring intently at the darkness beyond his lantern's light, his expression unreadable - unseeable, for that matter - beneath his hood. Wind walked over to stand by his side, and Kiesh still made no motion to acknowledge Wind's presence. "Uh...Kiesh?" Wind waved a hoof in front of his partner's face, after which he finally, albeit slowly, turned to face Wind.

"Ah...my apologizes. I was simply thinking on something." Kiesh visibly relaxed from a tense stance that Wind hadn't even noticed, and the traveler sat down on the earthen floor. "I'm listening now."

"Uh..." Wind stuttered, slightly unnerved by Kiesh's behavior. "I was just asking how you wanted to go about exploring this cave."

"I see..." replied Kiesh. He shuffled over to the only visible wall and pressed the side of his head up against it, appearing to be looking down the length of it. He looked in the opposite direction and turned back towards Wind.

"Our lanterns only light up so much. If we follow the walls, we'll have a point of reference so that we aren't wandering about in complete confusion," Kiesh explained. "We can each choose one direction to follow. If we each follow the walls without fail, we'll meet up again at some point. By then, one of us will have the mask and we'll head out together, retracing our steps together along one of the walls."

"I guess that works..." Wind muttered. "...wait a minute. Doesn't that mean we'll be separated for half of the trip?" Wind noticed that Kiesh had turned his head slightly to once again stare into the darkness surrounding the pair of ponies. However, before Wind could repeat himself, Kiesh spoke. "That matter is of little consequence. With the creature inhabiting this cave destroyed, we no longer have anything significant to worry about. Just watch where you step and follow the wall - you'll be fine."

Wind felt the cavern grow slightly hotter. "I...uh...suppose you're right..."

Kiesh nodded and began to walk off along the wall in one direction. "Good luck. We will meet up soon enough."

Wind's next statement died in his throat. He slowly plodded along the wall away from Kiesh, muttering to himself. "Oh, boy..."

After a minute, the glow from both of the lanterns had disappeared, swallowed by the darkness. For a few moments, the space below the cavern's entrance was dark and quiet. However, one light soon reappeared, hurrying its way back to the opening. Kiesh placed his lantern on the dusty floor and turned, crossbow already drawn, to stare into the darkness for a third time. He gritted his teeth beneath his cloak.

