//------------------------------//
// Chapter 32: Dangerous Defence 
// Story: The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Majora's Mask 
// by Ganondorf8 
//------------------------------//

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Majora's Mask
By Ganondorf8
October 31, 2016
Chapter 32: Dangerous Defence.

Why did Apple Bloom insist on me having to complete something that she most likely came up with on the spot? Epona was my horse and I had come to the ranch to get her back after she was stolen from me by Starlight Glimmer when all of this started. Technically, Epona didn't belong to me. In reality, she belonged to the girl Apple Bloom portrayed during my journey in Hyrule. Epona proved to be a horse that no one could tame unless they knew the special song that she loved listening to. Anyone who tried riding her without knowing that song would be bucked off in an instant.

That made me think of something. Why not play Epona's Song right now and prove that she belonged to me? That would save me some hassle and Apple Bloom wouldn't need to make me play whatever game she was concocting in her head.

I took out the Ocarina of Time from the pouch on my belt, raised it to my lips, and was ready to play when I came to a sudden realization. I wasn't able to play Epona's Song even though the notes were still in my memory. I tried several times to play the song only for it to fail each time. Why wasn't it working? Did I have to remember it? What kind of video game mechanic crap was this?

" Um... Is somethin' wrong?" Apple Bloom asked.

My first instinct was to throw the ocarina on the ground because of how angry I was. My next instinct involved throttling Apple Bloom for making me have to go through and discover such a horrible truth. No... I couldn't blame her for something I should've known nor could I treat such a fabled treasure like a piece of trash. Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse for me in the torment department, they went ahead and did exactly that. 

After mulling over it for a few moments, I finally answered Apple Bloom. " I was going to prove that Epona belongs to me, but I just realized that I can't much to my annoyance. I guess I've got no other choice but to play this game you mentioned."

" What kinda proof did y'all have in mind."

I showed her the ocarina. " A long time ago, I learned a song from someone who was very similar to you, but she had a more bubbly outlook on life. Epona was her horse at the time and said that she was afraid of me, and I honestly believed her words. When she taught me a special song that could tame Epona, I played it and she immediately stopped being afraid of me. Since then, whenever I played her song, she would gallop to me no matter where she was until she was by my side.

" And fer some reason y'all can't use that song?" Apple Bloom asked. " Sounds mighty fishy ta me."

" Yes, it really does." I answered. " I was expecting you to not believe me."

" Wait jest a durn minute. I never said anythin' 'bout not believin' ya." Apple Bloom said, arms folded with a scowling look on her face. " I think it's mighty cute how y'all have such a strong connection to that there horse of yours. Ya know, I think you're tellin' me the truth, but I can't be sure unless I see you ridin' that horse."

" I figured as much."

Apple Bloom then pointed her finger at me. " Before we get started with my game, I think some introductions are in order. I'm Romani. I was given the same name as the ranch. I take it y'all have met my older sister, Cremia. Just between ta two o'us, Romani thinks Cremia acts a little too big for her britches sometimes. She's got a huge burden what with having to watch over things and protectin' me, but I feel she oughta cut loose and not be so danged serious. Now then, what do I call you?"

I was surprised at how she viewed Applejack, yet at the same time I thought it was adorable. Even in a place like Termina, there were remnants from the world that I called home that were able to come through and be on full display. I had no doubt that Apple Bloom cared deeply for her older sister yet she was doing a good job of hiding it from me. The two of them have always been close especially during the hard times like when I was framed for being Anon-A-Miss by Apple Bloom and the other crusaders all because Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow were spending time with me instead of their respective families.

If they hadn't confessed to being behind everything, my life would have been forever shattered. I'd have become like the Dazzlings, lost and alone in a world that can no longer trust them because of their actions. Guilt would plague the crusaders at the same time. If they had kept silent and watched me fall apart, they'd have blamed themselves for being too afraid by not speaking up. I supposed we all learned a valuable lesson that day. 

Her Highness bopped me on the head to make me focus on what was happening. " Oh, um, sorry. I kind of drifted off for a moment there."

" If y'all hadn't apologized, I'd have taken it as a sign that you were rude."

" My name is Sunset Shimmer."

" Sunset Shimmer? Huh... That's quite the strange name y'all got there." Apple Bloom said. " Romani has got the perfect name for you. How about... Grasshopper? That's the name I give you. No need to thank Romani for giving you such a good name."

My jaw dropped upon hearing what she called me. " You've got to be kidding me?"

Apple Bloom shook her head. " Nope! I ain't kiddin'!"

" Okay..." I said, scratching my head. " But, why would you call me grasshopper?"

" Isn't it obvious?"

" No."

" Then let Romani tell ya why I decided to give y'all that name." Apple Bloom said. " See, you're wearing green clothes, and you patter about when you walk, so Grasshopper is what I shall call you. I saw y'all comin' up ta the house but I weren't sure of yer intentions."

I had no response for her ridiculous reasoning. I didn't think that I ran around like a grasshopper but apparently that was what she believed. I thought about correcting her and ask that she referred to me as Sunset, but already she was off in her own little world. Besides, that was when I noticed her expression had become one of worry. It was certainly a change from her previous expressions, yet it also underlined something that was clearly on her mind.

