The Legend of Equestria: Majora's Mask

Chapters

Chapter two: Dawn of the First Day (I)
Chapter three: Dawn of the First Night (I)
Chapter four: Dawn of the Second Day (I)
Chapter five: Dawn of the Second Night (I)
Chapter seven: Dawn of the Final Night (I)
Chapter eight: Dawn of the First Day (II)
Chapter nine: Dawn of the First Night (II)
Chapter ten: Dawn of the Second Day (II)
Chapter eleven: Dawn of the Second Night (II)
Chapter twelve: Dawn of the Final Day (II)
Chapter thirteen: Dawn of the Final Night (II)
Chapter fourteen: Dawn of a First Day (III)
Chapter fifteen: Dawn of the First Night (III)
Chapter sixteen: Dawn of the Second Day (III)
Chapter seventeen: Dawn of the Second Night (III)
Chapter eighteen: Dawn of the Final Day (III)
Chapter ninteen: Dawn of the Final Night (III)
Chapter twenty: Dawn of the First Day (IV)
Chapter twenty-one: Dawn of the First Night (IV)
Chapter twenty-two: Dawn of the Second Day (IV)
Chapter twenty-four: Dawn of the Final Day (IV)
Chapter twenty-five: Dawn of the Final Night (IV)
Chapter twenty-six: Grand Finale
Chapter twenty-seven: Epilogue
Bonus Chapter: The Preamble of Time
Bonus Chapter: Courage's Postlude part one
Chapter one: Prologue
Chapter six: Dawn of the Final Day (I)
Chapter twenty-three: Dawn of the Second Night (IV)

Chapter two: Dawn of the First Day (I)

Dawn of the first day:
72 hours remaining

After pushing open the clock tower doors, Hero finds himself in the middle of a busy town square. He notices a launch pod nearby, which the changelings use for flying and resting. Suddenly, Hero hears buzzing and flapping sounds, and a voice calls out, "Hang on a moment!"

A changeling with multi-colored skin carrying two large bags of personal belongings flies over to the pod and enters it. He rises from it to speak to Hero and puts on his business cap. "This is my personal property; don't try using it when I'm not around."

"Hello there, I am a humble merchant. I was able to get this spot for a great price. However, I may be willing to sell it for a small favor. The carnival is coming soon, and I want to buy a Moon's Tear gem for my beloved wife." As he searches through his bags, he adds this information.

"They are highly valued in Termina. If you can get one for me, I would be extremely grateful and I'll even give you this pod for free," he giggles, probably aware that Hero has no other option but to help him if he ever wants that pod. "If only you were quicker to reach this spot, eh? As they say, the early grub gets the pod in our kingdom."

As Hero walks away from the business changeling, they notice a massive tower being constructed at the center of the area. Other ponies can be seen directing the construction and giving orders amidst the sound of hammering, sawing, and pounding.

Hero looks up at the top of the tower and sees a pink pony chatting away, annoying the working ponies. "Hey, you! Get off of there! This area is private property, kid. Scram!" the pony yells as she hops down and approaches Hero. Unfortunately, she doesn't recognize him.

"Man, some ponies can be so rude, huh? Private property, my left hoof. So it's nice to meet you. My name's Pinkie Pie," she says, introducing herself. Hero tries to explain who he is, but Pinkie doesn't believe him. "Hmm. You're saying that you're Hero, our friend?" Pinkie doubles over in a fit of giggles, "You're such a kidder. Don't be silly. This world here is already bizarre enough. But I am always happy to make a new friend."

Hero shakes his head in mild chagrin before shrugging, knowing there is no way to prove his identity without the help of the sales pony.

"So, where are you heading off to, huh? This place is so weird but crazy and cool. Everyone here is a big ol' grumpelpuss though! Hey, did you know that there's a shrine here somewhere? I had no idea until someone told me. I wonder where my friends are." Pinkie's head lowers slightly in sadness, but quickly pops back up, "Well, as the resident party pony, I'm not supposed to be sad. Can you help me find my friends?" Hero nods their head, immediately agreeing.

Pinkie excitedly exclaims, "Yippee! Thank you, new best friend!" She then proceeds to give Hero a hug, not realizing that he is struggling to breathe. "Oh dear, I'm sorry about that. Let's ask around town to figure out where we are." Hero nods in agreement, and they set off to explore the different streets and buildings in the area. They come across a treasure house filled with fun and fair games, an Inn, a milk bar for adults only, and the mayor's office. They decide to begin their search for information at the mayor's office, thinking that he might have some valuable insights to share.

As they both approach the mayor's door, they see a counter with a secretary and two doors on either side of her. "Hi, welcome to the mayor's office. He's currently in an important meeting with the guards and our construction workers. However, there are no restrictions on who can enter. His room is on your left, and the mayor's wife is to your right."

On the left, there are workers, and on the right, there are guards. The mayor is at the center as the captain speaks first. Their presence causes a heated argument to break out. "Most of the residents have already taken shelter without waiting for the mayor's orders," the captain says, furrowing his brow as he glares at the foreman leading the construction unit. "The only ones remaining are public servants and committee members. Mr. Mayor and Carnival Committee Members, please order those who remain to evacuate!"

"Ahh... hmm... well..." The mayor nervously rubs his forehead with his left forehoof, having trouble taking sides in the argument.

"I can't believe you're all such cowards!" the foreman shouts. "Do you seriously believe that the moon will fall? This is just a ridiculous, groundless theory that confused the townsfolk and caused a panic." He clears his throat and continues, "The soldiers couldn't prevent the panic, but the real danger is outside the walls! If you want answers, here's the truth: our mayor should not cancel the carnival!" He gestures towards the mayor sitting at his desk. "Isn't that right, Mr. Mayor?"

"Ahh... hmm... well..." The mayor is still deeply contemplating during the argument.

"Are you kidding me, Mutoh?! Haven't you noticed the huge rock looming above us? Every year at this time, tourists swarm into our town! So why is it empty now?" The captain takes a deep breath and tries to remain calm. "It's your responsibility to ensure that the carnival runs smoothly, but that's only if the ponies and other creatures are here to attend it. Don't involve the merchants and soldiers in this mess!"

"Mmm... Hmm..." The mayor latently listened to both sides as he was still indecisive.

"If any of our soldiers wish to flee, let them run, Viscen! Our council members will stick to tradition! This carnival must be successful! I've never heard of a defense unit abandoning its own town! Madam Aroma would surely agree, wouldn't she, Mayor Dotour?"

"Let's not bring my wife into this," said the mayor dejectedly. Pinkie and Hero eavesdropped curiously. Pinkie got bored and left, with Hero following her.

Pinkie made a disgusted face and exclaimed, "Eww, yucky. I hate politics." She suggested to Hero, "Let's explore the area and ask around if anyone knows where we are." The two searched through the entire first district until they came across a group of young colts dressed in uniform. Pinkie approached them and asked politely, "Excuse me, do you know where we are?"

"This place is called Clock Town. But if you two want to be a Sprout, you can forget it. No Girls or other strange creatures allowed!" They all said collectively as Hero strangely felt personally attacked.

"No, silly. We don't want to be Sprouts. We just wanted to ask for directions. That's all." Pinkie giggled happily as the group of five colts all sighed in relief.

"You are currently in West Clock Town. There are different shops and locations to explore in other areas. North Clock Town has a shrine where ponies go for prayer. East Clock Town is known as the market district, and South Clock Town has the famous Clock Tower."

"Thanks, buddy. Come on, new best friend. We need to get going." Pinkie and Hero proceeded toward North Clock Town to reach the location closer to the shrine. On the opposite side of the entrance, they found the entrance to the shrine. They made their way to the gate and went inside.

"They saw that it was a significant ceremonial fountain and altar for worship. "Wow, this place looks spooky but cool. Hey buddy, what do you want to pray for?" Pinkie and Hero gazed into the rippling water, which created an image in its waves.".

"Hey, look! Neato. It looks like some instrument." Hero then looked intently at the water as it showed him where it was: inside a closed chest in a room with many flashy and pretty colors. "That looks like a room with games going on. I want to play!" Pinkie was hopping in excitement.

Hero and their companion left the shrine and headed towards West Clock Town, where they saw several houses decorated for the festivities. Among them, a massive treasure chest-shaped house caught their attention. However, they found out that the place was closed and would only open at six o'clock in the evening, which was disappointing. Hero's companion seemed unfazed by this news, but Hero's face expressed disappointment.

"Oh, ponyfeathers! No fun for Pinkie," she pouted momentarily before cheering herself up. "No fun yet. But there will be later." Pinkie then decided to continue exploring for the rest of their day there. Hero and Pinkie saw the Sprouts heading off to West Clock Town and towards the mayor's residence. However, they suddenly made a sharp turn to the right, leading to a hidden tunnel that went underneath their town. "Oh boy, a secret?! I love secrets! Let's check this out, buddy."

Hero and Pinkie ventured into the dark tunnel beneath the town and were startled to find enormous spiders hanging from the ceiling. Pinkie froze in fear. "T-Those aren't the p-poisonous variety, are they? I-If only Fluttershy was here right now." Hero then noticed that his changeling wings were as sharp as steel and prepared to use them if necessary. "Ooohh... you're pretty nifty, huh? You can protect me, right?" To which Hero nodded in affirmation as they continued through the tunnel.

One of the giant spiders tried to lunge at Pinkie as she shrieked and covered her head with her hooves. Hero flew up to deliver a swift slice that cleaved clean through the giant arachnid as it flailed in pain before perishing. "Oh, dear. That was so scary. You're brave like our friend is, you know that?" Hero nodded as he helped her, "And sweet like he is, too." Hero blushed as Pinkie saw his tinted chitinous cheeks turn cherry. She giggled, "Aww... you're so sensitive, huh? Well then, I'll stick with you, buddy."

Pinkie and Hero made their way through the tunnels until they found the entrance to a secret place. "Another secret? Oh boy," exclaimed Pinkie as she hopped towards the tunnel, with Hero following closely behind. As they entered, they were amazed by the interior—a wondrous place filled with relics from all over the world. They ascended the stairs and reached the top, where they discovered that it was an observatory. They saw a gigantic telescope and an old stallion with a white beard, blue robes, and a blue hat.

"Ah, two new young ones grace me with their presence. You're not Sprouts. They would never let any girls or non-pony races join. So then, what brings you here?" the elderly stallion chuckled.

"We were checking this place out, and oh, this place is so amazing!"

"I am glad you think so. I have collected many artifacts from my youth and kept them here. Would you two like to gaze into my telescope?"

"Oh boy! Yes, we would!" Pinkie jumped up to the seat and looked through it to see the outskirts of Clock Town. "Wow... It's so big outside of the town we're in." She then looked to the top of the clock tower to see Luna's body with that horrible mask on her face and a gigantic moon with a haunting and angry face looming over her body, poised to strike the town from the tip of the tower first."

"Hey! It's Luna. There she is. We'll get you back with us; don't worry about it." Then, as if the entity knew that both Hero and Pinkie were watching it, it made Luna moon Pinkie with her rear before shaking it and spanking her butt to taunt her as she growled in irritation. "Hey! She just spanked her butt at me. That wasn't very nice." Then, the masked alicorn vanished from sight.

The elder gestures to the looming moon above, "You see that moon, do you not? Every year, the moon hung in its proper alignment, high atop the lofty clouds of Termina. But not this year. I had predicted the world's end but never knew when it was. This time, it feels like the end," Hero explains with a sense of urgency to the elder what he sought after. He knew that time was running out.

Realizing the gravity of the situation, the elder nodded sagely and replied, "Hmm... I have predicted that we will only have three days before that moon comes crashing down to destroy all of Termina. You are seeking a spiritual instrument, yes? That would be an ocarina, a hollowed instrument known throughout history to manipulate magics and spirits alike. But why do you seek such a powerful tool?" Hero knew that he had to find the ocarina within three days before it was too late.

Hero further explains to the elder that he sought to regain something precious to him. "If that is why you seek it, that is fine. The Treasure House offered a special instrument as its prize for the winner. I would check there when it's open," the elder responded. Then Pinkie spoke out loud.

"Hey, Buddy, come look at this! The moon looks like it's crying. Aww, how sad." Pinkie and Hero both took a peek to see that a blue crystallized tear was soaring down from its right eye as it looked to be weeping from being forced to be used as a weapon. Once the tear hit the ground, it created a minor tremor from its impact that surprised both Hero and Pinkie as they fell off the seat and mounded to the telescope.

"That was a moon's tear! Those are extremely rare. You better go and get that before someone else does," the elder exclaimed.

"Yuppers! Thank you, mister. You're nice. Come on then, buddy. It should be evening right now," Hero said. Hero and Pinkie then left the observatory and returned to Clock Town.

Chapter three: Dawn of the First Night (I)

Night of the first day:
60 hours remaining

Hero and Pinkie had returned, and it was now six o'clock. They wasted no time and went straight in to claim the prize. "Let's go, buddy! It's time to win this. I know you have a good reason for wanting that, so I'll help you get it. You saved my life in those tunnels. It's the least I could do." Hero nodded in gratitude as they opened the door to reveal a room resembling a dance party with an eye-catching carnival.

"Hello and welcome to the Treasure House Room! So, you two want to try for this prize: a mystery instrument? What is it? Well, that's what makes it a mystery." The stallion then made a gesture of showing off. "Let's see what you two got; if you can make it through this maze and claim what's in that chest near the back, it's yours. But this isn't your typical maze."

"Oh, we've dealt with mazes, even Discord's maze. This maze is a snap." Pinkie was eager to begin as the horn blared for them to start. Hero and Pinkie then made it to the first square of what appeared to be a checkerboard-like maze. The walls were invisible, even though the chest was in clear view.

So it was going to be that kind of challenge, huh? Well, Hero didn't have time to fail. He needed to get moving. They both bumped into a few walls. Then Pinkie started sniffing the ground like a bloodhound and dashing around the maze. How did she do this? It was probably best not for Hero to question this as she made it to the chest, and the stallion blew the whistle, marking its finish.

"Well, now. I'll be. You two were the first ones to figure this out. How did you do it?"

"Aww, that was easy. There was a trail of cookie crumbs along the way. Small, yes, but not too small for this nose," Pinkie giggled as they saw that the stallion who had the game going also had a small box of oatmeal raisin cookies next to him.

Pinkie snatched the victory, and Hero got the unique instrument. "Oohh... It's an ocarina. It's so shiny." Hero felt satisfied. He could now return to the clock tower to see that sales pony. "Aww, you look so happy, buddy, so then, you lead the way!"

Pinkie followed behind Hero as they left the Treasure House and went West to South Clock Town. He pushed open the doors that led inside of the Clock Tower.

"Well, well, look who's back. You've brought your instrument, haven't you? Excellent, my friend," the sales pony Flam exclaimed as he gestured towards the organ set in the corner and sat to play the keys. "It's important that you remember this tune, as it will be crucial for your journey here." As Hero began to play the new ocarina, it transformed into a shape reminiscent of a changeling. "Ah, the hive horns. Any form will suffice as long as it can channel magic."

"Now, if you could please follow along," Flam said, preparing to play the tune.

Left, right, bottom, left, right, and bottom. Hero played the song on his horn, and as the music echoed, a swirling volley of pink magic surrounded his body. He felt woozy as the magic fought against the evils within him.

For a brief moment, Hero's vision was engulfed in a blinding white light, and he felt a sense of euphoria wash over him. As this fever dream played, he saw a magnificent, colorful changeling mirage floating away in the distance. The mirage appeared to be at peace, its once-tortured features now relaxed and serene.

It gave Hero a last, grateful glance as if to thank him for freeing it from the curse that had plagued it. Hero, with a smile, waved goodbye to the mirage that drifted further and further away until it was eventually out of sight. Though the experience was surreal, he felt a sense of satisfaction knowing that he had played a part in healing the wounded mirage and setting it free.

After Hero's eyes opened and his vision cleared, the wooden mask fell from his face onto the tower floor. With a feeling of utmost joy, he looked at himself and saw that he was back to his original form. Pinkie gasped in shock. "Wowie... It was you, Hero! I'm sorry I didn't believe you before. I guess all that bravery did make sense. This world was so wild that I didn't know what to believe. How did you turn into that changeling?"

Hero explained to her what had happened. "Oh, after we disappeared, that mask possessing Luna cursed you to look like that. Aww... that's so mean." Pinkie hugged Hero, and he returned the hug with happiness.

"That song that you played is called the Song of Healing. It's used to heal and soothe broken and wounded souls and ease their grievances. It is a very powerful song. You can use it whenever you see someone or a creature that looks too far gone from conventional saving. All it takes to find happiness is to make the right choices for yourself and be good to others."

"That's awesome, Hero. So now, we need to go and find everyone else and save Luna."

"There is still time for you to save this world and retrieve the mask that possesses that poor mare. I have faith in you." The sales pony bid them farewell. "If you need a moment of reprieve, you can come here. Time doesn't operate in here the same way it does out there."

Hero looked at the changeling mask, slightly melancholy, unsure what to do with it. "Don't worry, my lad. The evils were healed from your soul and sealed in that mask. If you need it, wear the mask to become a changeling again. Take it off your face when you want to remove it, and you'll be a unicorn again."

While inspecting the changeling mask, Hero couldn't help but notice how sad it looked. Its features were etched with a forlorn look of despair and horror. He and Pinkie shared a mutual look of understanding and sympathy for the relic that Hero was holding onto. They then expressed their gratitude and left the clock tower, reaching South Clock Town to find that the night was nearly over.

The sun would rise soon as they decided to make good on what little time of the night they had left. "Hey, Hero, remember that Moon's Tear that fell from that moon? Now that you're a pony again, they'll have to let you out once they see your sword on your back." Pinkie and Hero then approached the exit of Clock Town at the south gate to see that same guard.

"Halt! This gate leads out to the southern swamps of the Changeling Kingdom at Woodfall. Being so young is perilous for you without... a sword? My apologies, sir. It was wrong of me to treat you both like foals. Please be safe in your travels." The soldier then tapped the bottom of his spear into the ground as the gate opened for them both to leave Clock Town.

"Wee... let's go!" Pinkie cheered as they both left the walled town.

The night sky was vast and expansive, and the cool night air bristled their fur. Pinkie took a deep breath and kept close to Hero. Hero saw the crater where the moon's tear fell and galloped over to it, unsheathing his blade in his magic in case they got ambushed by monsters.

A few smooze blobs went for them, but Hero slashed right through them, cutting them in half and killing them in one overhand blow as they popped like water bubbles. They then approached the crater and saw its glow; this was what that business changeling wanted so badly. The gem looked nice to give to someone you cared for deeply.

"You sure showed them who the boss was, Hero," Pinkie said. Hero nodded in satisfaction as he reached down to pick up the fallen gem and then returned to the walled town to ensure Pinkie's safety. "This will be so much fun, you and me, working together to find our friends again. It's like a whole new adventure for our vacation." They both made it back in as the guard lowered the gate to keep any monsters from sneaking into town.

Hero and Pinkie headed back inside and went over to the pod the business changeling had. That business changeling had recognized Hero as the changeling from before and said, "You're the changeling I met earlier. I recognize your scent. You're quite a unique creature." Hero then presented the moon's tear gem to the changeling, causing the drone's face to light up. "You have a moon's tear?! Please, give it to me. In exchange, I'll give you this pod and its deed. It's a great location for any grub looking to start a business. What do you say?"

Hero agreed and gave the gem to the changeling in exchange for the title deed for the pod. The changeling thanked him and left to head to the swamps. Hero felt happy that he was able to help someone. However, they both realized that time was running out. Pinkie asked Hero if he thought the moon would fall and destroy everything and what would happen to their friends. Hero reassured her that they would get through this and that friendship would prevail.

As they explored the town, they found a few open shops and decided to stock up on supplies. One of the shops was a curiosity shop that sold questionable goods. However, they knew that desperate times called for desperate measures. They then decided to get some sleep at the local inn before the morning arrived.

They spotted three intriguing items for sale: a Hero's Bow, a bomb bag, and magic potions to recharge a unicorn's depleted magic. "This place seems to have some useful stuff, don't you think?" Hero nodded as he approached the counter to see the shady-looking horse, ostensibly in his forties.

"Yo, yo, and hello. Welcome to the Curiosity Shop, where you can find almost everything you need. However, you both seem too young to be perusing these wares."

"Would you be willing to trade for any of these items?" Pinkie asked, surprisingly mature, which caught Hero off guard.

"I won't unless you have something of equal value to offer me," he replied and then scoffed at Pinkie, "Nice try acting like a grown-up kid. It was a good effort." He gestured towards the door, "I have an actual business to attend to, so I'll have to ask you two to leave my shop. Yo, yo, and good night!"

As Pinkie Pie and her best friend Hero decided to end their day, they walked towards the Stock Pot Inn, a cozy and welcoming inn located in the heart of town. As they entered the building, they were greeted by an elegant mare at the reception desk. The mare had a kind, welcoming smile that put them at ease.

"Hello there, you two," she said, "and welcome to the Stock Pot Inn. Do you have a reservation for one of our rooms?"

Pinkie shook her head. "Nope, we were hoping we could get one if it's not too late."

The mare checked her list and confirmed that a room for two was available. "Yes, we have one room left," she said. "It's perfect for two ponies like you. You look adorable together, by the way," she said with a smile.

Pinkie's cheeks turned a light shade of pink. "Oh, we're just good friends," Pinkie said, trying to clarify.

The mare laughed. "Of course, of course. You both still look lovely together. May I get your names please?"

Pinkie and Hero gave their names, and the mare confirmed that there was indeed a room available for them. Pinkie dug into her poofy mane and retrieved her wallet full of bits. She counted the correct amount for one night's stay, as indicated on the price listing for each patron. After counting the bits, she nodded and handed them the key to their room. "Enjoy the night, you two," she said with a bow.

"Thank you so much," Pinkie replied, his voice full of gratitude.

As they made their way to their room, Pinkie couldn't help but feel happy that they had found such a nice place to stay. The room was cozy and warm, with a comfortable bed and fluffy pillows. They both settled in for the night, feeling grateful for the kindness shown to them by the mare at the Stock Pot Inn.

Chapter four: Dawn of the Second Day (I)

Dawn of the second day:
48 hours remaining

As the sun began to rise the next day, Hero and Pinkie left the cozy Inn to start their day. A storm was raging outside, but it didn't dampen the townsfolk's spirits, who were already busy with their daily routine. Pinkie was exceptionally cheerful and skipped around, humming a tune that seemed to match the pitter-patter of the rain. "I feel like singing in the rain~♪"

Together, they visited a few shops to buy necessities before heading to Termina Field. They admired how the raindrops beat against the cobblestone streets as they walked, creating a rhythmic melody. The sound of the rain was soothing, and it seemed to wash away all their worries for the present time.

Finally, they reached Termina Field, where the rain had transformed the landscape into a lush, vibrant green. Despite the rain, they spent the day exploring the area, taking in the sights and sounds of nature.

As they left the safety of Clock Town's walls, they trekked southward towards the swampy terrain to investigate and hopefully find their missing friends. The swamps were a dreary and desolate place, characterized by murky waters and dense foliage that obscured their vision. Despite the unpleasantness of the surroundings, they knew that they had to scour every nook and cranny of Termina if they hoped to locate their friends. So, with an unwavering sense of purpose, they plunged deep into the swamp. "Eww, a smelly and yucky swamp," Pinkie says in a grossed-out tone, "But we must check everywhere for our friends."

They encountered a few monsters that tried to ambush them as they made their way through the murky waters and tangled vegetation. However, Hero was not one to be intimidated by such petty threats and quickly dispatched any foes that dared to stand in their way. With each passing moment, their determination grew more robust, and their resolve unbreakable. They remained vigilant, knowing their friends could be anywhere in this vast and unforgiving swamp.

Hero and Pinkie successfully reached the swamps of Woodfall, where they found a purple river flowing from one point to the next. They spotted a hut with a ladder going up to it and a boat rigged. After climbing the ladder, they entered the stilted house and found that it looked like a combination of a fishing hut and a warm and cozy cabin.

A horrifying sight overtook Pinkie as she spotted Fluttershy lying on a mattress in the corner of the room. "Fluttershy?!" Pinkie rushed to her aid immediately as she leaned over to inspect her quivering and fever-stricken form.

"Since she drank the poisoned water from the river, this poor creature has been unwell all day," the owner said as he arrived with some medicine to give her. "I'm doing everything I can to help her recover, but the polluted rivers have been causing sickness and death among the animals and ponies that drink from them."

"Unfortunately, I have only a limited supply of medicine left to give her, which requires pure water. With the rivers being contaminated, time is not on her side," the owner explained with a look of sadness.

"We need to take action, Hero! Fluttershy is our friend," said Hero's companion, to which Hero nodded in agreement. "I knew I could rely on you. Let's go and see what we can do to help her," replied Pinkie, with a heavy heart, gazing at Fluttershy's motionless body as they left. "Don't worry, Fluttershy. We will come back for you. Pinkie promise," she whispered.

As they left the area, they spotted a boat nearby. The docks were located on the right side, and a new operator was seen handling the ship. The stallion called out to them, "Hello! Are you interested in taking a ferry ride to the Changeling Kingdom? That's where you'll find the Ancient Woodfall Temple."

"Yes, sir. How much?" Pinkie asked.

"I'm afraid there isn't much business in this area, so asking for any payment from you doesn't make sense. However, if you can find a way to purify this water, you will be helping your sick friend and our business. To aid you in your journey, I offer you a boat to sail to the Changeling Kingdom."

The boat navigated through the toxic bog and arrived at its destination, the Changeling Kingdom, located behind an immense wall and inhabited by Changelings of various colors, many of whom were friendly.

Pinkie said, "Hello, we're here to assist with the lake issue. We're helping a dear friend who is in trouble." She hoped that the local Changelings would be welcoming to their presence.

"Our people are also falling ill, and we don't know why. To help us, you'll need to speak to our king. Unfortunately, there is a small problem."

"What's that?" Pinkie pondered.

"The only ones allowed to enter are changelings," the changeling said solemnly.

"Hey, Hero was a changeling just a moment ago. Do you still have that mask with you?" Hero nodded as he pulled out the mask to examine it. The morning sun had reflected off its shiny, multi-colored surface, and he felt nervous. This was only for Fluttershy.

He hesitated for a moment, but then he put on the mask. It immediately clamped onto his face, and the wooden material merged with his skin, turning his fur into chitin again. Hero panicked and tried to remove the mask with his hooves, but it was futile. He felt intense pain and discomfort as his body underwent a grotesque transformation.

His heart was racing, and he felt his whole body ache. He fell onto his back, writhing and screaming as the mask took over his body. Suddenly, his back opened up, and he sprouted insectoid wings. His skin turned lime green, and his underbelly became yellow.

After the transformation, he lifted his head, revealing a horrified expression. In a flash, he was again a changeling, much to the surprise and disbelief of Pinkie and the other drones watching. "...That looked unbelievably painful. But... he is a changeling now, I suppose. Those were King Thorax's instructions so that he could enter." The friendly changeling said as Hero approached the front gate to see two changelings guarding the entrance in changeling form.

"Oh, hello there. Are you here to witness the humiliation of the foolish pony who angered our king? Go straight this way to the end of the corridor. Do not enter any other areas whatsoever," they said, showing him the way to the Throne Chambers.

As he entered the room, he noticed it had a tribal-like appearance, with a large cauldron in the center. On a throne in the room was a lime-colored Changeling whose height surpassed everyone else's. The changeling appeared to be wearing a stern expression on his face. As Hero gazed up, he caught sight of someone who was tied up above the boiling pot. Wasn't that Rainbow Dash?! "I'm so pleased to see a fellow changeling here to witness this kidnapper get what she deserves. My precious daughter was last seen with her; now, she's gone and has never returned. It could only have been you, foul pony in blue."

"What?! Are you kidding me? I didn't kidnap her. She was taken to Woodfall Temple and held hostage there. Ouch! This oil is hot!" Rainbow yipes as her butt grazed the surface of the scalding oil.

Hero spoke to the king, who gasped in disbelief. "What?! Are you saying that you believe her to be innocent? That's ridiculous," Thorax exclaimed. Pharnyx looked at Hero with great shock, but Hero was unsure why. He likely held a position of modest authority and knew better than to cause a scene during court.

"Thank you. It's good to know that at least one of them is using reasoning," Rainbow said with a relaxed breath.

"Silence! Or else I'll dip you in right now!" Thorax snapped at the rainbow pegasus's retort.

"Eep... being quiet now!" Rainbow said, immediately shutting up.

"Okay then," he said, focusing back on Hero. "If what you're saying is true, you must prove it. You have until tomorrow to demonstrate her innocence and return my beloved daughter to me." His compound eyes narrowed at Hero. "Because if you fail, she fries. That pony will not live to see the next day." Hero nodded and left the Throne Chambers.

Hero went back to Pinkie to deliver some terrible news. "What?!" exclaimed Pinkie, "Dashie will be executed tomorrow if we can't find the king's daughter. That's so cruel! But we have to do something for both her and Fluttershy. Our friends are counting on us, Hero."

Hero nodded and informed Pinkie of Rainbow's whereabouts: "She's being held at Woodfall Temple. Let's go."

"I'm afraid that wouldn't work out unless you know the song to open the gate to the temple. The entrance remains dormant until the chosen drone uses its song, known as The Sonata of Awakening, to awaken it. Time is of the essence, and I fear that neither you nor that mare have it." The changeling explained to Hero and Pinkie.

"Where can we find that song? We need it urgently. People's lives are at risk," Pinkie asked in a panic.

"I am sorry to inform you that the song you are referring to is only taught to those who belong to a royal family. It seems unlikely that you will be able to learn it unless you can somehow prove that you have royal blood. However, that would be a very big stretch. I offer you my condolences if you cannot achieve your goal."

"Hero, can you get your blood tested? Please. We have to try anything to save our friend, anything." Pinkie was on the verge of tears as Hero nodded, and she hugged him, "T-Thank you."

"You're a very brave pony for testing for royal blood, as it is punishable by death if you're unworthy," Hero nodded, fully aware of the stakes as he stepped back into the Throne Chambers.

"So you want to see her again, don't you? We cannot blame you; seeing the guilty get their just deserts is always great. Right this way, and remember not to get anywhere else whatsoever," The two changeling guards then escorted Hero to the Royal Chambers.

"I see you're back. And wait, what?! You want to test your blood to see if you have royal genes?!" Everyone in the room gasped in shock as Hero stood firmly and gave Rainbow a reassuring glance, making her wonder who this changeling was. "You do realize that pretending to be of royal blood is punishable by death, right?"

Hero nodded in agreement. "You have a lot of courage. Many of my troops could learn from you." He summoned two changelings, one holding a ceremonial bowl and the other carrying a knife. "Now, raise your right forehoof, and we'll determine if you're pure."

They cut his forehoof, and he winced in pain as green blood dripped into the bowl. You could hear a pin drop through the silence as the tension was high; lives and more than just one were at stake here. Thorax then dipped his hoof into the blood to taste it to see if it was pure. His eyes were skeptical, then stoic... then shocked beyond belief. "You have pure blood in your veins! Unbelievable." Hero sighed in relief...

Rainbow muttered, "W-Woah... that was so close. You're not a normal changeling like these guys are. Who are you?" All Hero did was smirk at her, the same smirk he would always give her, which she immediately recognized. She sighed in relief.

"Then let it be known that you have been granted the privilege of learning The Sonata of Awakening. If that pony is telling the truth, you must play this song to open the temple doors," said Thorax. He then pulled out his ceremonial hive horns and played the song for Hero.

"Now, please repeat after me:"

Hero plays the high, left, high, left, base, right, and base notes. He plays the song with uncanny accuracy, leaving the changelings in shock. "You play as if you've been doing this your entire life. You're a unique drone," compliments the king of the changelings. Hero nods in gratitude at his kind words. "Then, help me get my daughter back, and that will clear her of any guilt for her crimes."

Hero nodded and left the room. He returned to meet with Pinkie.

"Hey, I know that happy look! You got that song, don't you?" Pinkie exclaimed as Hero nodded in agreement. "Yes! Now, let's clear Rainbow's name and rescue their princess. Onward, Hero!"

"I see you have royal blood; t-that means you outrank me," the drone said respectfully, bowing to Hero, who blushed. "I will assist you with anything you need," the drone continued.

Hero then offered to guide Pinkie and the drone to the Woodfall Temple, located at the swamp's edge. Together, they journeyed through the Changeling Kingdom and arrived at their destination.

Chapter five: Dawn of the Second Night (I)

Night of the second day:
36 hours remaining

Hero Pinkie and her friendly Changeling companion have arrived at Woodfall Temple, submerged in toxic water. Due to the poison in the lake, the bog has narrow bridges made of withered oak logs and degraded lilypads.

The three of them managed to reach the island in the middle of the bog, where the altar had a stand for their musical instruments. Hero took a stand on it, gazing momentarily at the night sky as the hours went by faster than expected.

"We can do this, Hero. Let's rescue the king's daughter for Dashie," Pinkie cheered. Hero agreed and got his hive horns ready to play the Sonata of Awakening. The ivory-like horns sang their song, summoning the temple from underneath the bog.

The magnificent display of power left the three of them in awe. Once the temple was unearthed, Pinkie and Hero stepped forth. "I shall head back. If you will permit me to do so," the changeling bowed to Hero, who saluted him with his left forehoof. "Yes, my liege, I shall take my leave," the changeling replied before flying away. They then entered the temple.

The interiors had a Mayan or Zebraican design. The water was contaminated, but the toxins were strongest here, suggesting this was the source.

Pinkie noticed a strange smell as they entered the temple's main section, an ancient underground city that must have been home to a civilization before it was buried. "Eww, gross, this place smells funny and not in the ha-ha way either," Pinkie pinches her nose with her right forehoof as they press on. The place was infested with insect-like monsters, beetles armored in the front but not the rear. Hero and Pinkie dodged them as best as they could.

As they ventured deeper into the temple, Pinkie and Hero found a key that would lead them even further towards their goal. As they opened the door, they were met with a vast room that appeared too empty. Pinkie was concerned, "I don't like this room, Hero."

Suddenly, a giant snapper turtle appeared in the center of the room with an inhumanly-sized gecko monster riding on its back. The duo challenged Pinkie and Hero to a fight. Without hesitation, Hero accepted the challenge: "Okay then, you big lizards, it's tussle time!" Pinkie exclaimed as the battle began.

The gecko monster hopped up to hang on the ceiling while the snapper turtle tucked into its shell, exposing sharp spikes that spun like a top and bounced off the chamber walls. Hero realizes that he can take off his mask and use his blade to defeat the monsters.

He grabbed the sides of his face, and the cursed form was pulled from his body, returning him to his normal state. He drew out his blade to confront the gecko on the ceiling, who was taunting Pinkie and Hero from its perch. "Can you find a way to get him to ground level? I might have a little something-something to use on him." Pinkie then dug into her mane to pull out her party cannon, which Hero was surprised to see.

He forgot that she had taken that with her everywhere. How she fit that into her mane and moved around like it was weightless was a mystery that Hero was completely fine with never figuring out. She loaded herself into it like a cannonball and used a helmet on her head to turn herself into a crude ballistic missile.

As she fired her body at the gecco monster, her head smashed into his stomach, knocking him off the ceiling and stunning him as Hero slashed at the gecco to wound it. The gecco monster shrieked in pain as he hopped up, dancing before jumping back on the giant turtle and gripping tight.

"I won't be able to use my party cannon on him when he moves that fast, Hero. It looks like there are pods everywhere. Use your changeling form to finish him. That might be our only chance to win now."

Hero nodded as he walked forward and put on the changeling mask. It clamped onto his face with a sickening crunch sound, causing him to scream in agony. In a flash, he transformed into his changeling form.

Hero then galloped over to a changeling pod and dove into it while the spinning snapper headed towards Pinkie. Just before it could reach her, Hero hopped up from underneath the snapper, causing it to capsize onto its back as the gecko panicked.

Hero used his insectoid wings to fly over to the trembling gecko and swoop down onto it, using his razor-sharp wings to slice and cut into its body. After the final slash, the gecko monster doubled back in pain, letting out one final whimper before perishing. A chest appeared at the center where the snapper turtle was before vanishing.

Pinkie saw the chest and exclaimed, "Yes! A special gift for us. Whoopee!" Hero walked over to the chest and opened it up, revealing the flash nuts. These were dried up and used for self-defense, such as blinding foes with an explosion of light from above or even on the ground. "Oohh... those look like they'll come in handy. We're getting close now. Let's keep moving."

Hero and Pinkie continued to the deepest parts of the temple, where they found a locked fortified door. They searched the deepest corridors for the key and found a chest containing the temple key. "I have a good feeling about this, Hero. We'll find out who's responsible for this now."

Hero and Pinkie arrived at a fortified door and used the key they found to enter the Throne Room. Inside, they heard the faint sound of wooden drums and maracas playing as part of a ritual. Suddenly, they heard footsteps approaching, and a tall, tattooed, and menacing figure appeared, falling from the ceiling and landing perfectly in front of them.

The figure was a nine-foot-tall giant zebra creature wearing a wooden mask with three yellow feathers on top and a terrifying face carved into it, complete with glowing red eyes. It held a shield in one hoof and a giant sword in the other, standing on just its hind hooves. At the top of its head was an eye that looked very similar to Majora's. The creature was chanting as if trying to boost its vigor for combat.

Masked Zebrician Warrior

𝕆𝕕𝕠𝕝𝕨𝕒

"Be careful, Hero! That big guy is charging towards us; he's so tall!" Pinkie exclaimed with a sense of urgency. Pinkie and Hero quickly dodged Odolwa's rushing attack as he chanted a tune to increase his walking speed, making it difficult to catch him. "He's not playing fair. We need to slow him down, or else Fluttershy and Rainbow are in danger," Pinkie said to Hero.

Hero took advantage of Odolwa's shortsightedness and quickly dove into a changeling pod, making the masked warrior search in all directions to find him. Hero then launched himself using the pod and unfurled his buzzing wings to fly over Odolwa. He then dropped a flash nut down onto the top of Odolwa's head, which caused a blinding flash and stunned him. Odolwa fumbled to the ground, and Hero landed beside him to slice him up with his wings while he was vulnerable.

Pinkie and Hero were being chased by a swarm of evil-looking moths with tiny mouths on their backs, summoned by Odolwa, who had jumped up to the center of the room and began chanting and dancing. "You go after that big meanie, Hero; I'll handle these moths!" Pinkie decided to deal with the moths by lighting a torch with a match in her mane and setting it ablaze to lure them to it, burning them in the process.

Meanwhile, Hero dived into another pod, and the attacker, Odolwa, got confused about his whereabouts and searched in all directions for him. Taking advantage of Odolwa's confusion, Hero flew over him, dropped a flash nut to knock him over, and landed next to him to repeat the attack. After several more slashes, Odolwa looked a bit beat up but was still in the fight. Suddenly, he aggressively charged into her and kicked Pinkie away, causing her to fly back and then get up. Pinkie shouted, "Ow! Hey, you big bully!"

Odolwa returns to the center of the room, chanting a series of incantations. After a few moments, he stands up and begins to spin around like a tribal dance, with his forearms outstretched, summoning insects from the ceiling. The insects start to fall, attacking Pinkie and Hero in groups of two or three. However, Pinkie cheers for Hero as he quickly reacts and fights off the insects with his sword.

Pinkie and Hero's quick thinking visibly frustrated the masked warrior, and Odolwa aimed straight for them. Hero jumped in, using his razor-sharp wings to block Odolwa's sword thrust attack. Hero deflected the warrior's attack, guiding him away from Pinkie by slashing at his forelegs.

"Nice try, Mr. Masked bully, but we're not gonna fall like that," Pinkie said, determined not to be defeated. Hero nodded in agreement, ready to defend themselves against any further attacks.

In a fierce battle, Hero and Odolwa exchanged blows with each other. Hero dodged Odolwa's attacks with his acrobatic skills and retaliated with swift strikes. Odolwa was quick to react and defended himself with his weapons.

Hero jumped into a pod and launched high as the fight progressed. While in mid-air, he dropped a flash nut on Odolwa's eye, stunning him. As Odolwa panicked and tried to get back up, Hero rushed in for a few final slashes.