"Alright, punk," he muttered. "Come on out. I know you're down here..."

~~~~~~~~~~^~~~~~~~~~~

You've seriously got to snap out of this.

Wind barely registered the Hero's words as he crept his way through the underground tunnel. Although he was sure that he only just started walking, he felt as though he had already spent days wandering the cave. He guessed that the feeling was due in part to the monotony of his journey. Nothing about the cavern changed, no matter how far into it he marched. The wall remained brown and lifeless - and occasionally sticky, when he rubbed up against it - the floor was rock solid underhoof, and the darkness around him constantly gave off the uneasy feeling of being watched.

The darkness was the worst part, probably because it was always there. He could walk a foot or so away from the wall or trod lightly for a few minutes, but there was always darkness in his field of vision. Perhaps even worse was the fact that there was always darkness behind him. There was always the potential that, over his shoulder, there was something squatting or scuttling or oozing its way through the darkness just out of his line of sight ready to rush into his circle of light -

Wind whipped his head around, eyes wide. As always, there was nothing behind him.

Turning his head back to face to tunnel before him, Wind continued on. I really don't like this, Hero...

I understand that it's not ideal. Believe me, I do. But there's no way around this - we have to keep going.

I-I know...and you're r-right, but...

Wind panted, gulping in the musty air of the cave. I-I don't think that I can do this...

Well, if you think about it like that, then you'll never be able to.

T-that's not what i meant. Wind replied, audibly sighing. It's not just about this cave, it's about everything. I've been trying to keep calm and laugh off most of today, b-but...I don't think that I can anymore. I mean, earlier today, I walked into a crowded bar filled with all of those tough ponies. I mean, some of looks that they gave me...and then t-they all laughed at me...m-mocked me...over something that I was trying to be serious about. The worst part about it was that I k-knew in my heart that, if they wanted to, they could laugh at me, spit at me, and even hit me...and I wouldn't be able to do a t-thing to defend myself.

Wind stumbled along through the darkness, his head hung low. And then that thing...that spider, up above. I know that it turned out okay, and that it's over now, and that I'm safe...but that doesn't change the fact that, if Kiesh wasn't there, t-that thing would have ripped me apart. I know that it would have. I was weak a-and defenseless a-and...

Wind trailed off. The lantern fell to the floor with a loud clatter that echoed throughout the darkness. As the farmpony fell to his knees, he felt a few drops of moisture run down his face and touch the corners of his mouth. He tasted salt.

A-and now I've just got to walk through this t-tunnel...walk straight ahead...a-and I can't even do that without breaking down. I s-shouldn't be here, o-on this journey...because it's so much bigger than me, o-or Crystal, or Sugar, or the fields that I slave over every day...so much bigger...

He squeezed his eyes shut so forcefully that he began to see red and yellow blots swirling around underneath his eyelids, trapped by a sea of darkness that surrounded them on all sides.

I shouldn't have been chosen for this...I-I'm completely out of my league. I-I'm not strong like Kiesh...I'm n-not brave like you...I'm j-just...me.

The Hero had remained silent for several minutes while Wind had been speaking. Now, that silence dragged on, broken apart only by the sound of Wind's tears hitting the cavern's floor.

When the Hero spoke, her voice was filled with both the care and comfort of a mother and the confidence and authority of a father. Flowing Wind...let me tell you a secret that I've learned in my time here, in Equestria. It's about ponies and the ways that they think. We as individuals judge ourselves by what we feel capable of doing - our limits as ponies. Outsiders judge us by what we have already done - our actions.

But some ponies see beyond that. A select few who know everything about the ponies around them judge not by what they feel their limits are, not by what they have done, but by their potential. By what they know that pony could become. By what actions that pony could and will take and the limits that pony could and will break. And after being up in your head for all of today, seeing your limits, actions, and even your thoughts, I know you well enough to know your potential.

Wind raised his head slightly. His eyes opened a crack...and a small spark went off in his pupils.

I judge you by your potential, Flowing Wind - and your potential far exceeds this journey's expectations.

For a few moments, neither of the ponies spoke. Slowly, silence returned to the cavern once again as the sound of teardrops faded. Wind sniffed and wiped a hoof across his face, the salty taste in his mouth waning. As he rose to his hooves, a small smirk worked its way onto his face.

...I suppose that makes you "special" for judging me differently?

Heh...if you say so.

Wind picked his lantern up with his mouth and stared ahead into the darkness before him, head held high.

Sorry about that...I'm okay now.

Don't worry about it.

Wind's smirk broke into an ear to ear grin.

Alright...let's do it!

A faint noise sounded ahead of Wind.

"WAAAGH!" His moment of glory gone, Wind shrieked. As the scream reverberated around the corridor, the lantern once again clattered to the ground.

Ugh...so much for bravery.

Uh...ahem. Sorry.

Picking up the lantern, Wind squinted into the yawning cavern before him. As always, there was no visibility, and so Wind continued walking forwards. Although he was still wary of the cave, it was a controlled wariness. No longer trembling, Wind glared into the blackness surrounding him, as though daring it to leap out and strike. The tunnel wound its way through the earth randomly, turning left, right, up, down - every which way. All of Wind's sense of direction had been lost despite his simple forwards progression, and he moved to walk closer to the wall, keenly aware of his dependence on it.

Wind's eyes narrowed.

...can you see that?

Uh...yeah. Yeah, I see it.

Off in the distance, there was a faint but unquestionable glow of light.

That...that must be Kiesh! And seeing as how I haven't found the mask yet, he must have it! Upon this realization, Wind quickened his pace, eager to meet with the cloaked pony. Wind inwardly congratulated himself for successfully traversing the cavern and overcoming his fears. In his mind's eye, he saw Kiesh step into his lantern's light, brandishing an ancient wooden mask before him. The two ponies happily trotted out the cave together, one step closer to their ultimate goal, and as Wind ran forwards, his spirits high, he failed to notice that the walls around him had been coated with a white, almost gelatinous substance - a substance whose presence was rapidly increasing with every hoofstep towards the golden light.

The Web

Wind dashed towards the light, eager to reach it. Despite his newfound confidence, the darkness still unnerved him, and he quickened his pace slightly at this thought. Wind's hoof suddenly banged against a hard, metal object as he ran. He stumbled for a moment, nearly losing his balance, and slowed to a stop. Turning to look at the ground, his eyes widened.

Kiesh's lantern was laying on the cavern floor, its light extinguished.

His lantern...? Wind thought. Then...where is the light coming from...? Turning his attention back to the light at the end of the tunnel, Wind continued to approach the dim illumination at an even faster pace.

However, just as he had sped up, Wind was forced to slow down. Before him, the cavern ended and seemed to open up into a large room. The source of the light was somewhere inside of the room. Wind gritted his teeth.

Something's happened to Kiesh. Be ready for anything, okay?

Got it.

Wind took a deep breath. Here we go... The farmpony strode through the room's entrance...only to find himself face-to-face with a dirty white pillar.

Ah...hm. The pillar had an odd, lumpy shape, and it stretched up towards the room's ceiling, out of Wind's sight. The farmpony tentatively poked it with a hoof, finding it to be rigidly hard, as though pulled taut. Despite this hardness, the pillar had a sticky consistency which prevented Wind from pulling away his hoof easily. Frowning, he gave his foreleg a sharp tug. Again, the pillar refused to yield. Huffing, Wind braced his back hooves against the ground and prepared to throw the entire weight of his body -

"GET DOWN!!"

Something large and heavy suddenly barreled into Wind's side, sending him crashing into the ground. A wind whipped its way just over Wind's head, followed by a loud crash behind the farmpony. Wind faintly registered a low hissing noise as he sprang to his hooves and whirled around to face his attacker. However, as he laid his eyes upon the sight before him, a wave of shock rooted him in place.

Oh, man. What happened to that guy?

Standing before him was Kiesh, bloody and battle-torn. What few scraps were left of the traveler's cloak hung from his heck and back in ripped shreds. Small cuts were present all along the length of his body, with a particularly ugly scratch parting his shoulder blades. The pony's once mysterious face was now fully visible in the room's light, his hood long since gone. A messy, dark brown mane rested atop a pair of piercing yellow eyes. A frighteningly large trail of blood was running out from under his mane and down his light brown cheek. Without his cloak, Kiesh had far less of an authoritative presence, and his abnormally small body frame was painstakingly conspicuous. Wind thought little of this as he rushed to the traveler's side.

"K-Kiesh, you're hurt! What's going on?!"

"There's no time to explain right now!" Kiesh replied. "Follow me! We've got to get somewhere safe!"