That's when an idea came to heart. Something happened at Romani Ranch between the first and final days of this seventy-two hour cycle that resulted in Apple Bloom losing all sense of self and a barn devoid of cattle that had Applejack at a loss for words. If I could learn more about what it was that I needed to do here, I could come up with an ideal solution that would save everyone. The only question was whether I could earn Apple Bloom's trust. She clearly didn't think too highly of me based on initial reaction.

" Um... You seem to be troubled." I began. " Is something bothering you?"

Apple Bloom looked up at me. " Why should Romani tell you anything?"

" Because I can help you."

" You? What can y'all do fer me?"

I answered by drawing my sword and shield before swinging them around a few times. " I may not look like it but I pride myself as being a competent swordswoman. I also have 
some other tools at my disposal including bombs, masks, bow, arrows, magical arrows--"

" You've got a bow?" Apple Bloom asked. She cupped her hands together and inched closer to me. " Are y'all serious?"

I put my sword and shield away before taking out the Hero's Bow. " I've had this for a while now."

" Maybe... Maybe y'all can help me with my problem."

" What about your game?" I asked. " Don't you want me to deal with that first?"

" To be brutally honest, I was plannin' on tellin' ya about what's been going on 'round here. Y'all looked like someone I thought could help me out, but then ya got closer ta that horse and I assumed you were associated with them no good Gorman Sisters who live nearby." Apple Bloom answered.

" Gorman Sisters?"

" A pair o'sisters who own a racetrack on the other side of that hill." Apple Bloom answered, pointing towards a hill located on the eastern edge of the ranch. " Those two are nothin' but varmints according ta mah sister. She thinks they're ta ones responsible for our current problems but Romani knows that those sisters can't possibly be responsible for what happens 'round here at this time of the year."

Judging from the way she talked about them in addition to the tone of her voice, these Gorman Sisters sounded like they were troublemakers. I doubted they were on the same level as Starlight, but it did mean that I would need to be weary of them in case I were to ever encounter them. I didn't know why but something in my heart was telling that those sisters would end up benefiting me somehow. 

When Apple Bloom mentioned the Gorman Sisters, I immediately doubted that they could have stolen the cattle when I came here after the boulder blocking the entrance to the ranch was destroyed. I didn't know how many cattle this place had but I assumed it would be about a dozen. Two people couldn't possibly steal that many without obviously being noticed by the cattle that in turn would make enough noise to wake everyone up. Not only that but they wouldn't be able to get past the boulder. Unless someone inside the ranch was working for them, the Gorman Sisters sounded like nothing more than con artists.

That begged the question as to who or what had been responsible.

Apple Bloom continued talking once she calmed herself down. " Sorry for bringin' up them no-good Gorman Sisters. They've been nothin' but a blight on the ranch since the days when Romani's late father ran things. Anyway, y'all might have noticed that I was holdin' a bow just before ya came over to me." I hadn't noticed her carrying one so I looked over and saw a rather crude looking bow lying on the ground. " Romani was practicin' for tonight... for tonight."

" What happens tonight?"

" 'They' are comin'." Apple Bloom answered. " At this time o' the year, they come here."

" Who are 'they'?"

Apple Bloom went quiet for a few seconds before continuing. " They... They come at night every year when the carnival gets closer. They always come exactly two nights before ta festivities begin. No one right knows what the hay they're 'spposed to be. I mean, I... I seen 'em once when I was a little bit younger, but what I do know is that they ain't from this world. They come riding in a bright, shining ball, and many of them come down to the field. And then... They come to the barn..."

It was difficult for me to imagine what kind of creatures Apple Bloom was talking about, but I had a pretty good idea as to what they could be. They sounded like aliens although that would be silly in a fantasy world like this. Perhaps they were some kind of spirits?

Something else bothered me about her story. Why would creatures go to the barn of all places? If anything, wouldn't they seek out any humans by going into the house? I just didn't understand why it had to be the barn. 

I was about to call her out and say that she was making things up when Apple Bloom continued. " They go into the barn and steal all of the cows leaving none behind. I know it sounds crazy, but I'm tellin' ya the truth. When I witnessed what they did with my own eyes, I didn't want ta believe it was real. They looked like ghosts or somethin' with large glowin' eyes that could pierce yer soul, hands with sharp claws that could render flesh, and they float above the ground."

" Why didn't you try to get someone to deal with them?"

" Everyone else was away from the ranch that night." Apple Bloom answered. " Aside from Mamamu Yan, who was tending to her dogs, I was the only person around to watch over the ranch till my sister and ta others got back. When they got back that next mornin' and discovered that the cows were gone, they scolded me fer not bein' responsible. Never had I seen so many disappointin' looks come my way all at once."

" Did you at least tell your sister?"

" She didn't believe me."

I could understand Apple Bloom's plight more clearly now. She was powerless to have prevented the cows from being taken hence why she couldn't stop them, and it didn't surprise me that no one believed her story. They probably assumed that these creatures were the result of her imagination going wild and that the cows ran away all because she forgot to lock the door to the barn. If not for the fact that I had seen spirits myself when I was growing up in Equestria--the Windigos--I too would be questioning her imagination. There was no doubt that she was telling the truth.

While I still didn't understand why they targeted cows, at least I knew what these creatures were based on her description. Conventional means have no affect against ghosts so using my sword would be a poor decision on my part. Perhaps something different would prove useful instead? I didn't need Apple Bloom to ask me for help at this point. I knew I was going to be helping her out regardless of what the actual situation was.