Using his sharp wings, Odolwa was repeatedly slashed at his chest, back, and forearms. In a swift motion, Hero sliced the wooden mask that Odolwa wore clean in half, causing both halves to clatter. Odolwa shrieked in pain, clutching his empty, hollow, and void-like face with his hooves. He dropped his weapons and stood straight up before collapsing and perishing. The battle was over, and Hero emerged victorious.

The illusions of this temple seem to have been completely neutralized, as the magenta mask symbol that vaguely resembled Majora rising from Odolwa's remains was just a mirage. "We did it, Hero! We won. We- Woah?! What's happening to us?"

Both Hero and Pinkie found themselves in a void of foggy white, as if in a dream. They stood on a small, rounded pedestal high above the clouds. The surrounding area was a brilliant white, like an elevated Heaven. Suddenly, they noticed a gigantic pony alicorn with a beard covering most of his face and black beady eyes. He appeared to be chanting something, perhaps expressing his gratitude.

They realized the giant was speaking to them as they listened to him. "Thank you... travelers..." he said. "Save them... then call us!" Then he chanted a tune to Hero.

"Listen, Hero," said Pinkie. "He's trying to teach you something. I think he wants you to bring out your instrument."

"He is; he's trying to teach you a song," Pinkie said as Hero pulled out his hive horns and played with the giant: right, bottom, base, bottom, right, high notes. Hero played the Oath to Order song. Alongside the mirthful giant, they performed a duet together.

Harmonious magic swelled around them as the giant sang and Hero played. Pinkie was caught in between while hearing such a powerful and gentle melody. Then, the giant bade the two ponies farewell as it chanted the notes of its music to them.

After the vision faded, the two ponies found themselves in a secret room beneath the chamber where they had fought Odolwa. They cleared their minds and focused on their surroundings, discovering a sealed-up wooden gate. On the other side of the gate was a periwinkle-colored changeling female named Princess Ocellus.

Excitedly, Pinkie declared, "Hey, in there! We're here at last!" She and the other pony opened the gate from their side, allowing Ocellus to walk out and meet them.

Curious about the two ponies, Ocellus asked, "Who are you two? And where's that nice blue pegasus? I hope she was able to deliver her message to my father. At least the worst-case scenario didn't happen, and Dad didn't try to accuse her of kidnapping me or, even worse, punish her." However, her expression grew uneasy when they didn't respond. "He didn't, did he? Are you serious?!"

In a rage, Ocellus vented, "Another hasty decision by Father. I can't believe him. We need to get back there right away!"

Hero nodded, and Pinkie led the way as she was carried by both Hero and Ocellus out of the temple's rear entrance now that it was cleared. They saw that the water was now purified again, which made Pinkie shout victoriously, "Yes! The water is good again. Here we come, Fluttershy and Rainbow. The cavalry is on the way!" She blew a little horn in her mane triumphantly, making Hero and Ocellus giggle.

Hero, Pinkie, and Ocellus had returned to the Changeling Kingdom and were surprised to see the changelings chanting in unison, "Punishment! Punishment!" All three stormed in as the changelings chased them to try to catch her and Hero.

"What is the meaning of this?! I specifically said no ponies allowed here," said Thorax, the changeling king. Then, Ocellus flew to the throne and glared at Thorax, "My beloved daughter, you have returned."

A pure fury was felt throughout the room as every changeling, and Pinkie shuddered and felt Ocellus's anger forming like an angry thunderstorm. "Father... She was trying to help me, not kidnap me!" Ocellus then hopped onto Thorax's body, lightly stomping on him in a rage as his body flailed and he protested.

Pharynx and the other changelings covered their hooves over their mouths; their jaws hung in astonishment. Ocellus then fixed her glare at the four changelings chanting for Rainbow's punishment, "What do you four think you're doing? Let that pony go this instant!"

"Yeah, Hero... Pinkie. Nice job, guys." Rainbow sighed in relief as she was finally brought down from the boiling pot and untied to stretch her wings and joints, "I knew you guys would save me. I wasn't worried at all."

Chapter seven: Dawn of the Final Night (I)

Night of the final day:
12 hours remaining

Fluttershy, Rainbow, Pinkie, and Hero hurried back towards Clock Town, worried about the whereabouts of Rarity, Applejack, Starlight, and Twilight. "Where are the others? Are they okay?" Fluttershy asked.

"We don't know, Fluttershy. We haven't seen them yet, but we'll search everywhere until we find them. I promise," Rainbow replied.

"There's not much time left, and we still need to help Luna and Celestia. Do you think Celestia is with Luna?" asked Fluttershy as she looked to Pinkie, who nodded.

The team arrived at Clock Town and saw that everyone there was nervous, except for the construction workers operating the tower at the center. Hero explained how he became a changeling to Rainbow and Fluttershy, who sympathized with him. "Really? Oh dear, that's just awful. I'm so sorry to hear that happened to you, Hero."

"Yeah, man, you didn't deserve that," Rainbow said as they proceeded.

As the clock advanced towards morning, time moved relatively fast, making the team even more anxious. "We have no time left, guys," Pinkie exclaimed.

"Fluttershy asked, feeling worried and uncertain, 'What are we going to do now?'"

Pinkie replied, "We gotta keep moving, guys. Last we checked, Luna was at the top of the clock tower at the peak of South Clock Town, which is exactly where we are now."

They saw that the ponies were panicking. Some were losing their minds, curled into a fetal position, and muttering inconsistent ramblings to themselves. The tremors became more frequent as the bell rang, and the ponies' panic rose to a crescendo. The ponies tried to flee Clock Town, believing they would be saved.

One pony screamed in hysterics, "Aahhhh... This is too much, man! I don't want to die. Please, for the love of—It's every pony for themselves..."

The bell continued to chime as if harkening to the inevitable end. Hero, Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Rainbow knew where they had to go as they approached the entrance to the tower where the happy mask sales pony resided. To their relief, the pod was still there, and they appreciated how convenient this was. As the moon approached the ground, more tremors shook the land.

Hero then brought out his changeling mask and put it on his face. It clamped down with a sickening crunch and merged with his flesh. He bent over and cradled his head in pain as he transformed, his face reaching up as a horrified expression could be seen.

In a flash, he was a changeling again as he went over to the pod to launch himself up high as Fluttershy and Rainbow helped Pinkie get up to the entrance now that the eve of the next day was approaching.

"Cowards! All of you are cowards!" Mutoh, known for being stubborn, saw his workers running away and leaving their work behind. He scoffed and glared at the moon, "If that moon is going to fall, then let it fall, damn it. If this is the end, then so be it!" Even though he was gritty, Mutoh had shed a tear as he knew the end was near. The Carnival's plan began as the fireworks went off, and the stairs to the tower's peak opened up for anyone to climb.

Rainbow took a deep breath and said, "This is it, guys. It's the end," trepidation laced Rainbow's voice as they began to make their way up the stairs to confront Majora.

The team of four finally reached the top and saw the possessed Luna and Celestia floating beside her. Celestia was enveloped in Majora's evil purple magic, which made her unable to fly or use her powers. Majora was momentarily surprised as the mask fixed its glare at Hero. "Are you guys safe? That's excellent news, but where are the others?" Celestia asked.

Hero then removed the changeling mask and returned to his standard form to show Majora that his curse had failed. "We couldn't find them, Celestia," Rainbow said solemnly.

"Oh no... Then there's nothing we can do. It's over. Majora is too powerful to take head-on. Luna... I'm sorry," Celestia said as tears streamed down her cheeks. She felt like she had failed to save this world and her sister.

"We have to think of something, right?" Fluttershy tried to brainstorm with the other four heroes, not including the possessed Luna.

"Impassable swamp, treacherous mountain, vast ocean, and deep canyon. Hurry, my little ponies. Bring the four giants who are there here. It's too late to do anything now—" The possessed Luna slapped Celestia with the back of her hoof.

"Quit talking out of line, you stupid pony," the masked alicorn snapped bitterly.

"That's enough, you creepy wooden mask. We will not take this anymore." Rainbow protested as the masked mare shrugged.

"Well, whatever. Even if the four did come, they couldn't handle me. Just look above you!" The four heroes then looked up as the masked mare said, "If it's something that can be stopped, then just try to stop it."

The possessed mare summoned its evil magic with a high-pitched shriek, using Luna's Canterlot Voice to strengthen it. Time was even shorter now as the moon was descending faster.

"I-I may not be able to fight you, Majora, but I will not allow my little ponies to suffer because of you. This is a secret and forbidden song used by the royal family of Equestria a thousand years ago when we were younger. It will reverse time back to the most reasonable point. I can sense that you have a spiritual instrument, Hero. Please bring it out now!"

"Please follow along, Hero."

Celestia's horn glowed brilliantly as she emitted sounds of tones using her magic alone. However, she struggled to keep up, and her teeth were gritted as she played the notes of the Song of Time. Right, base, down, right, base, and up notes were played as Hero played the final notes on his ocarina to finish the song.

As the four ponies completed the song, a bright white magic swelled around them, enveloping them in its powerful embrace. The magic reflected their unity and determination to save their world from the impending doom.

Celestia accepted her defeat and urged the ponies to leave, her voice heavy with emotion. "Well done, Hero," she said, addressing the group's leader. "Now, all of you, get going! I have faith that you'll pull through. For now, farewell."

The four ponies were saddened to see Celestia's tear-streaked face, but they huddled around Hero to leave with him. As they disappeared from the doomed timeline, their vision blurred and turned white as they fell through an endless spiral of time energy.

They could feel the weight of their world lifted off their shoulders as they traveled through time and space—Each event was shown to them in reverse as if undoing everything they'd done; their hope renewed as time resets to its first day as time once lost.

Finally, after an eternity, they returned to the dawn of the first day, safe and sound, and the world around them restored to its former status. They had succeeded in their escape but failed in getting that mask back.

Hero slowly opened his eyes to see Fluttershy, Pinkie, and Rainbow hugging him tightly. A warm blush crept up his cheeks from the close contact. As they pulled away, he looked around and realized they were inside the clock tower, its old machinery and gears whiffing and clanking as the party was greeted.

"And so you return, Hero," they heard a cheerful voice behind them and turned to see Flam. Rainbow narrowed her eyes, suspicious of this being the Flam they knew in Equestria. The sales pony continued, "Well then, you have saved a few of your friends. Wonderful, just wonderful."

The sales pony asked, "So, you did get it back, didn't you? My mask? The one that mare has? The one you said you would have for me as part of your end of the deal?"

There was a moment of silence, and then the sales pony's face twisted in anger as he picked up Hero to shake him rather roughly. "What have you done to me? You were supposed to get that mask back," he said as he dropped Hero before he covered his face with his hooves, wrought with despair. "You guys have no idea how dangerous that mask is. Its powers are unfathomable."

Rainbow inquired, "Woah, now?! What exactly is that thing?"

The sales pony recomposed himself and said in a low tone, "It's called the Majora's Mask, and the evil sealed within it is incredibly powerful. It possesses ancient magic and can do whatever it wants to anyone, no matter how strong or determined they are—"

Flam said, "—Ages ago, a chaotic spirit waged war with an ancient protector deity. The Fierce Deity, Sol, finally had enough of its madness and used the height of his power to defeat it. The spirit was then trapped inside the mask, ending its reign of terror and destruction. In the past, an ancient tribe used the mask for their hexing rituals. However, the mask had a will of its own, making it impossible to control, often causing havoc and destruction whenever used."

The sales pony explained, "They sealed the uncontrollable mask away so nobody could ever find it again. My job is to travel around searching for even the most terrifying of masks. Once I found that mask, I wanted to ensure nobody else could use it. However, that blue alicorn has it now, and we're all in grave danger."

Flam added, "When I first laid eyes on the mask, it emitted a strange blue glow that appeared to be calling out to someone. I believe that's how the mare who attempted to rob me managed to find me. Although I say attempted, she was successful," he said, letting out a dry chuckle.

The sales pony looked worried and said, "Now you understand why I'm in such a hurry to leave. The longer I stay here, the higher the risk to our reality. We cannot allow the mask to fall into the wrong hands, or the consequences would be dire."

Rainbow raised an interesting question about the versions of themselves that Hero had met. "Hey, what about all the ponies we've met that we recognize? Will our friends still return to us?"

"Well, yes; each universe has its own set of rules, its version of time, and unique ponies and creatures. Even if you recognize them, I can assure you, they are not the same ponies," Flam continued, "if you managed to find someone from this place that you already know with you in your group, if you ever went back in time, then this universe corrects that discrepancy by filling in those blanks, as it were."

Fluttershy expressed relief, saying, "Oh... that is such a relief. I can't imagine leaving my friends behind. Never." She then snuggled up to Rainbow, who accepted it with a warm smile.

"So, we must find a way to stop this mask with unlimited power. But how in the world are we going to accomplish that?" Rainbow mused aloud, her concerns understandable.

"Believe in your strengths, my friends. You must have faith in yourself. If you can control the flow of time, it will give you borrowed time in exchange. You can use this to your advantage. I have trust in you all, my friends."

"That does give us some clarity and relief. So where do we go now? Celestia mentioned Swamp, Mountain, Ocean, and Canyon, right?" Rainbow asked their group.

"Well, Hero and I beat one of those big meanies and freed this giant alicorn that looked so cool. Then, we got Fluttershy and you back. So that would make the mountains our next location, right?" Pinkie was excitedly hopping in place.

"I guess so, yeah. So Hero, you ready to rock and roll?" Rainbow peeked at him to see him nod, "Awesome, buddy. We'll have hope in our awesome friendship to win. All of us together."

"You might not be the Flam we're familiar with, but you're not too bad for a strange guy." Then, everyone exited the room to begin the cycle all over again.

Chapter eight: Dawn of the First Day (II)

Dawn of the first day:
72 hours remaining

The events have been reversed to the earliest point when Hero first left the Clock Tower, Pinkie says to the group, "Woah... this is freaky; it's like deja-vu." Instead of Pinkie being at the top and annoying those construction workers, there is a gloomy version of her with a silky mane and paler pink coat slowly sulking around South Clock Town.

"So that's what I'm supposed to look like here? Unacceptable. Pinkie Pie is sad and has a frowny face." Pinkie said as they approached her as Termina Pinkie glared at them with a bitter look, which quickly turned to depression.

"What do you guys want from me?" She glowered at the happy Pinkie, "Why does she look like me?"

"Cause I am you, silly filly. From a different uni-" She was silenced by Rainbow's hooves.

"Uh, Pinkie, that's a secret." The gloomy Pinkie then glared at both Rainbow and Pinkie.

"What kind of secret? Well, whatever. It's probably meaningless, just like life is."

"Ouch. That's rather harsh. Life's a lot better than that, Pinkie." Rainbow tried to cheer her counterpart up.

"Oh, what would you know about me and my life? Nothing you could say could cheer me up, so get lost!" She snapped at them as they flinched at her venomous words.

"Oh, dear... I hope I'm still nice in this reality, guys." Fluttershy hugged her friends, "I couldn't imagine living my life as anything else than that." Fluttershy then kept close to her friends, and even Hero joined in for their embrace, making Fluttershy warm up inside with glee.

They then continued exploring West Clock Town to see where to go for the rest of their day. They saw the west gate that led out to Termina Field; the guard there just stopped them, "Halt! Beyond this gate are the icy mountains of Snowhead and the Yak Kingdom. It's perilous out there without... a sword?"

"My apologies, sir. It was wrong of me to treat you like children. The mountains get very cold and are especially dangerous at night. Please be careful." He tapped the ground with his spear as the gate lowered for them to enter and exit.

Leaving the town gates behind, the group headed towards the mountains again to take in the beautiful view of the vast fields. Rainbow, the most adventurous of the group, pounded her chest with her right hoof in a declaration of excitement and cried out, "Aww yeah, here we go, guys!"

However, as they drew closer to the icy terrain, they realized the temperature was dropping rapidly. The ponies' teeth started to chatter as a bitter chill ran through their bodies, and they began shivering uncontrollably. Pinkie, who had not dressed appropriately for the cold weather, huddled into Rainbow and Fluttershy for warmth, "Yeah... Brrr... we didn't dress for the cold, did we?"

Fluttershy, always the voice of reason, suggested, "M-Maybe... we s-should g-go back and prepare for this better." The group agreed, and they decided to turn back to Clock Town. The journey back was long and cold, but they were grateful for their sensible friend who reminded them to be prepared for any situation.

"Okay, so we're in the mountains, and it's cold. We need to find warm clothing to help us fight against the cold. Hero, you're probably used to roughing it, so the cold doesn't bother you, right?" Rainbow pouted when Hero shook his head, indicating he wasn't affected by the cold. They were wandering through West Clock Town to find a rental Inn that provides winter clothes for trekking through Snowhead. To their immediate joy, they found one.

"Great, they have warm clothing here. Perfect," said Pinkie. Fluttershy happily fluttered over to them, and they met the Innkeeper, Anju, who greeted them with a gentle and graceful smile.

"Hello and welcome to the Stock Pot Inn. Are you interested in renting those garments? Are you going through Snowhead? You'll need to keep yourself warm for that," Anju said.

"Oh, boy, did we learn that the hard way. Why is it so cold there, anyway?" Pinkie was still shivering somewhat.

"Normally, the winters are cold, but I've heard this is the coldest snap this year. It's awful, those poor yaks," Anju replied.

"Are they at least trying to keep warm?" Fluttershy asked. "Some hot, tomato or veggie soup would work nicely."

"I hope so. The rental for all of them will be two bits per pony. And there're four of you, so that'll be eight bits, please."

Hero shook his head. "So three? Are you sure about that, sweetie? It's deathly cold out there," Anju admonished Hero.

"Hero's sure; believe me, he's the toughest pony we've ever seen. Awesome like the rest of us," Rainbow proudly stated as she hugged him. Hero blushed lightly from her words of encouragement as he nodded. Pinkie used her bit bag and noticed that the money she initially gave for her and Hero to spend the night was restored when they returned in time.

"Oh, goodie, we'll have enough for those suits!" Pinkie reached into her bag to pull out six bits, setting them on the counter; Anju then gave them three suits. "Thank you very much."

"Please travel safe and be careful out there, Mr. Tough Guy," Anju said, looking concerned at Hero, who nodded in return. They left the Inn, went through West Clock Town, and went out the gate again.

The trio returned to Termina Field, their hearts pumping with anticipation for what lay ahead. They headed west towards Snowhead Mountain, bracing themselves against the cold gales that whipped past them. The brisk mountain air stung their faces and chilled their bodies, but they pressed on undaunted.

As they ventured into the snowy terrain, they dodged icy monsters and bats that swooped from above. Hero would leap up and slash at them, killing them instantly. The sound of metal against ice echoed through the silent mountain range.

As they continued their exploration, they came across a cabin in the middle of an open field. To their right was a solid mass of ice, but it wasn't what made them gasp in horror. It was who was in it. "Rarity?!" all three girls said in shock.

"That's...that's horrible," Pinkie said, her voice trembling with sadness.

"Yeah, Pinks, it is. She'd have a justified reason to be whiny now," Rainbow said, her face laced with grief at the fate of their frozen friend.

"Oh dear, she's frozen solid in that ice. The poor thing," Fluttershy said, noticing that Rarity's frozen face spoke of one thing: pure terror. They saw that the cabin was warm and seemed the only viable option. They decided to rest there briefly before advancing towards the Yak Kingdom.

They noticed the cabin was well-stocked with food and supplies as they settled in. They warmed up and caught their breath, their thoughts never straying far from their frozen friend. They knew they couldn't let her fate be in vain.

As they stepped back into the snowy expanse, they saw a lone yak shivering atop one of the risen clefts of frozen land. "It's so cold... And I'm so hungry. I do not think I'll last much longer. If only I could have one last taste of that succulent fruit bread that yaks make so well..." The hapless yak drew the pity of the four heroes who had to find food for him.

"We have to help him, guys. But how? There's no food we can find anywhere around here. The temperature is too cold for that. This Majora is just awful; it's such a terrible monster." Fluttershy, sad but determined to help that yak by any means necessary, made haste by darting to the field cabin. She knew they had to do something to save the poor creature.

Once inside the cabin, the visitors saw that it was also used for creating weapons and armor. They were taken aback when they saw a massive, muscular stallion with a giant hammer behind the counter. He wore a barrel over his head with a few holes punctured for breathing and seeing.

Suddenly, a stallion's voice bellows out, and all three ponies except Hero scream in fear. "Ugogh! Ugor ugoh ughor?" they heard him say.

"Hey! Can it over there, you big lummox! I was enjoying a good dream, too," came the voice of the lankier stallion as he lay on his couch, stretched his limbs, and yawned. "Welcome to the mountain smithy, where we take our time to make a good point. I am Zubora, the owner. Pleased to meet you."

The giant stallion exclaimed, "Ugo-oh! Ugo ugo!" which got Zubora's attention.

"Shaddup over there!" Zubora looked towards the ponies and cleared his throat. "That huge fellow is my assistant, Gabora. He's all brawn and about as smart as a bag of rocks."

Upon seeing Hero's blade, Zubora grinned and asked, "Did you come to have your sword sharpened?" He sighed and continued, "Unfortunately, we're not doing any business now. It's because of this abnormal cold snap we've been having."

"Well, a sharper blade does sound niftier, Hero," said Rainbow, eyeing Zubora suspiciously.

"Our hearth has been frozen over!" Zubora exclaimed, slightly melancholy at the situation. "The way things are going now, I won't be able to do any business until spring." He then looked towards the frozen hearth and sighed, "If I could just do something about that frozen hearth..."

The giant stallion exclaimed again, "Ugo-oh! Ugo ugo!" which got Zubora's attention.

Zubora seemed more irritated and said, "Oh, what's that? Do you say we could melt the ice off the hearth with the hot spring water from the mountains? Don't act like you know what you're talking about, you big oaf!"

Zubora then looked back at the ponies and said, "Oh, he believes in a rumor that long ago, there were hot springs in the mountains nearby. Pah; I don't believe in such rubbish."

"Well, I don't think you're being so nice to him," Fluttershy said, raising her eyebrow.

"How so? I've known this guy for a long time. Trust me. This is the best he can do." Zubora said, finding the conversation over. They rested for a few minutes before heading out of the cabin towards the Yak Village.

The team managed to move past the cabin, but unfortunately, Rarity got trapped in ice. They all silently pledged to come back for her. Continuing down the snowy path, they stumbled upon huge mud houses and wood temple formations. The yaks were most likely indoors, as the extreme cold made it unbearable to stay outside.

Pinkie did her best to keep the team's spirits up. "Here we are. It's so barren here, and everything is frozen over," she said. This was a true testament to her element.

Concerned about the impending nightfall, Rainbow said, "We have to see what we can do. That's not good." Seeing no other options, they decided to check out a temple they had spotted.

Inside the monument, they found a chest that could be opened. Hero rubbed his hooves together and opened the trunk, revealing a strange-looking purple hand mirror with a red symbol on its transparent glass.

Rainbow was understandably angry and confused. "What's this? A mirror? Really? How in the hay will a mirror help us here?" she asked. Hero then placed the mirror up to his eye and saw things that were ordinarily invisible to the naked eye.

Scribbled on the walls was an ancient text: "To ye who hath stumbled upon the mirror that can see all hidden truths, let there be no secrets kept from you; gaze into this to see the unseen and unknown."

"Wow, a mirror that can see invisible things looks interesting, Hero. How about we make use of that here?" Rainbow suggested. Hero nodded eagerly, happy to use something everyone could agree was incredibly useful. Exiting the monument, they noticed that night had already fallen in the yak village, and the moon was approaching them.

Chapter nine: Dawn of the First Night (II)

Night of the first day:
60 hours remaining

The heroes were standing in front of the entrance of their main gathering hall when something peculiar caught their attention. As they gazed through the mysterious mirror, they saw what appeared to be a transparent yak levitating near the entrance. The ponies, except for Hero, gasped in surprise. The yak seemed genuinely shocked that they could see him.

"No... It cannot be... can you see me? If that is the case, then you are the one that I was told would be here by our great elder who said that a miracle would await our tribe in the form of one who can see the unseen." The yak said in an ethereal voice as then guided the heroes with him, "follow me, please. I have something I must show you."

Rainbow was skeptical of the yak's intentions, "You seriously think we can trust this guy? He's like a creepy phantom, right?"

"Well, Rainbow, just remember what Zecora had taught us; we should take another look before we judge the cover of the book." Fluttershy sagely replied, urging the group to take a chance and follow the yak. The yak nodded and led them past the yak village, closer to the cabin they had just come from.

As they approached the cabin, the yak led them to a tall climbing wall with a cave entrance at the top. "I think he wants us to go in there to follow him. I'll be willing to trust him."

"I just hope you're right about this, Fluttershy." Rainbow was there to help Pinkie, and Fluttershy helped Hero. Together, all four reached the top of the climbing wall and entered the mountainous cave.

After following the Yak Phantom to a cave up the high icy mountains, Hero saw an obelisk-like tombstone in the cave's center. Suddenly, his soul manifested in front of it to speak to the group.

"I was told that you were the one I should wait for. When I was alive... Yes, when I was alive, I was Darmani. I was a proud yak warrior sent to Snowhead to drive away a monster," Darmani said.

"But a strong gale blew me off the mountain, and here I am. It's infuriating that my fellow yaks will starve and freeze to death and that I have failed them. I can do nothing more than see them die without me," he added, pinching the bridge of his forehead with his ethereal cloven hooves in frustration.

"If you're capable of magic, then I beg of you, please, I ask that you bring me back to life. And if this is an impossible request, at least heal my sorrows. Please heal my sorrow and pain to put my wounded soul at ease," he pleaded to the group, despair etched into his ethereal features, putting his hooves together like a beggar.

"Hey, Hero, remember what Flam told us about that song that helped to heal your soul? We should use that on him," Pinkie said confidently, as Hero nodded in agreement.

As Hero pulled out his ocarina, he played the melody, The Song of Healing. The pink healing magic swirled around Darmani as the transparent warrior was sent aghast. He clutched his head with his cloven hooves as his face tilted upwards, facing the ceiling as he relaxed in bliss.

"T-That tender melody... It's so soothing. It feels as if my sorrows are all... m-melting away," Darmani said in tearful relief.

Suddenly, in a flash that felt like another fever dream, Darmani could be seen surrounded by his people. They had come to support him in his darkest hour and show him they believed in him. Their cheers echoed throughout the valley, filling the air with hope and optimism that Darmani had not felt in a long time.

As he looked around at the sea of faces surrounding him, Darmani felt a lump in his throat. These were his people, the ones he had sworn to protect and serve, and they were here for him in his time of need, and he had failed them. Tears began to well up in his eyes, and before he knew it, they were flowing down his cheeks in a torrent of raw emotion.

The tears were like a dam bursting, releasing all of the pent-up sadness and pain that Darmani had been holding inside for so long. The emotions poured out of him like a river, expressing the depth of his despair and the weight of his burden.

The tears sparkled in the night sky, catching the light of the stars above and reflecting the pain that Darmani felt within. But they also held a glimmer of hope, a sense that perhaps things could get better, that he was not alone in his struggles; there was now hope that his people could be saved.

As his ethereal body gradually faded away, he shed any regrets and sorrow and vanished with a sense of calmness and satisfaction. The vision ended with the manifestation of his grief, sadness, and hopes into a wooden mask of a yak that clattered onto the rocky ground of the hollow floor at their hooves. "I have made my final request to you. My people will believe you to be me. I will hold no regrets. All I ask from you is that you save my home. If you do this for me, my gratitude for your kindness shall know no limits."

Hero hesitated before picking up the wooden mask. As he examined it, he felt uncertain about what would happen if he put it on. Nevertheless, he gathered the courage to place it near his face, but to his horror, the mask clamped onto his skin with a sickening crunch. It fused with his flesh and fur, causing him immense pain. He fell to the ground, writhing in agony as his body experienced a sharp ache from his head to his hooves. He also noticed that his heart was pounding faster than usual, and his voice had deepened to the tone of an adult yak.

With a sickening sound that made Hero's stomach churn, he felt his bones snapping and readjusting. He could feel his organic muscles contorting and twisting in ways that made him want to scream out in agony, hoping that the pain would soon subside. However, as he screamed, he felt the wooden mask of the yak merging into his facial joints, and his panic only grew as he raised his head and clenched his eyes tightly.

Then, in a flash, the pain vanished, and Hero opened his eyes to find himself looking at his reflection on the hollow ground. He gasped, seeing that he had become a large and robust yak. His body was covered in brown fur, and he had a light tan belly. He had a hulking frame and cloven hooves, which were incredibly sturdy and robust.

As he looked himself over, he noticed an armored-plated ornament on his back, which he realized would provide him with excellent protection. He also had a nose ring, which he found exotic and beautiful. His two yak horns had golden braces, which made them look even more impressive. Tribal tattoos were embroidered on his chest, and he had armored plating on his back, which made him look even more intimidating.

Overall, Hero was amazed at his new form. Though he had been terrified at the start, he now felt strong, and he knew he could take on any challenge that came his way. His mane and beard were mostly Darmani's, but it was dyed black at the tips of his mane to signify his fusion with the yak warrior and Hero's blue eyes.

Fluttershy looked on in astonishment and exclaimed, "Hero? You're so big now!" Rainbow, standing next to her, couldn't help but agree.

"He seriously just healed that guy's soul and became a yak... wow," she said, looking at Fluttershy. "You were right, Fluts. You shouldn't ever judge a book by its cover. All that guy wanted was to be laid to rest peacefully, and after what he's been through, I guess I can't blame him."

As they stood there in amazement at Hero's transformation, they realized that his newfound strength could come in handy for helping the yaks. Pinkie suggested, "Hero, test your new might on that tombstone. Try to push it." Rainbow was shocked at Pinkie's boldness and warned her, "Are you nuts, Pinkie? That's Darmani's gravestone. Seriously?"

Undeterred, Pinkie replied, "I can feel warmth from under here. Can't the rest of you feel it, too?" They all placed their hooves onto the rounded ground of the gravestone and then gasped in unison.

"Y-Yeah. We can feel that too. But why? Well, Hero, you do what you have to do, okay? But I did not suggest this."

Hero stepped forward, took a deep breath, and pushed the tall obsidian obelisk back. The giant slab of rock was pushed back, and an overflow of hot and steaming water came forth. The room was filled with what that Gabora guy said: hot spring water. Despite not reaching the cave exit, the water was warm and pleasant. "Pinkie... how do you do these things? Honest question," Rainbow asked.

"I don't know. I used my pinkie sense, which sensed warmth from the ground here," Pinkie replied calmly.

"Well, whatever that was, keep doing it for us, okay?" Rainbow said, acknowledging her unique ability.

"Okie, Dokie, Lokie. I have a bottle that we can use to scoop some of that water up," Pinkie suggested.

Fluttershy, who had been quietly observing, came up with an idea. "Oh, we can use that stuff to melt the ice at that smithy place." The group agreed that this was a great idea.

"Man, screw that Zubora guy. He's a real piece of work. He was treating that big guy like he was a dummy. Not cool," Rainbow said, expressing her frustration towards Zubora's behavior.

"I get it; it's not cool because of the weather here. Right, Rainbow?" Pinkie asked.

"Yes, Pinkie. So, Hero, you think you got the general feel of that new body down pat?" Rainbow asked.

Hero nodded to Rainbow, feeling a sense of pride and accomplishment. "Awesome, buddy. You never cease to amaze us. You know that?" Rainbow said, praising Hero for his courage.

Hero blushed slightly as his cheeks flushed, and then he nodded as they made their way out of the cave, ready to face whatever challenges lay ahead.

Hero marched out, and a couple of yaks looked at him in shock. "Can it be? It is. It's Darmani!" Both yaks cheered when they saw him emerge from the cave entrance.

"Even though we saw him falling to his death, he still came back to us in spirit, refusing to let go of his life just to save our village." They began to tear up with gratitude and pride.

"Wait then, if you're still alive, I wasted my time chiseling that gravestone for you, didn't I? Hmph." They were still overjoyed to see their proud warrior back, even if he wasn't who they thought he was. "Our village is getting worse due to this awful cold. Food was more difficult to find, so our chief had to give out strict provisions to each of us. I hope this cold ends soon."

"Y-Yeah; we can usually handle the cold, but we've never had anything this bad before," The other yak said while chattering his teeth from the bitter cold, both shivering.

"We'll help out Darmani here, okay, guys? We'll find out where that temple is and stop that monster." Rainbow pledged to them. They cheered as the heroic group left them to their business, saying out of their reach, "Hero, I feel guilty making these guys think you're their warrior, Darmani. I-It's probably best that we never tell them." Hero nodded his head in agreement. They made their way down as Hero jumped off and landed on the ground, making a few cracks in the earth below... he felt no pain whatsoever.

"Alrighty then, Mr. Showoff, let's not do anything too dangerous here; you're still getting used to being a Yak. Hey, are those steel plates on your back? They seem to have tribal designs embroidered onto the metal. Try to experiment with everything Darmani can do."

Rainbow wanted to see the fullest extent of this new form Hero had obtained. She then saw Hero curl up into a steel sphere and propel forward like a wheel as she watched in awe. "Hey! You come back here, buddy! Be careful where you're going in that... How can he even see where he's going in that? Well, let's not question it. Follow that sphere, guys!"

Fluttershy and Rainbow carried Pinkie as she cheered for their advancement toward the Yak Village. They decided to go to the smithy to use the hot spring water.

As they entered the cabin, they saw the shopkeeper, Zubora, sleeping on the couch. Pinkie took out the hot spring water and poured it all over the frozen hearth, melting the ice and making the hearth ready to use. Seeing this, the giant stallion was overjoyed and exclaimed, "Ugoh-ooooh!!! Ugoh! Ugo-a-go-go!"

"Gabora!" Suddenly, the irritated shopkeeper woke up and saw the thawed-out hearth. He grinned and said, "Uh? Oh! You've done me a great favor. Now, then... this hearth can finally go to work for me! Heh-heh-heh-heh... thanks!"

Rainbow pointed her hoof at him and said, "Right then, buddy. We helped you, and now you help us. You said that you can sharpen weapons and forge blades. We want you to look at Hero's sword here. Do you think you can do that?" Rainbow then gave the sword to Zubora, who inspected it, gasping in surprise.

"That is a Classical Equestrian Knight's Blade; you no longer find too many of these made. The edge is a bit dull, though... The hilt and the handle are of very decent craftsmanship. Did you make this?"

"We didn't. But the smithy at the Canterlot Castle did; Hero had that sword for a long time."

"I can tell; the blade has some wear marks. But we can sharpen it up, so there's no problem. It'll be a razor blade, more fortified with additional metal ingots to temper the blade. Because you got my business back up and running, I don't have much bargaining ground to make, so I'll do this for free to show my gratitude to you guys."

Fluttershy was grateful for Zubora's friendly attitude and said, "Well, that's nice of you to do."

"I'll have to hold on to your blade for the rest of tonight, and since it's approaching morning, all of that time too. It should be ready by nightfall tomorrow."

"Nightfall tomorrow?! Why? I mean, Hero needs that sword, you know."

"Well, what more can you expect for free, huh?"

"Hmph... fine. Just do what you have to do, okay? But no funny business."

"It'd be bad for my business if I ever did that. I'll be ready by then, trust me." Hero didn't have his blade, so he would have to rely on his yak strength until he got it back.

Hero curled up and rolled in his armored steel yak plating as they walked out of the cabin and ventured outside towards the Yak Village. He used his magic to shoot spikes out of it, which helped them to travel faster. The other three ponies followed close behind him as they sped towards their destination at the break of day.

Chapter ten: Dawn of the Second Day (II)

Dawn of the second day:
48 hours remaining

Hero and their friends have returned to the Yak Village to find the elder frozen in ice, just like Rarity. "Are they serious about walking out of their homes like this? We need to thaw this guy out and see if he has any information for us to continue onwards," Rainbow said.

Fluttershy reminded the group that they'll need more spring water. "Hey, remember that we used that spring water to melt on the ice on that hearth in Zubora's Cabin?"

The group agreed and left to return to the mountain to get more. Pinkie suggested, "What if we used some of this on Rarity? It's worth a shot."

Rainbow helped everyone by ascending the mountain to Darmani's cave. Pinkie scooped up some spring water and put it in her mane as they exited the cave. They returned to the cabin and past that to where Rarity was frozen.

Pinkie then hopped onto the ice mass and poured the spring water onto the part where Rarity's face was to melt it enough for her head to be freed. Everyone cheered in victory as Rarity screamed in shock and shivered on the ice.

"A-Aaahhnn... My body is frozen. It's so cold on this ice. This was done by a monster that charged through here, bringing harsh cold behind it," Rarity said as she was trapped in the solid mass of ice.

The ice quickly reformed, and Rarity screamed before her entire head was frozen in the ice as everyone gasped in sadness. Then, a dark-purple aura formed over the ice, and with a sadistic, child-like giggle, a transparent purple symbol of Majora's Mask etched into the mass of ice served as Rarity's prison. The monster that froze her had to be dealt with before she could be freed; it seemed that the monster responsible was not to be taken lightly.

"Rats! I was hoping that would work. I'm sorry, guys." Pinkie tilted her head down, pouting.

"Hey, you did your best, Pinks. We'll find that monster and beat his flanks good. Nopony or creature messes with my friends and gets away with it." Everyone cheered with Rainbow in agreement as they returned to the cave to fetch some more hot spring water.

As they returned to the village, they found the yak elder still frozen in the same spot. Pinkie poured hot water on the ice without wasting time, which melted away, freeing the elder. The old yak, who recognized Darmani, appeared surprised to see him accompanied by a group of ponies. He asked, "Who are all these ponies with you? Have you found a way to help us through the impossible? You are a glorious warrior even after the end."

Rainbow, who happened to be part of the group, looked at the elder with a hint of annoyance and asked, "Why did you leave the houses where it was safe?"

The elder replied, "I was hoping to make it to my hut, the main gathering hall in the center of our village, where my dearest grandson is. I knew it was a huge risk, but family means everything to yaks."

As he realized how long he had been frozen, the elder panicked and said, "Oh no... my dearest grandson, I can only imagine how scared he must be now."

Rainbow comforted him, saying, "Don't worry, we'll get you to a warm place. We'll go and check on your grandson for you."

The elder thanked her and said, "It's much appreciated. Oh, my poor grandson, Grandpa Elder is sorry."

Rainbow and her friends escorted the elder to the nearest house to keep him warm. They ensured he was comfortable before heading to the main gathering hall to check on the elder's grandson.

As the heroes entered the gathering hall, they were met with a shrill and annoying cry that echoed throughout the entire gallery. The other yaks present held their ears and tried to block out the piercing sound. "Wow, that's a loud baby. Where is it coming from?" Rainbow remarked.

Rainbow, Hero, Fluttershy, and Pinkie tried to cover their ears, but the crying was too much to bear. The yaks pointed towards the room of the Grand Elder and instructed the heroes to go there. The crying only got louder as they entered the room, and they saw a cute little yak baby with a severe set of lungs on him. "Please get him to stop crying. Our ears can't take much more of this," pleaded the yaks. "Darmani, do you have a solution?"

"We have to go talk to the chief again... I think he would know what we can do," said Rainbow, almost losing her mind with the noise. The group quickly left the gathering hall and went to where the chief awaited.

"So, he's crying, huh? Well, that hurts poor Yak Chief even more. But don't worry, I know of a ceremonial song that can calm even the mightiest of beasts into a peaceful slumber: the Yak's Lullaby." Hero pulled out his ocarina and found a set of ceremonial yak drums. "These drums will be perfect for a lullaby."

"Now, follow my lead, Darmani:"

Base, right, left; base, right, left, right, and base notes were played. Hero and the elder yak had conjured a beautiful, mysterious hazel magic swirling around the room. The music accompanying the magic was a sweet tribal melody that slowly lulled the ponies to sleep. Rainbow and her friends tried their best to stay awake, but the magic and melody were too powerful. They eventually drifted off to sleep, feeling peaceful and relaxed.

The elder was impressed with Hero's performance. He praised him, saying, "That was beautifully done, Darmani. It was just as good as you always did it. This can help to put my grandson to sleep peacefully and to put my fellow yaks at ease, of course."

Fluttershy was the first to wake up from her nap. She yawned and leaned against Pinkie's poofy mane. "That sounded nice, Darmani," she said, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

Rainbow also woke up and commented, "You could probably put a huge dragon to sleep with that song." On the other hand, Pinkie was too hyper to be put to sleep so easily. She hummed to the beat of the music, seemingly lost in her own world.