Wind nodded, hardening his face. Kiesh turned and dashed along the room's wall with the farmpony in close pursuit. As Wind ran, he found that he was forced to dodge his way around whitish pillars much like the first one he had encountered. Another crash sounded behind Wind, and he felt a spray of pebbles shower his back and head. Undaunted, Wind lowered his head and charged ahead even faster. Kiesh slid to a halt behind a large rock at the edge of the underground oom, and Wind followed suit just a moment later. A frustrated shriek echoed throughout the yawning cavern. Whatever was on the other side of the rock, it wasn't happy.

"Alright, what's the situation?" whispered Wind, dimly registering a chorus of low hisses echoing throughout the room.

Kiesh cracked his neck and stretched his legs and back. "That spider from up above wasn't alone. This place must be some sort of nest - there were spiders all over the tunnel. None quite as big as the first one, but still large. They were all waiting for us...hiding in the shadows..." Kiesh trailed off, spitting on the ground. "And I couldn't fend them off."

Wind tilted his head. "Uh...really?"

KREEEEEEE!! A massive boulder flew overhead and smashed against the wall behind the pair of ponies, sending a flood of stones raining down onto the floor.

"That's what I said!" Kiesh growled, ignoring the falling rocks. "Now, just listen - if the mask is anywhere down here, then it's somewhere in this room. Unfortunately, those creatures aren't going to just let us look around their home. We have to fight them off."

Wind nodded firmly, pushing his fears to the back of his mind. "Got it. I'll help you."

Kiesh frowned. "No, you should wait here. You're not strong enough to beat any one of them, and you'll just get in my way if you try. For that matter, you don't have any weapons."

Wind gritted his teeth. "I can't just let you take them all on alo - "

Ksssss!

A sharp hissing sounded from behind Wind. Startled, he whipped around to see a red-eyed spider, easily as big himself, glaring at him and Kiesh.

Kshing! Kiesh drew his sword and ran to stand protectively in front of Wind. "We're out of time!" The traveler dashed forwards and swiftly impaled the arachnid through its center. The dull multitude of hisses grew to a catastrophic howl of shrieks as the spiders beyond Wind's line of sight took notice of Kiesh. The traveler let out a battle cry and charged forth into the fray of battle. Wind tried to call out to him one last time, but the words died on his throat as Kiesh disappeared as he ran in front of the boulder that Wind was hiding behind.

...not even Kiesh can last long with wounds like that.

Grr...I know. But how can I help him? I need something to fight with now, but there's no time!

Wind looked around frantically, hoping for some sort of miracle. Seeing nothing but dirty floor and white columns - which he now realized were web strands - he threw his saddlebags onto the ground, flung them open, and began to search them for something, anything that he could use. After just a few seconds of sifting through the contents, he came across a familiar wooden box.

Wind froze for a moment...and then, very slowly, opened the box and brought out the rabbit mask. Wind stood up and turned rigidly to stare at the edge of the rock.

...Wind? I don't think that's a good idea. Remember what happened last time?

Wind walked to the edge of his hiding place and took a deep breath. Yeah...but it's the only chance we've got. Besides, last time, I wasn't prepared at all. Maybe I'll do better now that I know what's coming.

...yeah. Maybe.

Wind brought the mask until it was hovering mere inches from his face. He felt as though it was pulling against his hooves towards him like a magnet.

Try and give me some direction, okay?

Definitely.

Good...

Wind sighed. "Here goes nothing..." He brought the mask up to his head and rested it atop his face.

For just one second, the world seemed to hold its breath.

Wind suddenly felt the mask press itself up against his face of its own accord. Startled, his hooves dropped to the ground. The mask shifted about for a moment, giving Wind the unpleasant sensation that there was something wrapping around his head. Then, after just a moment, the feeling was gone. The mask now fit snugly atop Wind's face, restricting neither his breathing nor his vision. Wind tightened up his muscles to brace himself against what he knew would come next.

Wind's pupils dilated.

RUN, RUN, RUN...RU...NNN...

An almost uncontrollable urge to dash off at breakneck speeds shot into every corner of Wind's being like an icy cold shock of water. Barely keeping control over his body, he stumbled around in a circle, his legs constantly twitching and jerking about.

Wind?

RU...NNNG...

Come on, Wind - you've got to get control of it! We don't have much time!

Wind heard the Hero's voice somewhere inside of him, muffled and distant. As he wrestled with himself, thinking of the Hero suddenly made him think of Kiesh - Kiesh, standing before him, covered in blood. Kiesh, wounded and in trouble. That thought gave him a new surge of power, and he willed his spirit to rise up against the mask's with everything that he could muster.

HNNG...GRAAA!!

Wind felt the foreign urges to run recede to the back of his mind. He felt the mask's spirit yield before his own. His legs stopped twitching, his vision refocused, and with that, he knew that he had won.

Wind? Hey, are you alright?

Practically p-painless...bleh...but there's not time. I'll be fine for now, but we've got to hurry. Shaking his head to rid it of the cobwebs clouding it, Wind looked around him. He jolted, seeing Kiesh surrounded by a dense circle of arachnids, fighting them off. None of them were as large as the one that the pair of ponies had first encountered, but Kiesh was still clearly in trouble. Several new cuts were dotted across his body, and all of them were leaking frightening amounts of blood.

Not thinking, Wind began to run towards Kiesh, calling out his name.

"KI - "

Wind suddenly felt a sharp tug in his gut as the world blurred around him. His legs grew uncomfortably warm as the faint image of Kiesh and the spiders rocketed by him. The far wall of the room, once far away, was flying towards Wind at an unprecedented speed.

C-crap! Too fast, way too fast - !

Wind breathed an inward sigh of relief as he managed to stop his legs from moving. Unfortunately, the law of inertia refused to cooperate with Wind, and his body continued to fly forwards. His unmoving legs were swept backwards, and Wind soon realized that he had only managed to worsen his situation by causing him to roll head over hooves towards the wall as opposed to running towards it. He reached the wall with a mighty crash, and a dull whining began to drone in Wind's ears.

After a moment, Wind groaned and sat up, rubbing his head. Blinking his eyes open, he saw that he was sitting in a huge, mixed pile of rubble and crushed spiders. Looking out into the room, he saw that everyone before him - Kiesh and the spiders - were staring at him, dumbfounded. A fairly large line in the spider's ranks had been incapacitated and, Wind, realized, now lay under his hooves.

Wind's ears fell flat against his head. "Oh, boy..."

KREEEEEEE!!

As one, the sea of spiders began scuttling towards Wind, who stood up hastily.

Wait, don't run yet! You've got to try and run slowly!

I can't just let them catch up to me!

I know, but you can't go full speed like you just did! Remember, you're a lot faster now - you need to get a sense for how fast and then control your limit.

...you're right. Now, here we go.

Wind tried to set off along the wall at a brisk trot and managed to kick up a small dust cloud. Again, found himself moving far faster than he anticipated. However, despite his speed, he was relatively much slower than the last time. He looked over his shoulder and saw the group of monsters hissing angrily as they tried in vain to match Wind's impossible speed.

At this rate... Wind thought. I can easily stay out of their reach and still manage to run in and get a few hits on them.

Wind glanced back at Kiesh, who was trying to limp his way to the cave's wall. Wind narrowed his eyes. But first...

Wind made a sharp u-turn and increased his speed, ignoring the feeling of several spiders bouncing their way off of his lowered head. He began to slow down his pace as he approached Kiesh, but still managed to overshoot the traveler, falling on his face a foor away. Rising unsteadily to hooves, he took a single step towards Kiesh and managed to lift the wounded pony up and onto his back. Facing the room's wall, Wind once again tried to set off at a trot and found himself dashing. Skidding to a halt, Wind gently lowered Kiesh's body onto the dusty ground.

"I'm leaving you here, okay? Don't worry - I'll take care of everything."

Kiesh coughed and drew in a rattling breath. "You...how did you...?"

"I'm a lot stronger than I look," replied Wind. He soon frowned. "For that matter, I'm a lot stronger than both of us probably thought...but it doesn't matter. You just need to wait here, okay? I'll come back for you, I promise!" With this, Wind prepared to run off into battle. However, Kiesh grabbed his back leg, halting him. Wind looked curiously down at the fallen traveler. Kiesh was holding up one of his enchanted bands. He silently placed it around the farmpony's foreleg. A sword appeared along the length of Wind's foreleg - three feet of solid, double-bladed steel attached to the band at its base. Wind looked down into Kiesh's eyes.

Kiesh coughed dryly before looking up at Wind. "Despite your speed...it's still too dangerous to go alone...take this."

Steeling his gaze, Wind nodded firmly and swiftly charged off into battle.

The following minutes passed by Wind in a blur. He hacked and slashed his way through seemingly endless hordes of spiders, his many years of wielding farm tools evident in the practiced way he utilized Kiesh's sword. His body practically moved on its own, his mind yielding control to instincts that even Wind had been unaware of. As the farmpony grew more and more skilled with his borrowed weapon, he suffered only minor cuts and bruises as the fairly one-sided battle wore on.

