The Legend of Equestria: Majora's Mask

by xombiekilla

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.