Placing my hand on Apple Bloom's shoulder, I smiled at her. " I believe you."

" Huh?" Apple Bloom exclaimed. " Ya do?"

" I've seen plenty of weird things throughout my life and ghosts are the least of those things."

" Thanks for makin' me feel better, Grasshopper."

" About that name'--"

" Even though they'll be comin' here tonight, Romani must protect the cows! I ain't 'bout to let them have their way 'round here!" Apple Bloom said. Her eyes suddenly perked up and I knew that she was about to ask me for my assistance. After everything I've seen so far in my journey, little signals like that have become easy for me to recognize. She quickly ran over to pick up her bow before coming back and looking at me with those perked up eyes. " Hey, Grasshopper, I'm recruitin' fer an assistant right now! Y'all are a girl--won't ya try and help a fellow girl out?"

I didn't know what to make of her statement, but I nodded my head in response. " You didn't even need to ask."

" Great! Now that's the spirit, Grasshopper!" Apple Bloom said excitedly. " OK then, I'm goin' straight to my strategy! They'll appear all over the ranch... They'll aim for ta barn andapproach it slowly, so hit 'em with arrows so they can't get in!"

Wait a minute! They are vulnerable to arrows!? What kind of spirits are they who can be felled by arrows!? Something about this didn't seem right. Ghosts are invulnerable to most things due to their corporeal nature. In fact, only the light and anything imbued with it are able to inflict any kind of damage onto them. What I thought about using other means had now suddenly blown up in my face unless Apple Bloom could provide me with a valid explanation. 

That's when a memory from my journey through Hyrule suddenly appeared in my head. I recalled using arrows against ghosts when I was acting as a ghost hunter for Sombra as he needed some for whatever reason he had. They were very effective so perhaps the same is true here in Termina? But, why would that be? Ordinary arrows didn't have any special properties that made them effective against ghosts, but perhaps there was a logical reason. That being that this was a video game where conventional rules were ignored in favour of making situations easier to manage. You'd think they would have relied on actual facts instead of making it up as they went along?

Apple Bloom then noticed I wasn't paying attention to her again so Her Highness bopped me on the head in response. " I don't why that fairy o'yours keeps on hittin' ya in the head, but I hope y'all were listenin' to me."

I nodded my head. " I was but you said something that bothered me."

" What's that?"

" You said that arrows can hit these things." I answered. " How is that even possible?"

" Truth is... I actually found out by complete accident." Apple Bloom answered. " When I watched them take the cows away, I grabbed my bow after runnin' into the house and fired an arrow at one in hopes it would do somethin'. The arrow struck and destroyed it, but that's when the others noticed and I hid to prevent 'em from findin' me."

" That still doesn't answer my question."

" I don't know why arrows work but they do."

" Guess I'll just have to take your word for it."

" Anyway." Apple Bloom continued. " Y'all got all that? Oh, and ya mustn't leave the ranch." My reaction to that was of shock. I could understand not leaving the ranch would be stupid since that would mean running away from the problem, but she didn't need to actually stress that. " Grasshopper! Let's practice right away!" Apple Bloom then pointed to something floating about nearby. It was a balloon shaped like a ghost and judging from the arrows located on the grass around it, she had been using it for target practice. " There are gonna be ten ghost-shaped balloons in the ranch, so hurry and burst them all. If y'all take over two minutes, you're out."

" All over the ranch?"

Apple Bloom nodded. " Yup!"

" How am I supposed to do that in under two minutes?" I asked. " I'm not exactly what you would call a track athlete."

" Ya ain't gonna be doin' it on yer own, Grasshopper. Reckon y'all are gonna be needing some faster feet or hooves in this case." Apple Bloom answered. She walked over to the stable where Epona was locked in, used the key she had to unlock it, and coralled her outside where she immediately galloped over to me before nudging my face with her muzzle. " Yer horse can give ya the speed ya need to reach each balloon. Hope y'all know how to shoot arrows from horseback otherwise ya might get embarrassed mighty quick. The current record is exactly one minute. Let me know when you're ready."

As she walked off to set up the balloons that I would need to pop, I began to pet Epona on her muzzle before speaking to her through neighing. She felt relived knowing that we were reunited although she had been scared all this time because she was in a place that was different. I climbed up onto her back and got myself adjusted before giving Epona a soft kick to her ribs. She began to trot forward at a brisk place--I was glad because I needed a few moments to get adjusted to riding a horse again--before she picked up speed and galloped forwards towards a fence used for horse jumping.

Her Highness insisted that I make Epona turn away but I insisted she keep on going. She galloped faster and jumped over the fence like it was nothing, my hair flapping about in the breeze, my heartbeat racing fast from experiencing the rush of horse riding. I had Epona go around in a circle making sure to handle sharp corners without losing too much speed, and had her jump over the fence again just to make sure it wasn't a fluke. When she landed on the ground, I neighed to indicate that she needed to stop. The only disadvantage I had compared to before was that Epona didn't have any reigns for me to utilize. 

Instead, I would need to make her stop by simply talking to her. That could be difficult especially when she's galloping at top speed.

Princess Twilight then looked at me with a scornful look on her face. " Why did you jump over that fence, Sunset?"

" We made it, didn't we?"

" That's not the point." Twilight answered. " Both you and Epona could've gotten hurt had she caught her hoof on the top of the fence sending both of you crashing to the ground and sustaining some serious injuries.