A particularly big spider lunged towards Wind's back, trying to catch him off guard. Wind narrowed his eyes and sidestepped almost instantaneously, leaving the monster to crash down headfirst on his left. With a quick downwards thrust, Wind ended the spider's life. Three more spiders shrieked and frantically scuttled forwards, eager to exact what they saw as an opportunity. Blinking calmly, Wind yanked out his sword and, running parallel to the spiders, swung it in a wide, horizontal arc. He slid to a halt a few feet away from his combatants, who lifelessly fell to the ground like their comrade before them. However, just as he had finished with that group, several more spiders leaped down on him from somewhere high above, eliciting a growl from Wind's throat.

Darn it...there's no end to them! Wind jumped, using his newly powered-up leg muscles to rocket past the creatures, all of whom were sliced neatly in half by the time Wind passed their altitude. He placed a back leg and a foreleg onto the side of a nearby web, which stuck to his limbs with enough force to keep him in the air. He allowed his sword to hang down by his side while he took a moment to catch his breath.

We just have to keep going, Wind. They can't have endless forces - at some point, they'll either run out or run away.

Wind sighed. Yes, I suppose that's true. But regardless of the outcome, and until there is an outcome, I've just got to keep on fighting. Wind grunted, pushing off from the web a split second before he used his sword to sever it from his body. He stretched his legs out below his falling body and bent them slightly, bracing the rest of his body for the impact that was sure to follow. His legs hit the ground with a deafening crash, sending harsh trembles throughout his body. He stumbled for a brief moment, giving silent thanks to his enhanced legs, and looked back at the enemy. He had managed to fall at such an angle that the spiders, now charging towards him, were several yards away. He whirled around to square off with them, growling fiercly.

"Keep it coming!" Wind shouted. "You'll never beat me!"

Wind raised his sword, ready to fight. However, as the spiders advanced, he realized that they were slowing their pace. The group continued to slow until it came to a complete halt just a few feet away from the farmpony. Although confused, Wind failed to lower his guard, gritting his teeth.

For a moment the only sound that Wind heard was the blood pounding in his ears.

Then, as if obeying some unspoken command, the group dispersed, each arachnid scuttling off in a separate direction from its brethren. Breathing quickly, Wind remained tense and still as several spiders, no longer taking any interest in him, moved right by him in their dash to the farthest reaches of the cave. His attention drawn to the edges, Wind noticed for the first time the room's source of light - several oversized torches, placed in iron holders at regular intervals along the walls. Disregarding the torches for the time being, he looked back at the spiders, most of which had reached the ceiling. They scuttled their way to the center of the ceiling, the farthest place in the room from the torchlight and directly above Wind. Every last spider disappeared into the darkness above him, leaving him to wait in an uncomfortable, foreboding silence.

Wind gulped. I don't like this at all...

Don't worry. Just remember that you're stronger than them - they can't hurt you.

Wind uncertainly nodded, taking a small hoofstep towards the spot under the absolute center of the ball of darkness above him.

His ear twitched.

Wind's body blurred as he jumped back at an extreme speed, just missing an object that had dropped down in front of him. It was a huge strand of clear, gelatinous saliva. Several more long, sticky ropes of the stuff dribbled their way down as a deep growling reverberated throughout the cavern. Wind could feel his eardrums pounding away inside of his skull as the noise physically shook Wind's body. Even after the noise stopped, Wind's body continued to shake from the terror that it had induced within him.

Oh, no...

Wind fearfully looked up at the ceiling's dark spot from which the saliva was falling and just barely managed to make out a huge, moving object hiding in the shadows. After a moment of tense silence, a slit appeared in the darkness. That slit quickly expanded into a huge ball of light set into a massive...something. Legs as wide as young trees twitched, disturbing small pockets of air. A solid steel casing grated at a painfully high screech across the ceiling above it. Ancient patterns had been carved into the metal, patterns that were somehow disturbing to rest one's eyes upon. A fuzzy, striped abdomen swung back and forth, the effects of gravity on it just barely noticable in the way that it hung down slightly. Finally, the creature's only eye was set into its armor, casting a glow across the area around it. The massive, gelatinous blob easily had the diameter of Wind's height, and its blackish pupil held a gravitational quality to it, drawing in Wind's eyes to stare only at its one. The monster dwarved every last one of its siblings, its total length, height, and girth over double that of the arachnid Wind had met in the clearing. Drool fell from somewhere beneath the thing's iron frame, creating unnatural slurping noises as it oozed its way out of the thing's mouth, sloshing between its fangs.

All of Wind's confidence left him. Falling to his knees under the monster's horrible glare, he could do nothing but look dully up at the thing, at once taking in and rejecting what he was seeing.

...it's over...we can't do anything against a thing like that...

My Potential

Wind, hypnotized by the sight of the monster before him, was pulled back into reality when the creature let out another deafening roar and let go of the ceiling. Its body twisted about in midair, leaving Wind to stare up at its eight legs, ready to pummel him into the ground. Acting on instinct alone, Wind turned and broke into an all-out sprint to the room's edge. Despite his otherworldly speeds, Wind had barely escaped the spider's reach when the ground shook beneath him, signaling the monster's landing.

Wind could hear the beast charging at him from behind, using its massive size to keep pace with Wind, who had since begun panting heavily. Despite his victory against the smaller spiders, that earlier battle had taken a considerable amount of energy out of him - more energy than he had realized.

Wind, you're slowing down! You've got to keep running, or else he'll catch you!

I-I know... Wind panted. Instead of running...I've got to stand my ground...and fight...

Uh...what?

Gritting his teeth, Wind made one final push with his legs to get some extra distance and whirled around to face the monster. Up close, it seemed to be only larger and more horrible than before, with mandibles as large as Wind's entire body clicking furiously together. However, it too, stopped moving and stared Wind down, its one eye glaring with intense hatred. Throwing caution to the wind, the farmpony let out a battle cry and kicked off from the ground, launching himself onto the creature's armored back. Taken by surprise, the monster hesitated for a brief moment. In that moment, Wind stretched his sword up towards the cavern's roof, yelled out a battle cry, and drove his weapon down onto the creature's back with as much force as his powered-up leg muscles could muster.

The contact of sword on metal sent fierce vibration up Wind's foreleg and through his entire body. His teeth rattled inside of his skull as the force from his own attack knocked him clear off of the spider's body, sending him crashing into the dirt below. After a brief second of silence, Wind began to whine and rock back and forth, clutching his foreleg against his chest, his eyes tearing up from the pain.

Ow-ww...ngh...

Alright, not your brightest moment.

Sh-shut up...

Getting shakily to his hooves, Wind looked up to see the monster bearing down on him, a victorious gleam in its eye. Stifling a cough, the farmpony glared back with equal force and determination.

"I'm not going down without a fight!" Wind yelled. "You oversized arachnid!"

Hissing, the spider sent one of its gargantuan legs flying towards Wind from its right side. Thinking quickly, Wind dashed forwards, feeling the leg's fur skim the top of his mane as he did so. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a left leg swing towards him. He leaped straight up into the air, dodged the left leg, and twisted his body so that three of his hooves were touching the underside of the first leg. From his position, he was above the spider's back, and he kicked off from his makeshift platform, full force, aiming his sword for the monster's eye.

That's the one part of him that isn't shielded! If I can take it out...

However, Wind's plan was ruined when he saw two iron plates emerge from the edges of the eye where they touched the armor and connect in a circle, shielding the eye. Panicking, Wind pulled his sword to the side and stretched out his legs, preparing to land on the spider's back. He ungraciously tumbled head over hooves across the armored surface of the creature before skidding to a stop just a moment before he would have fallen off. Turning around, he saw the armor concealing the eye slide open. The eye darted around confusedly for a brief moment before resting on Wind. Growling, Wind made a dash towards the eye, ready to strike. However, one of the creature's legs flew up in front of the farmpony, quicker than he could react to in his tired state, and slammed into him, sending him flying horizontally across the room. The wind was forced out of him as he struck the wall, and he lost the strength to even cough as he slid down to the ground.

Struggling to breathe, Wind looked up to see that the spider had already come to meet him. The farmpony tried desperately to focus his blurry vision and rose shakily to his hooves. The spider remained still, staring at Wind curiously. Wind saw something glowing out of the corner of his eye and turned his head just a millimeter to look at it with his peripheral vision. It was one of the torches that had been hung on the room's walls - Wind guessed that he had accidentally knocked it down from its metal casing.