Despite the peaceful music, they still had to return to the room where the crying originated. Rainbow sighed and said, "Well, let's get this done for the elder." Everyone nodded in agreement. They knew they had to face whatever was causing the crying, but for now, they were content to enjoy the peaceful magic that Hero had created.

As the team entered the gathering hall, they heard the sound of shrill crying emanating from a corner. Without any hesitation, they quickly made their way towards the source of the sound. The crying Yak was there, tears streaming down his face as he bawled uncontrollably.

The group's skilled musician, Hero, quickly equipped his yak drums and played the Yak's Lullaby song. The beat of the drums created a swirling tide of whimsical hazel magic that flowed toward the crying Yak, soothing his tears. The Yak hummed and sang along with the beat of the music, creating a beautiful melody that filled the air and made everyone feel at peace.

As the Yak began to get drowsy, he said to Hero, "D-Darmani... is the best... I-I am... so tired... time for bedtime... I-I love... b-big bro." The Yak eventually fell asleep, and the team breathed a sigh of relief.

"Good work, Hero- I mean, Darmani. Now we can go to Snowhead and stop that monster," said Rainbow as the other Yaks cheered for the team and hopped joyfully as the ground lightly shook. However, they noticed that the baby Yak began to stir and quickly stopped to avoid waking the baby. The baby Yak sighed in bliss as he slept, and the other Yaks exhaled a breath of relief.

With their mission accomplished, the heroes left the gathering hall, passed through the Yak Village, and continued towards Snowhead.

They encountered a harrowing sight following the winding path up to the icy mountain spire. A yak's body with tribal tattoos was impaled on a sheet of icy spikes on the lower ground below, lifeless and frozen from the cold. Fluttershy suspected the body's identity and shed a tear as everyone nodded in agreement. "Oh dear... is that who I think it is?"

"Y-Yeah... that's Darmani, isn't it?" Rainbow was stunned at the revelation that it was Darmani's actual dead body, and all the other ponies and Hero silently sat for the fallen warrior. "I'm sorry, buddy. We know you tried your best."

"Majora has gone too far; we must do this for Darmani and Rarity." They vowed to make it right for him and Rarity and that Majora would not get away with this. "We'll make this right for you, man, I promise," Rainbow said after they paid their respects to the fallen warrior.

As they ventured further, a gale pushed them back, and Pinkie pointed out that it must have blown Darmani off the path. "Woah there?! This must have been that strong gale that he was talking about."

"Hey, Hero, if we can't see anything, try using that mirror you got," Rainbow asked Hero to use his mirror that helps see invisible things, and Hero looked through it to see a gigantic yak sitting atop the spire's peak, blowing a strong gale to push away anyone who tried to advance towards it. "What the—A gigantic yak?! You have gotta be kidding me right now. How come we were never informed about this?"

Fluttershy hugged Rainbow and Pinkie, and Hero pulled out his yak drums, recalling Rainbow's earlier suggestion. "I-If we don't do something soon, we'll join him down there," Fluttershy says as she tries to use her wings to comfort the team.

He played the Yak's Lullaby song, and the energy swirled and snaked its way over to the giant Yak, blowing bitter gales as the Yak nodded repeatedly. Tired but unharmed, the big yak fell off the path and into the trench below.

"Wow. When I said dragon, I didn't think you would take that seriously. Well, I guess we can keep moving forward into the temple," Rainbow declared as the team entered Snowhead Temple.

As they enter the temple, they see everything frozen, with monster tracks leading down a corridor. The place appears to be a temple dedicated to the worship of yaks. "Alright then, we're here at last, Hero. Let's do this!" Rainbow says as Hero nods. The group ventures further into the icy temple.

The main sanctum is an altar, further cementing their suspicions that this place is a temple of worship and reverence. "There are three paths leading to this main door. Alright, then, let's check them all, one by one," Rainbow suggested as they entered the first room.

The first path leads to a few icy monsters, dispatched by Hero's hooves as he stomps on them and crushes them into the ground. The team then enters the door that connects the first path to the main sanctum, finding themselves in a room that looks like a big dining room.

Everything is cloaked in ice, and the ground is somewhat slippery. They find a chest that holds the key to the next room and realize that the closer they get to the temple's core, the closer they get to save Rarity.

"So the first room wasn't that great, but at least we're closer now, right?" Fluttershy is helping to keep their morale up with Pinkie. The heroic group then reaches the second path and unlocks the door.

Inside the room is an empty and vast space, likely meant for the mass gathering of yaks after supper and worship for their dancing. The gates fall onto both doors, trapping the four heroes in the room. The fireplace at the center lights up with blue flames as a wizard rises from the embers to challenge them.

"Alright then, buddy, you're standing in our way; we'll just go through you to save our friend." The dark wizard chuckles at the group as he fires out dark-blue fireballs at them. "Hero! You have to find a way to hit that guy. Maybe fight fire with fire, I don't know. Just do something," Rainbow says as the hours tick away. Night falls on Termina while they fight the dark wizard.

Chapter eleven: Dawn of the Second Night (II)

Night of the second day:
36 hours remaining

As the dark wizard launched fireballs, the team dodged them. Hero curled up into a steel ball while the dark wizard fired a flaming blue beam at him. However, the beam bounced off Hero's steel plating and hit the wizard instead. "Awesome, you just gave him a taste of his medicine. Good thinking, Hero," Rainbow remarked.

The wizard became more desperate for victory and fired more fireballs, but they bounced off Hero's steel plating, dealing no damage. "Woo! We got him good now, guys," Pinkie cheered her group on.

The wizard then hopped from one bonfire to another, using them as ambush points to hit Hero and his friends in their blind spots. But the beam of focused blue fire bounced off Hero's steel plating again and hit the wizard, causing his pale blue flesh to melt off, revealing his skull with blue embers for eyes. "Eww... yucky. His face is all melty," Pinkie remarked.

"Oh dear, that be so painful for him; I'm sorry," said Fluttershy sympathetically upon seeing the enemy writhing in pain.

Rainbow reminded her, "He's our enemy, Fluttershy. We can't show him any mercy." Hero used his hooves to strike the ground, stunning the demon, and then delivered two well-aimed hind kicks to knock him into the wall. The dark wizard attempted to fire a beam of blue fire at Hero, but it only caused him to curl up into a sphere. As the beam hit him one last time, the wizard's body decayed and melted into the earth, leaving him to perish before their eyes and the gates to open.

A chest appeared before them, and Hero opened it to reveal a Hero's Bow with fire magic already tied to it. Rainbow cheered, "Aww, sweet! This'll make our job in here much easier, Hero." The four heroes celebrated their small victory and proceeded to the next room, where the wizard was guarding another key that would unlock the final path to the temple's central core.

After obtaining the second key, they opened the door to the third path and found themselves in a room that appeared to be a meditation room. The frozen incense candles that would otherwise create a peaceful lavender scent hinted at the room's purpose. The room had a fire puzzle that required Hero to light up the candles with his bow.

He took off his yak mask, felt relief as Darmani's sorrows were removed from his body, and then used his bow to shoot five fire arrows to light up the room. A chest appeared in the center, and Hero found the key to the deepest core of the temple inside.

"Alright then, let's go and confront this monster," Rainbow declared as they left the room and entered the main sanctum. All four stood facing the door where the monster was waiting, and with the key they had acquired, they unlocked the door and entered.

Hero noticed a roundabout loop around the spiral staircase leading to the main sanctum of the Snowhead Temple. To their right, there was a massive monster encased in ice. Hero used fire arrows to melt the ice and free the monster.

As the ice melted away, the mechanical terror was unleashed. The creature was covered in steel plating and had the evil eye of Majora on its back. It resembled a gigantic mechanical yak, but its face was uncharacteristicly centaurian. The creature charged towards the group, and Hero was knocked over as it ran past them. "Whoa! After that bull thing, guys!" Rainbow exclaimed.

Masked Mechanical Blight

𝔾𝕠𝕙𝕥

Rainbow turned to Hero as they both watched Goht racing away. "We have to catch up to him and slow him down. Even if you have to use your whole body to run him down, do it!"

Hero nodded, reattaching the Yak's mask to his face with a sickening crunch. He hiked his back up, growing bigger, and then screamed out from the transformation. In a flash, he became a Yak again.

Hero curled up in his steel plating and rolled after Goht. Using his magic, spikes shot out of Hero's body, and he moved like a motorized wheel after the monster, using the dunes on the ground to close some distance with Goht. Rainbow watched in awe as he chased the giant monster.

Hero's bigger, armored body collided with Goht's, forcing him into the wall. Sparks flew between their bodies, and the creature wailed in panic at being forced to crash and fall over on his side. "Oh, yeah! You're awesome, Hero, "Rainbow cheered as Goht flailed his mechanical limbs to get up.

Hero unfurled from his curled form and ran up to Goht's underbelly. He used his might to strike into it using his hooves to warp and bend the plating on the beast. The exterior plate fell off after Hero stamped onto it, and everyone saw Majora's yellow and evil eye glaring at them as the ponies reared their heads back in disgust.

Hero spun around to deliver a swift hind kick to the eye, causing the flailing Goht to cry out in pain. The beast then stood up as the eye shrank back into his stomach, and he charged again, this time firing out a ball of electricity to try to hit the heroic group chasing him down.

Hero curled up in his steel plating again and took chase of Goht as they circled the round core of the temple. Using another dune, Hero launched onto the beast, rolling up to smash into him as he roared from being hit. Running into him a second time caused their bodies to spark from the impact, and the mechanical beast, steel against steel, was creating a buzzing metallic noise as Goht tumbled over again, panicking as his limbs were flailing.

"Woo hoo, for Rarity and Darmani! Let's go get him, Hero!" Pinkie cheered as Hero toppled the beast.

Fluttershy whispered, "Yay!" as she cringed and covered her face with her forehooves. seeing Hero striking the evil eye again with his hooves, making it swell up like an infected cyst as the beast roared out of pain.

The machine exploded as the monster overheated, and Goht got up. The evil eye shrinking back into its stomach, he stood up and shook off his exterior plating from the beating of Hero's hooves. Once again, he charged but launched more electric balls of pure energy and dropped bombs from behind to keep as much distance as possible.

"Is he... pooping out bombs? Classy..." Rainbow furrowed her brows in frustration as Hero retook chase. Hero caught up to him, using a dune to strike him on his back to make him wail in pain. He then used another one to run at Goht's side to knock his balance over, causing the beast to panic more. Once the last strike was made, Hero toppled the beast again. Goht flailed his limbs and wailed from being knocked over.

Hero wasted no time striking the evil eye again as it swelled up; he delivered his final barrage of brutal yak stomps and kicks into the beast's weak point. This time, the eye popped and exploded out dark and evil magic, like inky, dark-purple blood, as the monster Goht was running away in fright of the end of its foul existence.

Its swaying movements were clumsy and weak as it crashed into the side of the wall, and a volley of boulders from the ceiling fell on top of its twitching body. It let out one last wail of agony before perishing into rusted scrap metal and rotting away. A mirage of Majora rose from Goht's remains.

"Hero, nice job, man." Rainbow hoof bumped Hero as the team was transported to a different plane. Their visions turned bright and brilliant white.

Four ponies stood atop a tall, ancient pillar of earth. They were astonished to see a second freed alicorn giant approaching them, chanting its gratitude for their bravery and kindness. "Hey, that's like the giant we met after we fought that first big meanie, Hero," said Pinkie as she recalled their fight with Odolwa.

Fluttershy noticed the thankful look in the giant's beady eyes. "Wow, he's so big but so peaceful," she remarked.

"This adventure is so wild and awesome, guys! I never thought I'd ever see anything like this in my life," exclaimed Rainbow, whose jaw hung in astonishment.

"He's trying to speak to us. Let's hear what he has to say," said Pinkie, waiting for the giant's words.

"Thank you.... travelers... release the last two of us... then call us," said the giant, bidding farewell as it walked away, chanting its song. The ponies' vision then vanished, and they found themselves back in Snowhead.

As they exited the temple's main sanctum, they found themselves witnessing a beautiful scene. The ice had melted, and spring had returned to the mountains. The trees were now abundant with fruit. "So cool, and now I have no problem with saying that," exclaimed Rainbow as she breathed in the warmer springtime air. They took off their coats, no longer needing them.

The team returned to Yak Village and entered the gathering hall, only to be met with an unexpected sight. The yaks glared furiously at Hero, preparing to charge into him immediately. The chief intervened and said, "Stop! No, he is not Darmani, but he did carry out his wishes. He saved our village and our people."

"He was the blessing that I have foretold," the chief continued. Hero then explained to them what he did. "So, he wanted to be brought back to life. This wasn't within your power to grant, so he asked for his soul to be healed instead?" Hero nodded, affirming that statement. "Always thinking of his people, even carrying all of the burdens that came with it—just as a proud warrior should."

"The least that could have been offered for Darmani was peace. So tell me, who are you?" Hero revealed his name. "Hero? A name that is much befitting of you, indeed. You were brave enough to have made it so far and successfully fulfilled Darmani's wishes."

The other yaks then cheered for Hero, knowing that he did what he did to save everyone and his friend. "You also had a personal friend to save, too? So, this wasn't something you could walk away from," the chief remarked. Hero shook his head sadly.

"You are more than welcome to return to our village. We would like you to attend his ceremonial burial, Hero." Hero nodded in excitement, happy to do so. "Excellent. Thank you for showing your respects to Darmani."

The yaks have gathered at the center of their village after recovering Darmani's body from a trench earlier. They have commenced with their ceremony. A small group of musician yaks stood ready with their ceremonial instruments, playing a tune that looked almost like ceremonial bagpipes but was different.

They all gathered around Darmani's body, including his younger brother, whom they had lulled to sleep with a lullaby earlier. He looks as if he is refusing to accept that his big brother is gone, but even he braces himself to be strong. They wept for the loss of their fearless warrior who sacrificed everything he had for his village.

Darmani paid the ultimate price but still managed to save the town from beyond his grave. Everyone had a moment to show respect as the chief approached Hero. "And you, Hero. You carry an unfathomable burden, one that no other can carry. You have the might of Darmani to help you in your battles ahead. It's how he always lived his life to protect us."

After burying Darmani's body, they covered it with a slab of chiseled obsidian that functioned as a lid. They also chiseled a statue of the heroic Darmani as his gravestone. On his epitaph, it read: "Here lies the mighty warrior Darmani the Third; valiant warrior, honorable yak, and savior of his people. May his journey to the afterlife be one of peace."

"We are proud to consider you one of us in deeds and bravery. May your travels be eased with the help of a yak's might. I can sense your journey will not be easy." Hero bowed in gratitude as he removed his mask, feeling Darmani's sorrows pulled from his body as he returned to normal.

The yaks collectively gasped in surprise as they saw what Hero looked like. The group then waved goodbye to the yaks as they saw a few searching the mountains for survivors and sending food to them. Hero and his friends checked on Rarity as the dawn of the final day broke for the heroes.

Chapter twelve: Dawn of the Final Day (II)

Dawn of the final day:
24 hours remaining

On the final day, the heroes departed the Yak Village and headed towards the Smithy in the mountains. "That's right, Rarity! Oh no, please be okay, please," Rainbow said, worried about Rarity, as they couldn't find her where she was frozen.

However, when they checked Zubora's Cabin again, they were surprised to see Gabora jumping for joy with a decorated barrel on his head and wearing fashionable and sturdy clothes suitable for his work. Zubora, with crossed forehooves, was facing away from Rarity while both were sitting on the couch, which was serving as Zubora's bed.

"Darlings! You freed me! I am so happy to be out of that awful ice prison. I shall assume that the heroism came from you, Hero?" Rarity jumped off the couch, hugged everyone, and cried joyfully. Everyone was overjoyed to be reunited with her.

"Hey, we helped Hero too, you know. We missed you, Rarity." Rainbow expressed her happiness at being reunited with Rarity. The group noticed that Hero's sword had been sharpened and was returned to him.

"Here's your razor blade, tougher than the original. But it'll revert to its original sharpness after at least one hundred swings, so be aware." Zubora warned Hero as he nodded, and they went their separate ways.

The team managed to escape and saw a couple of yaks helping another one climb onto a high plateau. The starving yak was greedily eating the fruit bread. Rarity then pointed to a sign and read it aloud, "Giant Yak's Big Powder Kegs Shop. Warning: You must be thoroughly trained on how to use them." Rainbow was amazed by it.

As the two friends returned to the Yak Village, Rainbow suddenly spotted a massive bomb. She immediately pointed it out to Hero, her eyes widening in excitement. "Hero! Look at that. It's a huge bomb!" she exclaimed. "It would be so awesome to have on our travels. Just imagine the power it holds!"

Hero looked in Rainbow's direction and saw the path that led to the bomb keg shop in the distance. He didn't share Rainbow's enthusiasm, knowing how dangerous it could be in the wrong hands. However, Rainbow was adamant about getting her hands on the powder keg, determined to add it to their arsenal. As they continued their journey, they went to the Yak Village to see the temple's trench and the giant Yak they had encountered earlier.

He has established a station where he crafts powder kegs near the temple. "Hey, that's the yak that tried to blow us off like... well, you know who."

"Oh, hello there. I don't know what happened initially; I went to investigate the temple, fell asleep, and then woke up during springtime—It's the strangest thing. Anyway, I only sell powder kegs to fellow yaks for excavation purposes. I'm sorry for the inconvenience."

"Well then, Rainbow. I suppose that is a shame, isn't it?" Rarity chuckled at her friend. She grinned back, "What's the grin for?"

"If Hero could become a yak, would he still be qualified to use powder kegs?" Rainbow asks as she looks up to the huge yak's eyes.

"Of course, he would. But I don't think that would be possible," retorts the massive yak as he had doubts.

"I think we may have something that could overturn that decision, right, Hero?" he said, nodding as he placed the yak's mask over his face and transformed. As he underwent the painful transformation, he screamed and soon became a yak.

Rarity was shocked, "H-Hero... how did you do that?"

The giant yak and Rarity were both astonished by the transformation. "W-What?! Darmani?! That's not possible. I saw him before I went to investigate the mountains. What happened to him?" The giant yak asked.

Hero explained the sad news to the giant yak, who began to shed tears, "Darmani and I have known each other since we were young. Was it... me? Did I kill my best friend? This makes me very sad," The massive yak tilts his head down in sadness, thinking the worst about himself.

Fluttershy comforted the giant yak, "It's okay. You didn't mean to. The influence of the awful Majora has been terrorizing the land. Come here, big guy." She hugged the wounded giant yak, who sighed blissfully, "You're not a bad guy. You're a sweetie," Fluttershy says in her tender and sweet tone.

The giant yak felt better and thanked Fluttershy, "T-Thanks, little butter pony," The giant yak continued, "Darmani wouldn't want to see me upset. He would want me to remain strong like he was." He then looked at Hero, "You resemble Darmani to a fault. This is incredible. So he lived on in spirit to protect his home even after his untimely demise. That's the Darmani I know and love."

Rainbow eagerly asked, "So, you will allow Hero to use a powder keg, right?"

The giant yak considered the request and replied, "I understand that you need it for a specific purpose—I will not ask any personal questions, but I have to ensure that Hero is trained well before he can handle such a dangerous object."

Rainbow nodded, grateful for the yak's concern for their safety. "That sounds reasonable. What kind of training do you have in mind?" she asked.

The yak explained that Hero would need to undergo a trial. "A boulder has blocked our raceways since that monster came charging through. This powder keg has enough power to destroy it. However, the wick that burns on the keg is not limited and will run out quickly—I'd give it at least two minutes after it's lit before it goes off, and you do not want to be around it when it does." This news made Rainbow gulp and the others gasp in shock.

Rainbow Dash studders briefly, "O-Okay, we don't have much time! Hero, pick up the keg and let's go deliver it to that boulder. We need to hurry, literally no time to lose!" As soon as Hero picked up the keg, it immediately lit up to signal its eventual destruction. The team had less than two minutes to deliver that keg as they rushed towards the Yak Village to see the pathway down to the raceway.

With less than a minute remaining, they ran as fast as they could towards the path that led to a huge boulder blocking a tunnel to their sports field. The team's hearts were pounding with adrenaline as they knew they had to complete the task before time ran out. In less than ten seconds, Hero dropped the keg, and the team ran away as fast as possible, hoping to make it to a safe distance before the explosion.

With a gigantic explosion that could rival even a magic blast from Celestia herself, the boulder was reduced to tiny pebbles and gravel. The team sighed in relief, but their excitement was palpable. Pinkie Pie, the ever-enthusiastic one, couldn't contain her excitement and exclaimed, "That's close, guys! We made it just in time!"

Rarity, the fashionista of the group, added her own flair to the conversation and said, "Yes, it was, darling. Oh, my goodness. That was quite exciting; if that doesn't get your blood pumping, I don't think anything will." The team was relieved and exhilarated at the same time.

After the work was done, Rainbow Dash asked the yak if they had done a good job. The yak nodded and said, "This work was satisfactory. I acknowledge that Hero yak is approved to use powder kegs. Thanks for helping us get that boulder out of the way; this first one is free. Also, you have fulfilled the wishes of a friend who meant everything to me." The team felt proud of themselves for completing the task successfully and for fulfilling the wishes of the yak's friend.

The team felt a sense of accomplishment as they left the Yak Village and passed by the Mountain Smithy, exiting the mountainous regions and entering Termina Field. "So, where do we go now?" They were interrupted by another rumbling that shook the earth, causing them to look up and see the moon gradually approaching, "Huh? Oh y-yeah, I totally forgot about that moon," Rainbow said as they saw it.

"Oh no, is that moon really getting closer to us?" Rarity asked worriedly, noticing the angry expression on its face as it hovered over the clock tower. "Just when you believed it could get any worse, this is the worst possible thing," Rarity says, frozen in fear; they searched for a way to go that they had not yet traveled when they noticed a pathway leading to the swamp on the right and to the ocean on the left. With no other options, they decided to check there to see if they could find one of their friends.

The group of five individuals walked down a pathway between the swamp and the ocean that was divided into two directions: the left had a stable and a raceway, and the right had a giant boulder. "Look, a giant boulder. Oh no, what a tragedy! It's not like we don't have anything to break it into tiny pieces," Rainbow said sarcastically.

"Yes, way to be subtle, Rainbow," Rarity scolded Rainbow for being too direct as they noticed a tough-looking stallion, who resembled Big Macintosh, trying to mine the boulder out of the way. They went towards him as he swung his tool at the huge rock.

"Some no-good varmint thought blocking the road to our Romani Ranch would be funny. I'm sorry; I'll remove it quickly," the stallion said.

As he kept swinging, Hero approached the boulder in his yak form and placed a powder keg on it. Big Macintosh looked at it, panicked, and ran away as fast as he could, "Christ?! I'm getting out of your way!"

The bomb destroyed the boulder, allowing the five heroes to proceed. "I-I could have cleared that boulder, but I guess that should be enough so long as it's done," Big Mac said as the group continued towards the farm to look for their friends.

The tremors intensified as they entered the fields of Romani Ranch. Near the entrance, they spotted a house and a steel cage. To their shock, they saw Applejack trapped inside the cage. "Applejack!?" the group exclaimed in unison.

"Howdy there, Sugarcubes. You finally made it over here. But as you can see, I'm trapped here for a crime I never even committed. This is plum ridiculous," Applejack sulked behind the bars.

Rainbow tried to pull the bars open with her might, while Applejack just gave her a "seriously?" look. "Don't bother with that, Rainbow," Then, Applejack looks up to see Hero, "B-But I'm sure a full-grown yak could smash these iron bars open." Applejack saw the tall yak warrior standing over the gate. Hero backed up and kicked the bars open, bending them like paper with his yak might. "Yeehaw! Freedom sure does feel mighty nice."

"Hey there! Those ponies are attempting a jailbreak! After them!" The heroic group heard that and made their way out of Romani Ranch as fast as possible. As they galloped towards the exit, they realized a group of guys was chasing them. Upon making it out, they saw Big Mac, who glared balefully at Applejack. "What is she doing out of her cage?!" he asked, blocking their way. "Do you know who you're trying to smuggle out of here? That's the infamous bandit leader, Applejack the Malicious."

"What in tarnation? I am not a criminal. I was just minding my own business and checking out this place after I woke up in the fields here, and these guys grabbed me. They locked me in that cage and then accused me of being a criminal."

"That's because you are one, you varmint!" replied Big Macintosh.

Rainbow raised her eyebrow and asked, "Where's the proof that she did anything you're claiming? Hmm?" hoping that it was a rhetorical question.

"A pretty stupid question, don't you think?" said Big Mac as he showed them the wanted poster of Applejack the Malicious on the side of the cliffs where they were standing. "We also have photos of her robbing Romani Ranch of all of our grains. Although... she never let us capture her before. But why should I care as long as she gets what she finally deserves."

"I can see you're not the bigger brother I have back in Equestria despite you both looking identical," said Applejack.

"Don't try to confuse me with your jargon, Applejack. I ain't listening to it," replied Big Mac.

"Hey, Hero. You'll be mad at me later, but we must get going," said Rainbow, challenging Hero's strength by flexing her forearms.

"Hero is that big guy?! How in Granny Smith's Apple Deluxe Pie did he manage to do that?" asked Applejack as the hours were ticking as they explored the mountains and the Romani Ranch. The night fell upon the final day of Termina.

Chapter thirteen: Dawn of the Final Night (II)

Night of the final day:
12 hours remaining

"How dare you use the name of the sweet matriarch of our farm! You have a lot of nerve to do that," Big Mac said, stepping forward as the earth began to tremble, causing everyone to lose their balance. "And what's with that rumbling? Land sakes!"

"So you haven't seen the gigantic chunk of the moon hurtling towards us yet? I'm guessing not, so look above you, towards Clock Town," Rainbow says as she gestures for Big Mac to look toward Clock Town.

"Sweet Mary momma marmalade! That thing is getting closer to us."

"Do it now, Hero; regret it later. This is an emergency. Give him both barrels!" Rainbow said to Hero who nodded as he knew he would regret this, but he had no choice.

"What? Wait just a minute here. Don't you even dare—" Hero reared his hooves and kicked Big Mac, sending him flying and screaming like a filly. Big Mac crashed into the wood and debris of the front gate to Romani Ranch, causing it to collapse onto him.

With a cacophony of wood clattering upon wood, the foundations of the gate fell onto the crimson stallion, leaving him dazed. "U-uhh... ugh.... d-did somepony get the number of that carriage that hit me?"

"Sorry about that, Big Macintosh. Ain't nothing personal." Applejack then left with the group to Termina Field, while the ponies in the ranch that were chasing them gave up and went to help Big Mac out of the fallen debris.

As they returned to Termina Field, Applejack asked, "So where are Twilight and Starlight?"

"Unfortunately, we don't know. We'll have to try to find them. If we cannot, we must return to the first day to begin again. Me, Hero, Rainbow, and Pinkie had to do that to buy more time to find you and Rarity, Applejack," Fluttershy explained to them. Applejack stood there, mouth agape and shocked at this turn of events.

"What is going on in this freaky world we're trapped in? That's what I want to know," Applejack asks the group.

"No idea, Applejack. This is all happening too fast, even for me. But we'll find our friends first before we find those last two giants and free them," Rainbow answers Applejack as they advance to Termina.

"I'm sorry, Rainbow, but giants?" Applejack inquires, her interest piqued.

"It's a long story. But according to them, they must all be freed before they can help us. That's what Celestia told us to do before she taught the Song of Time to Hero to reverse time back. I know it sounds ridiculous, Applejack," Rainbow tried to explain to her.

"I believe you, sugarcube," Applejack reassured her. "If we have to go back in time, then our top priority is to find Twilight and Starlight. We waste no time whatsoever." Everyone agreed and cheered with Applejack.

They reached the edge of a tall barrier that led to the ocean. They knew they didn't have enough time to explore it in the present, so they decided to search Termina's lands for clues on where to go in the future.

"There's also a canyon, but there doesn't seem to be any way to get there now. Ponyfeathers," Rainbow huffed with anger upon seeing the gate sealed up, blocking the valley of the canyon. They tried to cross the barrier to the ocean, but only those who could fly could make it across—Hero, Fluttershy, and Rainbow. The other three had to be carried. Fluttershy took Pinkie, and Rainbow caught Applejack, leaving Hero and Rarity.

"What about us? Did you forget that we don't have wings?" Rarity asked.

"That's alright. Hero can help with that," Rainbow replied.

"Are you serious, Rainbow?! He's—" Rarity looked towards Hero as he pulled out the changeling mask and put it on. It clamped onto his face with a sickening crunching sound as he hunched his back up, and his transformation began. He reached his face up as the face of a horrified changeling was carved into his facial joints. He screamed from the change, and in a flash, he was a changeling once more.

"He's a changeling now?! What have I been missing out on here? And that transformation looked to be nothing short of agony for him," rarity cringes as she witnessed his transformation.

Hero nodded as he grabbed her and tried to lift her, but changelings weren't exactly known for their brawn, so he struggled to raise her as she scoffed, "Really, Hero? You act as if I weigh a ton. I am not that heavy." Everyone else chuckled as they saw the display before them.

"Put your back into it, Hero. You'll lift her better, trust me." Applejack said as Hero did that, unfurling his insectoid wings to fly up and over the barrier.

Upon arriving at the beach, the group was greeted by the invigorating scent of saltwater. However, there was something else in the air, a faint smell of sulfur. They wondered if there was some sort of toxic mineral present in the water. Their attention was then drawn towards a house situated at the edge of the beach, which had a freshly buried grave next to it.

The shovel was still embedded in the sand, indicating that this burial had taken place recently. "Oh my, that is very unfortunate. I am sorry for whoever got buried here," Fluttershy said as she showed her respect by bowing to the grave and observing a moment of silence. The group then proceeded to enter the house.

"Oh? Visitors? I'm sorry to ask, but are you friends with the person I had to bury?" inquired the stallion as he saw Rainbow and the others. They all shook their heads.

The team was confused about their surroundings and asked the stallion who owned the place they were in. "This is Great Bay Coast. It used to be an excellent spot for swimming and fishing, but unfortunately, the water is now contaminated with mercury. Swimming in it will cause confusion," he replied.

Realizing the situation, Pinkie said, "Okay, got it. We should avoid swimming in the water." The group was disappointed that they couldn't do much here, and Pinkie was ready to leave. Suddenly, they felt tremors shaking the ground.

Applejack thanked the stallion and tipped her hat, saying, "We should head out of here. Please take care of yourself."

"Be careful out there," the stallion warned. "Something terrible is happening around here, and I'm already old, so I'm not afraid of the unknown." The team continued to explore and discovered that there wasn't much to do without swimming in the water. They decided to leave and head back to Termina, passing through the barrier and returning to Clock Town.

The team rushed into the town and found everyone in a state of panic. People were running about aimlessly, unsure of where to go or what to do. "This is terrible, guys. We need to calm down," said Rarity, but her words had no effect.

"Don't bother with that, Rarity. It won't work. We have to go back to the first day," said Rainbow as the moon was getting closer to Termina, and the ponies were running around, screaming and panicking. They knew the end was near, and many were coming to terms with their fate.

Despite their pleas, the situation seemed hopeless. But Hero had a plan. He took out his hive horns, still in the form of a changeling, and played the Song of Time to rewind time to the first day. A swirling vortex of white magic formed around him as Rainbow shouted, "Quick! Hug onto Hero, or else you'll be left behind!"

The ponies snuggled into Hero's body as they were transported away into an endless abyss of energy. It felt like they were falling into an infinite pit of white nothingness, but they were relieved to be together again. They were ready to do it all again, from the beginning. All events were reversed back to the first date as time twice lost.

Hero's eyes opened as he felt five mares hug him, and he was still blushing. They all let go of him as they returned to the clock tower. They looked around and saw the internal mechanisms of the tower hum and flow water at the wheel to build up its energy.

Flam appeared and greeted them, to which Applejack snapped, "What?! Flam?! You no-good varmint, what are you doing here?" But Flam only chuckled and explained that he was not the Flam she was thinking of. "What's so funny?" Applejack asks Flam.

"I'm afraid you have the wrong Flam, my friend. But this wouldn't be the first rather unpleasant greeting I've ever had, and it won't be the last. So, how was your trip, everyone?" Flam explains to Applejack, who is still skeptical.

"We were not able to retrieve Majora's Mask. We are still struggling to find a way to approach him and help Luna and Celestia. We are sorry," Rainbow said to Flam, who remained calm.

"It's alright. You have enough time to complete your mission efficiently. I have faith in you as the future of this world and its people rests in your hooves, Hero," Flam said, surprising Hero with his knowledge of his name. "Oh, don't give me that look. They mentioned your name in my presence, and I'm naturally a curious fellow who gathers information." Hero nodded as they discussed their plan of action.

Rainbow Dash said, "I have noticed that different things happen at different times here. At least that makes sense in this twisted world." Her friends listened intently, pondering what she meant.

Pinkie Pie then suggested, "So, Dashie, do we return to the ocean at Great Bay to see what's different?" She remembered that they had explored the area before, but it might be worth revisiting.

Rainbow Dash replied, "Yeah, Pinkie, I think it might be a good idea. We'll be able to do more there when we have more time to spare."

Fluttershy couldn't help but express her worry about Twilight and Starlight: "I hope Twilight and Starlight are okay, guys." She felt guilty for not being there for them sooner and shed a few tears.

Applejack tried to comfort her, "They'll be fine, Fluttershy. I promise you." Applejack embraced Fluttershy, and she hugged her tightly in appreciation of her support. "There, there. We'll find them."

Fluttershy regained her composure and said, "Okay. We'll beat this horrible Majora, and it's awful evil." The group cheered in agreement with Fluttershy. They decided that exploring the Great Bay Coast again would yield better results and hopefully lead them to Twilight and Starlight.

"Well, darlings, are we ready to go out again?" Rarity asks as they all draw a chorus of sharp breaths, preparing themselves for the next three-day cycle, hoping they will find their friends.

"Always remember that in this tower, time stays still if you need to rest to collect yourselves. If you need a small break, now would be a good time to do so," Flam reminded them.

Rarity, always fascinated by the peculiarities of their world, asked, "Are you sure about that? How peculiar. So, you're saying that time essentially doesn't exist here?"

Flam responded, "It does, believe it or not; it's frozen. If time didn't exist, neither would life, as both elements are two halves of the same coin; you can't have one without the other. From what I can see, you guys have made it quite far. I'm happy for you all. I hope you'll find the rest of your friends and stop Majora from causing more trouble."

"We shall be victorious. We rely too much on this, as our friends mean everything to us. I am sure you understand this, yes?" Rarity said with a staunch determination.

"Absolutely. I pray for your safe return. May your travels be fortuitous and abundant in your favor," Flam said, wishing them luck on their journey.

Chapter fourteen: Dawn of a First Day (III)

Dawn of the first day:
72 hours remaining

The team arrived at South Clock Town only to find that everything had been reset to the first day. "Well, guys, it's time to find our friends!" Rainbow declared as they began their quest again. Hero removed his changeling mask to revert to his normal self.

They noticed Pinkie's depressed counterpart and decided to at least say hello to her, but she balefully scowled at them and said, "Go away! I don't want to be bothered. Do you understand?" She made it clear that she was not interested in any small talk or conversation in general.

They then decided to head to North Clock Town to see the guard at the gate. "Halt! The northern oceans of The Great Bay lie just beyond this gate, and I cannot allow a kid like you to... a sword? My apologies, sir. It was wrong of me to treat you like a child. The seas have been reported to be harsh lately; be careful."

The guard tapped his spear on the ground to open the gate, and Hero and his friends went through it to reach Termina. As they explored Termina, they came across the barrier and flew over it to reach the shores of the Great Bay Coast.

Hero and his five friends arrived at the ocean again. They noticed a wounded hippogriff floating in the sea, surrounded by blood. "Oh dear, Hero. We need to get that hippogriff to the shore and help him," said Fluttershy. She quickly rushed out to save the hippogriff, and Hero followed to assist.

After Hero and Fluttershy brought the hippogriff to the shore, he stood up weakly on his trembling legs. They could see a deep and fresh wound on his abdomen, and he winced in pain. The hippogriff then took out his guitar and sang a song while explaining what had happened.

🎶 "One! Two!! Three!!!"

"Oh. Baby, baby, listen to me! The Carnival's beginning soon. We're the ones they're waiting to see."

"But that girl, my sweet Silverstream—Our vocalist sounds sweeter than silk or honey. But ever since she's lost her precious eggs, she never did sound the same."

"Woah-oh! In Great Bay now somethin' is a-happenin'. Is it now?"

"Oh. Baby, listen to me! I really don't want to beg. But alas, the Pirates of Amor have stolen her eggs."

"I went to stop them, then pow and bam, I got knocked down, and here I am."

"Baby, if I die like this—Even if I die, it won't be in peace, that's for sure."

"Someone, please rescue her eggs before the pirates take their toll. Oh, somebody, somebody, please heal my soul."

"That's all... Thank you!" He then finally collapsed from exhaustion and succumbed to his mortal wounds. He groaned from the pain of being stabbed and felt too weak from the loss of blood. Slowly, he closed his eyes, letting darkness claim him. "Please find a way to heal my wounded soul for me," he whispered.

Rainbow spoke up, her voice somber. "Try using that song that heals beaten and grieving souls, Hero. I think it's the best we can do for this guy."

Hero nodded and pulled out his ocarina. He played the Song of Healing, and the pink healing magic swelled around him before it reached the hippogriff lying down on the sandy shore. Suddenly, the hippogriff gasped, his mouth agape in shock, and his eyes shot open. A stray tear trickled down his cheek and into the sand, as he felt the healing magic take effect."

As Hero's eyes slowly closed, he felt his consciousness slipping away as the hapless hippogriff's eyes began to turn pitch-black, zooming into his eyes, revealing a pitch-black room. A spotlight illuminated the center stage and Hero could see Mikau and Silverstream walking hand in hand towards it. They looked like a happy couple as if they were about to perform something special for the crowd.

The rest of their bandmates were waiting on the stage, tuning their instruments and getting ready to play. The sound of the crowd cheering for their musical talents was deafening. Hero could feel the energy and excitement in the air. He watched as Mikau and Silverstream took their places on the stage, ready to start their performance. The lights dimmed and the bandmates and crowd vanished.

Silverstream and Mikau stood side by side, resembling two angels in the colorful display of aurora lights that surrounded them. They shared a tender kiss, but tears streamed down their faces, revealing the sadness they felt in their hearts. Their emotions were so intense that it felt as though their hearts were bleeding. A drop of their tears fell onto the floor, like raindrops onto a puddle.

After Mikau's vision faded, he found peace and closure as he passed on. All his negative emotions and hopes for his beloved were embodied in a wooden hippogriff mask that fell onto the sandy ground below.

His spirit appeared next to the team to speak to them, "I am Mikau, dudes. I trust you to help out my beloved—My final request is that you carve my song onto my grave. Unfortunately, I made a mistake and ended up biting the big one, but I'll leave my wishes to you. Just let Silv know that I'll always love her, okay? Peace out! Yeah!" Mikau's spirit vanished as he played his guitar. Hero took the time to create a memorial for the hippogriff.

"That's very nice of you, Hero. What you're doing for him is so thoughtful, romantic, and emotional," Rarity said as they watched Hero pick up the mask with his hooves. A tinge of fear could be seen in his eyes. "I'm so sorry for him, that poor dear. Are you sure you want to do this, Hero?" Rarity asked him with concern for his safety.

He nodded, understanding it was the only way to locate their last two companions and assist Mikau. He held the mask close to his face as it attached to him, merging with his skin and fur with a series of unpleasant crunches. Hero collapsed onto his back, screaming into the mask and becoming frightened by the transformation.

His heart was racing, and his body was aching. He noticed that feathers were growing along the edges of his fur, and his complexion now matched Mikau's. He felt wings sprouting from his back and a spiky plumage forming at his hooves. Additionally, his front feet had turned into claws.

Hero's physique changed as he grew taller and lighter, with toned muscles rather than bulky ones like a yak. The mask locked onto Hero's facial joints, causing him to scream in agony. His appearance instantly transformed into a mix between himself and Mikau, leaving the group shocked by the sudden change.

"That looked plum agonizing to go through," Applejack said. Then, she continued, "How are you feeling, sugarcube?"