" You don't need to be that worried, Twilight."

" Someone has to when you act so reckless."

" I see where this is going." I said. " You're treating Epona like she was a pony from Equestria. I know she's like family in that sense, Twilight, but you have to realize that she was originally raised to jump over fences like that and gallop about at fast speeds. Her original owner knew Epona was designed for something great so she made sure she was given the best training so that she could grow up to be a fine steed."

" Horses in this world are trained to do that?" Twilight asked. " That doesn't even make sense."

" Then it's time you learned."

" Learned what?"

" Trust me." I answered while winking. " You'll understand what horse riding is all about. Heck, I had to figure it out the hard way by just doing it. No one gave me any lessons on how to ride one around." In hindsight, perhaps I should've asked Applejack since her family owned several horses over at Sweet Apple Acres. I'd need to remind myself to ask her if she could give me some lessons so that I wouldn't become rusty like I was right there and then.

" Y'all ready now?" Apple Bloom shouted from a distance. Her Highness and I turned towards where her voice was coming from, and we were surprised at seeing ten balloons scattered about the ranch with some being placed in rather awkward locations. How was she able to set them all up within a matter of minutes? I assumed it would have taken her at least twenty minutes or so. " Like I said, ya got two minutes to complete my game even though the record is one minute. Feel free ta use as many arrows as ya want if it will give ya an edge at shootin' down those balloons. The time will start when ya make yer horse start gallopin'."

Taking out the Hero's Bow, I quickly looked at where each balloon was situated. Princess Twilight then suggested that I should go around in a counter-clockwise order so that I could easily pop them all within the two minute timeframe. I told her that I would try to break the record of one minute as it would prove that I knew what I was doing, and she agreed saying Apple Bloom would definitely believe that Epona belonged to me.

Kicking my horse gently in the ribs, she began to trot forward signalling the beginning of this game. Immediately there was a balloon located right in front of me so I aimed my bow upwards and began to shoot arrows without thinking about how many I would use. Since Apple Bloom said I could use as many as I wanted, I essentially had an infinite supply until this game was over. The balloon eventually popped after I fired my sixth shot--not bad but I had hoped it would've popped at least by the third one--into what looked like sprinkles of dust, so I had Epona veer left since there were two balloons, one after another, located near two buildings I hadn't noticed before.

Firing more arrows, I popped the second balloon and tilted my body to the left and popped the third one after shooting at least a dozen arrows at it. That's when I noticed the next balloon hiding behind a tree. Knowing that Epona would run into the wall ahead, I leaned left prompting her to start turning around sharply until we were facing the fourth balloon although that tree had become a slight hindrance. On a side note, it seemed that my fear about not having any reins to reign in Epona was already becoming an issue. 

I fired several more arrows, popping the fourth balloon, the fifth located to the right, but I then noticed something cool. Every time I took out an arrow from the quiver on my back, another one suddenly replaced it as though I never took one out. Was that what it meant to have an infinite amount? Now I understand why my quiver could only carry a certain amount and not because of storage space. Having infinite arrows would make things ridiculously easy--it actually would be nice--and ruin the overall experience.

Tilting my body to the right, Epona turned in that direction and I fired even more arrows until the fifth balloon popped. " Halfway there!"

" Good thing no one else is around." Twilight said. " Otherwise they'd be running away from the shower of arrows coming from you."

" I'm glad about that."

" Sunset?"

" What?"

" Is this what it feels like to ride a horse?" Twilight asked. " To gallop about at incredible speeds without actually doing any of the galloping?"

I began to laugh. " This is what horses like to do whether someone is riding them or not. Sure they don't appreciate being whipped in the flank too much or else they get upset, and they aren't keen on jumping over things at an angle, but they generally enjoy the freedom of galloping about with no restrictions. Seeing Epona galloping of her own volition reminds me of how I yearn to do the exact same thing in Equestria."

" Really?" Twilight asked. " You want to run around back home?"

I nodded. " Yeah! Riding around on Epona has given me the urge to go back and gallop around in a big open field somewhere."

" Maybe you should consider--"

" We really should focus on the rest of these balloons." I said. I didn't mean to interrupt Her Highness but I knew that she was about to suggest that I go back to Equestria when all this was said and done. Again, I just wasn't ready to go back home because of what could be waiting for me.

Seeing Princess Celestia would mean absolutely everything to me but I knew that her guards would be waiting to apprehend me because of what happened. I also knew that I wouldn't receive the same warm welcome from Princess Luna. Her Highness said she returned to Celestia's side after being changed back from being Nightmare Moon, a legend I was well familiar with given it was one of the first things I was taught when I attended the School for Gifted Unicorns.

While I'm glad that Princess Luna has become integrated within Equestrian society after being gone for a thousand years, yet deep down I knew she wouldn't hold me in the same regard her sister did. If anything, she would want me banished to the desolate wastes for what I did when I stole Princess Twilight's crown. Granted, I'm merely assuming that Luna desires to banish me for my actions back then. Maybe I should know what she truly thinks of me before jumping to the wrong conclusion. I should ask Her Highness about it sometime otherwise I'll never be able to get it out of my mind.

I think I'll ask her once we're done here.

Urging Epona to the left, I gently whipped her in the flank so that she could reach the next balloon quickly.





Sometime in the past...

" Okay, you've got my attention, so tell me how you plan on making us rich and powerful beyond our wildest dreams?" Rainbow Dash asked.