Fire...if I can somehow get that torch pressed against his eye, I would have a good chance of winning. Even if it just ends up against his armor, it could maybe melt it away.

I don't know...that thing has really good reflexes, and it can close up its eye at will. It won't be easy at all to get its eye to stay open for long enough. And to even begin melting away the armor, you'd need to press the flame up against it for a long time - longer than you'd ever have with a giant, angry spider trying to kill you.

It's still the best chance that we've got. I have to try it.

Wind returned his attention to the beast before him, refusing to give off any indication of his plan. The spider clicked its mandibles angrily and pounded its legs into the ground. Refusing to show how terrified he was, Wind yelled back, reared up onto his back legs, and threw some punches with his front hooves. After a moment of silence, the spider's clicking intensified. Its eye closed and its body began to shake. Fearing an attack, Wind dropped his stance. However, the creature did not attack - it simply stood there, clicking and shaking. It was not until the spider dropped to the ground entirely that Wind realized that it was, in fact, laughing at him.

A wave of fury and indignation shot through his veins, despite his fear. "C-cut it out! It's not funny!" was all that he could manage. Wind growled and prepared to leap forwards when the eye suddenly reopened.

Ah...hkehkehkeh...

A hissing, grating voice echoed throughout the cavern loudly. The hot anger that had rushed to Wind's face just a moment before froze over like ice.

Mmm...once again, I have - *ahem* - overestimated the situation.

The spider drew itself up from the floor, stretching out its legs to loom over Wind at its full height. I feel obligated to thank you. I have not had the need to...hkehkehkeh...fight anypony or anything in many moons. However, I had hoped that the powerssss that be might reward me for that wait with a...hkehkehkeh...sssspirited battle. Those powerssss have...mmm...disssappointed me, it seems.

The spider's eye narrowed. For that, I mussst also...mmm...condemn you...

Still slightly frozen in shock, Wind slowly began to step back from the monster. Gulping, he managed to reply dumbly, "...y-you can talk?"

The spider crashed down its front legs before Wind, causing him to shriek and shuffle backwards. The creature's eye was filled with hate. Do you think that I can talk?

"Oh, y-yes!" Wind replied, smiling nervously. "Y-you can sure talk, alright!" He continued to shuffle away from the spider. Unbeknownst to it, Wind was inching ever closer to the nearby torch, putting up a mask of fear as a facade.

Wind gulped inwardly. M-mostly a facade, anyways...

Edging closer to the torch, Wind tried to keep the spider distracted by keeping up the conversation. "I don't suppose you know why we're here?"

I happen to know exactly the reason. You're searching for one of the three...mmm...masksss of the Hero. I do indeed have what you're looking for, but you'll find it rather difficult to take it away from me...hkehkehkeh...

Wind narrowed his eyes. "That remains to be seen."

Does it? You're already having quite rough time...hkehkehkeh...

Wind could feel his heart slamming away inside of his chest as he continued to shuffle his way to the torch. "S-shut up. I haven't even started, yet. And once I find your weakness, it'll be easy."

The monster took a menacing step forwards. Mmm...my expertly protected, armored body has no weaknesses...my offensive ability is enough to take care of you, as you've seen...but I'll put everything into this fight, anyways...because you've made me mad...hkehkehkeh...

Hardly daring to breathe, and mere feet from the torch, Wind made one final reply to the spider. "And what have I done to anger you?"

The creature's eye narrowed, glaring down at Wind. My daughter, from the clearing...her name was Gohma. She was my sssstrongest child...and now you've killed her. I, Armogohma, as her mother...must avenge her...hkehkeh -

Not waiting for Armogohma to finish her statement, Wind dashed the final distance to the torch, picked it up in his mouth, and flew to Armogohma's front in the space of a second. Leaping over her fangs with a powerful backflip, he bore down on her eye from above with murderous intent, thrusting the torch out below him. However, Armogohma managed to react quickly, closing up her eye as Wind fell down upon her back. Predicting this, Wind tucked his body into a ball, rolled across the monster's back, and sprang to his feet, grinning.

"I've already found your weakness!" he cried. Armogohma hesitated, her body tensed and prepared for an attack. Wind continued on. "Your eye is your most vulnerable spot, and you can only protect it by cutting off your vision! It's true that I can't attack you now, but dodging your blind attacks won't be a problem now that I'm prepared. The next time that you open your eye will be your last!" Wind hoped that his powerful words were disguising his true fear and uncertainty.

Mmm...hkehkehkeh...have you forgotten where you're standing...and what you're fighting?

Suddenly, Wind felt a minute rush of air blow against him. Thinking quickly, he leaped upwards, dodging one of Armogohma's legs by a hair. He felt the monster shift beneath him just as he landed onto its back, throwing two more powerful legs at him.

I can still feel you...ssssmell you...hear you...

Wind growled and rolled to one side, but the legs managed to follow his movements exactly, changing course to continue rocketing straight towards him.

T-that's impossible! He isn't even looking!

A spider's senses are very astute...and living in the darknesssss of the underground has only served to enhance those senses...I could easily survive without my vision.

In a last ditch effort to escape, Wind leaped straight off of the spider's back, aiming to run away and regroup - but Armogohma was ready. One of her legs swung up in a titanic uppercut, snapping back Wind's neck and causing him to slam his head on her armored side. His vision shattered into a kaleidoscope of grays, reds, and blacks. A shrill whining began to sound in Wind's ears as he sank to the floor, practically motionless. Knowing that he had to somehow get away, he summoned up the last ounce of his strength and tried to limp away from Armogohma. Barely able to stand, he felt himself coughing up blood as he fell down after traveling just a few feet. As he continued to cough, he mused on the fact that, despite feeling his body shaking and heaving from the coughs, he couldn't hear a single noise coming out of his mouth.

WIND!!

The Hero of Time's voice came to him as a distant echo, and he could barely register it in his wounded state. He tried to stand multiple times, and each time, he fell down once again. His world narrowed down to the Hero's muffled pleas, the indescribable feeling of pain and numbness shooting through his body as one, and the sound of Armogohma cackling above him.

Thissss battle was over before it even began...you were a fool if you ever thought otherwise...why the Fierce Deity's descendant chose you as the Hero's vessel, I'll never know...hkehkehkeh...

Wind felt the last shred of his consciousness fading as Armogohma walked past him, each of the spider's steps a thunderous boom to the farmpony. He dimly realized that she was making her way towards Kiesh, who was crying out in a loud voice of indignation. Broken and defeated, Wind was just slipping into unconsciousness when Armogohma spoke to him one final time.

From here our plan will be ssssimple...now that he has given us a sign, we mask bearers will come together...and awaken him. His power will be such that a vessel would only serve to...mmm...hinder him. He will conquer your world easily, and with us at his side...hkehkehkehkeh...everypony will die. Anypony and everypony...especially those who you love...

Do you have a family, vessel?

A faint spark went off deep inside of Wind.

In the space of a few seconds, a plethora of images flashed through Wind's mind. He saw himself shuffling his way along a deserted path, completely alone. The night around him was dark and heavy, dragging the farmpony down into despair. He suddenly saw a bright glow light up the darkness of the night. Squinting, he saw an old, run-down cottage before him, sagging to one side. Its front door was open, and just outside of the cottage stood two figures - a mare and a filly. Their figures, outlined by the light shining at their backs, were pure black - their faces and bodies were completely shrouded. Wind didn't have to see them to recognize them.

A bright, sunny feeling rose up from deep within him. His melancholy limp turned into a brisk trot and then to an all-out run. The feeling grew more intense with every hoofstep until it became a blazing inferno of happiness, passion, love...and anger. Wind made one last push towards the house, reached the shadowy figures, blew past them into the house itself...and slammed back into reality, finding himself standing face to face with Armogohma, giving the creature a look of absolute hatred.

The monstrous spider's eye widened, and she took an uneasy step backwards. She seemed to shrink underneath Wind's murderous glare, and for the briefest of moments, she saw the faint apparition of a golden triangle surround the simple farmpony.

Wind suddenly whirled around and dashed away from Armogohma. In just a few seconds, he had made his way to the entrance of the room. Not looking back once, he disappeared into the darkness of the corridor beyond. Armogohma's confusion quickly transformed into a victorious feeling. She triumphantly turned to look down at Kiesh.

I've won, little pony...mmm...your friend has just abandoned you to save his own skin. Hkehkehkeh...your journey has ended before it had even -

Armogohma stopped, confused once again. Kiesh, disregarding her words entirely, was laughing.