Hero used his new claws to touch the beak on his mouth in amazement; he had seriously just turned into a hippogriff. The team noticed a necklace around his neck with a seashell as its pendant. The Hero nodded as the team relaxed a bit, "So, do you think you can swim better now? After all, hippogriffs are aquatic creatures," Rainbow asks Hero.

And Hero nodded, jumped up, and dove into the water. His body transformed as he flashed from his necklace, losing his beak and retaining the upper half of a pony. The claws and wings were gone, and sharp fins replaced the brilliant feathery plumage on his forearms. The lower half of his body was now a mermaid's tail.

"Woah. So hippogriffs can become sea ponies when exposed to deep water. I almost forgot about that. Nice, Hero." Rainbow examined him, "Let's see some of those underwater skills. I want to see how well you can swim."

"I remember when we became sea ponies before. It was so exciting," Fluttershy recalled with a smile. "It would be so cool to be one again." The Hero practiced his new body to get used to being a seapony and a hippogriff. He then spotted a steel house atop the waves of the sea and swam over to its dock. As he climbed up, his body began transforming into a hippogriff once his necklace flashed when he stepped inside the metal hut.

In the hut, there was a laboratory where a stallion researched creatures of Termina, specifically hippogriffs, as they interested him the most. As he saw a hippogriff, he greeted it and asked what he could do for it. He straightened his posture and adjusted his glasses. "Ah, a hippogriff joins me today; how lovely, so what can I do for—"

Hero then entered the lab and the stallion got a better look at him. "M-Mikau!! But you were mortally wounded, weren't you?" he exclaimed. Hero explained everything to him, and the stallion gasped, "Oh man... Poor Mikau. You realize that Novo must never find out about this, right?"

Hero was confused, so the stallion explained who Novo was: "Novo is the queen of Seaquestria in The Great Bay. You were right to have come here first. You are taking on his burdens as well as yours. This is very admirable, indeed—inspiring even," the stallion said.

Hero then asked if there was a way he could make his friends into sea ponies. The stallion replied, "Well, yes. But only Queen Novo can do that. That necklace makes you into a seapony, bonded to your soul like Mikau's, sorry."

Hero understood that this was beyond what could be done at present, so he left. But before he left, the stallion said, "Do you know what happens to Hippogriff eggs? Because they're naturally tied to the sea, they hatch from eggs. But at this rate, the water is too warm and filled with toxic mercury that it would be fatal for their children to grow and flourish."

The stallion then stroked his beard with his left hoof and said, "So I have here a tank filled with the purified water from the sea collected weeks before the water got tainted. You'll have to go to that fortress where the infamous Amor Pirates are. That's where Mikau tried to go before he met his demise. It's perilous there, especially alone."

Hero nodded as if to say he knew. "Man, you're a brave guy if not crazy. Those pirates will kill you if they find you. Don't do anything reckless. You got a lot at stake here." Hero then took his words and remembered them as he nodded respectfully and left.

As Hero swam back to shore, he saw all of his friends waiting for him. Rainbow was curious as to why Hero had gone into the strange house on the water without them. He then broke the bad news to them: "Those eggs that Mikau was talking about are literally with pirates!?" Rainbow asked in shock.

"Oh no, that's not good at all," Rarity murmured under her breath as Hero pointed towards their fortress.

"But you're going over there alone?! Are you out of your mind, Hero? We will accompany you. We all do this together as friends, and that's that!" Applejack was angry at the thought of Hero going alone.

Everyone agreed with Applejack, and Hero then offered to swim with them. He warned them not to ingest the water and that they should be careful. Fluttershy was wary of this since the swamp incident when she fell ill with poison. Hero reassured her that they were all together as friends and that everything would be different this time.

"OK, I will trust my friends. Let's go and save those poor babies. Then we'll continue our search for our friends," Fluttershy says as everyone swam towards the right of the Great Bay Coast, making sure to avoid any undersea mines that the pirates had planted to deter intruders. They soon reached a fortified cube-like fortress with a glowing pink heart on top.

"Okay, then, let's go and get this done." Rainbow and the rest of them were nervous. Hero summoned his courage and led his friends towards their mission.

Chapter fifteen: Dawn of the First Night (III)

Night of the first day:
60 hours remaining

The night quickly descended upon them as time passed faster than expected. They found themselves facing The Amor Fortress, a massive steel structure. After discovering a small opening near the gate, they entered and were surprised to find that the place was much larger on the inside. Dozens of female pirates were patrolling the grounds, all carrying spears and ready to attack at any moment.

"I guess there's no sex discrimination here, and we better be in and out fast!" Rainbow said. Everyone nodded in agreement. Hero then led them out of sight and into the lower basement of the fortress through an open tunnel on the far right.

As they descended into the fortress basements, they came across more pirates. Things got tense as they realized they were in danger of being spotted. Suddenly, they encountered a tank that held two hippogriff eggs and was guarded by two soldiers.

"What are we going to do now? We'll have to distract them somehow," Rainbow whispered to her friends. Pinkie saw a small rock and threw it over the tank and past the guards, where they couldn't see it.

"Nice job, Pinkie—now let's move while we still can," Rainbow whispered as the rock hit the wall and knocked over a jar, which shattered onto the ground. The two soldiers rushed over to investigate the noise. At this moment, Hero seized the opportunity and quickly grabbed both eggs before swimming out of the tank. He then inspected them and saw that they were pretty small. "Nice save, Hero," Rainbow cheered quietly as Hero retrieved the two hippogriff eggs.

He ran as quickly as he could to his friends. As they went out of sight of the two stationed guards, one of them saw the tank empty. "Hey! The tank is empty. Admiral Cadenza will not be happy with us," One guard said, nervously clasping her voice.

"Well, I don't want to take the fall for this. I'll owe you big if you cover up for me," The other guard said, trying to bargain with her comrade.

"What?! Not a chance! Our jobs were to ensure our bounty would be secured for transport," The former snapped at the latter as they both knew they would be in big trouble.

"Oh... you're right. We're in for it now! What're we going to do?" The two guards felt uneasy as they tried to think of a way out of this mess.

"Obviously, someone is stalking our fortress. If the eggs were in the tank and we have been guarding them since our shift's beginning, I suspect foul play is among us," they suspected that intruders were in the fortress now; this was not good for the heroic group.

"That means that jar hitting the ground was a distraction; keep your eyes on a swivel then, lest we face the admiral's ire." They both shuddered at the simple thought of that happening. Hero and his friends had slipped away as they continued to explore the basement corridors.

Rainbow whispered to her group, "Maybe we should start from the bottom and work our way to the top. This way, we can make progress faster." Hero nodded in agreement as they made their way to the center of the basements and down the left corridor. The group encountered more patrols than expected, indicating the area had high-value treasure.

Rainbow looks down to the bottom floor and says, "Smart bits say that's where we should go next, but how will we get there with double the patrols guarding the place? Those two guards we passed must have alerted the others," Rainbow said as they surveyed their surroundings.

"Looks like we have to find a different way," Applejack said in frustration. "Maybe we can try that door outside to find something useful. We need to get our hands on those next two hippogriff eggs."

Rainbow noticed the support beams hanging above the four pirates and had an idea. "Applejack, do you see that rope suspending the support beams? I wonder if we could do something about that."

Applejack smiled, "Rainbow, you're a genius when you want to be, you know that?"

"I'll try not to be offended by that, so let's get going, okay? If Hero can find a way into the pool where the two eggs are, try to think about all of your abilities, Hero," Rainbow said as Hero examined his arms and noticed the spiky plumage at his wrists. He got an idea, but he had to be in the water for it to work.

He slipped past the four pirates, watching the tank as their eyes drifted away for a split second. Hero's heart raced at the thrill of nearly being spotted. "Nice, Hero," Rainbow whispered to herself as she saw him in the water tank. Once he was deep enough, he felt himself turn into a seapony and saw his sharp fins. He devised a plan to knock out the pirates.

They needed to be all under the suspended beams to be knocked out. The moment was now, as Hero flicked his arms, and his fins snapped off and flew like a pair of boomerangs. They severed the rope and caused the beams to fall on top of all four pirates. They collectively screamed in shock and were knocked out cold as Hero grabbed the second two; that made four thus far.

"That was awesome, Hero. But let's get out of here before they wake up, or else we'll have bigger problems," Rainbow said as everyone agreed and high-tailed it out of there as fast as possible.

The team climbed the stairs to the upper floors, finding fewer guards. They managed to enter a room on the second floor, where they saw the third tank containing two hippogriff eggs. Suddenly, the gate sealed up behind them, trapping them in.

"Aha; I found you, intruders!" One of the pirate mares leaped from the ceiling and landed in front of Hero, saying, "Not so fast; you lot aren't going any farther. Hmm? Another Hippogriff? You look familiar. I thought I stabbed you while you were trying to reach for those eggs. It looks like I should have finished the job. Don't worry; I'll be sure to do that this time."

Applejack muttered under her breath, "Rotten scumbags. So you're the one who killed Mikau?! Then, we'll be sure to avenge him."

"I wish you luck with that. I'm one of the three lieutenants of this fortress. Unfair odds do not frighten me," said the pirate mare as she brandished her two sharpened scimitars in her magic and prepared for combat.

Rainbow noticed that the pirate mare preferred a defensive style with her blades. "Well, we're not gonna back down either," said Rainbow. She suggested that Hero should transform into a different form since he needed to be in the water to use his fins. Hero then removed the hippogriff mask from his face and transformed into a pony. He felt Mikau's sorrow and grief removed from his body.

"It doesn't matter what you transform into. The only way you all are leaving here is through body bags," The pirate lieutenant said as Hero put on his yak mask. He felt the transformation as he doubled over and raised his face to scream in pain from the conversion. He turned into his yak form quickly and became a defensive wall. "Come on, then. I'm waiting for you!"

The Hero then slammed his hooves down to create a tremor that shook the floor and offset the pirate's balance. Hero took this chance to knock her scimitars away by ramming his hooves into her with a swift punch. Her scimitars flew away from her and got stuck on the floor. Then Hero did a three-combo force that ended with a swift double-hind kick. She was wounded but still in the fight.

"Ggghhh... Not bad for a kid. But this fight isn't over, you know," she said. She jumped up to one of her scimitars with her magic and threw it towards Hero like a buzzsaw. The scimitar spun towards him, but he ducked into his steel backplate. It bounced off of him and clattered onto the ground.

"I'm gonna finish this varmint, Hero." Applejack then used her lasso from her stetson to pull out one of her blades and then hurl it towards her; it slashed her right cheek, and blood trailed down her face as she looked horrified.

"M-My face... my beautiful face?! Just for that, your deaths will be slow and painful." She then used her magic to pull the blade thrown by Applejack's lasso back at her as she readied herself to move on a dime.

Rarity used her magic to create a barrier around Applejack by hugging her; it wasn't firm, but it was strong enough to deflect her blade toss, "This fight has gone on for too long! Time to get serious!" The pirate then focused on her inner magic to lift both scimitars, glowing hot with fire magic, as she was not kidding around now.

"Uh oh... She looks really angry. What are we going to do now, guys?" Pinkie asked the team.

"Want a tip? I can help you with that; after all, I have two to spare." She charged toward Pinkie and Fluttershy with her blades. Hero intercepted her charge by pushing her out of the way so she'd fumble to the ground. Hero then used both his forehooves to stomp down onto the pirate as she screamed from the pain of feeling her body crushed under strong yak might. She weakly kneeled as she looked up at Hero, "g-go ahead then, do it. I lost. Take your revenge." Hero heavily considered it before he punched her in the face to knock her out as she collapsed.

Applejack was surprised when she saw that Hero had spared the life of someone who had wronged them. "You showed her mercy even after knowing what she did; you still spared her life," she told Hero. He then removed his mask, turned into his pony form, and jumped into the pool to retrieve the fifth and sixth eggs. Once he retrieved them, he put the hippogriff mask back on and transformed into a hippogriff. The transformation was painful, and Hero yelled out in agony.

Rainbow cheered her team on as they and Hero proceeded further down the second-floor corridor, searching for the last egg. "The last egg must be in the captain's quarters. We get that, and we're home free," she exclaimed. As they ascended higher into the fortress, they spotted the captain's quarters and realized that the captain might be expecting them, especially after the recent fight they had just had.

They decided to take an alternate way in and were relieved to find the last tank with one egg. However, their joy was short-lived when they saw Twilight Sparkle chained up in the Captain's Room. They collectively gasped as they saw her lying down, defeated but with a still-burning determination in her lavender eyes.

"So you're telling me I have the last one out of all seven eggs taken? I have the last one?! Who is in this fortress that's doing this? I'll personally see to it that I flay them alive myself," Cadenza said, enraged.

"Forgive us, Admiral Amor Cadenza. Will you be joining us in our search?" one of the lieutenants asked, referring to the two other lieutenants Hero hadn't yet knocked out while the third one stayed with the second.

"No, I will remain here where it's safe. If the intruders come in, I'll use this slave as leverage to gain an advantage," the Admiral replied, showing a despicable willingness to resort to a hostage situation to gain the upper hand in the invasion.

"But whoever is here will find me and set me free. You may think you're winning now, but you'll fail. You're a twisted and sad excuse of a version of the Cadence from where I come from," Twilight bravely retorted.

"Silence, you pitiful whelp. Or I'll be tempted to renovate with my blade to your face," Cadenza snapped at Twilight, who remained stoic.

"If you planned on doing that, it would have been done already. I'm too valuable as a bartering chip for you, and you know I'm right," Twilight said to her captor as the hours ticked by while the team was exploring the fortress, and the dawn of the second day was among them, and the moon would be getting closer.

Chapter sixteen: Dawn of the Second Day (III)

Dawn of the second day:
48 hours remaining

The group of heroes found themselves in a precarious situation. They had infiltrated the Amor Fortress to rescue the hippogriff eggs and search for their friends. However, a stroke of luck occurred when they noticed a hornet's nest hanging above Cadenza's throne. All they needed was a way to knock it down to clear the room and escape with the last egg and Twilight.

Hero, the group's leader, knew that his fins would attract too much attention, and thus, his plan would fail. In a moment of quick thinking, Pinkie Pie dug into her mane and pulled out a slingshot. Everyone at the party knew it was best not to ask questions about Pinkie's actions. She focused her shot with a rock from her poofy mane and said, "I'm gonna shoot the hive down, Pinkie Pie style."

With a snap, the rock smashed the hive, and it loosened from its support onto the ceiling. "I swear that it's so difficult to find competent help these days—" Cadenza's tirade was rudely silenced as the hive fell into Cadenza's lap, catching her by colossal surprise, "—U-Uhhh... Oh no." Her complexion paled from fear as the nest disturbed, and dozens of beady, rage-fueled eyes stared back at her.

"Kkyyiiaaahhh?! No! Don't sting me!" Cadenza threw the hive behind her and shrieked, and she bolted up from her throne and hastily made her way out as the angry swarm chased her out of her quarters. In haste, she dropped the key that went to Twilight's shackles.

Applejack kicked open the wide-gated vent connecting to that room as she shouted, "Yeehaw! The cavalry has arrived!" The party then entered the room to greet Twilight.

"Girls! Hero! I'm so glad to see you guys. Where's Starlight? Please tell me she's okay?" Twilight looked concerned. Rainbow then spoke to Twilight while undoing her bindings.

"We don't know, Twilight. We found you by chance. Believe it or not, we were here for another reason."

"Those Hippogriff eggs?" Twilight asked as if she already knew.

"Yeah. How'd you know?" Rainbow asks, knowing her, and she has an idea as to how.

"They wouldn't shut up about it; they were adamant about selling them, just deplorable." Twilight visibly shook with rage, "Hippogriff eggs are susceptible to drastic temperature changes. We need to grab that last one and leave this place." She looked at the hippogriff standing before her and gawked, "H-Hero? Is that you? What happened to you?"

Hero explained that he had multiple masks of dead creatures he healed for them to pass on. "Oh my... that means that... this form that you have is... an actual dead hippogriff?!" Hero solemnly nodded at this conclusion.

"I know, right? This world is nuts, Twilight. He can now be a changeling, a yak, and a hippogriff," Rainbow said to Twilight almost excitedly.

"Rainbow, as curious as I am about this for research purposes, we have no time to waste here. We need to get these eggs back safely." Everyone hailed their agreement as they left the captain's quarters with all seven hippogriff eggs. When they exited, they saw the captain, Amor Cadenza, up onto a ledge of the balcony of her quarters, trying to shoo away the angry hornets that were trying to assail her as she glared at them.

"Go away. Leave this place. You've made your point! Just take the eggs and her and go!"

"I can't stand to look at this poor excuse of Princess Cadence any longer, guys. I hope she gets what she deserves." Twilight was oddly cold about this, but seeing how lousy this version of Cadence was, she immediately knew that this wasn't the one she knew and fondly remembered. As they made their way out, the other pirates were more interested in helping their captain rather than chasing the group of heroes as they successfully fled the Amor Fortress.

They all swam to the Ocean laboratory that Hero had instructed them to visit near the water of the Great Bay Coast. Hero entered the laboratory to meet a lab pony there. As they all entered, he saw all seven eggs and was surprised to see Hero unscathed. He exclaimed, "How did you manage to do this? Never mind that. Here's the tank of purified water. Put the eggs in it, now!" Hero followed the instructions, and as soon as they all sank into the water, cracks appeared on each egg. "Woah?! They're hatching! Witnessing the birth of new life is always a delight," The lab pony exclaimed in awe.

The baby sea ponies burst forth from their shells like tiny balls of exploding light. Twilight couldn't help but gawk at them, "Aww... they're so cute and sweet-looking. The marvels of life. They're forming into rows. Their bodies are posed like... musical notes... but why?" Twilight was pondering over this until Rainbow spoke up.

"Hero, get your instrument ready. I think they're trying to deliver a message. They want you to copy their positions from left to right." Hero took out his ocarina, which was in the shape of Mikau's instrument, a seashell-encased guitar. "Oooh... nice." all the baby seaponies reacted positively as they spun around in the weightless water in approval.

They were left, high, left, right, bottom, left, and right positions as Hero played the New Wave Bossa Nova Song. A calming, refreshing, blue magic aura surrounded Hero's body. Everyone present felt the stimulating effects of this magical energy. The whole team felt their burdens ease and their bodies relax while their motivation soared. When Hero finished his song, the hippogriff babies appeared more at ease. They all looked towards him, possibly mistaking him for their father, Mikau.

"That song was simply beautiful, darling. My body and mind both feel so relaxed," Rarity expressed her content with a long sigh of approval.

"Yeah, Rarity. I feel better and ready to take on the world right now." Pinkie was hopping about the room with glee.

The team then saw the laboratory owner with his head tilted down and him trying to wipe away his tears with his hooves, "That song was the very one that Silverstream's mother would sing to her to calm her down if she was distressed. Her children must have formed this song because they sensed that she was in turmoil now; Mikau told me that she was silent in a deep depression before he left to fight those pirates."

"Oh dear, that's so sad. My goodness." Rarity then tilted her head down in a moment of somber composure.

"That's just awful. She's both the lead singer of their band and a mother who's lost her husband-to-be and her children to pirates. I can't imagine what she's going through. We must help her, see what we can do for their kingdom." Twilight was firm as their decision was made; their quest was to head to the undersea kingdom of Seaquestria in Great Bay.

They all said their goodbyes to the owner as they left the ocean laboratory.

"Okay, everypony. I have studied hippogriff magic, so I can use a spell to make us all into sea ponies, except for Hero. Since he's already a hippogriff, that wouldn't be necessary."

"Ohh... so we're all going to be sea ponies again? Oh boy!" Pinkie was hopping around in excitement.

"There's only a small problem with that, Pinkie; we can be sea ponies, not hippogriffs. So, we'd need to stay in the water during our time transformed," Twilight informed Pinkie who in turn nodded.

"Couldn't we resurface as ourselves and be sea ponies when we're in water like the hippogriffs do?"

"Well, I'll see if I can weave that into my magic, Rainbow. But I cannot promise anything."

"Sure. I'll take my chances if it's from you, Twilight, 'cause I trust you."

"Thanks, Rainbow," Twilight truly appreciated the unwavering trust her friends had in her for her to use her magic on them.

"Yup. No problem, Twilight."

Twilight then created her spell by weaving together transparent runes with her horn and drawing the necessary components for the seapony hybrid spell. There was a cascade of flashes before the colorful light show faded away as the ponies looked at themselves to see that they were all sea ponies. They swam with jubilation at the free feeling of exploring the watery depths of the Great Bay as they made their way toward the rest of the other sea ponies and followed them to their kingdom.

"Be careful; this water is highly contaminated by mercury while we're in here, so stick close and do not get lost in that underwater fog; follow the signs; those should lead us to Seaquesrtia," Twilight said. Once they swam to the underwater entrance, doing their best to remain together through the dense water, they went through a cave-like tunnel into their kingdom. As they surfaced, they saw an underwater kingdom with parts not submerged in water. Hippogriffs and sea ponies alike enjoyed each other's presence here.

"Fascinating. It's like an undersea temple and cave system here. It's so beautiful here." Twilight and the rest of her friends, plus Hero, were taking in the sights of this place as they made it to the land part of their kingdom, and all the ponies reverted to their standard forms as they advanced down the main corridor.

In this central atrium was a risen throne that took the form of an open oyster with a magnificent regal hippogriff sitting on it. She immediately noticed the group, her eyes narrowing at Hero suspiciously as if she knew something wasn't right by looking at him. "Mikau? Have you returned? You seem different to me for some reason. My dearest daughter needs you to comfort her right now. I'm sure you still remember what makes her very happy. Especially now since she's never spoken to us, not even me."

"He does. Queen Novo, right? I'm Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship."

"I did not ask for you to speak for Mikau as I know he can talk perfectly to me as he had before. Now, Mikau, I trust you know what to do, so I'll leave you to it."

Hero nodded and proceeded to the rear of the atrium, towards the back tunnel outside of Seaquestria. As they all looked on, they saw her standing there, gazing out at the endless ocean. She was silent and unable to speak. She turned to look at Hero, surprised, but remained silent as her eyes drifted back to the sea.

"Say, M-Mikau... Try that song from the lab we were in earlier," Twilight whispered to Hero. He nodded and took out his guitar to play. She noticed Mikau's seashell guitar and then looked back out to the ocean. Hero played the New Wave Bossa Nova Song as blue waves of revitalizing energy swirled around his body and then around Silverstream's throat as she began to sing along with Hero's music midway through the song. Her voice was smooth, gentle, and serene, like an angel's. She finally began to feel like herself again and seemed less depressed.

"M-Mikau? What's happening? Did you get my babies back for me?" Hero nodded in affirmation, to her immediate relief. "Oh, thank goodness. My precious babies are safe." Suddenly, a massive tremor shook the area as a huge island surfaced under the waves. It turned out to be an ancient shell with a head peeking out. It was an old tortoise. This giant tortoise also had two palm trees that grew on his back as he spoke to them in a gravelly and ancient tone.

"Oohh... awake so soon? Why, hello there, everyone. I have been asleep for seven hundred years since that wonderful melody last awoke me."

"Who are you?" Twilight asked, looking up at the tortoise spirit with curious eyes.

"I am the Great Protector and Guide of the Seas. My job is to keep the oceans safe for everyone. Unfortunately, I sense a great evil in the Great Bay Temple. This is terrible for our survival, and the worst part is that it is committed by evil magic that I cannot dispel by myself."

"We will help you out. This will help the hippogriffs survive. Are you ready, Hero?" Hero nodded, and Twilight and the rest of the group cheered, ready to advance to the temple to fix this mess.

"That's excellent news. Hop onto my back, and I'll safely guide you to the temple and back again."

Chapter seventeen: Dawn of the Second Night (III)

Night of the second day:
36 hours remaining

It was a dark night, and Hero's team had been fighting off pirates for several hours, defending themselves against their attacks and using all their skills to outmaneuver them. Despite their best efforts, they managed to rescue seven precious hippogriff eggs that the pirates had stolen, and the grateful creatures hailed Hero and his friends as heroes.

But that was just the beginning of their trek through the seas. As they sailed towards the Great Bay Temple on top of the tortoise, they were suddenly enveloped by a swirling tornado that seemed to come out of nowhere. The fierce and chaotic winds threatened to tear any ship apart and throw hapless fools into the sea.

Thankfully, they had an experienced guide to help them navigate the storm. An ancient tortoise who had lived in these waters for centuries came to their aid, guiding them through the treacherous winds and currents with ease. As they approached the temple, they could see the tornado swirling around it, like a guardian protecting its secrets.

But they were not deterred; their mission was very important, and they were determined to reach their destination no matter what. However, the Amor Pirates were not giving up that easily, "You've got to be kidding me, them again?!" Rainbow said as she saw those Amor Pirates.

They tried to storm the temple in search of riches. Unfortunately for them, the tornado caught them and threw them far away from their boat and the temple. As they screamed in terror while being hurled away, Rainbow couldn't help but chuckle and make a joke at their expense. "Haha, nice try, guys! Have a nice flight!"

"We're here now! I wish you guys luck in purging whatever is in here. Please be safe, as I can sense great danger here," the tortoise spirit warned as they docked. They entered the aquatic temple and discovered a massive mechanical cistern with huge moving parts that filtered and measured water.

"This place must be a water purification plant. That's why the water here is tainted. We're definitely in the right spot, then," Twilight reasoned. They saw three different tunnels submerged and decided to explore them while the spell Twilight created protected them until the next day.

They all dove into the water and transformed into sea ponies as they explored the temple's submerged mechanical labyrinth together. They reached the first tunnel and found a room with flowing water and a high ledge they couldn't reach. Applejack searched the room and found a key hidden in a chamber. They unlocked the door and discovered a new area to explore.

In the second submerged tunnel, they found a pump room that possibly had the essential parts that kept the plant alive. Hero opened a chest and found ice arrows for his bow set. They continued exploring until they reached the first room again. Hero used the ice arrows on the stream of water to activate the platforms and elevate them to function as a set of stairs.

As they entered the room with a high ceiling, they saw an open space lined with large wall pipes. Another Gecco creature was standing at the center of the room. When he saw the group, he danced in place and summoned giant blobs of slime-like bubbles from the ceiling. The blobs plopped onto the ground around the Gecco, and he chuckled as if to taunt them.

"Eww eww eww, large blobs of smooze?! Seriously?" Rarity exclaimed in shock and disgust as the group prepared for a fight.

"Be careful, everyone. This creature is up to no good. Pay attention to his behavior, Hero. Then try to get close to him," said Twilight.

Hero nodded in agreement and watched the Gecco run off to the corner to lift his smooze blobs to use as projectiles. Hero swiftly dodged the clumps as they bounced across the room towards the other ponies, who dove out of the way.

After a few slashes, the Gecco yelped in pain before jumping onto the ceiling. At the same time, all the other smooze blobs gathered together into a king-sized smooze with the wily Gecco inside. The other ponies looked up in shock and were ready to dodge when necessary.

The blob descended from the ceiling and landed on the ground, capturing Fluttershy, Pinkie, and Rarity in the process. They screamed in protest as they were consumed by the blob and held captive, unable to move within the sticky slime. Rarity was particularly distraught as she struggled and cried due to the state of her mane.

"Hero, let's surround the blob but keep our distance. Its reach is quite extensive," Twilight advised the party.

Applejack, visibly agitated, confronted the giggling gecko. "You better let our friends go, you slimy varmint!"

The blob splashed onto the floor, pulling in more victims as it sprang to the ceiling, trapping Rainbow, Applejack, and Twilight. Hero was able to dodge its attack and came up with an idea. He removed his hippogriff mask, allowing Mikau's sorrows to flow through him and transform him into a unicorn.

He used his magic to aim his bow and shot the blob with ice arrows, but not before receiving a disapproving look from Rarity that spoke volumes of "Don't you even dare." However, his plan worked, and the blob froze onto the ceiling, along with his trapped friends.

His friends were released and huddled together as the blob fell and shattered into smaller pieces. Hero rushed towards the gecko, finishing it with a few slashes before it fell to the ground, defeated and lifeless.

"Hero, this stays between us. Do you understand? Nobody should ever speak of this to me or anyone else," Rarity said as she tried to clean the slime from her hair. She was struggling to do so, making her groan in disgust. However, Hero found it amusing and chuckled to himself. Rarity noticed this and lightened up, "I can't be angry with you, Hero. You were the one who saved me with the help of my friends."

Hero nodded in agreement as a chest suddenly appeared in the center of the room. He approached it and opened it. As they were leaving the room, Hero found a key to the deepest parts of the water plant. He returned to the central cistern to unlock and enter the last door.

Hero put on his hippogriff mask, a magical artifact that allowed him to breathe underwater, and transformed his body into that of a hippogriff and then a sea pony. Despite the pain caused by the transformation, he pushed through and continued swimming alongside his companions.

As they swam, they noticed a network of colored pipes that supplied different parts of the plant, indicating that they were on the right track. Following the pipes, they arrived at a large locked door sealed with several mechanical locks. Twilight, being the perceptive one, sensed something suspicious about the door and suggested they unlock it all at once. Each of them went to one of the four locks and unlocked the door together.

Upon entering the room, Twilight warned her friends about the possibility of a monster lurking in the depths. In response, she asked them to secure the entrance while she and Hero investigated the area. Together, they dove deeper into the abyss, landing on a platform using their wings to break the fall.

They found themselves in a vast chamber where the water was bubbling abnormally. It was then that they saw a gigantic piranha-like monster with Majora's yellow eye in its mouth glaring at them. The monster was poised to attack, and they prepared themselves for the battle to come.

Masked Gargantuan Piranha

𝔾𝕪𝕠𝕣𝕘

"Holy moly! That is a big fish, Hero. No playing around with this monster. We have to try to hit it when its mouth is opened. That eye looks very vulnerable to damage," Twilight said, mentally timing its advances until she saw it leaping up from the water. "Now, Hero! Its mouth is opened."

Hero took off his mask to revert to normal and switched his arrows to ice arrows for that extra punch to his attack. He landed a perfect shot right into Gyorg's mouth, hitting the eye as the beast wailed in pain. "Nice shot, Hero." Gyorg splashed into the water and desperately tried to thaw its eye out as the ice made it feel even more pain.

Enraged at the fact that its weakness was exploited, Gyorg began to ram at the platform to make it sink. Hero put his hippogriff mask back on to transform into his aquatic form, and both ponies turned into their sea pony forms so they could swim and keep up with Gyorg.

Submerged mines with spikes rose from the ground but were chained to keep them in place as Gyorg roared and released a colony of small undead piranhas to harass them. Twilight hugged Hero's back to stay with him as he used his fins and magic to easily cut through the bony piranhas. He then waited for the monster to inhale to try to eat them. "Hero, try giving this glutton a taste of his own medicine."

Hero nodded as he cut the chains off of one of the mines. It got pulled into Gyorg's mouth and exploded, causing the yellow eye to inflate like a balloon as Gyorg writhed in pain. Hero then used his razor-sharp fins to slice and cut at the yellow eye, making the monster wail and desperate to move away from the two ponies assaulting its weak point. "He's still got some fight left in him, Hero. Let's finish this!"

The beast then escaped, changing positions to try to evade the duo working together. Twilight was onto its strategy. Hero used his fins to cut through more swarms of undead piranhas as the beast foolishly believed its last attempt would be more successful. This time, Hero severed the chain next to the nearest mine, which got pulled into Gyorg's mouth and exploded, causing the yellow eye to inflate again. Hero moved in for the final slashes to end its existence.

Hero's razor fins sliced through that yellow eye with great power and precision as it popped, and black ooze-like blood gushed out. Gyorg wailed in pain, feeling its body shrinking and shriveling in size as it flopped onto the water, which was being lowered back to the ground. Gyorg was rendered to that of a tiny piranha that shook with fright as Hero stepped on it to finish it off as a mirage of Majora rose. His evil magic was fading from its body. "Nice work, Hero!"

Hearing their victory, the other friends headed over to meet with them. They all hugged into a big group, proud of their teamwork. Then, a white flashing light obscured their vision, and everyone there was transported into a cosmic void.

They found themselves standing on a solitary island-like pillar that seemed to be surrounded by an endless void of brilliant white. The atmosphere felt serene and peaceful. Suddenly, a giant alicorn-like creature appeared before them with great delight and gratitude in its beady eyes. Everyone was amazed as the creature started chanting to them. Twilight was in shock, "Woah... this is an incredible sight. Just breathtaking."

Rarity noticed the creature's grateful and peaceful demeanor, "My goodness. He looks so grateful and at peace."

Applejack spoke up, "I reckon we're getting closer to our victory now, yeehaw!" The giant continued to chant to them as if communicating with them.

"Thank you... travelers... forgive... your... friend... she understands not what she is doing... her will usurped by overwhelming destruction." The giant continued, "Do not forget what we have taught you... free the last one... then call us."

The giant was chanting as a way to express gratitude. The vision ended, and the group of ponies found themselves transported to the entrance where the giant tortoise was. As time passed, it became the dawn of the final day, and the spell that turned them into sea ponies would soon wear off. "I can sense that the evil has been purged. You are special ponies, indeed. Incredible! Hop onto my back, and I shall return you to where you found me."

Chapter eighteen: Dawn of the Final Day (III)

Dawn of the final day:
24 hours remaining

After a perilous journey through The Great Bay Temple, they finally made it back to the rocky island on the surface of Seaquestria, where they were greeted by Silverstream. She mistook Hero for Mikau. Everyone climbed off the tortoise's back and onto the land. The first thing they noticed was the absence of toxic minerals and murkiness in the water. The ocean was once again clear and pure, and the dark clouds had disappeared, replaced by clear blue skies.

Silverstream was overjoyed at Mikau's success, cheering him and his new friends on. "You did it, Mikau! I can't believe you actually did it. Well, actually, I can because you're awesome." Everyone was in high spirits, and they prepared to re-enter the undersea kingdom to return to Novo with bittersweet news.

However, the tremors returned, shaking the land of Termina once more. Despite this, they pressed on, venturing into the kingdom. Along the way, Silverstream hugged Mikau's left arm, nuzzling him affectionately. "Are these new friends you've made in your travels, Mikau? Hi guys."

Silverstream waved happily to them, admiring Mikau's different mane color, "Did you dye your mane at the bottom? It's kind of nice, strange, but nice," Silverstream said as Hero nervously rubbed the back of his head with his right forearm, knowing that this would be difficult to explain. Despite the awkwardness, they continued on, making their way into the main throne chambers with heavy hearts.

Once they were back inside, the group walked straight toward the gigantic oyster where Queen Novo was seated. She saw their return and exclaimed with delight, "Mikau, I knew I could count on you. Excellent job. But now... you can remove your mask."

"What are you talking about, Mother? Isn't that Mikau?"

"No, my daughter, he is... and he isn't. Remove your mask now!" she ordered with great authority, as the other hippogriffs and seaponies gathered around.

"Well, there's no point in hiding anymore, Hero. She knows who you are, but not what happened." Twilight sighed with sadness as Hero removed his mask and felt Mikau's sorrows being lifted from him. Once he was a unicorn again, everyone gasped in shock.

"M-Mikau? Where is Mikau? Where is my beloved?" Tears welled up in her eyes as she hugged her mother. Hero explained what had happened. "He's d-dead? N-No..." She broke down in tears and snuggled into Novo's side as she tried to console her daughter. Hero then went on to explain Mikau's wishes and why he had come.

"They what?! Those damnable Amor Pirates have killed Mikau and stolen my daughter's eggs?! This is unacceptable. Amor Cadenza has transgressed against us for the last time." Novo's eyes blazed with fury and she vowed to seek justice. "You also say that you have saved her eggs? Where are they, then? In the ocean laboratory? You better be telling me the truth."

"He is Your Highness. I was also held captive by them, but Hero and the other guys saved me. I am a friend of theirs." Twilight spoke up, and Novo's eyes softened slightly at hearing this.

"I will make them regret this foolish decision. But first things first, Silverstream?" Novo turned to her daughter, who had been crying incessantly. "You still have your children to care for, but I will do my best to help you."

"T-Thank you, Mother..." Silverstream was still hiccuping from crying. Novo then hummed her song to her to soothe her. Her humming matched the notes of the New Wave Bossa Nova precisely on the dot. Everyone in the room, including Silverstream, was calming down. Once she had finished her song, Silverstream fell asleep on her side.

"There seems to be more to you than just appearances. What is your name?" Hero told her who he was. "Hero... courageous, poignant, and resolute. I've seen that you are a hero, befitting your name."

Hero explained what Mikau had told him. "So he tried to rescue her eggs but got stabbed by one of the Amor Lieutenants and then died. But before that, you used a special song, The Song of Healing, to heal his sorrows and burdens to ease him into the afterlife?"

He nodded as Novo looked at him sternly but with concern. It seemed she knew all about this song and what it was designed to do. "Do you have any idea what you've done?" Hero also nodded. "You are prepared to endure this even further, to the very end?"

Hero nodded again, affirming his unshaken will. "Hmm... this will not be an easy quest for you. Those who take on the sorrows and burdens of others are often forever condemned to never finding peace in their lives. It's an arduous path, not for the faint of heart." Hero felt melancholy at this revelation. He did not precisely know this, but he felt as if he would eventually have figured it out.

"But you... you're determined to do whatever is right, no matter what, at any cost, even if it means you might have to sacrifice everything you have?"

Hero braced himself with a tempered will and nodded as Novo looked deeply at him before speaking, "Commendable for such a young boy to take on such a difficult task. You have a very pure and courageous soul who will endure much. Be prepared for that in your future." Hero bowed before Novo in respect and gratitude at her understanding of his plight.

"Yeah. Hero is just awesome like that. He's taken on many threats and monsters, saving all of Equestria from the King of Evil, Sombra, and even going out of his way to save others, even if they had nothing to do with him. That's why we love him." Rainbow said as she hugged him at his side, which made him blush lightly.

Everyone in his group cheered in agreement as Novo still sought out the retribution of those Amor Pirates. Hero then waited to see if there was anything else he could do for Novo.

"My dearest daughter is sleeping now, but you can return if necessary. Mikau chose you for a reason, so I am honor-bound to accept that he chose you as a catalyst for his strength. Remember to use the form of a hippogriff well and with good intentions."

"May you find solace and peace in your life as you do in helping others find theirs. Though you are a small boy now, you still have the heart of a stalwart warrior; never let that light from within you ever wane," Novo said as Hero bowed to her to show his appreciation and respect.

The group of sea ponies transported the team to the shore. Two group members went into the ocean laboratory to retrieve seven hippogriff eggs for Novo, while the rest knew that idling there wouldn't do them any good. So they left for Termina. The moon was drawing closer, and the end was approaching. Twilight was stressed out as Rainbow said, "That moon is coming down? That's not good. We don't have much time then. We need to know where Starlight is."

"Twilight, Hero knows a song that can rewind time; we'll have to use that to buy more time to save Starlight."

"The Song of Time? The only ones to know that song are Equestrian Royals. Celestia must have taught that to him because she knew we would need it." Twilight reasoned that Celestia always had a reason for her decisions. "Normally, turning back time is illegal in Equestrian Law, but right now, it's a necessary evil to save the friend we love."

"Well... if it helps you to feel better about it, Twilight, we're technically not in Equestria right now. So, take advantage of everything we have to save this land, Luna, our last friend, and stop Majora." Rainbow ensured that Twilight and Hero led the group through Termina Field as the rumbling became more frequent.

Suddenly, they heard a southern accent that sounded like Applejack. "Hey, you! What do you think you're trying to pull by stealing my image, huh?!" They all looked to their right to see Applejack, but she shrugged at them and said, "That didn't come from me, guys."

"Over here, you idjits," they followed the familiar voice to see someone who wore a black stetson and a black vest. There was also a scar on her right cheek. This must have been Termina's version of Applejack. There were also three other ponies, parallel copies of Fluttershy, Rarity, and Rainbow. They, however, looked to Applejack as their leader, it seemed.

"What's the big idea, huh? Stealing our faces? This is our turf, understand?" The Termina Rainbow said as the other two nodded their heads in agreement.

"Let me guess. You're the version of me that's nice, sweet, and meek, huh? How disgusting." This Fluttershy was the very opposite of the Equestrian version of her, who had an angel bunny who looked terrified of her but stayed with her out of that fear.

"I say we take everything they've got, darlings; It could be worth a lot of bits, Applejack." That version of Rarity appeared to be selfish and spiteful, not generous and humble.