" Hee-hee!" Starlight laughed. " Have you heard of the temple that exists out in the middle of the ocean?"

" The Great Bay Temple?" Rainbow Dash asked. " Everyone around here has heard about that accursed place. They say that it's a complex system of pipes, turbines, and other junk that can manipulate the water, but no one has been there for generations. We pirates and Zora used to fight over it a long time ago before we all agreed that it was a waste of time fighting over the damn place. We couldn't care less if the Zora changed their minds and took it over for themselves. So long as we continue to plunder their home, we'll always bring back something we can sell to other pirates."

" You poor, naive child."

Starlight then noticed that she was surrounded by a large assortment of swords with Rainbow Dash pointing hers right at her throat. " Just because I've granted you an audience with me doesn't mean you're free to say what you like. I could end your life right now just by snapping my fingers so you ought to remember that." Rainbow's temper started to flare up upon seeing Starlight laughing at her. " Am I missing the joke here?"

" You're the joke! Hee-hee!" Starlight answered. " Like I told you before, you and your pirates would be crushed if I were to use my powers."

" I'm not impressed."

" Oh, and why not?"

" You like to brag about your power but I haven't seen any action." Rainbow Dash answered. She lowered her sword, walked back to a throne situated behind her, and sat down before raising her hand prompting the other pirates to maintain their stance of having their swords aimed at Starlight. " I don't think you can make us wealthy like you claim. I think you're nothing but an urchin who likes to think she's all that! I'm done with you! You can either show yourself out or you'll be shown the way out and in pieces."

" Do you want me to show my power?"

" Like you've got any power!"

" This mask isn't just for looks you know." Starlight said. " It grants me abilities that I never knew I had before until now."

" You know, that thing oughta be worth a few hundred rupees depending on who wants it. Why don't you take it off and put it on the ground before you leave. I don't want such a beautiful thing getting marred by the stain of your blood should you choose not to leave." Rainbow Dash said.

" Hee-hee! You're really wound up tight aren't you?" Starlight asked. She then relaxed her muscles and went as cold as a statue. Rainbow didn't order her pirates to do anything as she wasn't sure what was about to happen. " Since it's obvious that you want to see my power, I can indulge in your curiosity. I'm in no hurry mind you so I could take as long as necessary, but I don't want to bore you with any details." The eyes on her mask began glowing and that was when things suddenly changed for the worst.

Two of the walls in the room started to crack until they shattered revealing the night sky outside. This was followed by powerful gusts of wind that came out from nowhere and began blowing about. Several pirates found themselves caught up in the wind and screamed for help before they were dragged outside, their piercing screams fading away when it became apparent that they had met their deaths. The ceiling started to convulse on itself as though something was cram it all together, and sounds of walls outside beginning to contort was enough for the other pirates to run away in fear.

Starlight simply stood there, her eyes continued glowing although she had since begun to laugh maniacally. Rainbow Dash in the meantime had since gotten up from her throne and demanded that the others not run about in a blind panic. She barked at them to calm down although her efforts were in vein as they continued fleeing for their lives. Only Derpy remained where she stood for reasons of her own--she didn't think about running away because she had no idea what to do--a minor victory for Rainbow. 

Eventually, Rainbow shouted due to finally being unable to take it anymore. " Alright! Alright! You've made your point!"

" Oh, I have only just gotten started. Hee-hee." Starlight said. " I could keep this up for hours."

Rainbow raised her hand in protest. " No! I... I... I apologize for doubting your powers."

" Hee-hee! Groveling... That looks pretty good on you."

" You've proven that you possess great power so now I'm willing to listen to you."

" I could just leave because of how rude you were, but I'll tell you anyway." Starlight said. " Besides, this is going to be much more fun than bringing down your fortress and forcing you all to rebuild from scratch. The temple out there in the ocean contains many treasures including an item that contains powerful ice magic."

Rainbow's eyes perked up upon hearing the word treasure. " Did you say, treasure?"

Starlight nodded. " I did. Gold, jewels, diamonds, and more are hidden in that place waiting for someone to find them."

" If we could get our hands on such treasure, we'd all be set for the rest of our lives." Rainbow Dash said. " Derpy! Get outside and order everyone who ran away to come back here at once so they can prepare to invade Great Bay Temple."

" Not so fast."

" What do you mean?"

" You need those Zora eggs to gain access to the temple." Starlight answered. " Without them, you will never get past the tornado that protects the temple. A shame really as I'm sure stealing eggs is well within your abilities as pirates."

" So we need those eggs?" Rainbow Dash asked. " Ha! Sounds simple enough."

" I heard that the Zoras have amongst their number, someone who is more than a match for you."

Rainbow's face turned red with anger before she slammed her fist onto her throne. " Him!? Yes... I suppose he has proven to be a thorn in our sides what with his uncanny ability to thwart our efforts by using his obviously inferior fighting skills." She then walked forward towards one of the holes in the wall before staring out at the night sky. " Still, he has proven himself a worthy foe. None of the other Zora have ever be viewed as annoying but he always finds a way to succeed despite odds stacked against him. He could've been our leader had he not been born a Zora." Rainbow then turned to face Starlight, a fire of passion burning in her eyes.

" We'll get those eggs and bring them back here! The Gerudo Pirates shall once again prove that they are the scourges of Great Bay!"