~~~~~

Wind ran through the cavern at top speed, managing to follow the path of the wall on his right. He refused to slow down and instead lowered his head to run even faster. Before long, the faint glow of the cavern's entrance shone in the distance.

~~~~~

Armogohma began to stomp her way towards Kiesh. If you're mocking me, you're going to pay...

Kiesh smirked, stifled a cough, and raised his head to meet the spider's imposing glare with an equally forceful one.

"You got carried away...and said too much."

~~~~~

Wind slammed his hooves against the ground, scraping up copious amounts of dirt as he tried to slow himself down. He managed to skid to a stop just underneath the cavern's entrance. He whipped around to face the direction that he had come from and dropped into a low stance.

~~~~~

Armogohma slammed her front legs down on either side of Kiesh, shaking the entirety of the cavern. You are in no position to dictate what I can and cannot say.

Unfazed, Kiesh simply grinned. "It doesn't matter what you say right now...the damage has already been done."

~~~~~

With a noise like a cannon blast, Wind kicked off from the ground and shot down the cavern as fast as he could manage. He rocketed forwards like a bullet down the barrel of a gun, and his speed nearly doubled in just a few seconds. He scowled and thrust his left foreleg - and by extension, his sword - against the wall. Seemingly immune to the recoil that he should have been experiencing, Wind stubbornly scraped his sword against the wall as he dashed his way back to the room. After just a moment, the friction of steel on earth lit the sword on fire, and Wind pointed the sword behind him, leaving a floating trail of fire in his wake. The impossibility of the burning sword didn't occur to Wind, and he additionally failed to notice the faint golden aura surrounding the weapon.

A glint of light shining at the edge of Wind's sight rapidly grew to encompass the farmpony's entire world. Knowing what would come next, Wind strained his legs with all of his might and increased his speed to an even higher level. The air screamed around him in its haste to get out of his way. Wind leaped like a shot through the room's entrance with a roaring bang.

"ARMOGOHMAAAAA!!!"

The world around Wind slugged along as though it was in slow motion. Armogohma heard his voice, began to raise her legs - and realized that she was far too late.

Wind gritted his teeth and braced his body for impact. "THIS..."

He flew across the length of the room, in mid-air, in less than half of a second.

"IS MY...!!"

He brought his sword around to his front with a mighty heave. His now bloodshot eyes opened wide.

"POTENTIAL!!!!!"

Wind's sword collided against Armogohma's body with a flash of light and a sickening crunch. The monster's shrieking turned to strained gargling as Wind stubbornly pushed his white-hot weapon through the spider's throat. His sword roughly cleaved its way through several hundreds of pounds of living flesh - and then some. Armogohma's armor was powerless to stop the assault, and it swiftly broke apart underneath Wind's onslaught. A faint, squishy popping noise, overtaken soon afterwards by the grating of sword on flesh, signified the destruction of Armogohma's eye.

Then, just half a second after Wind had struck the monster, he had carved his way out of it. His attack had managed to slow his body down tremendously, such that he needed only to skid forwards a few meters before coming to a complete halt. For about a minute, the only sounds that Wind could hear were his own heavy panting and the hissing of his sword, now unignited. He turned to look at his sword, and, with faint curiousity, realized that his foreleg had begun to turn red.