"Especially for trying to borrow our faces, too. I think that's mighty appropriate." Termina Applejack introduced herself, "I'm Applejack the Malicious, and this is your unlucky day!"

"I don't think so. We're powerful magic users if you're unfamiliar with what an alicorn is. So, if you get in our way, it won't end well for you. This is your only warning, Applejack." Twilight felt strange; addressing one of her best friends in such a hostile manner wasn't what she was used to doing.

"Your fancy magic doesn't frighten us, you know. So, how was your trip to the Amor Fortress? I ensured to lock you up there after Amor Cadenza paid me well for my efforts."

"You struck me from behind. The Applejack I know isn't a coward. She's a brave and honest pony." Twilight scoffed as she glared at this twisted version of Applejack.

"How dare you call me a coward, you varmint."

"Well, only cowards strike their foes from behind. Let's see how well you manage this when I know your presence." Twilight then lit up her horn to conjure a powerful gravity spell to knock Terminian Applejack away. With a shocked expression, she was flung into the massive hollow log leading toward the swamps. Her other three cohorts rushed to her aid and decided that messing with Twilight's group was no longer a priority as her group made their way into Clock Town.

Rainbow was visibly upset as she spoke up, "Guys, that was so messed up. I am not that kind of pony." She was offended by her counterpart's egotistical and selfish behavior. Even when she was proud, she didn't let it cloud her judgment. But this version of her didn't seem to care, and it was clear that it had hurt Rainbow deeply.

Rarity was equally appalled by her own counterpart's behavior. "I am not greedy like that. Why, I never!" she exclaimed, her frustration evident in her tone. She couldn't believe that there was a version of her that was so pitiful and selfish.

Fluttershy had a look of horror on her face as she spoke up, "Oh dear, this version of me is so mean and rotten. That's just horrible," she said, shaking slightly as she hugged Twilight, who returned her gesture with a reassuring smile.

Twilight, ever the problem-solver, turned to Pinkie and asked, "Hey, Pinkie, what's your opposite version like? I'm curious." Her face was sad, knowing that they only had a limited amount of time before the moon would crash into the surface.

Pinkie took a deep breath before responding, "She's so negative and depressed. She believes that life is meaningless, but that's just not true." Her voice was filled with empathy and concern for her alternate self.

Twilight nodded in agreement, "You're right, Pinkie. It isn't. Maybe we can do something for her. We don't have much time, though, as the moon is fast approaching the surface." The urgency in her voice was palpable as she looked up at the ominous moon.

With no time to waste, Twilight, her friends, and Hero quickly made their way to the South Clock Town District, determined to help Pinkie's alternate self before it was too late.

Chapter ninteen: Dawn of the Final Night (III)

Night of the final day:
12 hours remaining

Twilight and her friends noticed that it was already nighttime on the last day. The bells rang, announcing the end was near. They saw Pinkie in a state of depression, walking slowly down a path, not bothered by the impending doom over Clock Town.

All the other ponies were running around frantically, trying to escape the town and survive. Some of them even knocked down others who were in their way.

"We must follow her and see where she's going. She's heading into that underground tunnel. Let's go, everyone. We'll do our best to help her. Nobody deserves to feel so much pain in their life," Twilight said.

The group followed Pinkie into the tunnels under the town, and they saw her heading towards a hidden room on the right side of the way to the Observatory. They were shocked to see a chair and a noose; Pinkie had planned to hang herself. "Oh no, you won't, Pinkie," Twilight said. But the Terminian Pinkie just glared at them.

"I want to be alone! Why does everybody keep bothering me? Hey, it's you guys again. Just leave me alone!" Pinkie was trying to put the rope around her neck while Twilight tried to talk her out of it.

"What happened to you to make you feel this way, Pinkie? Please talk to us," Twilight said, doing her best to listen to her.

"Why do you guys care? Everyone's going to die anyway. Death looms over this town." Pinkie replied.

"We know that. But we're not going to leave you alone," Twilight whispered to her. "So, Hero. Are you going to use that Song? Do you think it'll work?" Twilight asked.

Hero nodded. "I'll leave it to you, then. Please help her, Hero," Twilight said, tears welling up in her eyes.

Hero pulled out his ocarina and played the Song of Healing. The room went quiet as the healing magic soothed Pinkie's wounded soul. She smiled for the first time in a long time.

The Song finished its work on Pinkie, and Hero nearly doubled over from a sudden surge of powerful emotions. "Hero? Are you okay?" Twilight asked.

Hero nodded, and he toughed it out. He wondered what that was just then and why he felt such raw and unfettered emotions running through his body.

In a sudden flash of insight, Hero was granted a vision that allowed him to see the depths of Pinkmena's sadness. He saw a shadowy figure that resembled her, sitting alone in a state of despair with no hope or joy left in her life. As the vision progressed, the shadowy figure dissolved away and was replaced by her shadow and five other shadows, all huddled together in a loving embrace.

The feeling of bitter sadness slowly melted away as the vision transformed from one of sorrow and despair to one of acceptance and hope. Hero could sense that Pinkmena was hopeful that she would be reunited with those she had lost, and that thought brought her a measure of comfort. The vision was a powerful reminder to Hero of the importance of hope, love, and the connections that bind everyone together.

Pinkie dropped the noose from her hooves and stood there with a shocked expression upon hearing that song. "Why do I feel so happy now? I can't explain it, but I feel fine with passing away now. I... I feel healed. Since you guys have made it this far, I'll tell you what was wrong with me," Termina Pinkie said. "I used to live out where the canyons are, towards Ikana. We had a rock farm there. But a group of bandits raided us, and I watched helplessly as my sisters and parents were murdered in cold blood because we had nothing to give them. The one who made the killing looked a lot like you do," she glared balefully at Applejack, who looked sad as she knew that the Terminian version of herself caused this.

"So, my evil version is a looter and a killer? Land Sakes, sugarcube. I'm so sorry about that."

"I don't know why, but I believe you. You're not the Applejack that I saw before. Why is that, I wonder? Well, after today, none of it will matter. I guess I'll be reunited with them soon."

"Thank you, guys, for helping to ease me into a more calm end. I already know that the end is inevitable. But at least I won't have to leave this world feeling miserable." Twilight tilted her head in sorrow as she shed tears for her friend.

"I understand. I'm sorry we couldn't do more for you. But we could at least do our best to show you friendship—genuine friendship." Twilight then hugged Terminian Pinkie, who just accepted it in turn.

"It's nice to know that not all our other selves are foul. Poor Pinkie." Rarity and the rest of Twilight's friends came in to hug Termina Pinkie as she looked at her other self, who was bubbly and giggly, in stark contrast to her.

"How do you manage to stay that happy? I couldn't accomplish that."

"That's easy, Me. I've got my best friends here. Especially Hero. He's such a cool pony. I'm super duper sorry that you lost all your family. We'll leave you be then." Pinkie said as her other self spoke up.

"I'll just let the moon above do what it will, and it's not like I can say no. Thank you, guys, for healing me and making my last moments more bearable." Termina Pinkie then walked out of their room and made her way out to the surface of Clock Town while Twilight, her friends, and Hero all did the same.

The heroic group emerged from the tunnels to find Pinkie lying on her back, with her hooves splayed out and a serene expression on her face. Though not an ideal solution, it was much better than her previous state of depression. "Thanks, Hero. I suppose this was the best we could do for her," said one of the group members.

They shared a moment of silence for their friend from an alternate reality before bidding her farewell. Rainbow realized they needed to turn back time to the first day, but they were running out of time. Hero played the Song of Time on his ocarina, and the group embraced him as the radiant energy grew brighter.

As they fell back through time, they saw Pinkie's peaceful smile for the last time before their escape from the doomed timeline. They were back to the first day as time thrice lost.

As everyone woke up from their journey through time, they found themselves back in the Clock Tower. The Happy Mask Salespony, a cheerful and friendly salesman, greeted them with a smile, "So, you have returned? And one more friend is back in your company, wonderful. I'm sure there are more things to be done. How can I be of service?"

Rainbow spoke up, "Yeah, we're getting closer to obtaining Majora. We promise. But we need your help. What do you know of the Four Giants? Those huge alicorn-like creatures we saw? They seem to be important to our mission."

Twilight recognized the Salespony as Flam from Equestria and scowled slightly. She didn't trust him and wondered what his true motives were. However, she kept her doubts to herself and focused on the task at hand.

The Salespony's expression turned serious as he replied, "Ah, the Four Giants. They are magnificent beasts of immense power who have sworn an oath to defend Termina from danger. They were created by none other than Gaia Everfree herself; they're about as old as time—four peaceful giants: Swamp, Mountain, Ocean, and Canyon. The four farthest regions of the land of Termina have temples made in their honor. Majora's evil magic might have tampered with them, I'll bet; the four temples were originally constructed for them to dwell in slumber until they were needed."

"How do you know so much about these giants and about who made them?" Twilight asked Flam how he knew so much about the Four Giants.

He chuckled and replied, "Let's say that I have my sources. And you, Hero. You look like you're getting stronger, but I can sense weariness in your soul." Hero nodded to affirm Flam's words.

"I might have neglected to mention that once you heal someone with the Song of Healing, it does indeed heal them from their inner turmoil. However, that pain has to go somewhere. Haven't you noticed that yet?" Hero felt pure and poignant emotions welling up deep from within as he clutched his chest with his forehooves while sitting on his haunches.

"That is what makes that Song so powerful; it is healing for its intended target. You have been healing several broken souls in Termina, haven't you?" Hero nodded to him. "Most impressive that you're still standing even after you healed your soul from that changeling curse. There's something about you, in particular, that's extraordinary. I can't explain it, but you're a mighty warrior in a small stallion's body."

"That's because he's the Element of Courage, Flam," Twilight told him. Flam stroked his mustache in awe and said, "I see. So, his will is strong enough to withstand the pain and turmoil of others. That's not easy to do, you know. Most ordinary creatures, let alone a single person, cannot handle the pain of their grief. But I wonder what keeps you going; what makes you do the things you do? I have a feeling that it's not just about your friends. You are driven towards something, my friend."

Fluttershy asked, "Oh, dear. So Hero's body is like a sponge for all the pain he heals from others?" Flam nodded in affirmation. "Oh, goodness, that's just so awful. I'm so sorry, Hero." Fluttershy hugged him as he hugged her back.

"You're a very gifted and strong-willed pony. I haven't seen anything this incredible since a long time ago." Flam put on one of his happy masks to jest around with them before taking it off and spooking them in a manner akin to peek-a-boo before chuckling. "I know you'll be able to do this, my friend. Just believe in your strengths and your friends. I'll wager that it won't be much longer until you save your friend who's possessed by that mask. From what I have gathered, she's vital to you guys."

"She is. She is the sister of Celestia, and they both are rulers of Equestria. So we have a personal stake in this as we also view her and Celestia as our friends." Twilight told Flam. "We cannot leave this place until we free that last giant, save Starlight, Celestia, and Luna, and stop Majora from destroying everything."

"That is true. The powers of that mask are far too great to be left unchecked. And I have difficulty believing she can handle such immense evil power. So, I leave everything to you once more. Remember to come here to rest if you need to. How much have you all had? Probably not much. I would advise that you all get some rest so you'll be at peak performance. Remember that time does not move in here."

"That is a curious detail. Why not?" Twilight asked Flam.

"That's because inside of here is special; it is at the core of Termina itself and, therefore, does not adhere to the laws of time outside. So, there is no reason to worry right now."

"You're not Flam. Something's not right with you. Based on what you've told me, it doesn't add up. Why is this place the only place to never worry about time when time flows everywhere, regardless of location?" Twilight asks as her suspicion progressively grows.

"Also, why do you often reference past tense when describing yourself and your esoteric knowledge of those giants, implying that you have known them and been around for ages? You're hiding something, Flam. I'm sure, but we've got bigger problems to worry about right now, so we'll rest up for the moment to be ready to begin our quest," Twilight finishes with a huff of irritation.

"You're quite insightful, aren't you? Very well then, I'll leave you to be for now." Flam said as he walked away to the lower levels of the Clock Tower below.

Chapter twenty: Dawn of the First Day (IV)

Dawn of the first day:
72 hours remaining

After taking some rest and feeling refreshed, Twilight and her friends entered South Clock Town. The locals were busy with their daily routines, preparing for the upcoming carnival. In order to make their way to the Canyon Region, they had to head towards Eastern Clock Town.

As they approached the gate, the guard stopped them and said, "Halt! The Eastern Canyon is a dangerous place, known for being infested with curse-ridden monsters, especially at night. I cannot allow a child like you to go there... Wait, is that a sword?"

After realizing his mistake, the guard apologized, "My apologies, sir. It was wrong of me to treat you like a child. Please be careful when going through the Eastern Canyon. It can be quite dangerous." He then raised the gate to allow them to leave Clock Town.

As Hero and his friends ventured through Termina Field, they made their way toward the canyons of Ikana. Once they arrived, they found a scorched and lifeless rocky pathway leading into a dried-up ravine. It seemed unexpected for such devastation.

As they continued their journey, they came across what appeared to be a small quarry used for mining rocks. However, this place had been burned down and looted. Applejack realized that this was the farm Termina Pinkie had mentioned, and they had arrived too late. "This looks like the place, guys," Rainbow said to the group.

"Oh my... oh god..." Twilight gawked at the gruesome sight that greeted them. The dead bodies of three sisters and their parents lay scattered around, with no mercy shown. It was clear that the perpetrators of the attack were ruthless and had left no survivors. The words "Applejack the Malicious was here" were scrawled on the wall of their main family house as a chilling reminder of the evil that had taken place.

Twilight noticed that one item had been left behind, "Hey, Hero, they left this behind. A mask?" But why?" Twilight ponders about that golden mask with a purple hood. It looked like a ritual mask, but why was it there? As Hero picked it up, he could feel its spiritual energy. He wore the mask, but it did not transform him. Instead, it heightened his spiritual senses tenfold.

The group was pondering the significance of a mask that was left behind and why it was there. It was a small consolation in the midst of such tragedy, but it was a reminder that there was still much they did not understand about the region.

The entire area was haunted by the spirits of the victims who were murdered there. Hero shuddered as he felt their anger looming over him. They felt rage, but also sorrow at their fate. Hero saw a mare that looked like the mother, and oddly enough, he bowed to her to show her respect, and she did the same.

The mother then revealed her knowledge to him; her name was Cloudy Quartz. She was a proud mother of four children and a loving husband. While he wore that mask, she spiritually fed him information through her connection to him.

"What's going on, Hero? What are they saying?" According to Cloudy Quartz, Hero told Twilight how they died, "Oh god... that's horrible," Twilight's face was horrified as her eyes widened, "Such unnecessary cruelty." More information was provided as another soul manifested itself next to Cloudy. He introduced himself as Igneous Rock.

There were also three other souls: Maud Pie, Marble Pie, and Limestone Pie. Hero knew them from Equestria, even though these were different. They all revealed flashing images of what happened in their home. Hero was mortified by the grotesque images.

These unfortunate souls had suffered enough pain and trauma. Hero nodded and pulled out his ocarina to play the Song of Healing to ease their suffering. The magic of the song healed them of their turmoil, grievances, and bitterness, and they manifested into real life as they revealed themselves to the group.

"I am Cloudy Quartz, a mother of four and a wife to a loving husband. Though you look very similar to the ones who have slain us, you are different."

As the floodgates of their emotions opened, Hero became the recipient of an overwhelming torrent of pain, sadness, and trauma. It was as if a river of anguish was flowing into him, causing him to double over in agony as his body struggled to assimilate the poignant feelings.

Every fiber of his being was inundated with the intensity of their emotions, and he could feel the weight of their suffering bearing down on him. Despite the overwhelming nature of the experience, Hero remained steadfast, determined to be a source of comfort and support for those in need.

"I am Limestone Pie. I don't normally compliment anyone, but thanks for easing our burdens. I am concerned about Pinkie. Before darkness claimed me, I saw her running away in tears."

"I am Marble Pie. The sadness and lament I felt were incredible; thank you for easing that from us. You're not too badly hurt, are you?" She tried to hug him but went through him because she was a spirit. "Oh dear..."

"I am Maud Pie. We used to be a happy family together, even though we lived in the barren wasteland of Ikana. Before my death, there was much I wanted to do. Unfortunately, I could not rest peacefully until you arrived to help us. I am very grateful for your kindness."

"And I am Igneous Rock Pie. I am a proud father of four children and a loving wife I hold dearly, even in the afterlife. I still feel rage and sorrow, but not to the extent that I did," Igneous continues, "You are an exceptional young lad. We can only offer you our sincerest gratitude and blessings for you in your travels. Further east, you'll reach the valley of death, which used to be the Ikana Kingdom."

"Oh dear, please be wary of those spirits there; they dwell in hatred and bitterness. They are truly awful creatures. If they curse you, you'll be unable to draw your weapon," Cloudy admonishes Hero.

"Igneous always used wards to keep them away from our farm. I suppose that won't do much for us anymore. We can finally move on to the next plane. We can only hope that Pinkie remains strong. She has been known to crumble under pressure," Cloudy explains to Hero.

Hero and his friends saw them all fading into the light, disappearing from this world. "Be strong, be safe, and let Pinkie know that we deeply care for her. A chest in our house should contain the plushie she had since childhood. Please bring that to her so she knows it came from us." Hero nodded and went to respect her wishes.

"Such purity in those eyes... I know you'll do what's right. Farewell." Cloudy Quartz vanished with the rest, leaving Twilight in awe, unable to comprehend what had happened.

"Let's go and give that plushie to Pinkie. I want to do it because I feel mighty guilty about this, even if I didn't technically do it," wracked with insurmountable remorse, Applejack wishes to make this right.

"I understand, Applejack. Let's go back to Clock Town and find Termina Pinkie. Then, we can proceed to the Ikana Kingdom," Twilight said as they entered the ruined house to find a unique ornate chest in Cloudy Quartz's room that contained a Gummy Plushie. It looked like an adorable alligator with no teeth. Twilight led the group with Hero to leave the canyon region and return to Clock Town through Termina.

Twilight and her friends went to South Clock Town to look for Pinkie, who was feeling depressed. They found her lying down and facing the Clock Tower peak. Twilight got Pinkie's attention and said, "Hey, Pinkie, we want to talk to you."

"What?! What do you losers want from me?" Pinkie replied in an irritated tone. "Can't you see from my lack of interaction that I want to be left alone?"

"We have something for you that I think you'll like. Hero, if you please." Her eyes widened as Hero pulled out her Gummy Plushie.

"W-Where did you get that? That's my Gummy Plush. How did you get that?" Pinkie asked, hugging the plushie close to her chest.

"Cloudy told us to give this to you before she passed on. She said that she and the rest of your family love you very much and want you to be strong," Twilight explained.

"I love them and I miss them so much. But why do you guys care so much about me in particular? I'm nobody special," Pinkie said.

"That's not true, Me! No Pinkie will ever be a sad filly on my watch. I will not stand for that," Happy Pinkie Pie said, hugging her to show she was loved and not alone.

Twilight and her friends also embraced Termina Pinkie, who felt an unusual warmth that reminded her of the tender love and friendship she had with her family before they were killed. She cherished that memory and was grateful for the kindness of her new friends, which made her feel alive again.

Termina Pinkie shed tears of joy as she felt her sadness slowly melting away. "All you need is genuine friendship and love. That's not impossible to give to anyone," said Twilight.

Applejack apologized for the actions of her other self in a different reality, admitting that this version of her made her sick to even think about. "I'm sorry for what she did to you. I know it's hard to forgive, but I want you to know that me and my friends from where I come from are not like her," said Applejack to Termina Pinkie.

"For some strange reason, I believe you. You don't have her evil aura that we've felt from Applejack the Malicious. We're rock farmers who also dabble in spiritual studies. That was my daddy's specialty: paranormal phenomenon sciences."

"He put immense care into warding wicked spirits from our farm to protect us." She then relaxed as she drained all the sadness from her wounded spirit. Her mane became brighter but was still silky; her fur color also filled in with the color of life, a richer hue of more brilliant pink to show her current mood.

"We may not be around forever, Pinkie," Twilight said, her voice gentle and reassuring. "But we wanted to give you some closure. No one deserves to feel the kind of pain you've been through."

Pinkie's eyes shone with unshed tears as she looked up at Twilight and her friends. "Thank you, guys. This means a lot to me."

"Gummy is all I have left from my childhood to remember my family by," Pinkie says as she reaches around her neck to unclasp her obsidian necklace, "Here. Take this as a sign of deep appreciation for you guys."

Hero, one of Twilight's companions, took the necklace from Pinkie's outstretched hand. The necklace was wider than his palm, with the obsidian stone shining like volcanic glass. In the center was a charm to ward off curses, chiseled into the stone with intricate detail.

"It's been given a protection charm to ward off evil spirits so that you won't get cursed," Pinkie explained softly. "I won't need it anymore if I'm living here now."

"Thank you, Pinkie. We'll be sure to take good care of it," Twilight said, her voice warm with gratitude. "Please try to be strong for your family, and we promise to come back and visit you. But right now, we have something important to do. Stay safe."

With her friends' words of comfort ringing in her ears, Pinkie watched as Twilight and the others said their goodbyes and made their way out of her home. She knew that they had a mission to fulfill, but she couldn't help feeling a sense of loss as she watched them go.

As the sun set and the moon rose, Hero, Twilight, and company made their way through Eastern Clock Town, Termina, and back to Ikana Valley. Nighttime was approaching, and they knew that they had to continue their journey to the Ikana Kingdom.

Chapter twenty-one: Dawn of the First Night (IV)

Night of the first day:
60 hours remaining

Night fell upon them as the team made their way through Ikana Valley. They came across equine skulls glowing in blue fire and bat wings on the back of their heads. The skulls were chuckling in a phantom-like tone, searching for ponies and creatures to curse. Twilight warned her team to avoid them, saying, "Ponyfeathers. Blue Bubbles. Don't let them get close to you, or you'll be cursed; Hero doesn't need to worry."

They continued through the lifeless valley of death until they reached a sealed gate guarded by an impish, black-robed Abyssian. The guard's face was concealed by a black cloth.

"Creatures full of life as you have no reason to be in Ikana; state your business!" demanded the guard.

"We need to get through. Let us pass!" Twilight said sharply to the guard.

The guard chuckled and replied, "Only those who can see the spirits here can enter. They have the special ability to understand them. But wait... your group does give off a familiar spiritual scent." The guard sniffed as his head turned to Hero.

"Hmm... yes, I believe you can enter here. But be mindful of your actions, or the spirits might not like you." He tapped his cane onto the rocky ground to open the gates, and they passed through as his body vanished into a black mist.

Once in the Ikana Kingdom, the group arrived at a forked path that was divided into two directions. The left path led to the graveyard, and the right led to the settlement and castle. Although reluctant, they decided to take the left path first and cut through the cemetery filled with Stalponies.

"Ahhhughhh... Eww, they're all bony and dead. Keep them away from me!" The sight of the Stalponies repulsed Rarity as they approached the group with the clattering of their bony hooves.

"Stay alert, everyone. We need to make our way through this area to get to Starlight. I have a feeling she's somewhere around here," Twilight confidently said. They ran through the cemetery, avoiding any fights that could slow them down.

Finally, they reached the end of the cemetery and saw a trail leading to a gate. However, they were blocked by a gigantic Stalpony Skull with a ceremonial headdress that indicated its authority.

"Seriously? How are we going to get past this guy?" Rainbow exclaimed, attempting to punch the skull to no avail.

Hero remembered a time when he had used a song taught by Thorax to enter Woodfall Temple and suggested they try a similar approach. He then took out his ocarina to play the Sonata of Awakening, and the skull was surrounded by a swirling green magic of rousing vigor, lighting up the eyes of the giant Stalpony with an orange ember as it yawned.

"Who are you, travelers?" The giant skull said in a low and gravelly tone. "Nevertheless, I must test your mettle to see if you're worthy of being my equal. Try to catch me as I go," said the Gigantic Stalpony before erupting from the earth, breaking the top of the gateway that looked like a stone bridge and turning around to walk away as fast as possible.

"Fast is what we do, right, guys?" said Rainbow, chasing after the giant Stalpony as they ran after him through the trail. Hero shot an arrow at him, making him yelp in surprise, and the fight began. The giant Stalpony tried to stomp on them with his front hooves, but everyone dodged him swiftly. Hero used his blade, knowing that too many slashes would eventually dull it, giving him a significant advantage.

After several slashes, the giant Stalpony tried to jump up to crush the ponies under him, but they all dodged again. Hero then moved in to deliver his second volley of slashes to the bony giant as he groaned in pain, hiking up his hind hooves before he slammed down onto his haunches.

He looked at the pony who defeated him and waved his hooves defensively, saying, "Wait! The defeat is mine. I yield."

The bony giant then offered his flat hoof to the party, and he lifted them to the top of the gateways where he was resting to speak with them. "I am Captain Keeta. I was a known and respected general of the Ikana military. We fought in a pointless and bloody war that killed all of us. So much loss was unnecessary, all because of this curse that was laid upon us."

"Why did you want to test us?" Twilight asked Keeta.

"I wanted to be sure that the one who woke me would be the one who could save us from this ancient curse of death and darkness. I am now satisfied. But I do have one last request, if I may."

"Pretty bold to say to us after we beat your bony butt," Rainbow interjected.

"Rainbow?!" Twilight scolded her, before turning back to Keeta. "What would that be?"

"Oh, my beloved soldiers in Ikana Graveyard, loyal to me and our kingdom even in death, such wonderful soldiers that I am very grateful to have in my company. They fight even still, never realizing there is no longer any need for such hostility anymore. I am deeply sorry if they attempted to bring you harm."

"I have a special item in this chest for you; use it to show them my authority to make them yield. When you reach them, tell them that the fighting is over, that the war has finally ended." Keeta stared at Hero attentively before saluting at attention. "Captain, Sir! Permission to be relieved from my civic duty, Sir?"

After a short pause, Hero saluted with his right forehoof as Keeta did in kind. "Yes, Sir!" Keeta said before he fell apart into dust and crumbled away, his soul finally satisfied.

"Okay, Hero, that was cool. Now, let's get that item he left for us," Rainbow said as Hero opened his chest to get his mask. It looked just enough like Captain Keeta himself. "Now, those boneheads should be a bit nicer to us if they think we're in their company."

Hero nodded as he put on Keeta's mask, another mask that would not transform him, much to his joy. They made it back to the graveyard and saw their friends sitting around a campfire, laughing as if they were sharing jokes. One Stalpony was using a dead tree limb as a swinging pole for his arms while hanging onto it.

When their friends saw Hero and his group, they all stood up but noticed Keeta's mask on Hero's face, one of the stalponies was looking away as one of them nudged him with his bony hoof to get his attention. They all approached the group in a straight and horizontal line, saluting and saying together, "Captain, Keeta, Sir. We're ready for duty!" Hero then let them relax and one of them said, "W-We were not slacking off, Sir, we swear." Rainbow snickered to herself, seeing they really weren't that bad.

"We're ready to defend our home from intruders!" Hero told them that the war was over and that they no longer needed to fight. "Oh? That is... relaxing news, Sir. Thank you." Hero saw the gravestone glowing a brilliant white and ordered them to smash it. "You want us to smash that gravestone? Yes, Sir!"

They all saluted as they smacked the chiseled stone slab until it was destroyed, revealing an underground stairway. "There. It is done. What will you have of us now that we no longer need to fight?" Hero dismissed them and said their service was more than sufficient. "We deeply appreciate your kind words, Sir." Hero then entered the tunnel under the gravestone with his friends.

Once they entered the room, they saw an expansive area with an Abyssian Iron Knuckle standing still, waiting for his next challenger. "Oh, clop. An Iron Knuckle. That's not good."

"No, Rainbow, it's not. Hero, please be careful; these guys are very formidable," Twilight warned as Hero nodded. He struck the first blow, which activated the Iron Knuckle as he began to move slowly toward him with his two-handed, gigantic axe, ready to harm him. The metal clanking onto the stone ground added more tension to the scene.

The armored knight then swung his axe, smashing through one of the several pillars in the room, crumbling it into rubble with just one swing. As he slammed his axe onto Hero, Hero jumped to the side to avoid it. He slashed the straps on the Iron Knuckle's back to loosen his armor so the plating would fall off. He gasped, "Huh?" and looked at his now vulnerable chest and then back at the group.

"Good, Hero. He's able to be attacked upfront. Watch out for his ax attack everypony. Keep your distance," Twilight advised the group as Hero slashed the Iron Knuckle's helmet off. The empty helmet flew off and rolled away from him, clattering onto the floor. It was revealed to be a Doberman pincher head with a slightly flatter snout and beady red eyes.

He growled at them, bearing his teeth in a snarl. "Oh, dear, now he's mad." Twilight gulped as she saw his angry face. He was done playing around.

He threw his axe at Hero, and Hero jumped to the side to avoid the spinning weapon as it got stuck in the wall. Once his heavy armor was knocked off, he pulled out his long and lithe blade, leaving him dressed only in his chainmail armor, making him more agile.

He ran towards Hero faster and more purposefully. "Woah now, he's kinda quick?! Keep on your toes, Hero. Come on, man," Rainbow cheered for Hero.

Hero then managed to hop around to his blind spot as he slashed at his back with a four-hit combo. The last strike sent him sprawling to the floor as he kicked back up using his arms as a counterbalance, instantly standing up.

Hero then stunned him after jumping over the Iron Knuckle's horizontal slash and using the butt-end of his blade to strike him in his face to daze him. Hero then jumped over his head to deliver a swift vertical incision onto his head as he was too stunned to fight back.

Wasting no more time, Hero leaped into action to deliver a strong warcry and a swift vertical slash into the back of his head. That blow finished him off as he flew back, wailing in pain, dropping his blade before dying away in blue flames. "That was so awesome, Hero. He was no match for you. How are you this good at fencing at such a young age?"

Hero shrugged, honestly not having a good answer for her other than just practicing. The curtain covering the stage unfurled back, opening up the location.

After the evil magic that had sealed it was lifted, the room was illuminated with a pale blue light. They heard a voice emanating from the stage at the end of the room, where a slab of chiseled stone lay, saying, "You have released me? Incredible. How can I ever repay you? Your kindness is immeasurable."

The hero had liberated the soul of the first of the two composer brothers, who said, "I thank you for freeing me from the bonds created by my brother. I am Flat." He looked at the team with melancholy as he sadly stated, "My foolish brother made a deal with a demon of immense power and traded his soul, and now he cannot escape his choice. I will teach you an ancient song that conveys poignant emotions, restores life, and purifies wickedness from troubled spirits. Remember this well, the Song of Storms."

Base, bottom, high; base, bottom, and high notes; Hero played the Song of Storms on his ocarina, and a swirling silvery-white magic aura emitted from his body, rising to the crypt's ceiling. Dark clouds formed as the room filled with rain and crackled with thunder. "O foolish brother, understand that this is not my hatred, but the sorrow I feel. The rain is the tears I shed for you, and the roaring thunder is my anger for your decision," he said.

"He sealed me away here so I could do nothing about his deeds. His betrayal of me and my trust indeed hurts," he continued. He relaxed slightly, "But you can bring light to this land stained by blood and darkness. Then I offer my blessing to help my brother and anyone else who crossed his destructive path."

Hero nodded, and so did the rest of Twilight and her friends. Twilight spoke to Flat, "We promise to make him see the light, Flat. I hope you can rest peacefully now." Hero and his friends saw him smiling as he vanished into the afterlife.

"Then I shall await you, my dear brother. Please, do not make your brother wait long," he said as he disappeared. Twilight and the team exited their room to return to Ikana Graveyard. Hours passed, and the dawn of the second day drew among them.

Chapter twenty-two: Dawn of the Second Day (IV)

Dawn of the second day:
48 hours remaining

After battling Keeta, the Iron Knuckle, and learning a new song, Hero, Twilight, and their friends decided to explore the rest of the Ikana Kingdom. Taking the right path into the Ikana settlement, they were met with a vast yet barren wasteland. The warm wind scorched the land, riling up sand as it bristled past them. The village was eerily quiet, and the atmosphere was tense with an unspoken sense of danger.

As they walked, Twilight couldn't help but wonder what had happened here. "This place feels so dead as if the life of everything was stolen from it," Twilight said as the buildings were all dilapidated and abandoned, and there was no sign of life anywhere, "What happened here?" Every breath they took felt like a struggle, and the dryness of the air made it hard to breathe. They were all on edge, and the slightest sound made them jump.

At the center of the canyon, there was a small house with a giant set of gramophone horns attached to the top of the roof. The house was oddly in a decent state of repair, and the water wheel on the left side had ceased moving. "This house here, these designs, they definitely came from Starlight."

There was no water for the wheel to slice through to generate power, and everything was dried up as if the place had no water. They all felt the cold dread of death and the desire to prey on the innocent, that primal instinct that had abandoned all notion of rationality: "Oh, Starlight, where are you?" Twilight asked as she was worried for her dear friend.

Twilight wanted to explore the house, but there was one terrifying problem: three bandaged Gibdos surrounded it. The Gibdos were moaning in a drawn-out and agonizing pitch, and they circled the house as if expecting something or someone to come out. "G-Gibdos... why did it have to be them?" Twilight whispered, her voice barely audible.

The team carefully approached the Gibdos, not wanting to get too close. "There's gotta be a way to clear them out, Twilight. That water wheel was powering something and was built there for a reason. We gotta get that wheel operating again," said Applejack.

Applejack pointed over to the top of the canyon with her hoof. "Look, Twilight, that looks like a place where water came from. Being a farmer, I can tell where water is at its ripest."

"Then we need to find a way up there to that higher rocky plateau to reach that cave. I trust Applejack that she knows what she's doing here," said Twilight, her voice resolute as he protected his friends.

They found a smooth hill to ascend to the higher ground to the mouth of the cave entrance, which got Applejack's attention as they entered it. The cave was dark and damp, and they could hear the sound of dripping water echoing throughout. The air was cooler and refreshing, a welcome relief from the oppressive heat outside. As they ventured deeper into the cave, they could see a faint light in the distance, and they hurried towards it, eager to see what lay ahead.

It was a desolate spring room with dilapidated and gloomy interiors. Age had caught up with this place. "It's so gloomy here, Twilight. We should leave here as soon as we can," Fluttershy told the group before they felt an angry and evil influence throughout the cave.

Suddenly, a ghost appeared who looked very similar to Flat but was wearing red robes instead of blue. "What's this? Life forms in here? How peculiar. Beings full of life such as yourselves have no business here in the Ikana Kingdom," the ghost of Composer Sharp said.

"Could you all have arrived here knowing this in advance? That is fine. Then I, Composer Sharp, shall gently drift you all to sleep into the sweet synapses of darkness with my Symphony of Silence. Rest peacefully and then join the ranks of the undead."

He played his song, and the music began slowly draining the group's life force. Their life magic was seeping from their bodies into the cave's center.

"H-Hero... we have to do something about him. He's going to kill us at this rate," Twilight said, remembering what Flat had told them. "Use that song he taught us."

Hero then pulled out his ocarina to play the Song of Storms, and the swirling silvery-white magic surrounded his body. Then, it rushed towards Sharp as clouds manifested in the caves, with rain falling in the interiors. The cascading drops splashed onto the rocky ground as thunder cracked, and the death song stopped.

Sharp was clutching his face with his transparent hooves as he convulsed in place. "T-That song... what have you played? Not this song... Aaaughhh?!?" Sharp's face was agape as if in immense pain as the rain and the soothing song purified his wicked soul as his body faded.

He reappeared as a more calm and gentle soul as he spoke to them. "I-I am so very sorry. I intended to reignite the Ikana Kingdom. I was so engrossed in the dark powers of one who wore a strange mask that I became his puppet. I had no choice but to turn others undead. What have I done?! Please forgive your foolish brother, Flat. I know this came from you: your love, mercy, and forgiveness. I am grateful for that."

"Once I leave here, the spring will open up, and the water will flow through the canyon again. It is my last gift for this place and my way to make things right. I saw a mare in that house after she explored the Ikana well, which leads to the Royal Castle Courtyard. She was hit with my song that rends life from others. Give her my condolences for me, won't you?" Sharp ascended into the afterlife to join his brother, "Here I come, Flat, we shall be reunited again." Sharp then vanished as Twilight had a horrified look on her face.

"S-Starlight?! Oh no, we have to hurry, guys," Twilight says as they quickly leave the cave as the water flows through the canyon. The waterwheel was harnessing the current and generating power while music played from the gramophone horns mounted on its roof.

The music that echoed through the area had an eerie quality. It sounded like a merry-go-round song, but with a chipper tone that made it equal parts happier and unsettling. As the tune played on, the surroundings were filled with the sounds of groaning Gibdos. These undead creatures were writhing in agony, their gaunt hooves clutching at their faces as they reached out before eventually sinking into the ground.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of waiting, the house powered up. With a soft click, the locks on the front door snapped into place, indicating that the door could now be opened. "That's definitely Starlight's handiwork," remarked Twilight, a note of concern in her voice. "She must be inside. We need to be careful."

As they stepped inside the music house, they were greeted by an unusual sight. The room resembled a laboratory with machines and magical studies scattered about. It was evident that Starlight had been working here. They took a moment to look around and examine the intricate details of the room before they heard thumping noises coming from the basement. Their curiosity piqued, they made their way down the stairs, and as they reached the bottom, they noticed a gilded wardrobe standing upright, shaking violently as if something was trapped inside, trying to escape.

Twilight, being the bravest of the group, slowly approached the wardrobe, her heart pounding in her chest. She could hear muffled screams and groans coming from inside, and her fear began to mount. With trembling hands, she reached for the wardrobe doors, and with a deep breath, she opened them. What she saw inside was beyond her worst nightmares. Starlight was trapped within.

Her body was slowly necrotizing as it was wrapped up in blood-stained and withered bandages, and the left eye that was exposed looked dead and yellow. She was slack-jawed and groaning in a low agonizing moan as it looked like she had lost her mind while slowly turning into a Gibdo. "S-Starlight... No. Hero, please do something for her before it's too late. She's our friend," Twilight pleads for there to be a way to help her, seeing Starlight in such a hapless circumstance.

Twilight desperately shakes Hero's body, tears streaming down her face. Hero nods and takes out his ocarina to play the Song of Healing. A pink aura of healing energy envelops Hero and then spreads to Starlight's body. She clutches her face with her bandaged hooves and convulses as if possessed, groaning in pain. The curse is resisting the healing song.

As Hero stood there, a sudden burst of blinding light enveloped them. Hero felt himself being transported into a dream-like state, and before his eyes, he saw a vision of a young Starlight. It was as if he was watching a diorama of her entire life. Every memory rushed back into her mind as if being projected onto film reels. Hero saw her childhood, the moments of joy and wonder, the struggles and hardships, and everything in between.

Starlight grew and matured as Hero watched, learning everything she used to know before she was cursed. She relived her experiences, transgressions, moments of redemption, and greatest achievements. She saw her most incredible friends and companions and was filled with a sense of gratitude for their presence in her life. She knew she had been given a chance to relive her life and rediscover the person she had once been.

The bandages on her body fell off as time reversed, restoring what was once lost from the curse. Her life energy was restored, and she could see again as the darkness cleared. As the vision ended, her curse manifested into a mask of a Gibdo and fell onto the tiled basement floor with a clatter.

Starlight was able to breathe again, and her vitality flowed back into her as she looked at her hooves with a shocked expression. She saw Twilight and immediately ran to her for a hug, crying into her chest. Twilight hugged her back tenderly, soothing her.

"Thank you for coming back for me. I was so scared after I left that well and saw that spirit. I locked myself in here, and I felt my mind gradually slipping away until I fell into what felt like an eternal sleep, but also not at the same time. It was horrible."

"It's okay, Starlight. You should know that we will never leave you behind. You're going to be fine now." Twilight consoled her sobbing friend and wrapped her up with her wings to comfort her. "Take your time, Starlight. We have all the time in the world to help you relax. Friends never leave friends behind."

"Thank you, guys. I love you so much, and you're the greatest friends I've ever had. You saved my life from what felt like eternal death." As Starlight hugged Twilight, Hero was on the floor clutching his sides, trying to manage his emotional pain. Starlight noticed and gasped in concern, "Hero? Are you okay?" Hero nodded and stood up.