Popping the remaining balloons proved to be much more challenging than I originally thought. Apple Bloom had proven that she could be devious when it came to designing the perfect challenge and this one definitely was that. Manipulating Epona without any reins also added to the difficulty, but I quickly grew accustomed to that by either tilting my body to indicate a change in direction or I neigh to signal her to go elsewhere. 

It had occurred to me that she placed the balloons in their locations as a means of showing me places where the ghosts could potentially appear. If they could show up anywhere across the ranch when they actually do come, I'd need to go all over the field in order to pick them off. She didn't specify how fast they could move or how many I'd have to deal with during a given wave, yet I attributed that to her not remembering everything since she was younger when it happened. Still, I aimed on helping her protect the cows although I was now starting to feel that perhaps some more insight would be necessary.

With the last balloon popped, I could hear Apple Bloom saying that the game was over and that I should head on back over to her. I gently kicked Epona in the ribs and she trotted along at a brisk pace. As she headed towards the house, I had this nagging feeling crawling on the back of my neck. I didn't know why but there was a strange aura present all around me, like some great evil had been here during a previous cycle of time. Did Her Highness sense it? It didn't seem like it as she was more interested in talking to Epona by neighing back and forth with her--she was a pony like me after all--yet perhaps I once became evil, I could feel such things better than most.

Something else must have happened here. Unfortunately, there was no way of knowing since everyone at the ranch had forgotten since it never happened. Time paradoxes... No matter often I tried to wrap my head around it, the concept still sounded confusing especially when bizarre incidents got thrown into the mix.

" Amazin'! It's a new record!" Apple Bloom shouted as I slowly brought Epona to a stop and climbed off of her. " Y'all managed to complete my game in fifty-nine seconds. You two sure know how ta work well together. Guess y'all were tellin' me the truth that she's your horse. I'm sorry fer doubtin' yer claims, Grasshopper."

I smiled. " It was an honest mistake."

" One thing I don't understand." Apple Bloom said. " If y'all have such a strong bond with your horse, why couldn't you call her over?"

" I can't because of her song, remember?"

" Song?" Apple Bloom asked. She held her hand under her chin and went into deep thought for a few moments until something clicked in her head. " I think I might be able ta help ya with that little problem. I'll teach Romani's horse-calling song to you, Grasshopper."

Did she just say "horse-calling song"? Surely she was pulling my leg, but that quickly changed when she began to sing six notes that sounded awfully familiar. She then repeated those same notes before looking at me, and I knew what needed to be done. 

I took out the Ocarina of Time and played those notes that resulted in Epona rubbing her muzzle against my chest. For a moment I giggled because her muzzle was so tickled, and that's when it came back to me even though I shouldn't have been able to forget it. That song... It was taught to me by a different version of Apple Bloom, yet the melody remained the same despite the change in both worlds and time. It was Epona's Song, a melody signifying the strong bond that existed between us, a melody that we shared. Now I could call upon her whenever I played her song.

" It's kinda funny." Apple Bloom continued. " Yer horse seems to like that song. I don't really know how and why I started singin' that, but it made her happy so I kept on singin' to make her feel like she was back wherever she had come from."

" You've no idea what this means to me."

" Glad I could be of help to ya."

" Now, you said that these ghosts only show up at night, right?"

" That's right." Apple Bloom answered. " I should also tell ya somethin' else 'bout them. When your arrow hits these balloon, they burst into nothin', but ta real ones'll keep poppin' up like weeds every time. If they get in the barn, we lose and that means the end of this here ranch's livelihood. They run away at first light of the sun, so we'll have to keep 'em from reaching the barn until close to dawn. Y'all got that?"

I nodded my head. " I got it."

" Good." Apple Bloom said. " The operation starts tonight at two in the mornin'. I'll be waiting in the barn. Don't be late!" She then bowed slightly before turning around and walking towards her practice target when she stopped and turned her head slightly. " Maybe ya oughta set yerself an alarm clock or somethin' so that y'all remember to be here for when they come in the middle of the night. Ya don't have ta but it might be useful just in case." She turned her head back and began shooting her bow at the balloon although she wasn't using any arrows.

Was she serious about coming back here in the middle of the night? I knew she would say something to that effect given these ghosts appeared after the sun goes down, but I thought they would appear as soon as nightfall began. Because I didn't have a clock that could tell me the time and instead had to rely on the sky, I had to be here early enough and not miss out on an important engagement. My only option was to remain here at the ranch until then although that meant wasting time doing absolutely nothing.

There had to be a way to progress time more quickly. I knew it sounded ridiculous but at this point, the thought of waiting for something specific to happen just didn't settle well with me, and I was sure Her Highness felt the same way. The Ocarina of Time allowed me to reset time to continually repeat these three days until I had awoken the remaining giants and prevented the moon from destroying Termina, yet why couldn't it grant me this other power I was now thinking about? No wonder no one in Equestria ever bothered taking such a strong interest in time magic except for Star Swirl the Bearded.

It was just far too complex and frustrating for ponies to ever consider using it.

I sighed. " Now what are we supposed to do until late tonight?"

" Apple Bloom gave us plenty of time." Twilight answered. " Perhaps too much of it given we're not needed here until much later. I suppose we could get started on trying to save the third giant, but we would end up getting too engrossed in that and not come back here to protect the cows."

" I wish we could speed up time."

" You know as well as I how dangerous time magic can be."