A millisecond after, and the pain registered.

"YEE-OOW! HOT - HOT - HOT!" Wind shook his foreleg frantically, trying to shake off the weapon to no avail. His eyes began to tear up from the pain as he dashed towards Kiesh.

"KIESH! HEY!"

The traveler stoically looked up from his position on the ground. "Hello."

"GET IT OFF!" cried Wind.

"Please specify yourself," Kiesh replied.

"PLEASE - TAKE - OFF THE SWORD! YOU CAN CONTROL IT WITH YOUR MIND, RIGHT?!"

"Essentially, the process works that way - "

"JUST DO IT!!"

Sighing, Kiesh closed his eyes. The sword retracted and the band slipped off of Wind's foreleg and onto the ground. A ring of fur had been burned away around the farmpony's foreleg where the band had been pressing against him. Hissing and groaning, Wind vainly blew on his wound, trying to heal himself. Stopping after a few moments, he collapsed with a huff next to Kiesh.

"Kiesh..." he panted. "I want to know something. Tell me honestly - is there some kind of mechanical switch inside of you that regulates your personality? Because that's the only thing that I can think of that justifies your behavior. One minute, your talking like some kind of brave soldier to me, and the next, you're just this iron wall of unfeeling."

"Mechanical switches do not exist or form inside of ponies, much less ones that regulate personality. To my knowledge, I have no such switch."

Wind stayed still for a moment before keeling over entirely, letting his face hit the ground with a hollow smack. "...y-you know what? Forget that I asked anything."

Kiesh shrugged. "Very well." He stretched out his neck to gaze past Wind, towards the center of the room. "I assume that you've slain Armogohma."

Wind stood up shakily. "Y-yeah, I think that I have...just give me one minute to check."

He turned around and set off towards the center of the room to look at what was left of Armogohma's body - and flinched away at the sight. A massive pool of green blood had stretched itself out underneath the beast, which was at this point truly unrecognizable as anything that could be - or could have once been - alive. The two halves of its carcass had fallen inwards, causing all eight of the monster's legs to be pointing up at the room's ceiling, as if reaching out for some way to cling onto life. Thankfully, Wind did not have to see the creature's mangled eye.

"Ugh..." Wind groaned. "If you could see that thing just over my shoulder, why did you ask me if it was dead?"

"One can never be too sure," droned Kiesh.

Suddenly, the spider's legs twitched slightly...and then a deep, otherworldly sigh seemed to emanate from the corpse.

Wind's eyes widened. "H-hold up. Something's going on."

With a shock, Wind saw Armogohma begin to dissolve into a thick, purple smoke. Every last bit of mangled spider-flesh simply transformed on the spot and collected itself into a big ball near the center of the room. Even the green-tinted blood upon the ground hissed and evaporated up to become more of the stuff. Once the spider was completely gone, the smoke began to spin around quickly, generating a weak windstorm that buffeted the farmpony. Despite the small scale of the winds, his body had been through tremendous pressure and damage, and he fell back to the ground easily. As the winds picked up in strength, gaining enough speed to generate faint whistling sounds, the ball of smoke collapsed in on itself, growing smaller, and smaller...until, all at once, the winds stopped and the smoke solidified into a hard object that fell to the floor.

Once again, the room was silent. Without breaking this silence, Wind slowly began to walk forwards towards the object. Upon reaching it, he realized that it was a wooden mask. He took it up into his hooves and inspected it. Four eyes had been painted onto it where a pony's eyes would be, and two large, curved fangs, akin to tusks, stretched out from either side of the mask's mouth-hole. Where a nose would be, there was a simple expanse of flat wood. Wind realized that, unlike the rabbit's mask that he was wearing at this very moment, this mask's whole face had been painted with painstaking care.

H-hey...is this it? Is this one of them?

Um...yeah, it is. This one popped out of that spider from up in the clearing when I originally defeated it...I guess its name was 'Gohma,' right?

Wind gulped, his throat dry. Y-yeah, it was Gohma...

The farmpony's gaze drifted off into space. ...this is it, right? One down, two to go? One third of the way there?

Yeah, I guess so.

After a brief moment of silence, Wind let out a huge breath. Every muscle in his body unclenched as he fell to the ground, waves of unrepressed exhaustion finally rolling over him. He ripped the rabbit's mask off of his face, letting it fall to the floor beside him. He felt an uncanny ripple pass through his body before the mask's powers left him. His eyes had already begun to close.

We'll get the second one...tomorrow...

Heh...you bet we will. For now, though, don't worry about that.

You did good.

Wind fell asleep with a smile on his face.

Nearby, Kiesh grunted and rolled his eyes. "I suppose I've got the first watch, then..."

The Aftermath

With a shiver, Wind found himself awake, and the first thing he noticed was the blood dying both of his forehooves a sickly red.

"AUGH!" the farmpony cried. His fumbling , half-asleep body tried to get away from the hardened liquid, resulting in a kind of backwards somersault, ending with Wind smacking his face forcefully against the ground.

Oh, nice. Good going, mister hero.

"Ngh...ow..." Wind narrowed his eyes, annoyed by the antics of the pony sitting up in his skull - figuratively, of course.

I don't need your sass so soon after waking up, okay? At least give me a minute to...ugh...

A minute to...do what? Fall flat on your face? Is that a new part of your morning routine?

Just let me collect my thoughts first, alright?! Sheesh...

Rubbing his throbbing muzzle, Wind laid on the ground for a few more moments, trying to will himself awake. After a few minutes, he managed to pull himself up to his hooves in a coherent fasion. Trying to remember the events of the previous night, a cacophony of memories instantly rushed to his attention, their vividness pulling him back down to sit on his haunches. Kiesh's injuries...the battle...and...

With a gasp, Wind's gaze darted down towards the ground. He let out a sigh of relief upon seeing both his rabbit mask and the late Armogohma's mask resting a few yards away. Sheepishly realizing that the distance was due to his own startled awakening, he stood up and trotted over to the pair of masks, gripping them in between his teeth.

Well...that's that.

Certainly is. Now what?

Now... Wind turned to face the room's edge. ...we wake the beast.

Wind began to trot his way over to where he thought that Kiesh was sleeping. However, upon reaching the room's edge, he was greeted only by the sight of his own pair of saddlebags sprawled across the ground. He frowned and casually glanced to his left and right, not seeing the mysterious traveler anywhere. Shrugging, he turned his attention back to his saddlebags...only to be met by Kiesh's stoic face hovering just a few inches before his.

"ACCKK..." Wind's eyes widened. Stifling a yelp, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He opened his eyes to glare at Kiesh. "Is it really necessary to - just - appear out of nowhere every time I'm looking for you?"