"I'm impressed, Starlight. You're pretty resourceful," Rainbow declared as everyone cheered. "Hero is a tough cookie. He'll pull through, Star. It's great to see us all reunited."

"Yeehaw! I agree with that, Sugarcube," Applejack exclaimed as they all looked back at Starlight.

"When I was transported away, I ended up here. This mechanical house was broken down, so I took one day to work on it. I discovered that the place was filled with undead monsters, and I knew I needed refuge. I researched and came up with a song that wards away Gibdos. I called it the Farewell to Gibdos song."

"I see Starlight. But how did you get cursed?" Twilight asked.

"I was investigating the well at the edge of Ikana to get valuable research for my survival. I went down too deep and met a spirit who said he would bring back the glory of the ancient kingdom of Ikana by raising a dead army. He played that awful song that cursed me, and I felt my life force slipping away. It was so horrible, Twilight."

"I know, Starlight. But we dealt with him and healed him from his bonds with wickedness. He's not going to be a problem anymore."

"That's reassuring. This place is awful, but also so interesting. So, that mask that separated us and possessed Luna, what even is it?"

"The source of all the evil around here; the Majora's Mask. We are all together again, so let's finish this up and free that last giant, then confront Majora to finish this for good."

"Are you sure you're okay, Starlight? It wasn't very good to see you like that. I'm so sorry," Fluttershy said.

"I'll be fine now, Fluttershy. As long as my friends are here, I'll always be okay," Starlight replied, relieved not to be one of the undead. She showed Twilight all her alphabetically organized notes.

"So, you were trying my advice for your notes, huh? I can see you found success with that. Nice job, Starlight," Twilight said.

"Thanks, Twilight. I've had a good teacher, you know." The day soon became the second day's night, and the team felt ready to embark on that well, finding it suspicious and seeing it as their only way forward.

Chapter twenty-four: Dawn of the Final Day (IV)

Dawn of the final day:
24 hours remaining

Twilight Hero and the team left Ikana Castle and saw the front gate to Ikana opening as blue fires lit up the flames in the castle. They quickly visited the Music Box House where Starlight was tinkering.

"We're back out here again. Well, everyone, let's head to that place that Igos mentioned. That's where we'll find the last of those four giants. Just hang in there, Celestia and Luna. We're coming for you guys," Twilight said with shaky breath after their harrowing experience with the Ikana king.

Twilight, Hero, and the rest of their group then headed towards the cave where they found Composer Sharp and saw, over to the right, the entire pathway that was once an impassable wall glowing with blue embers as it faded away and revealed a path forward to the massive Stone Tower Temple.

As they made their way ahead, they felt the presence of spiritual energy growing immensely strong. This must have been the source. They saw the imposing tower rise to over a thousand feet of pure monolithic stone. "We're finally here, guys. It's so big," Twilight said.

"Wow. This was their place of worship?" Starlight continued after Twilight as they entered the temple.

As they approached the entrance, they saw a message carved on an obelisk resembling a tombstone. Starlight read it aloud to her friends: "Woe to those who enter here with impure hearts. Those burdened by such vices shall never ascend into truth. Shed such impurities to reach the heavens."

Rainbow was feeling irritated and asked, "What does that even mean? We have to get rid of all our impurities before we can enter. So now what are we going to do? I hate riddles."

"It's not a riddle, Rainbow. It's a request for an offering. But what could we offer them?" Twilight stated, while Hero looked at his other three transformative masks and then back at Twilight, "Yeah, I think I understand what they want now."

"It's just like what Igos had told us," Hero sighed as he braced himself, steeling his nerves as he held the changeling mask in his hooves. "We'll be right here with you, Hero. I promise," Twilight said reassuringly.

Hero felt a sense of dread as he put on the wooden mask, which clamped down on his face. The changeling noble's emotions flooded into him, causing him to transform into a changeling once more. The transformation was painful, and Hero screamed in agony. In a flash, he was a changeling again.

Looking around, Hero saw his friends staring at him with worry. "Hero... are you feeling okay?" Twilight asked, and he nodded as he pulled out his hive horns. Then, he began playing the Elegy of Emptiness, and a yellow aura surrounded him, creating a stone effigy of the changeling that looked identical to him but without his distinguishing features.

As they examined the effigy, they noticed that its face matched the one on the mask perfectly. The changeling appeared to be trying to escape from something before it died, with a look of pure terror on its face. It was a distressing sight to behold.

The first torch lit with blue flames as if satisfied with this offering. Hero then removed his changeling mask, feeling the anger and sadness of the noble drone being pulled from his body. In a flash, he transformed back into a unicorn. He then grabbed his yak mask.

As he put on the yak mask, his body twisted and transformed into the shape of a yak. The wooden mask locked onto his face, causing him to scream in agony as his transformation reached completion.

In an instant, he had become a yak, towering over his friends with a determined look in his eyes. Hero took out his ceremonial yak drums and began to play the Elegy of Emptiness.

As yellow magic swirled around his body, it formed a yak effigy that looked exactly like Darmani. The statue emanated powerful strength and protective compassion, with Darmani's cloven hooves and forearms held upright in a dominant stance. His face appeared fierce yet determined, with eyes that were whited out. From his tribal tattoos to the rest of his appearance, the statue exuded an invigorating and commanding presence.

As Hero made two offerings, another blue flame was lit. He then removed the yak mask and felt the sadness and regret of Darmani being pulled from his body before returning to his normal form.

Next, he transformed into a hippogriff, holding the hippogriff mask in his hooves. After putting it on, he felt the mask clamping down on his face like the previous two. The transformation was painful, and he screamed out in agony as his body became a hippogriff again.

Despite his friends' sadness, Hero knew this was a necessary step to move forward. He then played the Elegy of Emptiness using his seashell guitar, and yellow magic started swirling around his body. As a result, a stone effigy of a hippogriff appeared on the third weighted switch, resembling Mikau.

In the effigy, Mikau's body stood upright like the others, holding his seashell guitar in his claws. His head was tilted down, partially closing his whited-out eyes, and tears welled up in them. The melancholy in the effigy was evident, reflecting his inability to save his children and help his beloved.

As Twilight and her friends examined the three statues, they couldn't help but feel a powerful connection to the emotions they represented. Anger, sadness, regret, determination, and love were all emotions that they had felt in their own lives, just like those whose fates were represented by the statues. However, they weren't prepared for the impact that these emotions would have on Hero.

As he healed the three spirits, his friends noticed that something was happening to him. They were worried that the burden of these powerful emotions might be too much for him to bear, "Hero, are you sure you're going to be okay? I can't explain it, but something is happening to you, and it's not good," Twilight said as Hero did his best to reassure them that he was okay, but there was a hint of uncertainty in his voice.

With the third torch lit, all that was left was the fourth and final one. Hero removed his hippogriff mask and allowed himself to feel the full weight of Mikau's sorrow and anguish lifted from him as he transformed back to normal. He played the Elegy of Emptiness one last time. The music was hauntingly beautiful, and it created a physical representation of his pure sorrow and inner child.

The effigy that Hero created was a reflection of someone who had overcome many challenges in life but was still uncertain about their destiny. The last torch was lit in a brilliant blue flame, and the stone gate slowly slid down to the ground, revealing the way forward.

Despite the uncertainty and the weight of the emotions that they had all felt, Twilight and her friends were ready to face whatever lay ahead. They knew that they had each other to rely on and that they would find a way to overcome any obstacle that came their way.

As they passed through the entry gate and entered the temple, they were awed by the sight of its hollow interiors. The layers of square holes leading into the sky were a sight to behold. The moon, with its angry scowl, seemed to be peering down on the earth from above.

The platforms connecting the walls and the moving platforms related to those along the walls looked like they were leading to a different world. "This place is honestly so cool... Woah." Rainbow was in complete awe of this place, as everyone took in the sights of the Stone Tower Interiors. The group carefully jumped from one platform to the next, each step like a leap of faith.

They finally made it into a corridor that led them into an empty room with chiseled markings. The markings looked like they were telling a story, with intricate designs and patterns etched into the walls. "Look at that drawing. That looks like Majora a bit. And that creature that's opposite to him looks a bit like... Celestia?" Starlight observed as she examined the room with Twilight. The room was filled with a sense of mystery and wonder, making it impossible for anyone to look away.

"Hey, Twilight. I remember Flam mentioning this Sol guy fighting against Majora thousands of years ago. That must have been a serious rivalry they had," Rainbow said as they saw more of the chiseled walls revealing more of the story. Majora looked like a bipedal figure, almost chimeric in design.

In the next drawing, Sol is shown dividing Majora's body into pieces as he is reduced in size and transformed into a mask, which is how Majora's Mask came into existence. However, the clues in the drawing are still somewhat unclear. Four tall figures are present on either side of the drawing, and they are identified as The Four Giants. Lastly, in the farthest panel, a figure resembling Celestia is seen placing Majora's Mask on a pedestal.

"This doesn't make any sense. So Sol fought Majora for eons, which alone is long but vague. But what led to those fights? What happened to make Sol want to do this to him? And why did Majora turn out the way he did?" Twilight studied the wall as they felt a looming spiritual dread; the presence was almost suffocating. "Hey, guys; you can feel that, right?"

"You're not the only one; I can sense it, Twilight. It feels like there is a thirst for blood in the air," said Starlight, shivering slightly as Hero donned the golden mask with the purple hood. Suddenly, a brown-robed Abyssian figure emerged from the ground.

"Master? Did you summon me?" The figure drew his blades from his sleeves. "Hmph?! You are not my master?!" he exclaimed, rushing towards Hero, who leaped over him. The figure attacked again, but Hero blocked his attack with his mirror shield, causing his blades to fall out and leaving him vulnerable. Hero then struck him with his razor sword several times.

During their confrontation, the Abyssian ninja attempted to use the same tactic again, but Hero was quick on his feet and managed to dodge and block his attack. Hero then struck the ninja a few more times, leaving the creature groaning in defeat as he became too weak to move.

The ninja spoke to Hero, its voice wracked with mortal pain, "A-Although you were not my master, you were a spectacular foe. I take my bow by offering you my knowledge: Our Master of the Garo resides in this temple of worship."

He continued, "T-To see things from a different perspective, one must be willing to shed some light on them. Believe what you will believe in; that is up to you, but to die without a trace, that is the way of us Garo."

As Hero and his team listened intently, the ninja dropped a bomb next to his body and blew himself up, disappearing from their sight. Despite the sudden and violent end to their encounter, Hero could not help but wonder about the ninja's words and the Garo's way of life.

"What could he mean by 'seeing things from a different perspective' and 'shedding some light on them'?" wondered Twilight. "We'll have to continue our journey to find out." The team entered the central temple atrium, which had a gigantic chiseled Majora's Mask serving as the entrance to a significant and ornate door of sculpted carbon steel. There were two other entryways to either side of the masked one, and the team chose the left passageway as it was unlocked.

They entered a room with platforms leading up to a chest at the top. "Time to do some climbing, Hero. You know the drill by now," said Rainbow, watching as Hero climbed up the platforms and jumped from one to another. He reached the chest and obtained a temple key. "Awesome! We're making progress!" exclaimed Rainbow, and the team continued to explore the temple, which quickly became nighttime for Termina.

Chapter twenty-five: Dawn of the Final Night (IV)

Night of the final day:
12 hours remaining

Twilight, Hero, and their friends had been exploring the temple for what seemed like hours. They had encountered many strange and mysterious rooms, but the central atrium was the most peculiar of them all. As they approached the right side of the room, they noticed something unusual about the chiseled designs on the walls. The patterns were a mixture of chimeric and serpentine, giving the impression of an otherworldly force at work.

Despite her fears, Twilight had a theory about the designs. She hesitated momentarily, not wanting to believe her own thoughts, but Twilight shook her head after a few moments of silence. "I don't know. Maybe I'm just imagining things." She tried to push the thought away, feeling like she was going crazy. "Alright, everypony. Let's keep going."

As they entered the room on the right, they were greeted with an unexpected sight. The room was empty with an open ceiling, and a chill ran down their spines as they heard a sinister chuckle echoing through the space. The group exchanged nervous glances, unsure of what to expect next.

"You seek the truth in this temple but have only found your end. I shall show you the way out." A Garo wearing regal purple robes and a golden mask appeared suddenly, dropping from the open ceiling. He was armed with golden blades that were on fire. He quickly dived and flipped over Hero before readying his blades and charging at him.

Hero found an opening, waited for the Garo to charge again, and blocked it with his shield. This briefly staggered the Garo, but it didn't disarm him like the other Garo. The Garo dived up and struck from the air, but Hero backflipped and dodged the sneak attack, leaving the Garo open.

Hero slashed him a few good times, causing the Garo Master to wince, but he was still in the fight. The Garo Master attempted the same strategy but kept a safe distance this time. He was clearly more skilled than the others. He fired a beam of flames at Hero, who blocked it with his shield and rebounded it to hurt the Garo Master. The Garo Master rushed in close to slash at Hero, but Hero dodged his advances.

Hero blocked his strike, which only stunned the Garo Master, who then vanished. Hero backflipped back to avoid his aerial strike. He then slashed at the Garo Master a few times, causing him to groan and collapse, too weak to fight anymore. The Garo Master told them, "T-To think I would have been defeated. However, you were a spectacular foe indeed. I shall part with my knowledge and reveal your way forward."

"There is a gemstone fixed into the forehead of the masked entrance. Use a weapon that harkens light to see the world differently. Then the truth shall be laid bare to you. Believe what you will believe. That is up to you. But die I shall... leaving no corpse."

The Garo Master then dropped a bomb next to himself before blowing up into ashes and vanishing. His voice echoed the room with a chuckle: "That is the law of the Garo."

A chest appeared at the center of the room where they fought the Garo Master. Hero opened it up to obtain the light arrows. "Yeah! Those will be very useful, Hero. Nice work," Twilight praised. Hero nodded gleefully at her praise as they entered the central atrium again with the light arrows in their possession.

Hero used the enlightened arrows to strike the crimson gemstone on the forehead of the masked entrance as the room began to flip upside down. The door began to morph into something too surreal, and gravity shifted, causing their minds to go hazy as the room morphed its dimensions. Vertigo kicked in, and they all lost consciousness for a short while.

When they regained consciousness, they were terrified by what they saw. Instead of the Majora's Mask, the entrance had been replaced by the familiar face of a draconequus, but not just any. Everyone was utterly shocked at this revelation— Twilight was possibly the most astonished of all.

"I can't believe it," Twilight said in disbelief. "Majora is the Termina version of Discord? This is unbelievable—No, it can't be. There must be some mistake."

Fluttershy hugged Rainbow for comfort, and Rainbow said, "Even Discord, from where we come from, knows boundaries. This guy doesn't care about that."

"Well, I hate to say it, but we should have seen this coming," Starlight said to Twilight.

"What do you mean, Starlight?" Twilight asked.

"Think about it, Twilight. Discord is the spirit of chaos. Termina is parallel to our home in Equestria. And everything Majora caused was nothing short of chaotic."

"I guess you're right, Starlight," Twilight said. "So this is what would have happened if Discord had known no restraints in his power and could not have been contained by stone."

"Majora is pure mayhem manifested physically," Starlight explained. "Sol used the peak of his power to seal Majora away into a mask to keep him from using his powers, but being a mask means that he needs a host, right? Someone has to put him on... oh dear."

"Poor Luna," Twilight thought to herself. "We have to help her. Majora is too powerful for her to control or resist. His influence is felt throughout Termina."

"We must stop him," Twilight said, "not just because Hero bargained with that Flam guy, but because this world as we know it would cease to exist if he had his way."

"Oh, I swear, guys, when I face Majora, I'm gonna tell that big meanie a joke so deadly that he'll die from laughter!" Pinkie had a serious look on her face, even though it was difficult for everyone to resist giggling.

Twilight giggled with everyone else, "Never change, Pinkie," Twilight said as the group entered the last room in the sculpted mouth of Discord's face and fell into what appeared to be a void into a pocket dimension.

The team found themselves in what seemed to be a barren desert dimension, which closely resembled the Badlands from Equestria. "Woah?! Where are we now?" exclaimed Rainbow as she noticed two huge mountains of sand rising from the earth.

Everyone was taken aback as they saw two colossal millipedes with Majora's eye on their bellies. Each segment of their bodies had an eye, some were open, some were closed, and some alternated between open and closed.

One of the millipedes was red, and the other was blue. They both had masks on their faces with one green eye at the center of both masks. Their mouths opened to reveal rows upon rows of razor-sharp mandibles for teeth. While one of them dug into the earth, the other flew high above the ground.

Masked Tatzelwurm Duo

𝕋𝕨𝕚𝕟𝕞𝕠𝕝𝕕

"Holy hay... those tatzelwurms are gigantic... we got this. We'll show Majora that friendship always wins," Twilight declared as they confronted the flying creature. The blue one, Hero, aimed his light arrows at the monster's underbelly to blind one of its eyes. This caused the beast to wail in pain as it crashed into the ground and tried to slither around Hero and his friends. Hero aimed another arrow at the tip of its tail, which glowed a bright orange hue.

The monster then rolled over as it flailed from the pain of being shot in a sensitive place. The eyes on its underbelly were exposed as Hero shot more arrows of radiant energy at them, making each one pop until only one remained on its long and segmented body.

"Yeah! Get him, Hero! Show him who's boss!" Rainbow cheered him on as he shot one last light arrow into its belly, causing it to wail in agony before flying high. Everyone saw its blue body calcifying and falling apart until only the masked head remained, which fell and got stuck in the sandy earth. A chest appeared in the center of the dimensional desert, and Hero and his friends rushed towards it.

He opened the chest to obtain a chiseled stone mask called the Giant's Mask. This mask has incredible power through the power of friendship, but it seems it'll only work in this room. Hero then feels as powerful as a giant holding the mask in his hooves.

He put the mask on to feel it clamp onto his head with a sickening crunch. He bent down to his haunches, his forehooves clutching his head, and he could feel immense power flooding his body. He screamed as he felt himself growing into a mighty giant of tremendous strength. Hero took matters into his own hands and transformed himself into a massive version of his former self. His friends climbed onto his shoulders, amazed at the sight before them.

"Wow, Hero, this is so cool!" Twilight exclaimed. "Yeah! Now we're cooking with gas! These are much better odds," she added, her excitement building as the red Tatzelwurm rose from the ground and flew around the battlefield.

But Twinmold was not interested in making the same mistake as his blue brother. He kept his eyes on his belly closed and the one on his face open and alert, ready to strike any moment.

Hero, undeterred, picked up a stone brick sphere used to decorate the room and used it as a projectile to hit Twinmold directly in his head. The red worm wailed in pain and fell to the ground. Hero then picked him up by his tail and swung him around like a tornado—round and round Twinmold spun in Hero's hooves before slamming his body down like a gigantic whip. The yellow eye in its mouth bulged out like an infected cyst, and the beast shrieked in agony.

Hero then exhaled a warcry while flexing his forehooves in a macho posture. "Yeehaw, Hero. That showed this varmint good. Now let's finish this job," Applejack cheered.

With Twinmold weakened Hero punched his hooves at the bulging eyeball. Each powerful swing made the worm convulse in agony as it flailed in Hero's chokehold. Hero was relentless, punching at its eye, then to its head, back, and back to its eye. He gave Twinmold a right-good beatdown.

Finally, Hero held all of his strength for one final punch, and this one would finish it off. With a warcry, his right forehoof was glowing a bright orange-like hue as he punched with so much might that it popped Twinmold's eye in its mouth. Black viscous ooze-like blood spilled out, the darkness seeping from its body.

The beast shrieked in pain, the fear of death as it flew up in a panic, mindlessly flailing in the sky before it let one last wail of pain as its body calcified and then crumbled apart. The evils of the desert and, by extension, Ikana, were lifted as the evil purple aura rose from Twinmold's corpse, and a wavy purple mirage of Majora's masked face rose from its head like a spirit leaving its body behind.

"You are such a badass Hero! For a little kid, you're awesome!" Rainbow said, impressed by Hero's bravery and strength. Hero returned the compliment with a tired smile after the intense battle as he took off the Giant's Mask to return back to his normal size. Suddenly, a bright flash encompassed their eyes as they felt themselves slipping into a cosmic void.

The team found themselves stranded on a single, stony island-like pillar within a white and misty void. As a gigantic figure approached them, chanting its gratefulness, Starlight gazed up at him in awe and wonderment. "That's one of the four giants? Amazing."

The giant then chanted to the group, conveying its message of gratitude: "Thank you... travelers. We have all been freed. When you need us... Call us."

Twilight had a question before the giant left. "Wait?! Before you leave. I must ask you something. Majora... besides being the opposite of someone we know very personally. What is he? And how old are you guys."

The giant obliged, looking down at Twilight to make contact and convey its peaceful nature: "Swamp, Mountain, Ocean, Canyon... we were created from life itself, from Gaia Everfree... we live in time, and time has neither a beginning nor an end... we cannot age... we cannot die... the one who usurped your friend is ancient, such as us—but he cannot be saved... a cruel fate that he must be destroyed."

"Yeah... unfortunately. Majora made his choice. We have to make ours. Alright, everypony. It's time for us to finish this. For Luna, Celestia, and all of the lives he has tormented." The white void then took them up as everything faded, and they woke up in front of the pathway they took to reach Stone Tower Temple.

The land was freed from its curse of death and darkness as the skies weren't cloudy anymore, and the souls of the condemned rose to the afterlife as they could finally rest in peace. Twilight and her friends felt the rumbling of the earth as the moon fast approached the ground. The skies were a crimson red. Time was of the essence, and they made haste for the exit of Ikana Canyon and back to Clock Town.

They trekked through Termina Field to the Eastern Gate of Clock Town. Once in, everyone was panicking. Twilight reached South Clock Town to see Termina Pinkie there. "Pinkie! A promise made, a promise kept. Hey there."

"Oh hey, it's my new friends. How are you guys doing?"

"We're doing good. But we have to make it up there. Two ponies who are important and mean a lot to us are up there. But I told you we'd come back to see you."

"Do what you have to do, guys. I'll be happy to accept the end, worst-case scenario. I can leave this world satisfied that I've made some genuine friends." Everyone in the group, plus Hero, hugged Terminian Pinkie as she wept for their farewell. Twilight, Hero, and their friends have made it to the top of the Clock Tower entrance. They were ready to finish this, once and for all.

Chapter twenty-six: Grand Finale

The Grand Finale:
Final fight with Majora

The heroic team finally reached the top and saw the possessed Luna and Celestia floating beside her. Celestia was enveloped in evil purple magic, which made her unable to fly or use her magic. Majora was momentarily surprised as the mask fixed its glare at Hero. "Are you guys safe? That's excellent news; everyone is here!" Celestia said.

Hero and the team looked up to the possessed Luna. "We found them, Celestia," Rainbow said confidently.

"Oh good... I knew you'd come through for us, Hero, Twilight, and the rest of your team. Luna... hang in there," Celestia said as tears streamed down her cheeks. She felt terrible that this took so long over nearly several cycles.

"We have to think of something, right?" Fluttershy tried to brainstorm with everyone, not including the possessed Luna.

"Impassable swamp, treacherous mountain, vast ocean, and deep canyon. The four who are there are now here, Majora! Your plan has failed!" The possessed Luna slapped Celestia with the back of her hoof.

"Quit talking out of line, you stupid pony," the masked alicorn snapped bitterly.

"That's enough, you creepy wooden mask. We will not take this anymore." Rainbow protested as the masked mare shrugged.

"Well, whatever. Even if the four did come, they couldn't handle me. Just look above you!" The team then looked up, and the mask said, "If it's something that can be stopped, then just try to stop it."

The possessed mare summoned its evil magic with a high-pitched shriek, using Luna's Canterlot Voice to strengthen it. Time was even shorter now as the moon was descending faster.

Hero played the Oath to Order song as the Moon fell towards Termina. After he finished, they heard chanting in the distance as they approached the precipice of the Clock Tower.

Majora was surprised and looked around as the holy and harmonious magic of the chanters conflicted with his evil magic. Luna's body convulsed violently in midair as she clutched her hooves onto the masked face and panicked from the strong magical effects. Under Majora's influence, she used her royal voice to speed up the Moon's descent.

The Four Giants emerged from the white fog surrounding the Clock Tower and made haste to close in. They approached from Termina's farthest reaches: swamp, mountain, ocean, and canyon. As they reached the Moon, the skies turned blood-red due to the gravity change of the falling Moon.

One by one, they held their hooves onto the underside of the Moon to stop it from falling. In a rage, they were able to stop the Moon as the mask tore itself off Luna's limp body. Celestia acted quickly after she was freed from Majora's magic grip and caught Luna as she fell to the ground.

The mask fell to the ground, and it seemed like they had won. Luna woke up in Celestia's embrace as she hugged her tearfully. She was happy to be free from the control of Majora. "Sister! You didn't give up on me. Thank you!"

"Luna; Hero, Twilight, and her friends saved us." Celestia then used her wings to help Luna relax in a soft hug.

Luna looked at them and nodded in gratitude. "Thank you all for your heroic deeds. Why am I not surprised you came through for us again, Hero?"

Twilight noticed the mask on the ground and let out a saddened breath. "Discord... So, this is what would have happened if he had never been reformed and became too powerful to stop; this version of him is nothing short of frightening."

"That's inconceivable; It's too disturbing to believe. That's Discord's evil version in this twisted universe." Luna looked disturbed and for a very understandable reason.

"That mask... That mask is Discord?! No way... that is unbelievable, I agree." Even Celestia was shocked. Once the shock had passed, her mind became stoic again. "Well, he can't do any more harm now. It's over, everypony. We won; Majora will never be able to control you anymore, Luna." Then, in an eldritch-like ancient voice, sounding very similar to Discord but very deep-pitched, came forth to shock them.

"Certainly. It was made clear to me that she had far too many weaknesses to be able to handle my immense power!"

The mask rose into the air, emitting a sinister dark glow as it spoke, "This puppet's role has just ended." Majora proceeded to glare at the group and then at Luna, declaring, "A puppet that can no longer be used is but mere garbage!"

"What?!" Luna exclaimed in anger. "Irritable cur, how dare you call me a puppet!" She felt offended that he only viewed her as a mere object to be used and nothing more. Suddenly, the mask flew into the Moon's mouth and entered the angry Moon, causing its amber-yellow eyes to glow with a luminescent hue. The mask's influence brought out pure hatred and evil from the Moon.

"I... I shall consume... consume... CONSUME EVERYTHING!" The coalition of his fury and power fluxed immensely as even the giants struggled to keep him from destroying everything.

Hero saw the pale lavender light pouring out from Moon's mouth, which he used to enter. Rainbow panicked, "Oh no! This is not good. Turn back time now! We still have time to escape."

"No, Rainbow. We have to do this. He made this personal," Twilight said to her.

Rainbow asked Hero, "Are you seriously thinking about entering that Moon?" to which he nodded.

"I shall go too. I want Majora to know that he has no more power over us. Will you join me, Sister?" Luna asked.

"Yes, Luna. I shall. He has to be stopped," all the gathered team eventually agreed. They entered the Moon and were forcefully pulled into its mouth, screaming upwards from the sudden shift of gravity.

As a warm and gentle breeze bristled their fur, everyone's eyes opened up to see a grassy field on what seemed to be a bright and beautiful day. The field was in complete contrast to the Moon's exterior. Could the Moon have contained its own unique pocket dimension?

The fact that the Moon had magical properties shouldn't have been that surprising, considering its angry scowl the entire time Hero and his friends tried to stop it from crashing into the Earth. "Augh... my aching head. What—what is this place?" Twilight wondered upon seeing this Eden of a dimension.

"It's so tranquil here. Quite the juxtaposition of its destructive exterior. How is this possible, Sister?" Luna asked.

"I have no idea, Luna. But we must find Majora and fast before those Giants lose their strength and can no longer hold this Moon back," responded Celestia.

Then, they saw a single evergreen tree out in a clearing on a lone hill in the middle of this perceived heavenly dimension. Many ancient structures, entities, and monuments were in the distance, making it feel like an ancient civilization had once resided there. Each esoteric creature looked at the group as if confused about why they were there. Their focus was set on the center of the clearing, to that great evergreen tree.

There was a ghost-white stallion colt wearing Majora's Mask who was sitting at the edge of the evergreen tree. He was curled in the fetal position with his hooves and his head tilted down as if trying to keep to himself. As Twilight and the others approached him, she pointed him out to everyone, "Look! Over there! There he is."

"Welcome to Arcadia, everyone—before all things you've ever known—before my demise once passed; this was my home for a time," he said in a childlike voice that was sweet and pure as if he were an innocent boy instead of the world's greatest threat, "This was my home until it no longer was—until I was betrayed—until there was no more love to give."

Twilight pondered the possibility that Arcadia was the beginning of life, "Fascinating, this is an ancient civilization. The rich lore and culture on its own—to see the beginning of everything."

Conversely, Rainbow pointed an accusatory hoof at him and said, "Don't try to play the weak little victim with us, buddy. We're not buying it. It doesn't matter where we are; you're going down!"

"So, you have joined me to play my game; my friends are here, and we're lonely. Why don't you try talking to them?" Majora asked, looking up at them curiously with the innocence of a small child.

"We are not interested in your games, Majora. We shall finish this right now!" Luna said, stomping her hoof in mild irritation, still miffed at being used as a puppet.

"But everyone loves to play games. It's the essence of happiness, isn't it?" Majora replied as if he dared to consider this as a game.

"Tis an elaborate ruse you've conjured for thyself. I shall give you that much. But we're here to destroy you, not play with you," Luna said with a hint of suspicion.

With a deep sigh of resignation, Twilight said to Majora, "Fine, we'll play your game, Majora."

"Are you nuts, Twilight?!" Rainbow was shocked at Twilight as Majora ignored Rainbow's remark and looked up at her for what she had to say.

"Only on one condition: When we win, we will fight you, and we'll finish this, once and for all, Majora," Twilight stated firmly as she struck a deal with the evil entity.

"Lovely then. So, shall we begin?" Majora then sent the entire party into a rift-like dimension within a dimension.

The room they were in looked too familiar for Hero - it was the interior of the Woodfall Temple. However, it had been repurposed as a gauntlet of sorts. Hero also noticed that his friends were all gone, thanks to Majora's magic. It was another one of his mean old tricks, but this wouldn't stop Hero in the slightest. He put on his Changeling mask, which clamped down onto his face and transformed him. His face shot up with horror as he screamed from the pain, but in a flash, he was in his changeling form.

Hopping from one pod to another, Hero used his insectoid wings to fly in the air and access hard-to-reach platforms. He made it to one room to see Rainbow Dash chained up in shackles made from darkness. "Hey, Hero, do you mind helping me out here so I can strangle Majora?"

Hero then struck the chains with his chitinous hooves to break them. They were designed to be broken only from the outside to keep anything trapped. Rainbow unfurled her feathery wings and stretched them to relax. "Thanks, buddy. Now, let's go and save the rest of our friends."

Hero and Rainbow then saw Fluttershy trapped in what looked to be plunder vines. A rooted monster was there as they saw her terrified face. "You gotta do something for Fluttershy, Hero. Those vines will kill her."

Hero nodded and pulled out his hive horns to play the Yak's Lullaby. The swirling magic reached the plunder vine beast as it yawned and was put to sleep. Its vines loosened and let Fluttershy go, and she gasped for fresh air. "We got you, Fluts. Don't worry."

"I thought I was seriously going to die. Oh goodness." Fluttershy then hugged Hero and Rainbow as they consoled her. "Thank you, guys."

"No problem, Fluts. It's what best friends do. Now let's keep going, Hero." They continued down the path to see Pinkie trapped in what looked to be a cage made from wood as she was rattling the cell to try to break free.

"We got you, Pinkie, don't worry." Hero then approached the cage using his razor wings to cut through the cell and slice it open to free her as she sighed in relief.

"That was too close, guys. Thanks. That wasn't very funny." Pinkie huffed in rage as she hopped out of the cage to join her friends, who all made their way through the Woodfall gauntlet. Passing through the first door, they reached a room with a tiny colt wearing Odolwa's Mask on his face. He then looked up at Hero to speak to him.

"Hey. You found me. I tried to hide, too. Hey, you have a mask that doesn't transform you, right? The ones that aren't too important. Could you part with one?" The masked boy said in the same tone that matched Majora's earlier.

Hero then gave the masked boy his Gibdos Mask, and the boy looked satisfied. "Wow, thanks. You're nice. Did you know that? I have a question: Why do other ponies and creatures have emotions? What are those like? And why can't we ever feel them?"

After offering the mask, a door was revealed to Hero and his friends. They entered a room that resembled Snowhead Temple. The temperature was too cold for a changeling. So, Hero removed his changeling mask and put on his yak mask. He felt the painful transformation again as he screamed with his face tilted up. The mask was fixed onto his facial joints, and he became a yak again.

He used his tanky body and giant cloven hooves to punch the solid ice masses, smashing through them with a few well-aimed strikes for each ice blockade. As they proceeded, they saw Rarity frozen on the wall. Her hooves were shackled with icy binds. She requested help from her friends, "Please, just get me down from here. This Majora knows how to push my buttons." She continued, "Yes, I can see how this can be Discord. He does the same thing to us in Equestria."

Hero's friends instructed him to use his yak might to smash at the wall beside Rarity to free her. He readied his hooves against the wall to Rarity's right side. However, Rarity warned him to be careful, "H-Hero... Do not use that much force. Are you listening to me, Hero? Hero, no—" Despite her warning, he smashed the wall, which shattered Rarity's icy binds. The impact shook the entire room, causing the icicles above to fall onto Hero's friends. He covered them to protect them from the falling icicles.

His plated backside took most of them, but a couple of them managed to scratch him at his haunches, making him wince from the slight abrasion to his body.

Thankfully, they were only minor scratches, which weren't significant. "Oh, dear, are you okay, Hero?" Fluttershy asked. Hero nodded, and they advanced further into the icy gauntlet. They saw Applejack encased in a solid mass of ice, and she appeared to be reaching for her stetson with a horrified look.

Rarity winced as soon as she witnessed Applejack's situation. She was the first to empathize with her friend and suggested to Hero, "It's Applejack. We have to get her out of there. Hero, please, use your fire arrows this time."

Fluttershy seconded Rarity's suggestion and urged Hero to use his fire arrows to rescue Applejack. Hero complied and quickly removed his yak mask to become a unicorn again. He then used a fire arrow to thaw Applejack from the ice as she fell, clutching her hat with a huff.

After being rescued, Applejack was grateful to her friends and said, "I'm fine, everypony. It's freezing but fine. That Majora varmint is going to regret doing that to me." Her friends hugged her to help warm her up and they continued to help their other friends.

They saw a white colt wearing Goht's Mask as they entered the second room. He chuckled and said, "Hey. You found me. I guess it was easy to do that, huh? I thought the white floor here would help me blend in better. Do you have a mask you could give me? Nothing too important, nothing you would need."

Hero gave him the Keeta Mask and appeared satisfied. He then asked the Hero a philosophical question, "Why do ponies and creatures have the freedom of choice in their lives? Does having a choice matter in the grand scheme of things? And if our choices do not matter, then why should anything else matter?"

After the second mask offering, Hero and his friends entered the third gauntlet, which looked like the Great Bay Temple. The room was filled with mechanical cogs, pipes, and pumps that filtered water throughout the room. They found Starlight trapped in a gelatinous blob that looked like one of the smooze blobs they had fought back at the temple.

Starlight was struggling to swim out of the blob, and Rainbow quickly reached out to pull her out of it. She gasped for air and thanked Rainbow, saying she owed her one, "Oh god, I thought I would drown in that. Thanks; I owe you one, Rainbow."

"Don't worry about it," Rainbow said. "We're going to stop Majora, and nothing he does will stand in our way."

The team continued through the Great Bay gauntlet and eventually found Twilight locked inside a steel cage with magic-draining properties. She couldn't warp the metal bars with her magic or teleport. When she saw Hero and her friends, she was relieved.

"We've got you, Twilight," Rainbow said.

"Please get me out of this stupid cage," Twilight replied. "If Majora thinks this will defeat us, he's sorely mistaken. Friendship is something he cannot comprehend."

Hero punched the outer core of the cage with his hoof to open it, and Twilight stepped out to stretch her wings. "That metal was infused with magic-draining spells," she said. "I hate that feeling of my magic being stolen from me."

The team then left that room and saw the third colt in a room filled with pipes. He was wearing Gyorg's Mask. "Oh, hey... You found me. I wasn't exactly trying to hide, though, if I'm honest. Do you have a mask that you don't need anymore? I would love to have another one in my collection."

Hero gave him the giant's mask he had obtained from fighting Twinmold. "Thanks. You're quite generous, you know. I have a question: Is what you do truly making you happy? What can be defined as true happiness? And why can't we ever feel happy?"

Hero and his friends left the previous room and entered the final gauntlet, which mirrored the Stone Tower Temple. Two cages were made from the energy that held Celestia in Majora's grasp before Luna was freed from Majora's influence. Both cells required the might of all collected friends to open.

Starlight pondered herself and asked, "Is this supposed to mean something? Why did Majora make the only last two princesses freed by all of us being together? Is he trying to make a point?"

Twilight replied, "Well, think about it this way, Starlight. We wouldn't be here right now if it weren't for Hero. Majora has been watching his progression through Termina. This was designed for a purpose. It almost mirrors Discord's antics. They're the same, so I guess that makes sense."

"You're right, Twilight. Let's get Celestia and Luna out of there," Starlight said as everyone channeled their life energy and harmony magic to free both princesses, and they were relieved to be in friendly and familiar company once more.

Luna bowed to them in a gesture of respect and said, "My appreciation to you, my friends."

Celestia added, "Indeed. You all have done very well together. Our bonds of friendship are too strong for Majora to understand. That's why he's doing this. He wants to see what you'll do, Hero." Hero nodded as he looked at the rest of his friends. They were going to win this.

As they made their way through the central atrium of the Stone Tower Temple, they reached a room with the last colt, who was wearing Twinmold's Mask. He was genuinely shocked that they had made it this far.

"You found me. Well, you beat our game, I guess. Thanks for playing with us. Hey, do you have a mask you could give up without apprehension? Someone like you must have at least one more, right?" the colt asked.

Hero nodded and gave him the spiritual mask he found at the Pie Family Farm near Ikana.

"Wow... thanks. You're very kind and generous. I have a question for you: What lies under your mask? What is your real face? Is that your real face, just as this must be mine?" the colt asked before disappearing.

Hero and his team found themselves around what appeared to be an altar for worship. Celestia felt compelled to bow from the immense and unyielding aura she felt suddenly. She turned to everyone else and said, "I can't explain why, but something is telling me to do this. It needs all of us together, and this feels different from Majora. It feels... furious, protective, and grieving. Wow... Such an incredible power in here?!"

Everyone then followed Celestia and bowed in the circle. Their magic was collectively merging into masses of pure, harmonious light. One by one, their bodies were joining together except for Hero. He watched in sheer astonishment as they all came together to manifest a new mask of unbelievable and terrifying power.

Hero picked up the mask with his hooves and looked at it. The dull coloring of the room's interior had slightly dimmed over the wooden alabaster-white mask. It felt vengeful but compassionate—like a wounded father weeping for his children and determined to fight with unparalleled power.

In an instant, Hero found himself back in the Eden-like dimension. The four colts were still frolicking around, and he saw the one that had been curled up under the same evergreen tree. "So, a promise is a promise," said Majora, "You played my game and won. Now let's play a new game together. You'll be the bad guy."

Hero had the Sol Mask in his possession. "Oh, so you have that mask," Majora's face, even as a mask, gave disdain at the one Hero was clutching onto. "Very well. Shall we play?" Majora giggled maliciously, and the scene around Hero transformed from a paradise into a multi-colored room with reflecting walls that looked like a place of worship for Majora.

Hero saw Majora adorned on the wall at the opposite end of where he was standing. He braced himself and prepared to face Majora. All four masks of Odolwa, Goht, Gyorg, and Twinmold were set on either side of Majora, with Majora in the center.

Ancient Awakening Chaos

𝕄𝕒𝕛𝕠𝕣𝕒

Suddenly, Majora detached itself from the wall and floated towards Hero. It had long tentacles hanging from its bottom edges, like a mane, and its eyes were glowing as it prepared to attack. The mask spun around like a disk, its tentacles acting like blades on a fan. It rushed towards Hero from the van and then to the rear. Even though it was a mask that wasn't supposed to move, it was surprisingly fast.