" Of course I know that." I said. " It's just that if we could speed things and move forward through time, we wouldn't have to wait as long to help out Apple Bloom. Would you be willing to wait around for some close to twenty hours just to do one thing?"

" No, but you have to take everyone else into consideration."

" What do you mean?"

" If we were to use time magic to move forward through time, who's to say what will happen to the people of Termina." Twilight answered. " You and I are the only ones not affected whenever we go back to the beginning of these three days to give ourselves more time. Everyone else would be affected and that could bring about all kinds of ramifications that we're not even ready to deal with."

" You do know that no one remembers anything, right?"

" What of it?"

I had the urge to slap my forehead but refrained from doing so. " Twilight, the time magic we use doesn't affect anyone because they don't know it happens. When we reset time, they go through their usual routines during the three days without ever realizing that they are being manipulated by magic. If we were to speed up time, they wouldn't be affected like before and continue on like nothing happened."

" How sure are you of that?"

I shook my head. " I'm not but what other choice is there?" Princess Twilight looked skeptical over what I had said but she eventually shrugged her shoulders indicating that she was on my side although I knew that there was a risk involved in manipulating time any further. " I'm not about to try and figure out how to manipulate time but perhaps someone out there might know of a way."

" What about Pinkie Pie?" Twilight asked. " She's been incredibly helpful regarding that kind of thing."

" Then we should talk to her next."

To be fair, I wanted to hear what Pinkie had to say about this part of Termina or rather I wanted to hear what she had to say about it again. I recalled speaking with her when I came by this way after finally being able to leave Clock Town, yet I had forgotten much of what she had said regarding Milk Road. It was going to be weird asking her to repeat something she doesn't even realize she said a long time ago, but since Her Highness and I were going to be sticking around in the area for a while, knowing more about it was the ideal solution instead of going around blindly.

I thought about becoming a Goron and rolling my way back to the entrance of the ranch, but since I had plenty of time on my hands, I could just walk my way over. Besides, I wanted to take the time to take in all of the beauty that was surrounding me. This place was definitely pristine, a place where everything was peaceful despite how there was so much darkness all around courtesy of Starlight's actions. Being here eased all of the worries that had been hounding me for some time. Perhaps I could come here from time to time to relax especially after going through a difficult situation that would induce me with stress.

It didn't take long for me to reach the entrance and when I stepped back out into Milk Road, I immediately took out the Hero's Bow, popped Pinkie's balloon, and she dropped down and landed on the ground causing her legs to buckle from the impact.

" Why does everyone continue popping Tingle's balloon?" Pinkie Pie asked. " I need to finish working on this new map for my father, but I can't do anything if I keep on being knocked out of the sky." She then dusted off her outfit before noticing me nearby where she ran and almost knocked me over. " What's this? Green clothes? White fairy? Madam, are you perchance, a forest fairy? Oh my! My name is Tingle!"

I raised my hand to stop her from talking. " I already know who you are."

" Really?" Pinkie Pie asked. " You already know about Tingle? But, I didn't think anyone knew me. I must be more famous than I thought."

" Do you have any information regarding this area?"

" Information?"

I nodded. " Yes. I could really do with some."

" Before I can give you any of that, you'll have to buy a map from me first. You see, I make maps and sell them for rupees as a way to help out my father. Deep down, Tingle wishes to have a fairy of her very own so map making is what I do to pass the time until the day comes." Pinkie Pie said.

" About that... I already have your map for this area."

" What!?" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, her jaw dropping and eyes bugging out at the same time. " How can you have one of Tingle's maps without even buying it from Tingle? Do you happen to possess any magical powers by any chance?" She inched closer until her nose was brushing up against mine. I felt really uncomfortable despite knowing that this was Pinkie acting like her usual self. In response to her creepy gesture, I nodded my head and she immediately backed away. " Of course you have magical powers. Tingle knew you did otherwise how else would you have gotten one of my maps."

" Guess I'm just special in that way." I said sheepishly.

" Okay! Tingle will give you information." Pinkie Pie said. " I take it you've been to Romani Ranch since that boulder has been removed, but did you know that strange things have been happening there? Someone has been smashing bottles of milk, scaring their cows, and even threatening to attack whenever the owner attempts to make a delivery. No one knows who is responsible for all of that, but Tingle suspects those Gorman Sisters."

" Why them?" I asked. " Sure, they're suspicious but why would that resort to vandalism?"

Pinkie responded by first spinning around in a circle several times. " Because they want the ranch to go under. You know? Close down? Why they can't accept the fact that the ranch offers a better quality of milk is beyond me, but Tingle knows they will stop at nothing to force that poor owner into going bankrupt."

This information was definitely different from what she told me before. When I spoke with her here on Milk Road last time, she told me about what had been going from the perspective of knowing things after the ranch was decimated by the ghosts who were to invade tonight. She didn't know anything about it as it hadn't happened yet, so instead I was being told about other matters that would hopefully give me some ideas.

I had fully confirmed that the Gorman Sisters weren't to be trusted but to know that they were vandals told me that I would need to be careful should I end up speaking to them if that need ever arose. I doubted they were responsible for the ghosts so that option was immediately off the table, and I also doubted that Pinkie knew anything about them. That's when a different popped into my mind. Perhaps Pinkie could tell me how to manipulate time using my ocarina. Sure, it was a longshot but because of her ability to bend reality to her will, perhaps she was the right person to ask.