"I have never tried to actively startle you in such a way," replied Kiesh, his eyes dull and half closed.

Wind sighed. "Yes, well, you're still managing to startle me despite your...erm...innocent intentions."

Kiesh blinked. "My apologies. Regardless, I'm here now. What did you want me for?"

Wind rolled his eyes and opened up his saddlebags, beginning to sift through them as he spoke to Kiesh. "Well, we need to come up with a game plan. Figure out what we're going to do next, right? Last night's victory was great, but we're still nowhere close to being done. There's still one mask and one angry demon out there that we've got less than 48 hours to find and fight - in that respective order. Tac on a trip to Canterlot to pick up the Oracle's mask and...well, we're kind of pressed for time." Wind pulled out two slightly crushed hay sandwiches wrapped in plastic baggies and smiled sweetly. "I figured we could talk about it over breakfast."

Kiesh blinked. "Acceptable."

Wind huffed, smiling. "Good enough." The pair sat down together on the room's dusty floor and began to eat the sandwiches together. A pang of homesickness struck Wind, for eating his sandwich reminded him of the pony who had made it - his wife, Crystal, several miles away and probably worried out of her mind for his safety. He then thought of his daughter, Sugar, when another feeling rushed through him - a feeling of pride. He had said earlier that he and Kiesh's journey had barely begun, but the truth was that they had already completed one of their four goals. Wind was one whole quarter of the way to ensuring the safety of his family - and the safety of the world, as well.

After a few more minutes of silence, Wind spoke up. "Alright, earlier you said that some kind of legend had led you to believe that the first mask - Armogohma's mask - was here, in the Lost Woods. I don't suppose you've heard of any other...you know, legends or such that could direct us to the second mask's location?"

"I have heard of no other relevant legends," Kiesh replied, taking a robotic bite out of his sandwich.

"I...see," Wind said, frowning. "In that case, I don't think we have anything to go off of. We'll have to think up of a way to find this second mask on our own."

Hero? Anything from you?

Yeah, I'm thinking...didn't the Oracle say something about the third mask in her letter?

Oh, that's right...something about a place called "Death Mountain?"

Yeah, that's it. She said that, despite the legends surrounding Death Mountain being shaky at best, Equestria's solitary mountain range would still be the best place for us to look in.

Well, that narrows it down, but we'll still need some more direction if we're going to head to the mountains. Anything else - maybe that you know yourself?

Sorry, dude. The only other thing that I can think of is that the Oracle might have some kind of idea that she didn't mention in her letter, but we've got no way of contacting her from here and taking a detour to Canterlot would cost us far too much time. I certainly wouldn't know where this mask would be.

Wind chewed his sandwich thoughtfully. Hm...is that the case?

What do you mean?

Well, just yesterday, you could tell where Armogohma's mask was when we got close to it, remember?

Oh, right...I'd forgotten about that.

Also, you're the Hero of Time, remember? It makes sense that you would have some kind of...magical connection to the masks, right?

Uh...I've never much been one for all of that mystical magic crap, but I guess that sounds right. Even so, that doesn't give us a very wide range for me to sense it.

Yeah, about that...I've been thinking about something that the Oracle said to me two nights ago. She said to me that, in much the same way that the evil spirit Majora works, you need to be connected to a physical body in order to affect - or even enter - our world. That's the case right now, is it? And right now, you have a limited sense of where the masks are, right?

...yeah? Where is this headed?

Yesterday, when you got rather excited about the mask's location, you were able to force your way into direct control of my body. Remember that? Well...wouldn't you being in direct control of a physical body strengthen your connection to the mortal world of which you are no longer a part? Wouldn't that empower your effect on our world and, in turn, enhance your ability to sense the masks?

Eh...it sounds like a bit of a long shot to me, Wind. But you sound like you know what you're talking about, and we've got nothing else to go off of, so...let's give it a go.

Okay...thank you.

Wind gulped down the last of his sandwich, stood up, and looked down at Kiesh. The traveler continued to eat his sandwich quietly until Wind cleared his throat, gaining Kiesh's attention.

"Alright..." began Wind. "In a moment, I'm going to step away and most likely do something that may seem a bit unusual."

"Okay," droned Kiesh.

"I don't want you to be worried. Stay here and keep eating your breakfast until I come back."

"Okay," droned Kiesh.

"...are you getting any of this? Don't come looking for me or anything."

"Okay," droned Kiesh.

"Are you sure? You don't seem very...interested."

Kiesh frowned. "I don't really care what you do, just do it and stop annoying me."

Wind jumped. "Ah...y-yes. I'll, um, be right back, then."

After hurrying to the other side of the room - and looking back over his shoulder nervously - Wind enacted his plan. Ready to go?

Yeah, but how does this work, exactly? The last and only time it's happened was the result of an accident. How will we know what to do this time around?

Well...the last time it happened, you were trying to tell me to go to Armogohma's mask, and after you yelled at me to go to it, we switched. Maybe it'll work if you...get excited like that again?

Well, we can't know for sure until we try it, right?

Yes, I suppose. So...just try and get really hyped about something and then try to force your way into direct control of my body.

Yup. Here we go...

After a few seconds, Wind felt his forehead suddenly grow hot. Raising a hoof to it confusedly, he felt it grow even hotter. Hero?

Trying to concentrate, Wind...

Ah, sorry.

Alright...get ready, I'm going to try it.

Ready and wai -

WWWWWONDERBOLTS!!!

In the space of a second, Wind's vision darkened into blackness. Images blew past him a flurry of color, visions of pegasi in dark blue jumpsuits soaring through the air, soaring through a stadium, rocketing up into the sky - his mind could barely register all of them. Several scenes were jumping before his eyes at the same moment, seemingly trying to force their way into his line of attention, but only serving to confuse and disorient him. He saw a blue streak shoot upwards until it was a mere speck beside the sun and then blast its way downwards. With a thunderous boom that seemed to shake his very being, the light spectrum seemed to shatter above him, and in the blue streak's downward path, a wake of reds, blues, yellows, and every color imaginable exploded outwards. He saw the streak shrink on the horizon's edge until it was like a blot of paint against the vast portrait of the landscape - and the visions ended.

Wind tried to catch his breath and found that there was none around him. Yet more unsettling was that his body felt comfortable without it. Near absolute darkness surrounded him on every side, such that, when he opened and closed his eyes, there was no difference in the way he saw the world around him.

H-hero? Did it work?

Suddenly, Wind could see again. His blurry eyes blinked without him causing them to do so. His body took in a deep breath of its own accord...then let it out again.

"Yeah," Wind's mouth replied. "It worked."