He put on his changeling mask, which clamped down onto his face, melding into his flesh and fur. He screamed with a horrified look as he transformed into his changeling form. Hero then used his flash nuts from his fight with Odolwa, which blinded Majora and caused him to fall to the ground, leaving him open for attack. Hero then used his razor-sharp wings to slice and cut the mask up.

Majora then rose with a malicious aura and glared at Hero. His tendrils sprawled out in all directions, waving as he focused a beam of pure, concentrated energy at him to burn his insect-like form. Hero dodged the attack by backflipping and jumping to the side.

Just as the attack finished, the other four masks of the remains of the four bosses that Hero had already fought sensed their master was in danger and came to his aid. Now, it was a five-against-one match. Hero realized that he couldn't do much more as a changeling. So, he removed the mask from his face to return to normal.

Hero readied his bow with light arrows to shoot the floating masks that aimed to harm him by shooting flares at him. He aimed at Odolwa's Mask and shot it, causing it to shriek in agony before decaying and disappearing, leaving four remaining masks. Next, he aimed at Goht's Mask and shot it with the same result, causing it to shriek before disappearing.

Majora spun around again to try to hit Hero, but he backflipped to avoid his attack—another shot at Gyorg's Mask, then Twinmold. There were no more of them to help Majora. Hero then slashes at Majora's body after stunning him to make him shriek in pain before straightening himself out. The flat body was tilted upwards.

Suddenly, long, skinny, lanky limbs emerged from where arms and legs should have been. The body vibrated as the limbs manifested, but something was different. The left leg was reptilian; the right one was a goat's, the left arm was that of a griffon, and the right arm was that of a bear. A tiny head with a single eye appeared at the top of the flat wooden body, and the being maintained a childlike tone. It frantically looked around, taunting its enemy with its new perversion of life.

Primordial Incomplete Chaos

𝕄𝕒𝕛𝕠𝕣𝕒'𝕤 𝕀𝕟𝕔𝕒𝕣𝕟𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟

He darted around the battlefield like a sugar-hopped lunatic, his movements untraceable. It became apparent that this was an alternate version of Discord; his chaos, games, and trials made him the perfect parallel to the Lord of Chaos.

He was too fast to catch, leaving after-images of himself from the sheer speed alone. Hero had an idea and put on his yak mask to transform. His tanky and hulking form morphed into a yak, causing him to scream in pain.

In a flash, he was in his yak form. Majora was prancing about the room before twirling around like a ballerina. This was pretty insulting; he was taunting and celebrating the end of the world.

Hero then slammed his hooves down to create a slight tremor, causing Majora to trip. He yelped in shock before falling and kicking as if throwing a tantrum. After a few swift punches, Majora recovered and let out a brief groan of eldritch pain in a low growl before running erratically again.

Hero was engaged in a battle with Majora who was firing bolts of energy at him. Though Hero attempted to dodge the attack, Majora anticipated his moves and was able to electrocute him. Hero fell to the ground, writhing in pain as the electricity coursed through his body.

Realizing that his previous strategy was no longer effective against Majora, Hero removed his yak mask and put on his hippogriff mask. The mask clamped onto his face, causing him intense pain, but he soon transformed into a hippogriff. To his surprise, Hero found that the room they were in had its own rules of gravity that allowed for the properties of water without suffocation or affecting movement speed.

Capitalizing on what was likely an oversight by Majora, Hero then used his razor-sharp plumage at his wrists as they formed into fins so he could use them as a set of boomerangs. At the same time, Majora was moonwalking... because, of course, he would. Why not, right? Managing to trip him again, Hero dashed in for a wicked flurry of scratches and slashed onto Majora's panicking body.

After that last blow, Majora shrieked in pain before jumping back to the center of the room. He rapidly and violently twitched his body while clutching his tiny head with his skinny arms, almost as if possessed—as his body bent backward at a swift U-angle, his muscles contorted and rippled like fluid inside him as he covered his tiny head with both his hands.

His body rose back up as his shadow loomed over Hero's cautious form as he transformed again. There was a cacophony of organic snapping, bone crunches, eldrich groans of pain from his rapid transformation, and a sinister giggle. His flat and mask-like body was then malleable and flexible as it molded like putty into a serpentine-like form. His muscles on his body were then buffing up, his draconic tail with a fluffy tuft at the tip was draping at his feet, and his mismatched wings then jutted from his back; one pegasus, one bat-like.

Finally, his tiny head with one eye morphed into a goat-like head with two different horns: one deer antler and one unicorn horn. He growled in his deep, eldritch voice as flames billowed from his awkwardly fanged mouth. He summoned two long whips in each hand as he readied to go all out on Hero and his friends.

Vindictive Manifested Chaos

𝕄𝕒𝕛𝕠𝕣𝕒'𝕤 𝕎𝕣𝕒𝕥𝕙

During the final confrontation, Hero attacked with all his might. However, his attacks proved to be ineffective against his opponent's powerful defenses. As a last resort, Hero removed his hippogriff mask and transformed himself back to his original form. It was then that he remembered the special mask that his friends had created using their bodies in a strange pocket dimension. This mask was the physical manifestation of the Fierce Deity Sol's Mask.

Hero stood there, with his friends' voices echoing in his mind as he tightly held the mask in his hooves. "Do it! Put the mask on!" they all shouted in unison. As he analyzed the mask, he noticed the same intricate designs he had seen before—the multi-colored spectrum on the inside of the mask, which blended in with the white wooden exterior. Upon closer examination, he saw a glowing spiral horn and a long, spiky mane that resembled Celestia's, but with a rougher texture.

The mask had a frightening appearance with an angry snarl, white eyes, black eyeliner around the eyes, blue face paint in a V-shape around the horn on its forehead, and red war paint on both cheeks. Hero felt its overwhelming power and nervously brought it closer to his face. With a sickening crunch, the mask clamped down on him.

He panicked and screamed through his mask as he fell backward, desperately trying to remove it before his body went limp, much like Luna did with Majora's Mask before they entered Termina. He breathed deeply, suddenly feeling an unprecedented and godly amount of magic flowing into him. He tilted his face in utter shock, rather than pain, as the mask fixed onto his facial joints. His mouth was open, his teeth were sharp, and his pupils were slowly fading to white.

His body was a bit taller than Celestia's, and his mane was a long, flowing stream of radiant, spiky, multi-colored solar energy. He wore a celestial armor set that represented an ancient god, and his alicorn wings were a marvelous display. The tips of his mane and tail were detailed, and the black parts of his hair color could be seen at the ends of Sol's mane and tail from their fusion. He used his magic to manifest a powerful double-helix blade that was brimming with solar energy. He felt like an ancient god after this transformation, which caused Majora to give him a baleful glare upon seeing him.

"You!" Majora said in a distorted and deepened voice; he replied upon seeing Sol for the first time in thousands of years. "Everyone... Everyone always enjoyed my games... everyone... EVERYONE EXCEPT FOR YOU!... All I wanted was a chance to be appreciated... all I wanted was to be understood."

"No, Majora, they did not enjoy your sadistic games; what you're doing is wrong; you have gone too far for that now." The spirit Sol controlled Hero's voice as Sol sounded like a male version of Celestia, powerful and with immense authority. "No more playing games."

Celestia's voice echoed in Hero's mind as she spoke, "That's how I sound as an all-powerful god of the sun... how invigorating." Waves of brilliant turquoise solar magic surged forward, cutting into Majora's body as he screamed in pain. Despite his max form, he was no match for Sol, and he knew it. Hero let out a warcry, sounding more like an adult than a child, as he showed no mercy to Majora.

Each attack landed on Majora, causing him to fall to his knees and cry out in agony. The holy solar magic corroded his chimeric body like acid, and he hissed in pain and bitter hatred toward Sol. Rainbow cheered in Hero's head as they continued to fire beams of pure solar might into Majora. Finally, Majora leaped up high to the center of the room.

As the battle raged on, Majora attacked Hero with his whips, wrapping them around Hero's body and throwing him into a wall. Hero screamed from the violent impact but managed to balance himself with his wings and return to the battle. Meanwhile, Majora released spinning tops studded with sharp blades onto the battlefield.

In a moment of encouragement, Twilight's voice spoke to Hero, "You can do this, Hero; just believe in yourself and the power of our friendship." Hero nodded and slashed through Majora's spinning tops with ease. He then minced up Majora's whips into confetti, causing Majora to panic and look genuinely frightened.

Hero then unleashed more slashes on Majora to see his body, which was now slightly unstable, as he jumped away and tried to evade close contact with the godly alicorn. "I have shown mercy to you before, Majora. When I sealed you inside that mask, you deserved none whatsoever. But it was my folly to do this."

"No!" Majora clasped his head with his hands as if he were... shivering in fear, "No, no, no, noo! That was not mercy... the coldness, the isolation, the betrayal; you would have no idea what that's like, to be imprisoned for thousands of years of pure anguish... you took everything from me!" This gave Hero and everyone else brief glimpses of both sides.

"There is no justifying your actions, Majora; now, you leave me no choice but to obliterate you from existence. You sought vengeance against me and the innocent only to meet your permanent end," Sol spoke as if he were signing away Majora's death warrant. "I am sorry, brother... you brought this upon yourself; even thousands of years later, you still refuse to change and see your purpose; how sad."

Hero found himself speaking up as Sol's booming voice shattered the little confidence that Majora had left, after hearing Sol's intentions to destroy him once and for all. The other ponies that Hero had merged with were equally surprised to learn that Sol was actually Majora's brother.

With one last volley of brilliant slashes from his helix blade, Majora's body was dripping and bubbling as his flesh melted. He shrieked in agony as he covered his melting face with his mismatched hands. Desperately, he tried to push the meat and flesh back into place and failed pathetically.

This was it... No more fun... no more games... no more life... Majora then shed one last tear from the fright of his destruction as he wailed in pain from feeling his body and soul being rent asunder; every fiber of his existence was being wiped clean as if he were never born.

His warped face was then locked into an agonizing grimace as he rapidly decayed from the inside out. With no soul left, what remained then calcified into a statue before eventually crumbling into a pile of rubble and then to dust. The room began to distort and ripple as if reality collided around them as their vision turned a bright white.

In a blinding flash of light, Hero's eyes fluttered open to see that he was surrounded by an endless expanse of pure brilliance. It was in this moment that he encountered Sol for the first time, a mysterious being emanating a powerful energy that seemed to pulsate through the very fabric of existence. They stood facing each other, locked in a silent exchange that spoke volumes without a single word being uttered.

"You have saved Termina, you are Hero, correct?" Sol's voice resonated with a divine vibration that seemed to reverberate through Hero's very soul. Hero nodded in affirmation, his gaze fixed upon the enigmatic figure before him.

"You have accomplished great deeds for one so young; truly remarkable. However, I must confess my sin. I made a grave error in my treatment of Majora. Had I acted differently, perhaps his heart would not have fallen to darkness, and the world would not have been plagued by such monstrous beings."

Sol's eyes glistened with tears as he recalled the betrayal of his brother. "We were once the creators of all life, past, present, and future. We were once united as the Star of Creation, brothers in essence. But I failed Majora, treating him as a monster when I was the true monster." With a swift motion, Sol sliced through the void, revealing a vivid display of events unfolding in Arcadia.

Hero watched in horror as the tragic fate of Majora unfolded before his eyes; he visibly recoiled, shutting his eyes, and trying to block out the anguished cries with his forehooves as he heard the furious roaring of Sol and the terrified, blood-curdling screams of Majora echoing everywhere and nowhere at once within this divine void.

"His fate was undeserving for him; I savagely tore him asunder, dividing his body and then reshaping it into what you saw; I was so foolish before and blinded by my ego that my decisions caused Arcadia to decay." You never imagined how poignant a god's sorrow could feel. The emotions both Hero and Sol felt at that time were more than palpable; they were overwhelming. From God to the young warrior of harmony, they both felt their equal share of pain.

Hero intently listened to Sol as he spoke, "This came at a grave cost—my brother died because of me and my insatiable rage, and I must atone for that; I was in the cosmos for thousands of years, in all this time, overseeing all eventualities, cutting myself away from all which I knew, even my closest companion, Kronos, to which I'm sure you'll meet soon enough if he hasn't already revealed himself to you yet."

His saddened eyes met Hero's to finish things off with some words of wisdom. "I leave you now with my parting message: Keep the light burning strong and do not make the same mistakes I have. The pain is not worth it; farewell, Hero." Sol's ethereal body then vanishes as the light fades back to normal.

After defeating Majora, the Moon's angry face vanished, and Hero, his friends, and the two princesses found themselves back on the Clock Tower. The sky then transformed into a cheerful sight with blue skies, fluffy clouds, and a shining sun.

The ponies and creatures of Termina gathered around Termina Field, cheering for Hero and his friends who saved their world. With Majora stopped, everyone was freed, and justice was served for all the lives that had been tortured.

Chapter twenty-seven: Epilogue

Dawn of a new day:
Ending

The giants chanted once more to show their appreciation for Hero's triumph. They then departed to their respective temples to rest and await their next call as their bodies vanished into the white fog, which soon cleared up.

"We did it! We beat Majora, Hero. You are awesome, man!" Rainbow exclaimed as she hugged Hero. "Not as awesome as Daring Do or myself, but you're pretty high up there." Everyone waved goodbye to the giants as they noticed Majora's Mask lying on the ground, lifeless and dull. This must have been his remains.

"Well, let's return this to Flam, and then we can enjoy this festival," Twilight suggested, and the party agreed.

"It's time to enjoy our vacation, everypony. It may not be Rainbow Falls, but a festival is also very nice," Celestia says as the mayor of Clock Town was quick to welcome them.

"Greetings! I am Mayor Dotour. I humbly welcome you to our Festival of Time. On behalf of our town, I thank you for your service to us. I hope you all enjoy our festival. Thank you for saving our lives and our home." Both Luna and Celestia bowed to him in respect.

"Tis looks like fun, Sister," Luna joyfully pranced about.

"I must say, you guys really know how to party," remarked Celestia as the group of hippogriffs then gathered, but Silverstream couldn't recognize Hero due to the laws of time. Hero still waved over to her, and she waved back shyly. "Do you know her, Hero?" asked Celestia. Hero explained how he got his Hippogriff mask, and Queen Novo recognized him for some reason.

"So, you've completed your quest here, I see. Don't think for a moment that I wouldn't recognize you just because you went back in time. You still have Mikau's mask, right?" Hero nodded in response. "Good. Keep it as a memento for your travels. It seems that both you and Mikau have bonded very well together."

Hero nodded and showed his respect by bowing to her. "You have defeated such an immense evil with the help of your friends. That's truly impressive. May peace be with you in your future travels, Hero. If I may ask for one more favor from you," Queen Novo added.

"If you could play alongside my dearest Silverstream in the upcoming concert, it would mean a lot to me. Even if it's just for one last time, being with her beloved would make her happy. She might not recognize you, but she'll be happy; trust me." Hero nodded, happy to oblige. "Thank you for your kindness, Hero. I'll be looking forward to a great concert."

"I am so excited! Hero will perform for us," exclaimed Celestia as she joined Novo. "I am Celestia. We have met before, but in a different dimension, Novo. It's hard to explain."

"Don't worry about it. I can sense that you have immense regal authority, just like me," replied Novo.

The concert started in South Clock Town, where everyone had gathered. The three bandmates and their singer, Silverstream, were on stage and ready to perform. The drummer, pianist, and bass guitarist began playing "The Ballad of the Wind Fish" song. As Silverstream began to sing, there was a hint of melancholy in her eyes, which conveyed her raw emotions to the crowd.

Suddenly, Hero put on his mask and transformed into his Mikau fusion, causing a flash of bright light to show off to the wall away from the band. He gritted his teeth to stifle the pain of the transformation. Mikau appeared beside Silverstream, playing the seashell guitar to her right. She immediately brightened up and sang with even more enthusiasm, making the concert more lively.

The crowd was made up of changelings, yaks, other hippogriffs, ponies of all races, and even some Abyssinians, who had gathered to celebrate the coming of the new year. Silverstream's singing made everyone happier, and her genuinely smiling smile made the crowd cheer for them.

Harmony could truly be felt throughout Termina after the musical performance. The crowd erupted in cheers and celebration as Silverstream did something unexpected - she kissed Hero on the cheek. "I know you're not Mikau, but there's something about you that I like," she said.

"I don't think we've met before, or if we did, I don't remember. But you did something for me that I know would have made Mikau very happy. He was a good guy, an honorable hippogriff who I admired very much. Thank you for putting my heart at ease," Silverstream continued.

Hero nodded and hugged her, knowing that being embraced by someone who reminded her of Mikau was comforting. Silverstream melted in the embrace, feeling his love very strongly.

"I know you have to leave, but before you go, can I at least have your name?" Hero nodded and introduced himself. "Hero? That's a nice name. You're a lovely guy, Hero, and I'm so glad we met," Silverstream said with a smile.

Hero nodded to Silverstream and felt pleased to have genuinely made her happy. "Promise me that you will return here one day to visit me because you remind me a lot of Mikau. It's as if you both are the same person but not at the same time. It's strange."

"But you are also a unique individual, so it would be selfish of me to dictate that, wouldn't it?" Hero gave her one last hug to help her release any sadness she still had deep in her heart. Silverstream then just enjoyed that moment for what it was worth. Hero felt like Mikau in every way, and this felt right to her.

She wept for the loss of her beloved, and Hero just took it all in. This was what genuine love felt like: uncompromising, unequivocal, and passionate love—but like all good things, this moment eventually had to end.

Hero, with immense regret for Silverstream, had to say goodbye. There were still things to be done before he could leave Termina with his friends, but he planned on fulfilling his promise to return. He could see the sad smile on Silverstream's face at the bittersweet farewell. He nodded to her to let her know he intended to honor his word. She was then satisfied, knowing that Hero would keep his promise to return one day.

Hero, their friends, and the two princesses gathered outside Termina Field to meet with Flam, who was holding onto what remained of Majora's mask. "So it seems that all of his power was removed from this mask," Flam said.

"The evil spirit within it no longer exists. Thank you, Hero, and everyone who helped him. You have all saved this land from turmoil and maintained its natural order—It certainly made my job easier," Flam added jovially, looking relieved now that Majora's reign of destruction was over.

With an enraged and raised eyebrow, Twilight asked, "Your job? Okay, Flam, it's time for you to come clean and tell us exactly who you are. We kept our promise; some transparency isn't too much to ask for now."

"Very well, Twilight. I suppose that is only fair," Flam said as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I am an ancient, like the four giants, Sol, and formerly Majora; we have existed since the very beginning. It shouldn't be too surprising that my actual name is not Flam. I am Kronos, the Deity of Time in Termina. My job is to maintain its natural order by being its middleman."

"Oh, I see. So, you mention everything about yourself in the past tense because you were there to see it all happen," Twilight said. "Also how you could manipulate the flow of time as you could—those who are not affected by time do not age," she continued as he nodded to confirm her statement.

"Oh, wow... Oh my god! How does it feel to be completely in control of time?" Starlight was clearly excited. "It can't be an easy job, can it?"

"It's actually quite a tedious and thankless position, but someone has to do it, right? Sol and I have known each other for thousands of years, through the best parts of him and his worst." Kronos replied, shame laced in his voice.

Luna spoke up, "I can confirm that, Fair Kronos. I have experienced the feeling of holding a tedious and thankless job for over a thousand years."

"Interesting. Can you tell me more about Sol?" Celestia asked. "During our battle, we heard Sol mention that Majora was his brother. Is that true?"

"Yes, it is," Kronos replied with a sigh of sadness. "There was a time when Majora wasn't evil and only craved love and acceptance. He was a victim of his madness."

"I understand. That is truly heartbreaking news. I feel sorry for everyone involved. I never thought I would feel pity for Majora," Celestia said.

"So, you are Sol's alternate version? How... interesting. I can see some resemblance between you and him, but you are not as ferocious as he usually is," Kronos chuckled dryly.

"I am guessing Sol might have some anger issues, huh?" Celestia winced sheepishly.

"You have no idea. So, your name is Celestia, right? It rolls off the tongue. Nice name, by the way."

"Thank you, Kronos."

"Out of curiosity, what do you look like, Kronos?" Twilight asked.

"Ah; Unfortunately, I cannot show you that," Kronos replied.

"Why not?" Twilight inquired.

"My angelic form would be incomprehensible to the naked eye. It was never intended for mortal eyes to see. I chose this form to be more approachable to others, not to drive them mad," Kronos explained.

"I understand. So, like Discord, your original form cannot be comprehended, only accepted?"

"Yes, that's correct." He then turned to Hero with a warm and grateful smile, "You have been healing many of the creatures in Termina; the song I taught you is ancient, and it has been around for almost as long as I have been."

"It's truly remarkable that you are still composed and sane; emotions are powerful, and they create their own unique kind of magic—they are nothing to trifle with."

"You are a brave warrior for enduring the raw trauma and pain of so many unfortunate souls. You knew you were taking a huge risk, didn't you?" Hero nodded, "Yes, I suppose you remember the last thing I told you about that song. Its healing properties ease the soul by invoking emotions to help them transition peacefully into the next life."

"However, the more you use this song, the more it tears away at your soul. The more you heal, the more pain you take into yourself. Essentially, you are carrying your own burdens and those of the ones you have healed, incorporeal form or not."

Hero then slightly tilted his head, thinking solemnly, "But you're an exceptional lad. I'm beginning to have my doubts as to your demise. It might happen, and it might not."

Kronos then bid his farewell to the group, "I do have to get a move on now. Other creatures need to be made happy, after all. The monotonous existence of an immortal can wear on you. So I decided to do this as a hobby, selling masks to others for their joy to be seen."

He then began to walk away, turning his head to look at Hero. "Oh, but you have made many ponies and creatures happy, haven't you? That's just great. I'm proud of you. Whenever a meeting occurs, a parting is sure to follow. But how long that parting lasts is entirely up to you. Farewell, Hero." Kronos then walks away into a dense mist and vanishes.

"That Kronos is sure an odd but interesting fellow, isn't he?" Hero looked to Celestia and nodded in agreement. Hero then led the group into the forest, cutting through the Southern Swamps of Woodfall.

As they arrived, they noticed that the place was no longer chaotic, and the contaminated water had become pure again. As they moved deeper into the woods, they began to find their way back to the Everfree and Equestria. However, on their way out, they came across a sad sight—the petrified remains of Tarsus, who had been calcified due to the chaos caused by Majora.

Pharynx, Tarsus's father, was seen kneeling on his haunches and forehooves at the hollow effigy of his son, who was once a changeling noble. Tears stained the memorial as Pharynx wept for the loss of his dear son. Hero noticed his grief and knew what he had to do.

There was one last person who needed healing~

Hero put on the Changeling Mask from behind a tree and tried his best to suppress the pain of his transformation so as not to spoil the surprise. He then approached Pharynx, who was looking in admiration at what appeared to be his son. Hero hugged the stunned changeling affectionately, hoping to ease his pain and heal him from his grief.

"T-Thank you," Pharynx said as Hero felt the purest form of parental love—the tears of a grieving changeling for someone who was genuinely loved and would be missed. Pharynx embraced Hero, feeling Tarsus's spirit within his body.

Hero was glad he could make him feel better, even though he might never see his son again. Once Pharynx's tears had ceased, his soul was at peace. Hero was even more surprised to find the ceremonial mask in his possession. "How did you get that?" Pharynx inquired. "That was the same mask I carved from this swamp's trees. You are a unique case. I may not understand why, but I'm pleased you came. I am eternally grateful for your kindness."

At that moment, Hero gave the mask to him, only for him to return it, saying, "No. Keep it as a token of my respect. I blessed that mask to bring good fortune to whoever held onto it—my last gift to this world for my son."

"But you have healed this drone's wounded spirit, so I believe you should have it. Thank you for coming to ease my burdens. I don't know how you look like my son, but it's as if the two of you were merged into one person."

"So, your name is Hero? That's a lovely name. Thank you, Hero." Hero nodded to Pharynx and left with his companions.

"That was a very sweet thing you did for him, poor guy. You are such a kind stallion, Hero. I approve of your kindness," Fluttershy said, hugging him out of sheer joy. They left Termina and returned to Equestria.

As they returned, they found themselves back in the Everfree forest. Twilight noticed that the forest was clearer and safer for them to return to Ponyville than to Canterlot. "I suppose this was one heck of a vacation, huh, Celestia?" she said.

"Indeed, it was Twilight. I'm glad that Discord turned out to be a good guy, for the most part. He can be a bit of a troublemaker, but things could always be worse," replied Celestia.

Twilight agreed with her, saying "Yeah... that's true. He can be a big pain in the butt, but deep down, he's a good guy."

Hero nodded to the group and started walking away. "Where are you going, Hero? Aren't you coming back with us?" asked Twilight. Hero shook his head, "You're going on a journey of growth and enlightenment," Twilight asked to confirm his statement.

Twilight was concerned and asked, "Are you sure about this, Hero? It's not too late for you to come home with us." Hero nodded as Twilight knew he was serious about this, "Yes, I understand and I respect your decision, Hero."

He then hugged Twilight and the rest of his friends one last time. Tears welled up in his eyes as he savored his last moments with the greatest friends he'd ever had before turning around and walking away into the dense fog of the Everfree, disappearing from their sight. Twilight could only hope for the safety of her fearless friend, Hero.

This is the tale of a pony who was selected by the Tree of Harmony to be the Element of Courage. He battled against numerous evils and overcame his fears, even defeating death itself. He is a hero who has endured and will continue to face much pain and turmoil in his quest to serve Equestria.

Bonus Chapter: The Preamble of Time

☪

In the vast reaches of the universe, the cosmos held the first primordial light. From this light, The Star of Creation, came division, and the first Pleroma split into two halves: order and chaos. This split created a resulting power that led to the formation of the world we know today. Before there was Equestria, before Termina, there was Arcadia—a land in its prime, innocent and pure.

The two brothers, Sol and Majora, emerged from this division and were the first beings of creation. They represented the dichotomy of order and chaos, the beginning of thought, and the juxtaposition of energy. Although the same energy once bound them, they were now their own entities capable of their thoughts, emotions, desires, and fears.

However, this world was empty and plain, with no abundance of life. Sol created balance to rectify this, which gave birth to two entities: Time and Life. Without life, time had no meaning, and without time, life would have no stability.

Once the concept of time came to be, it gave birth to Kronos, a life form whose job was to maintain the balance of Arcadia's time management. Life then spread throughout the land as the abstract entity, Gaia Everfree, creating lush vegetation, serene skies, and calming waters.

Gaia Everfree created The Four Giants and gave them purpose; in exchange, they swore an oath to order to serve as protectors of life. The first civilization was established once life began with spirits, which were the initial light coming from the primordial energy that Sol and Majora once unified as.

These spirits became the first generation of ancients, shaping the land into their first form of society, building cities, castles, and entire nations. Life finally asserted its lasting form into seasons, which required celestial bodies to work with time. Thus, light and darkness were established from life, which maintained the balance and passing of time - the natural order of things.

"Majora!!! Come back here, you cantankerous chimera!" Sol bellowed as Majora giggled and flew away from the enraged sun god. The chaotic creature hid behind a wide pillar, snickering like a child pulling a prank. "When I find you, you'll get a stern scolding!"

"Yeah... if you find me, brother," Majora mused. Then he saw his brother's face peering over the pillar he had chosen to hide behind, "Oh, poo. I guess you found me, bro, hehe."

"That was very juvenile, I'll have you know, Majora. Berry paint in my mane, seriously?" The angry sun god had purple berry paint that Majora dumped from a stone bucket onto him.

"What? I think purple looks quite nice on you, brother. Or maybe I should have chosen red instead? Hmm... what do you think?"

"Enough of this, Majora! I will wash out my mane; no more pranks for the rest of today, okay?" Sol turned around to go into one of the chiseled stone houses that ran steaming bath water into it as Majora huffed angrily.

"No more pranks for the rest of today... really? Doesn't he know that pranks are what I live for?" Majora then flew over to a tall evergreen tree in a clearing that sat atop a grassy hill. He enjoyed resting under it to think and pass the time. When he arrived at his tree, Kronos, the being of pure energy, approached him and knew that something had gone down.

"Let me guess; you angered Sol again, didn't you?" he questioned Majora, who shrugged.

"Hey, don't blame me; my brother has the sense of humor of tree bark. He wouldn't know a quality prank if it bit him on his arrogant behind."

"Be that as it may, Majora, I wish you found a more constructive means of getting your boredom out of your system. One day, he'll become too angry to deal with, even for you, my friend." Kronos admonished his chimeric friend as Majora yawned from boredom.

"I doubt he'll go that far, Kronos; besides, why would he do that if he knows that he needs me as much as I do him to keep reality stable?"

"You know just as well as I do that he can be quite temperamental. You don't need to try very hard to make Sol angry."

"Exactly, my time-keeping comrade. That's what makes it so much fun for me to do," Majora said mirthfully as he drifted around Kronos casually. "I love his reactions—seriously, that's the most amusement I get around this dull place," Majora scoffed as he all but cursed his predicament. He knew things could always be worse for him, but he also knew that he had things off pretty well for himself.

"Just please don't do anything you'll regret; I feel that Sol won't take your pranks forever."

"So what, Kronos? If I can't prank him, I could always prank the other residents of Arcadia," Majora said as he pointed to the nearest settlement to his clearing.

"I would severely advise against you doing that, Majora. That will make your brother very mad at you, you know."

"Like the usual mad he gets or the madder kind of mad? What's the difference?" Majora shrugged as he mulled over Kronos's words of wisdom and plotted what to do next; he had so many creative ideas that Sol simply wouldn't understand; if only he saw things from Majora's perspective.

Kronos then flew away to leave Majora to his solace. Majora was bored again; this would not do for the master of chaos and mischief. "And now I'm bored; great, now what do I do?"

Sol walked out of the bathhouse, feeling refreshed and relieved. He sighed and said to himself, "It's a good thing that berry paint wasn't permanent. Perhaps I was too hard on him. I'll be sure to talk it out with him calmly." As he looked around, he saw Kronos wandering in Arcadia Square, so he greeted him, "Kronos! Good to see you, my friend. How's your day going?"

"It's going well, like a spring breeze on a warm afternoon. By the way, I talked to Majora," Kronos replied.

"How did it go?" Sol asked, almost as if knowing what Kronos's answer would be.

"As well as you'd expect, an exercise in futility," Kronos said with a sigh.

"I worry about him; he's my brother, and I love him. I want him to be the best he can be for himself, not to torment me or anyone else," Sol said.

"You know what's in his nature, Sol. Trying to tell him to stop being chaotic would be like trying to tell the wind to stop blowing; It's not up to you or me to dictate someone else's nature—we simply do what we're meant to do, nothing more," Kronos stated.

"Yes, I understand your point, Kronos, but what if his pranks become more serious and harmful? I cannot just stand by while he uses Arcadia as his oyster."

"Hmm... he did mention pulling pranks on Arcadia to me."

"He better not do such a thing, Kronos. I-I... he needs to start thinking logically for once in his carefree life. If he does something as bad as that, I will have no choice but to take action against it." Sol said, trying to keep his anger in check.

"I hope for his own sake that he doesn't. You have given him many chances already. How many times has he pranked you so far?" Kronos asked.

"More times than I care to count," Sol lightly gritted his sharp teeth and huffed as his mane began flickering with solar energy. "He is like a pampered child and nothing more—always thinking of himself and no one else."

"He doesn't have any friends, you know. He's usually alone when he isn't talking to me or hassling you."

"I know, Kronos... I know. But he must willingly seek friendship; it won't fall in his lap. I choose not to have any because I'm too busy keeping reality in balance." Sol briefly lamented before continuing, "I know what's best for us, Kronos; he'll eventually need to come around and be more responsible; he knows that and so do I."

"Well, in lieu of this conversation, Sol, I have a theory: What if Majora is incapable of comprehending orderly behavior?" Kronos's concerns were also causing Sol to cock an eyebrow up in curiosity.

"What do you mean, my friend?" Sol asked Kronos.

"I mean, what if he cannot understand the need for order and instead continues to create chaos? That is more your area of expertise, after all, Sol."

"That is precisely what I'm afraid of, Kronos. If we let him continue, his childish pranks may become more severe. I fear that I only encourage him by allowing him to do what he does best: spreading chaos and disorder."

"Although you refer to him as your brother, you treat him like a monster. Why is that, my friend?" Kronos asked Sol sadly, "Perhaps Majora needs a positive influence in his life. Have you tried that yet?"

"I have tried everything I can think of, Kronos. You cannot change who and what Majora is destined for; no one can. However, one day, he must realize that his actions have consequences."

"I hope you can reach him before it's too late, Sol, and that things improve for both of you and Arcadia," Kronos said as he said his goodbyes to Sol, who nodded respectfully as they parted ways.

"Oh, come on; you can't pretend that's not funny, right? Look at him; I turned his garments into polka-dots," Majora said, giggling at the prank he pulled. Majora's delight was quite frankly irritating to the other Arcadians, who glared at him with disdain. The one being pranked was panicking, as that was his family's robe, passed down by his generations of ancients.

"MAJORA!!! Stop right where you are! I must have words with you!" A fierce bellow shatters through the bustling panic like a gunshot to quiet the noisy atmosphere of a loud crowd.

"Ugh; oh no; here we go again." Majora scoffed in irritation.

Sol stepped towards his chimeric brother, angry and ready to confront him. "What is the meaning of this? You know they are off-limits. Our job is to protect them; the ancients are the light."

"Why? What's so enlightening about them, Brother? If anything, they need to learn to lighten up; nobody appreciates what I'm doing. I knew you'd be too stale, so I decided that I wanted a change of pace," Majora replied, struggling nonchalantly as the panicking Arcadian was still pacing around the open square.

"Revert his robes to normal... NOW!" Sol ordered through gritted teeth.

"Oh, fine. I'll do it only because you told me to," Majora snapped his talon to change Ancient's robe to its former color. "There! Are you happy now?"

"I want you to understand, Majora, that targeting those under our protection is a serious taboo; our responsibility is to maintain balance, not to create terror and dismay among the people," Sol advised his brother.

"Oh, blah; here we go again with that; you're always so one-note, brother. Order this, protect that," Majora mocked Sol, much to his chagrin who raised his left brow in mild irritation. "But what about creatures like us? Don't you think we should have been given a choice like they were, to choose how we live our lives? They get to do whatever they want, while divines like you, Kronos, and I are bound by our duty to serve unwillingly."

"That's just the way it is, Majora; that's our purpose; it's what we're meant to do," Sol replied.

"What? To be slaves to an endless generation of individuals who don't care about us or what we've sacrificed to improve their lives? How is that fair, Sol?" Majora raised his voice, his anger increasing towards his brother.

"Life isn't fair, Majora," Sol snapped back. "I would know, being condemned to solace with the knowledge that I can't intervene with ancient affairs. I can only step in when necessary. Do you think that's easy?" All this time, the other denizens of Arcadia could only watch with anticipation as they argued.

"Why can't we have fun? Why do we have to be told what to do? I'm not just an ancient; I'm a God, Sol, and so are you and Kronos. We should be the ones being served, not them."

"It doesn't work like that, and you know it," Sol scolded further, "We cannot change what we are, Majora. Now you must promise me that you'll never do this again. Prank only me if you have to, but leave the other Arcadians alone. I cannot continue to let your antics slide and harm the innocent. That is where I will draw my line."

"Pah, you're always so serious about everything, Sol."

"I must be to be good at my job. Do we have an accord, Majora?"

"Yes, brother... we do," Majora spoke through gritted teeth, and Sol took that as much good confirmation as he'd get from his chimeric brother.

"Good. See to it that we never have this conversation again, Majora. I love you, brother, and I only want what's best for everyone."

"Yeah, sure, whatever you say. I'll be at my evergreen tree; nobody had better bother me for a while." The dejected chimera of chaos flew over to his tree to sulk for a while as Kronos approached Sol again to speak to him.

"Well, that could have gone better," the time deity said to Sol.

"I'm sorry you had to see that, Kronos. Majora is inconsolable, and we can do nothing for one who's destined to be chaotic."

"Hmm... Well, it's not like his entire being wasn't created from the chaos that did come from you and vice versa; so, you're going to take all of his pranks? Are you sure you'd be able to handle that?"

"Better that than to put the other ancients at risk."

"But, Sol, my friend, your anger..."

"I know, Kronos. But I have no choice; if I don't take this, they will, which I cannot allow."

"But what if he honors his agreement with you?"

"He won't... I know him." Sol somberly composed himself. "I'm merely delaying the inevitable here; I know that day will come when I must stop him and show my brother no quarter."

"As you will then, Sol. I'm sorry things couldn't be better for him; I tried to help him—to at least listen when nobody else would."

"I know you did, Kronos. You're a wonderful servant to the cosmos; we couldn't have asked for a better deity of time than you."

"I appreciate your kind words, but I'm doing my job, nothing more, Sol."

"And your job is maintained nicely. So then, Kronos, I'll soon be retiring to my meditation for the night. What will you do?"

"I'm not sure. I could watch the stars before I turn in. Sleep doesn't apply to us, but it is peaceful."

"As you are then, my friend, I'll see you later." Sol bade his friend farewell as they both parted ways.

The next cycle had begun, and Majora had a great time playing pranks on Sol. He painted Sol's mane with berry paint, sometimes in different colors, tarred and feathered his body, misplaced his ancient furniture, and then levitated him up and down to make him feel queasy.

Sol's anger was boiling over like a cauldron, and he could not control it. "You must be enjoying this, right, brother?" Majora asked, almost mockingly.

"Yes, Majora, I love being tormented for no particular reason; please, keep doing it," Sol responded bitterly as his anger increased.

"Okay then, if you say so, brother. Just let me know when this plan of yours finally backfires." Sol could only look at his brother with growing disgust. He then remembered Kronos' concern about his anger getting out of control and he now understood why he was worried.

Sol was at his breaking point, having had enough of Majora's constant pranks. He didn't know what would happen but knew it wouldn't be good. His eyes filled with intense fury as he finally said, "Enough, Majora!"

Majora was almost shocked. "Oh... he looks angrier than usual now. Is this your usual anger, or is it a step above the level of anger?"

Pearly-white fire billowed around Sol's hooves as he addressed his brother, "What do you think, Majora?"

Majora hoped his brother could be reasoned with: "Maybe you should tune your rage down... just a bit before Arcadia becomes a scarred wasteland."

Sol's anger was overwhelming, and he could not be consoled as he methodically approached his brother. "You just couldn't help yourself, could you, brother? When you were told to stop, that was too much to ask for; now I'm being told to stop?"

Majora tried to move away from his enraged brother, but the white-hot flames stung his skin every time they touched him. "Yes, I understand what you're saying now, brother, really I do."

Sol used his white magic to make his horn shimmer a brilliant solar hue. Vibrant magic could be seen and felt all around them, as his anger was too much to quell. "No, Majora. I do not think so. I do not think you do. But soon you will."

He radiated pure light from his horn and then created an extended transparent blade on it. With a flick of his chin, his new weapon sliced at Majora, cleanly taking off his left bear arm. The ethereal blood rose like energy while the chimera shrieked in shock and pain. Frantically, he grabbed his severed arm as he tried to back away from his brother. "Aaaeeiii... brother?! This time, you have gone too far!"

"I understand what must be done now; your actions and intentions threaten Arcadia, brother; you have nearly risked our safety. Your existence is needed for balance to be maintained, but you... you shall trouble the innocent no longer!" Another slash and his griffon arm holding onto his severed bear arm was cleanly cut off as he recoiled in pain and felt genuine terror for the first time in his existence.

"Gah?! Please, brother, I'll change this time, I swear it." Sol disregarded his words as he roared in his fury; slash after slash: his arms, legs, torso, mismatched wings, tail, then finally, his goat-like head tumbled onto the ground as all of his pieces fell to the grassy terrain; each body part was enveloped in Sol's magic as Majora's terrified eyes drifted to each piece as he saw each piece of his body get molded like potters clay into the shape that one would assert to be a mask. His flesh turned into wood, and his head flattened out while the rest of his body was reformed into a misshapen visage of pure chaos.

Sol spoke as he tried to catch his breath, "This is the only way I can keep Arcadia safe from your chaos, brother. It didn't have to be this way, but you pushed me too far. Rather than destroy you, I offer you mercy. My job is to keep them safe, and that's precisely what I will do. I am sorry, brother."

Majora found himself trapped inside a wooden mask that bore a faint resemblance to his former self. The mask was the only thing surrounding him, as he was engulfed in an impenetrable darkness. He could feel the weight of his confinement pressing down on him, with no visible way to break free from his prison.

Sol had taken him to an ancient temple that had been crafted by the Four Giants of Arcadia, and there he placed the mask on a pedestal. With a heavy heart and a sense of regret, Sol left his brother to his solitude, knowing that there was no way to bring him back to the world of the living.

In his solace, he felt the pang of loneliness, dissonance, and betrayal, as the only thing he could feel was outrage at his new predicament. He felt his heart lurch with that pain; "I-I do not understand, why brother? This is not mercy; this is a prison." He was condemned in that state, inevitably resigning to his contempt.

"Hate... hate... I hate this so much... and I hate you, brother... so much..." His lasting thoughts and his desire for destruction, turmoil, and revenge were all Majora had left now to keep him company; "One day, this seal will weaken, brother; there will come a day in which I will be released, and when that day comes, I shall consume everything!"

After Sol was finished, he was approached by his time-managing companion; "Sol?! What have you done to Majora?!" Kronos, with a panicked look in his eyes, addressed Sol, "You cannot begin to imagine what could happen now," Kronos said in complete shock at Sol's severe reaction.

"I did what was best for Arcadia, Kronos; disorder would only destroy us all. I didn't want to have to go that far, believe me, but Majora demonstrated his complete disregard for empathy or any redeeming qualities that a divine god must possess." Even then, Sol justified himself as if he were in the right; as if he did nothing wrong, whatsoever.

"But to condemn him to such a horrible fate, Sol? There's no telling the kind of irreversible damage you just caused to his psyche." Kronos bowed before Majora's Temple, sadness grazing his eyes as they wept for their loss; "I was coming back to tell you that I might have had a plan to help him and you did this?!"

"What's done is done, Kronos; there is no bringing him back now. Even if I did, the risk of his rage would be far too much for Arcadia to bear."

"That is your excuse for condemning Majora to an eternity of forced sensory deprivation?" The disgust unsubtle on Kronos's face; "You! I can't do this anymore; you have gone too far. This is finished, and so are we; we are brothers no longer, Sol; goodbye."

Kronos vanished as Sol was reaching out as if to reply, but deep down he knew that no reply could reverse what he did. Time progressed, but the ancient civilization ironically stagnated due to the lack of creativity that only chaos could provide. "What have I done? My fury; my rage; my decision has cost me everything."

Age eventually caught up to Sol, and he felt his time had come. With his last power, he divided his body into two energies, Day and Night, to carry on his divine order and maintain balance when he was gone. "Majora... I am sorry, brother; I wish you could understand that your power is too destructive for this world to bear."

After one last melancholy glance at Majora's Temple and then at the cosmos, he felt his body split into two, dividing into new lights: Day and Night to carry existence along as his spirit drifted back into the universe where it initially came from, back to eternal peace.

Many have attempted to use Majora's Mask for its overwhelming power and the knowledge it possessed. Many ancient tribes, not all spared of Majora's wrath, have tried; many have failed miserably. It was universally agreed by many tribes save for a few to leave it be where it was.

After Arcadia had stagnated, it served as Majora's permanent home with no other traces of life present, other civilizations will then be built using Arcadia as their base. New cultures were created branching out and developing into what we will eventually know as both Termina and Equestria, and even all other nations in between.

The hatred and anger that boiled deep within Majora's soul had metastasized. rising like a bubbling cauldron of pure fury and sadness. Those bitter emotions congealed into a vicious dark-purple ooze known as malice—the essence of unadulterated hatred that will eventually give birth to all the monsters of this world.

After all, if Majora couldn't have his peace, then why should anybody else? Kronos worked with Gaia, and The Four Giants to keep Majora sealed away after the tribes had stopped trying to use him for their hexing rituals. It became Kronos's new job now—to keep the balance of time in proper working order.

Bonus Chapter: Courage's Postlude part one

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter one: Prologue

Celestia, Luna, Twilight, her friends, and Hero have all gathered to embark on a vacation and are currently wandering through the Everfree. After successfully saving their home from the Dark Lord Sombra; they knew they couldn't leave their duties unattended, so they devised a plan to entrust their most trained and loyal lieutenants to manage the celestial cycles via the sundial.

Celestia and Luna assigned their highest-ranking commander this crucial task, promising to reward them handsomely upon their return. The two rulers had complete faith in their lieutenants and believed they would carry out their duties with utmost care and precision.

With a nod of agreement from Celestia, they departed, leaving their lieutenants in charge. The lieutenants were thrilled to be entrusted with such an important task and worked diligently to maintain the celestial cycles without disruptions as they made their way toward the Everfree, cutting through Ponyville as it was in between both Canterlot and their destination.

"Hey sister, why did we choose to go through Everfree? I'm not afraid of being here, but I'm curious." As the party journeys deeper into the forest, they come across a clearing with dense trees that obscure their view beyond twenty feet. "Oh no, this wasn't part of our vacation plans, sister. I didn't expect us to get lost in the heart of Everfree."

Princess Celestia approached her sister, Luna, with a look of regret. "I am sorry, Luna," she began. "The guide I spoke with in Ponyville assured me that the route through this forest would be a shortcut to reach Rainbow Falls. However, I was mistaken, and we got lost."

Celestia's tone was sincere as she continued to explain the situation. "I regret causing confusion and any inconvenience this may have caused us. It was my mistake, sister, and I take full responsibility for our predicament."

Luna listened attentively and could sense the sincerity in Celestia's voice. She appreciated that her sister took responsibility for the situation and was willing to apologize. Luna thinks to herself as she sees her sister and then her eyes drift to Hero who was watching them protectively, even as a young stallion, he never lost that determination to keep those he valued safe. "We will find our way out of this forest together, Celestia," Luna reassured her sister. "Mistakes happen, but what's important is learning from them and moving forward."

"Well, what if we fly up high to check if we can find a way out of here?" Full of enthusiasm, Rainbow flies high to the treetops to scout the landscape from the skies. She looks around but finds that the air is dense and foggy. The air around them is unsettling, and they all begin shivering in trepidation at something unpleasant. "Okay, then. Skies are a no-go. Ponyfeathers."

"Well, shucks. There's got to be a way out of these woods, guys. The bad part is that we don't travel here much, and Zecora's House is nowhere around here." Applejack snorts, her chagrin unsubtle as she scrapes the ground with her hooves, "If we make tracks that we can recognize, then I reckon that we'll be able to come back here to regroup if necessary."

"Yeah. Good thinking, Applejack. Alright, everypony. We should be safe as long as we all stick together." Twilight finishes as a strange pale-blue light shines in the gaps between the trees, catching Luna's attention. Her gaze fixes on the odd anomaly, inviting her as if it were a siren's call. "Um... Luna? Hello, Luna. Are you okay? Speak to us."

"L-Light—So blue—So beautiful..." Luna said as Luna's gaze became fixed on the blue fog, and she walked toward it in a trance-like state. Celestia and Twilight tried to stop her, but she seemed unresponsive to their calls.

"Luna, stop this at once! If this is some joke, it's not funny," Celestia tries to get her attention.

Celestia's urgency was met with silence. Twilight spoke up, "She's not responding, Celestia. That light doesn't seem normal."

"No, it's not," Celestia said as she stepped into the mysterious blue fog; Celestia, Twilight, and the rest of the team raced to catch up with her. They knew they couldn't lose her in this strange and unknown place.

As they entered the fog, they were surrounded by the blue mist, which was becoming increasingly difficult to see. But they pressed on, calling out for Luna as they went. Suddenly, they stumbled upon an enormous tree stump. Its center was split open, revealing a dark tunnel with roots intertwined along the ceiling.

Celestia, Twilight, and the team looked at each other, unsure what to do next. It was clear that they had stumbled into something far beyond their understanding.

"Okay, this is just perfect. Getting my coat all dirty was totally not one of my plans for today," said Rarity, looking at the black tunnel in the stump with apprehension. "So... did Luna go in there?"

"I believe so, Rarity. This light led us here, so it's our only lead. I shall go first, and everyone should follow closely behind me," said Celestia, taking the lead as they entered the tunnel.

"It's so dark and quiet in here. Twilight, can you use your magic to light this place up?" asked Fluttershy, hugging Rainbow Dash for comfort.

"It's okay, Fluttershy. We're here for you. Just stay close to me, okay?" said Rainbow Dash, reassuring her friend.

Twilight tried to use her magic to light up the tunnel, but her horn flickered instead. "What?! My magic isn't lighting this place up, Celestia."

"I cannot use my magic in this tunnel either," said Starlight, also trying to light up the tunnel.

"Let me try then," said Celestia, closing her eyes to focus her magic. However, her magic didn't work either. "Oh, dear. My magic isn't working either."

They were now more nervous than ever, fearing they couldn't fly, use magic, or see where they were going. As they continued through the tunnel, the black atmosphere faded into a strange, wavy void of distorting energies in inconsistent patterns and weird light warping.

The group suddenly finds themselves lost in unfamiliar territory as the path they came in from disappears. Even Hero, who had been calm until now, is starting to feel anxious. The emptiness continues until they finally reach the end of it and find themselves back in the forest. But something is not right. The tunnel they had come through is now gone, and the group is understandably confused.

"Oh no, the way out is gone. What do we do now?" Fluttershy shivers as they all feel unsure of where they are until they catch up with Luna. Luna is curled up in the fetal position, with her hooves on her face, struggling with something.

"Luna! Are you okay? We were so worried about you—Oh!" Celestia sees Luna struggling and screaming, pounding her hooves on her face and flailing on the ground. She desperately tries to remove a strange-looking mask from her sister's face. "Oh God, Luna!? It'll be okay. Your sister is here now."

Luna's body falls limp onto the grassy terrain of the forest as she cries out, "S-Sister...help—" Everyone stares in horror as her body rises and floats, without her even using her wings.

"I do not know who or what you are, or why you want my sister, but I demand that you release her immediately!" Celestia demands.

The mysterious mask is using Luna's voice as a proxy to speak. It seems to have no intention of relinquishing the vessel it recently occupied. It scoffs at the notion of giving it up. "This thing? Give it up? Why would I ever do that? It has been far too long since I've had a vessel to occupy—She wasn't doing anything too useful so I did you a favor and got rid of her for you."

"Oh no, you will not! You will give her back to us right now!" Celestia, however, is outraged by the mask's words and demands that it return Luna immediately. She charges at the masked entity, intending to take back her sister's body. But the masked princess is quick to respond, using her forehooves to block Celestia's advance.

Then, with a burst of magical force, the entity slams Celestia into an oak tree. The impact is so severe that Celestia cries out in pain, her back colliding with the tree trunk with a sickening thud. Despite the agony, Celestia remains determined to rescue her sister from the clutches of this malevolent force.

"You are annoying to me now. Our playtime has come to an end. All of you shall begone!" The masked alicorn roars, using its evil magic to make all the ponies except Hero vanish. He reaches out to them with his hooves, but all have silent looks of shock as each of them disappears. The masked princess addresses Hero, "This leaves you then, I suppose. You're not as annoying as that white one was. I think I'll have some fun with you, though."

Hero puts on a brave face and maintains his posture against the possessed mare before him. "Oh? Do you think you can take me on as I am now? You're a stupid little fool if you think that. Such arrogance deserves punishment."

The masked mare wiggles her mask using her hexing magic and aims it at Hero. He curls up defensively, trying to block the harsh and evil waves that emanate from the mare's mask, but to no avail. He then runs for his life, surrounded by a swarm of changelings with different colors, each one seemingly more terrifying than the last.

As he runs, Hero's vision begins to blur, and he feels a sense of vertigo, making it difficult for him to keep his balance. The changeling mirage, which is gigantic and colorful, is furious, and it's rapidly gaining on him. Hero can hear it getting closer and closer, and he knows that he's running out of time.

Suddenly, the changeling mirage catches him, and everything goes black. Hero feels a tightness in his chest as he is consumed by the changeling. His consciousness fades, and he is left alone in the darkness.

When Hero's vision clears, he feels strange. He looks into the lake next to the trees where the possessed princess is floating to see his reflection. In the lake's reflection, his body looks like a changeling: a lime-green body, blue compound eyes, yellow underbelly, cyan insectoid wings, and a pair of light-orange mandibles on his forehead with a slightly curved horn. He screams in shock as the masked alicorn gawks at him and then laughs. "Wow.. now that is a perfect look for you. You'll be lost in these woods looking like that forever. Thanks for the amusement."

The masked alicorn then leaves Hero to his own devices as he hurries around the forest to collect himself. He sees a glimpse of the possessed mare fleeing into an ancient stone building that appears to be secured by a mechanical door held firmly shut. The lever on its right side gives Hero the idea of using it. Once he opens the door, he steps in as the hallways distort, and it feels like the gravity is shifting upside-down.

As the Hero enters a stone room, he is greeted by a massive machine that resembles a clock tower. The machine is held together by gears, cogs, and winding beams of various sizes, and the sound of a clockwork machine with flowing water fills the air; the ambiance ironically feels quiet, too quiet for Hero to feel comfortable.

The automatic door behind him closes, and he notices a set of stairs leading up to the second floor. As he climbs the stairs, he admires the intricate details of the tower. The gears and cogs are finely crafted, and the winding beams are sturdy wood. The room feels like a massive mechanical marvel, and he can't help but feel impressed by its complexity.

As he approaches the doors, he hears a giggle behind him. Turning around, he sees a stranger standing before him. "You've met with a terrible fate, haven't you?"

The stranger is a tall and lithe stallion with a tan coat, striped shirt, and blue pants. He wears a purple jacket over his shirt and a vast brown leather backpack on his back adorned with various masks. With a friendly smile, he beckons Hero, his crimson-red mane and red mustache complement his sapphire-blue eyes, which sparkle with urgency. "Excuse me. Pardon my rudeness. Allow me to introduce myself; I am the happy mask sales pony, Flam. At your service."

The Hero feels like he's experiencing deja vu with this guy. He could swear they had met before at some point. "I hope you don't think of me as rude, but I've been watching you back there. I know of your tragedy, and I know of a way to restore you to your former self." Hero chitters in glee as Flam continues, "Unfortunately, I am a very time-oriented stallion, and I need to be out of here in exactly three days from now."

"So, I have a proposition for you: If you can find an instrument capable of channeling magic in this town, I can restore you to normal. In exchange, I want to ask you a favor. You saw that strange mask on that alicorn's face, yes? It is called Majora's Mask, and its capabilities are unbelievable."

"You cannot begin to comprehend its evil power—I must get this mask back before my three days here are up. I shall be good on my word if you are good on yours. Is it a deal, then?" Hero nods as he shakes his hooves with Flam, who laughs joyfully and relieved, "Oh, good lad, I knew I could count on you. Remember to bring back an instrument capable of channeling magic to me to fulfill my end of the deal. I wish you luck."

Chapter six: Dawn of the Final Day (I)

Dawn of the final day:
24 hours remaining

"I apologize for my hasty behavior. Perhaps allowing all species to enter won't be as bad as I previously thought. I have witnessed the bravery of one individual who saved my daughter." Thorax then asks for Hero's name. "Hero, yes, a fine name; you had royal blood in your veins. For saving my daughter's life, I, King Thorax, give you my blessing to marry her."

"Daddy, please stop it," Ocellus blushed and protested. Hero also blushed and ran out quickly while Rainbow and Pinkie giggled. They boarded the boat, taking them to the stilted hut where Hero and Pinkie first met Fluttershy.

The group noticed that the day had begun, and they had not slept but didn't have time to rest. Fluttershy was in urgent need of help. Rainbow spoke to Hero and Pinkie as they boarded the boat, "I was taking Fluttershy to check the water supply when we saw it turning a putrid purple color, and the grass was dying. When Fluttershy drank the water, she immediately fell ill."

"I sought out the help of the changeling princess to get a cure for Fluttershy. However, a huge zebra-like demon captured her, and I fled to warn the king. You all know what happened next." The group arrived at Fluttershy's hut to find her still sick, and time was running out. "Okay, we're back and have good news for you."

"Have you brought more medicine? I did my best to stabilize her vitals while you were gone."

"Unfortunately, we don't have any medicine, but we did purify the water."

"Wow, you managed to purify the water again?! Well, I'll be a monkey's uncle; that's solid work! But, I'll need one more favor from you all."

"Sure thing. What is it?" Rainbow asks the stallion.

"Somewhere in this swamp, there's a swamp hut on a grand oak tree where the Alchemist Meadowbrook lives. She has all the necessary ingredients you'll need for an elixir of life to cure this mare. Get that and mix it with the purified water here. Can you do that for me?"

"You got it, Boss." Rainbow saluted happily as she rushed out for the elixir to cure Fluttershy.

Hero, Rainbow, and Pinkie ventured through the swamp to the farthest point opposite the Changeling Kingdom. They found a narrow pathway leading to an open gate and a treehouse at the top of the Swamp Hut. "Yay! We made it. Now, let's get that cure for Fluttershy!" exclaimed Pinkie.

Rainbow urged, "Come on, Pinks. Let's go." They made their way to the entrance of the hut and met Meadowbrook.

"Welcome to our home and clinic. How can I assist you today?" They expected a female voice but instead heard a male voice, "I'm Sage Meadowbrook. My sister, Mage, went to pick some mushrooms in the forest next to the hut, and she hasn't returned yet. I'm concerned that something might have happened to her."

"We have a very sick pony who needs help urgently," said Rainbow.

"I'm sorry, blue and colorful one. Can you please tell me what's happening in detail?" asked Sage.

"Our friend Fluttershy drank the contaminated water, which Hero purified. But now she's seriously ill and needs immediate help," explained Rainbow.

"Alright, to cure Fluttershy's mortal illness, you'll need to acquire an elixir of life made from mushrooms my sister lost in the forest. If you can find her, she may have already found the Sana Remedium Shrooms, which are packed with essential nutrients that give the elixir its healing properties. Once you find my sister and retrieve the mushrooms, we can make the elixir and cure Fluttershy. Does that sound good?"

Rainbow looks away from the counter with a somber expression. "It's frustrating, but we don't have any other options. Let's go find her and save Fluttershy."

"Oh, and before you leave, I want to thank you for purifying the water. We can't make healing potions and remedies with contaminated water. Good luck on your journey, and we'll see you when you return with my sister." Sage bids them farewell until they return with Mage.

Hero, Rainbow, and Pinkie entered the dense forest at the swamp's edge to search for Mage. Each tunnel they took split into four directions, and the looping paths left them confused. "Grr... We don't have time for this. If only there were some sign or clue to help guide us," Rainbow grumbled.

Suddenly, they spotted a trail of blood, although it was only a few drops. The group followed it, hoping it would lead them to Mage. "Well, when I said sign, this wasn't exactly what I had in mind, but I'll take it," Rainbow said.

Pinkie looked sad and worried, "Well, Dashie, this is our only clue to follow. I hope whoever it belongs to is okay." Suddenly, the ground shook, and everyone gasped in shock. "What's going on here?" Pinkie asked.

"I-I don't know, Pinks. Look at the moon! It's getting closer to the ground!" Rainbow said, examining the moon with anger and fear.

"I think you're right. We have to hurry, guys. Fluttershy needs us. Then there's no need for us to be here anymore," Pinkie said as the group followed a trail through multiple tunnels while dodging more monsters that tried to attack them. They finally approached a mare lying on the ground with a nasty wound on her right hind leg. She was trying to use a cloth to stop the bleeding.

"Hey there. Someone found me at last. I need help, quickly." They saw a blue mare lying on the grassy floor, who looked almost identical to that Sage guy. This must have been Mage.

"What happened here?" Rainbow approached to help.

"Hmph. Someone wearing a tribal mask thought it was funny to strike me from behind when I clarified that I wasn't interested in talking to her." She winced as she continued, "I need a healing potion from my brother, one that I know only he knows how to make."

"You have a tribal mask, too?" Rainbow raised her eyebrow in confusion.

"This is a healer's mask. I'm a healing alchemist. That mare who attacked me wore a mask that gave off a vibe of pure, unrelenting evil. It felt incredible, imposing, and terrible all at once. Please, tell him I need help and that I'm here."

"I'll stay here to keep you company, Okie Dokie?"

"Are you sure, Pinks? Yeah. You are. We'll be fast, guys. I promise."

Rainbow and Hero rushed out of the forest as quickly as possible. Following the trail of blood in reverse, they could find the exit more easily. As they emerged from the forest, they quickly climbed to the hut to speak to Sage.

"You're back! Is everything okay?" Sage asked, concerned. Rainbow and Hero explained the situation, and he gasped in horror. "Sis was attacked? Her leg is wounded, and she's bleeding out? That's not good. Here, give her this medicine. It's a salve that will help to ease the pain and speed up the healing of her leg. It's an ancient family remedy that can cure any external abrasions. Please hurry."

"Got it!" Rainbow saluted Sage as she and Hero left the hut and returned to the forest.

As they ran back through the dark and damp tunnels, the trio followed the trail of dried blood that led them to their injured friend, Mage. They found her waiting for them, with Pinkie Pie beside her, giggling and telling jokes to keep her spirits up.

Pinkie greeted them with a wide smile and asked Mage, "Have you heard of elevator jokes?"

"No, I do not believe I have," Mage said as she listened to Pinkie.

"They have their ups and downs but are pretty funny." Pinkie launched into a series of witty and pun-filled jokes that got everyone laughing.

"Oh dear, I see what you did there—ups and downs because an elevation can only go up or down." Mage, who had been in pain and feeling miserable, was grateful for the moment of levity and remarked, "Thank you; laughter is the best medicine."

Rainbow then produced the healing salve that Mage needed to treat her wounds. "That smell and those ingredients? That's definitely from Sage; give it here, please," Mage gasped in relief and surprise when she saw it, recognizing Sage's distinct work, known for its powerful healing properties.

She took the salve and applied it to her leg, wincing from the pressure she had to use to stop the bleeding. With Pinkie and Hero's help, she wrapped a bandage around her hind leg and stood unsteadily, leaning on her friends for support.

"Thank you so much," she said, her voice filled with gratitude. "I was gathering mushrooms for our remedies when that other mare attacked me. I tried to tell her I wasn't interested, but she wouldn't listen."

Rainbow and Hero exchanged a look, silently agreeing that this was likely the work of Luna being possessed by that mask and making sure she wouldn't cause any more harm. For now, though, they were glad they could help Mage and that she was in good spirits despite her injuries.

The three heroes arrived to assist Mage, and together, they returned to the hut high up in a tree. Rainbow and Hero carried Mage and flew up to help her enter the house. Sage was overjoyed to see his sister return safely. "Mage?! You're okay. Oh, thank goodness. Thanks to you three." He asked Mage, "Did you bring the Sana Remedium Mushrooms?"

Mage replied, "Yes, I have them with me. These are normally used to cure serious cases. Waste no more time, brother. Whoever it's for needs it urgently." They quickly mixed the ingredients to create the elixir of life. In just a few minutes, they were done. Sage and Mage were very skilled at their craft. "Here you go, one mixture for an elixir of life. Do not worry about any payment. You saved me from bleeding out. Consider this as a token of our gratitude."

"Remember to add it to purified water and serve it either hot or cold. We recommend hot, as it helps to warm the body and make the medicine run its course faster," Sage advised. They both waved goodbye with immense gratitude.

"Thanks, guys. We got what we needed. Awesome," Rainbow exclaimed, pumping her hoof in victory. "Here we come, Fluttershy!"

They hurriedly returned to the boathouse and cabin where Fluttershy was lying, only to find her breathing lightly, which was not a good sign. "You're back? Her pulse is slowing down. Quick! Give me that medicine!" The owner quickly made a purified soup with the remedy mix and rushed to administer it to her side. As she was being fed the medication, the effects were immediate, and her eyes began to open as she woke up.

"W-What happened to me?" Fluttershy asked in a slightly dizzy state as Pinkie and Rainbow reached out to hug her.

"Don't worry, Fluts. You're fine. You were poisoned, and we acted fast to help you." Rainbow and Pinkie cried as Hero tried to wipe some tears from his compound eyes- wait, he was still in his changeling form.

"I was so thirsty when I drank that water. I heard Rainbow warning me, and then I passed out." Fluttershy saw the changeling standing there as he placed his hooves onto his face and removed his mask. In a flash, Hero was his usual self again, and Fluttershy gasped in slight shock. "Hero, what happened while I was out? How bad was my condition?"

"It was pretty bad, but you toughed it out. You're okay, and that's what matters." Rainbow then helped Fluttershy as the cabin owner handed her the bowl of healing soup. Fluttershy drank the bitter soup and slightly winced but knew it was good for her.

"Thank you, guys. I'll pull through now."

"Thank you, sir. Please let us know if you need anything from us, okay?" Rainbow said to the boathouse owner, who just waved almost dismissively at her.

"I'll keep that offer in mind; thank you. Now, if you four have somewhere you need to be, I'd suggest getting there as soon as possible. The rumbling we hear is not a good sign." They all respectfully bowed before leaving the hut and making their way out of the swampland. The skies were getting darker as the moon was much closer to the tip of the tower at Clock Town. Oh dear.

Before they left the swamps, they saw one of the changelings near the exit. He was bigger than the others and had dark blue chitin, orange mandibles, red wings, and purple compound eyes. He bowed to the group before speaking, "Thank you for restoring our purified water in Woodfall. I saw you transforming into a changeling. You might not have noticed this, but that form reminds me of when my son and I raced through these swamps. After he left on a stroll through the lost forest, he never returned. I could only assume the worst. But how, how do you look so much like my son?"

"Hey, I understand this might be rude, but we must go to Clock Town immediately. We're sorry about that."

"It's no bother at all. Forgive my rambling. My name is Pharynx. I'm the brother of our king, Thorax. When I see you, I think of my beloved son. Oh, Tarsus, what has become of you?"

"This is a memorial mask that I was going to keep in my room, but I feel that you might find it more valuable if it were with you instead. It just might turn the tables in your favor sometime." Pharynx then gave him a ceremonial wooden mask. "That mask I carved from the bark of the trees here. It was meant to honor my son, but there's something special about you. You and my son are somehow connected."

"Thanks for the gift. We'll do our best to help find him for you, okay?"

"Don't worry about looking. I feel he's here, right now, and watching over us. Good luck on your journey, and may fate be in your favor." They saluted as they bid him farewell.

Chapter twenty-three: Dawn of the Second Night (IV)

Night of the second day:
36 hours remaining

As the team left Starlight's laboratory and music house, she kept the music playing to keep the Gibdos at bay. They made their way into the well where Sharp was initially found. They explored the underground catacombs of Ikana and the castle's private transport.

While skulking around in the gloomy tunnel, Twilight used her horn to light the way forward through the inky darkness, which would otherwise be impossible to navigate. It was so dark that you couldn't see your own hand in front of your face.

The team moved carefully and tried to move quickly to get through the catacombs. Applejack and Rainbow consoled Fluttershy so she could tolerate the darkened atmosphere.

Suddenly, the team heard ghastly moaning in the tunnel and froze with fear. "Everypony, be as quiet as possible; do not draw their attention," whispered Twilight to her team, who all agreed to stay silent.

Inching forward, they tried their best to avoid contact with the Gibdo in the tunnel, who was moaning at a low pitch and curled into the fetal position, twitching slightly as if possessed.

Hero kept his sword ready immediately and instructed the team not to let the Gibdo see them, as its shrieking would paralyze them. They listened to him as he had often dealt with these foul creatures in Equestria.

They managed to slip by the Gibdo as they made it to the center of the catacombs. Further down, they traveled to reach the end, encountering a few more Gibdos positioned near the walls and corners of the sprawling catacombs underneath Ikana.

Finally, they reached the end of the tunnel and emerged into the courtyard of an ancient castle that looked dilapidated and devoid of life, like the rest of the Ikana Kingdom.

The team had arrived at the entrance of Ikana Castle. Upon entering the derelict structure, they were greeted with an unwelcome sight: Four Gibdos were stationed at the center of the Main Foyer. Hero put on the Gibdo Mask from Starlight, and as a result, the other undead creatures ignored him but started following his friends instead.

Hero then removed the mask and put on the spiritual golden mask with the purple hood, which caused a different reaction from the undead creatures. They started dancing in coordination. Starlight was equally surprised as everyone else and said, "Well, as long as they don't try to attack us, I guess we should be fine with that."

Starlight feared the undead creatures since she had nearly turned into one. The team felt relieved when they realized that the undead creatures showed no signs of hostility. However, their presence still made the group feel uneasy. The team moved past the dancing corpses and entered the left corridor, which was sealed with a block with a picture of a sun symbol.

Turning left down a corridor, they saw what appeared to be a vast study. "Oh, wow, forbidden texts and knowledge to be gained here... no, Twilight. We're on a mission right now. Sorry, guys, it's a force of habit."

Further down the corridor, they came across what seemed to be the first half of the back of Ikana Castle, resembling a walled garden. "This place almost reminds me of Everfree Castle back in Equestria," Twilight remarked.

"Yeah, but Everfree Castle didn't have undead plaguing it, last I checked," Starlight teased. Twilight shrugged in agreement.

"Point taken; Look, Hero, there's a chest up those stairs. It looks like a ceremonial chest," Twilight pointed out. Hero climbed the stairs and opened the ornate chest, obtaining the Mirror Shield. "A mirror shield? It looks very sturdy, Hero. This'll help us out immensely," Twilight added.

As they left the walled garden section, back through the study, and out to the foyer, the Gibdos were still dancing. They headed in the right direction and found an aged and worn dining room like the rest of the castle.

"This must have been where they were eating their meals and celebrating, possibly after their many victories here. This place's rich history makes my body tingle excitedly, guys," Twilight was giddy with learning about this Ikanaian culture and found this place's secrets to be very intriguing. "Further down looks to be the other side of that walled garden, which looks like a gallery. It's also not exposed to the outside like that garden was. How old is this place exactly?"

"I have no idea, but judging by the designs, I'd estimate centuries old. Very antiquated designs are depicted here. There's also a stairway to the second floor of this castle. Let's check that out." Starlight then pointed her left forehoof to the way up for the team.

They went up to the second floor and noticed that the foundation in the center was slightly cracked. Above the cracked floor was a strange magical lantern that seemed to be turned off and had been so for many years. The lantern was suspended by a rusted chain and anchored to the second floor's ceiling. It looked like magic could be deposited on one side and fire on the other.

"How curious," said Starlight. "This must be a generator for elemental magic. I briefly read about it in the library back at Twilight's Castle. As for why it's here, I honestly have no clue."

Twilight came up with an idea and told Hero, "Use your fire arrows, and I'll use my magic to simulate Celestia's solar magic. It's difficult to mimic another's magic, but since it's nighttime, we don't have much time to wait for the sun to rise. Are you ready, Hero?"

Hero nodded and readied his bow with magic, switching to fire arrows to light up the lantern.

At the same time, Twilight was weaving Celestia's solar magic, which was a strain on her. She gritted her teeth and managed to do it, which was genuinely unbelievable. After finishing her spell, an artificial sun was created in the lantern. The fire from Hero's arrow ignited the lantern, so the spell would work correctly as it needed heat.

Twilight was panting from exhaustion after finishing the spell, and she said, "Y-Yeah... I did it..."

"Wow, that was impressive, Twilight," Starlight said in awe. Twilight's lantern emitted a field of solar energy, illuminating the room with bright light. "We could probably break this cracked floor beneath us. Gibdos hate natural and magical light."

"Do you think you have something strong enough to smash this floor, Hero?" Starlight asked as Hero nodded and removed his spiritual mask, replacing it with his wooden yak mask. As it crunched onto his face, he began to transform into his yak form, screaming in pain. In a flash, he was his yak and unicorn self-fusion, "Uhhnn... that looked very painful for him; what have you guys been doing all this time before you rescued me?"

"A lot has happened, Starlight. Hero's been through one heck of an adventure with us," Twilight replies as Hero looks down at the cracked floor and stomps on it with his forehooves, shattering the floor to the bottom, shedding light into the foyer, and petrifying the four Gibdos that were dancing in coordination.

"Nice going, Hero! Now, let's go back to the foyer of this castle to see if anything has changed," Twilight said. She then led the group down the stairs and back to the foyer to see the undead frozen by the light and unable to move.

"Okay, we're safe from them, everypony. Great. But what about that block in our way?" Rainbow asks the group.

Twilight deeply thought, "I have a theory about that block. It was placed there to keep something inside from getting out. Look at its symbol chiseled onto it. It looks like a sun. But why?" Twilight then looked up to that lamp she lit, and Hero both lit up and grinned, "I think I know why."

"That sun symbolizes enlightenment; this place was shrouded in blood and darkness, right? Well, how do we shed light on it? Easy. Hero's mirror shield can bounce off light particles, yes? That's just basic science," Twilight grinned as she explained her theory. Hero then removed his yak mask and felt Darmani's sorrow being pulled from his body as he reverted to normal.

"He then readies his mirror shield to bounce the light beam from the ceiling to the block. As the block glows bright white, it vanishes from sight."

"Great job, everyone! The path ahead is now clear," Twilight celebrated with Hero and their friends, acknowledging their progress.

The team entered the central corridor leading to the throne room of Ikana Castle. Inside, they saw an ancient throne upon which sat a skeleton horse adorned in ceremonial armor and royal attire. As soon as he saw them, his eyes began to glow red, and he spoke in a gravelly, supernatural voice.

"Ggrrrnnn... what is this intrusion? You are interlopers, full of life in this land scarred by death and darkness. Your courage is palpable but foolish. Now, you shall forever roam the deepest darkness. My two best soldiers will demonstrate the true definition of darkness and fear."

With that, his two lackeys stepped forward, laughing maliciously and making the team shiver. "My loyal soldiers! Flay the flesh and meat from their bones and make them like we are—undead."

Twilight said, "Oh dear... Hero, I'll keep everything else protected. You deal with those two." The two soldiers fought like typical stalpony knights, but Hero knew their tactics. He deftly dodged their attacks and slashed them in the back with his razor blade, gradually dulling its sharpness.

Attacking the more lanky stalpony, his body crumbled into a pile of bones as he let out a groan of defeat. He slashed at the more stalky one, whose body broke into a pile of bones. They both rose back up while chuckling as they rebuilt themselves back together. "No. No good. These Stalponies are not your typical variety. Tread carefully, Hero," Twilight said as she observed them reassembling themselves with unease.

Hero looked up at two windows on the second floor of the throne room. They were covered by tapestries with the Ikana Family Crest, and light shone through them. Hero decided to test something by shooting a fire arrow at the tapestry on the right, which burned it away and revealed a beam of solar light in the throne room. Hero and Twilight had worked together to create this beam of light.

The King was shocked to see something he thought he would never see in his entire life. "W-What?! This is inconceivable. Do not allow them any quarter, my troops," he ordered.

Two soldiers approached Twilight and her friends, laughing menacingly. Hero blocked their advance and attacked them with his sword. They turned into piles of bones. Hero then used his mirror shield to direct the beam of light from the window onto the soldiers, and they were set ablaze with sapphire-blue flames. They perished in the throne room, shrieking in terror.

"How infuriating. It seems that if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself," the King said, rising from his throne to face the intruders, cracking his ancient bones in his neck as he brandished his weapons for battle. "Come and face me and meet the same fate as the others before you."

Hero puts on the Keeta mask, and the king looks at him with surprise. "G-General Keeta?! Here? In my castle? It's an honor to see you well, my friend," the king says before narrowing his eyes suspiciously at Hero, "But hold a spell... You look so tiny." He laughs and hops in place, pointing his left hoof at Hero before chuckling darkly. "You nearly had me fooled for a moment there."

He then rushed at Hero as Hero leaped over his larger body to deliver a swift vertical slash onto his back, making him groan from the attack, "Augh?! That blow was luck. It will not happen again," While still in his blind spot, Hero was rushing to slash at his bony haunches to weaken the creature.

One last slash made his body fall apart as Hero wasted no time using his mirror shield on him, too. Igniting his body with blue embers as his body perished away, his shrunken head was levitating with a dark aura around him. "Do not believe me to fall as they did. This skirmish is not over yet, intruders!" The king said as he began his final gambit against the Hero.

Hero then used his fire arrows on the other tapestry to open the second window, bathing the entire room in bright light as the dark aura around his floating head vanished, making him more vulnerable. Hero then slashed at him as he panicked and tried to retreat: "W-Wait?! No! Stop! You win! I concede!" The king says that Hero intended to end this threat to him and his friends.

That King's fear could easily be seen in his bony face as he was cornered to his throne, and Hero delivered his last attack to him to make him groan in defeat as his head vanished from sight. "I-Is he... are they gone? Woah... nice job, Hero." Rainbow said as they gasped in horror upon seeing the two floating heads of those bony soldiers manifest; however, they were no longer stalponies but spirits.

"Oi, Blade, we're not finished fighting yet, are we?" asked Edge.

"Well, look at our bodies! We don't even have them anymore," replied Blade.

"What?! Oh no! What have you intruders done to our bodies?!" exclaimed Edge.

"You're such a bonehead, Bro. Edge... hah, more like Dull Edge," teased Blade.

"Say that again, why don't you? I was the best swordspony and bladesmith in our kingdom. How dare you imply the opposite," retorted Edge.

"You used to be, but not anymore," replied Blade.

"Why you... Do not say that again, or so help me..." threatened Edge.

"Dull, dull, dull, dull, dull, and dull," teased Blade.

"That's it! I've had it with you. Draw your weapon, now!" demanded Edge.

Blade looked genuinely puzzled and asked, "How?" before laughing with immense delight—much to the ire of his presumed older brother.

“Both of you, cease this nonsense at once! Do you not realize that this senseless violence has led to our cursed existence?” Twilight, her friends, and Hero heard the booming voice of the older stalpony king before his attention turned to Twilight's group. “Our kingdom lay in ruins and darkness, scarred by war and bloodshed.”

“We were locked into a fatal stalemate with our enemies to the point of total eradication. We were doomed to be here forever and condemned to eternal death. But you, who do not fear the darkness, had broken us from this curse.”

“I am Igos Du Ikana, the proud king of this once glorious kingdom. I have made many foolish mistakes, which I regret. I took my throne and its people for granted, but you have freed us,” Igos, expressing his remorse for his previously failed tenure as king of Ikana.

“The evils of the temple of worship that the ancient ones of old once resided in have been safeguarded by our family's warding to prevent its escape and misuse. Only one who sees deep from within themselves may ascend the Stone Tower, then the truth you seek shall reveal itself to you,” Igos explains to the group.

"I sense you have a spiritual instrument. Take it out now, so then I shall teach you a song. This song rends any veil over your heart. There shall be no secrets kept from the world with this song, and all transparencies shall be laid bare. Remember this, the Elegy of Emptiness."

"Now play along with my vocal tone:"

Hero played the song as it matched Igos's baritone voice. He moved his hands according to the notes: right, left, right, bottom, right, high, and left. His friends watched in awe and astonishment as strange yellow magic came from the Ikana King and circled Hero.

As he played, Hero's aura looked like it was splitting apart from his body, creating a chiseled stone effigy of himself in front of them. He was standing on his hind hooves, balanced upright, and using the Blade of Harmony as a makeshift cane. His forehooves were resting at the hilt of his Blade, with his head tilted slightly, eyes closed, and tears streaming down his cheeks.

Sorrowful and poignant emotions could be felt from what lay dormant within his heart.

Igos bowed his head in respect to Hero and said, "That is your inner self, your effigy. You seem to be held down by many burdens, I see. You are strong for such a young life. You who do not fear the darkness, may your journey after this one be one of immense peace. Bring light to this land ruled by death and darkness, and then you'll know what horrifying truth awaits you."

"Stone Tower Temple is where you will advance towards. Things were fine during my tenure as King of Ikana until those doors were thrust open, and the evils poured over our home. A thousand of my troops would not even be able to topple it. But I think that you might. You are different. Farewell, and thank you." Igos and his two soldiers then vanished into the afterlife to finally be at peace.

"Hero, is this the sadness you feel deep inside? I'm so sorry." Twilight hugged him, and he returned the hug in kind. Then, all his other friends joined to help console him for a moment of tender warmth. Happy to accept that, he sighed in contentment as the hours during their fight with Igos went by, and it was now the dawn of the final day.