First, I needed to know more about the Gorman Sisters. " What do those sisters do?"

" They breed horses although only the youngest and oldest siblings do that." Pinkie Pie answered. " Their only brother, Gorman, the middle child, wasn't able to handle it so he decided to go into show business and be an entertainer. I've seen him wander around Clock Town looking proud and pompous, but deep down he cares about those in his employ. Gorman is a good person compared to his sisters. Speaking of sisters, those two recently got their hands on some strange masks."

" Masks?"

" I heard that they paid a visit to the wastelands in the east and stole some masks from the graves of some assassins." Pinkie Pie answered. Was she being serious? She must have been since she was showing me her teeth via a goofy grin. " I don't know why anyone would go to a place that has been uninhabited for a really, really, long time--except for those three people who actually live there--but it's what I overheard them talking about when they came back from their trip."

The fact that she said masks piqued my interest but who in their right mind would steal something from assassins, especially those who are dead? The Gorman Sisters were either really brave, really stupid, or a mixture of the two. It looked like I had an actual reason to pay them a visit. I had thought about seeing them to confirm if what everyone had been saying about them was true, yet now I had an excuse in case I needed one.

Pinkie began spinning around again before suddenly stopping upon seeing the Ocarina of Time sticking out of my pouch. " Hey! That's a pretty nice instrument you've got there, Mrs. Fairy. My father tried getting me to master an instrument as a means of getting over my obsession with fairies, but Tingle wouldn't be persuaded by the thoughts of playing wonderful music."

" Can I ask you something?"

" What is it?"

I took a deep breath before asking my question. " Do you know anything about manipulating time through the use of an ocarina?"

Pinkie looked at me for a few moments, blinking every second or two, and that made me think that perhaps I shouldn't have asked her such a complicated question. My face began turning red from embarrassment and my first thought was to get her to forget I said anything, but she suddenly surprised me by saying something random. " No, but you can talk to the scarecrow that lies in the Item Shop back in Clock Town. He knows all kinds of things about manipulating time using instruments." She finished by giving me that grin again.

" You're kidding, right?"

Pinkie shook her head frantically. " Nope!"

" Guess it's worth checking out."

" You can trust what Tingle has to say, Mrs. Fairy." Pinkie Pie said. " I'm afraid that I don't have anything else I can share with you, and since you don't need to purchase a map from Tingle, I guess we're finished with our conversation." She spun around one more time before throwing some confetti all over the place. Some of it ended up on my face and I wiped it away with my hand with a grim look on my face. " Tingle-Tingle-Koolo-Limpah! These are the magic words Tingle created herself. Don't steal them!" Pinkie then inflated her balloon and slowly floated back up to the sky so that she could continue making her maps.

Was she serious about talking to a scarecrow about how to manipulate time? I was sure she was pulling my leg in an effort to make me feel guilty over not buying another one of her maps, but then this was Pinkie Pie after all. Her eccentricity made her someone who knew a lot but didn't always make it seem like she was telling the truth. To be honest, I was planning on visiting the Item Shop anyway in order to fill up my empty bottles with potions and the like.

Given how my experiences against both Goht and Ganondorf resulted in me almost getting killed--and getting killed in the latter case--I needed to get some supplies. I had this feeling that the next region of Termina would be the hardest one yet.

Since I didn't want to walk all the way back to Clock Town, I took out the Ocarina of Time, played the Song of Soaring, and in no time at all, I was back in Clock Town where I proceeded to head into the west side of town. It didn't take long to find the Item Shop since it was located right next to the Bomb Shop, but upon going inside, I noticed that no one was behind the counter. Had I come in at a bad time or something? I assumed someone would be here to help me make some purchases yet instead there was no one around.

" Well this was a waste of time." I said, moaning. " I was hoping to buy a potion or two."

" Do you have enough rupees?"

I nodded my head. " When we went over to the house and back at the ranch, I used my sword to cut down some grass, and doing so produced some rupees. I know it sounds weird that cutting grass would make me wealthy, Twilight, but it's just how things work around here."

" I wasn't questioning it." Twilight said. " Yet, it does seem that we came at an awkward time. Since we won't be exploring the next region until after we reset time again, we might as well start looking around for the scarecrow that's supposedly in here according to Pinkie."

" You're doubting her, aren't you?"

" Maybe a little." Twilight answered. " Pinkie can be very imaginative when she needs to be and she does make things up just to get a laugh out of everybody. Even if she is a different person in this world, she still has her bubbly personality and penchant for stretching the truth." Her Highness looked to her left and suddenly jumped before flying behind my hat and peaking out from behind the fringe. " Sunset... I... see the scarecrow."

" Where?"

" To your left."

I looked in the direction Princess Twilight was looking in and there was the scarecrow in question. " Guess she wasn't making it up." The scarecrow looked rather crude in design as though someone had hastily constructed it without a second thought, yet something about it seemed rather dubious. " It doesn't seem to be capable of talking let alone being able to share secrets on how to manipulate time. Maybe Pinkie got her facts wrong and assumed this thing could talk."

" Of course I can talk, baby!" The scarecrow said as it suddenly started to move about."

" WAAAAH!" I screamed as the surprise caused me to fall down on my butt.

" Whoa! Didn't mean to scare you like that, baby!" The scarecrow said. " I guess you're wondering what I'm doing in a place like this, huh?" I nodded my head causing the scarecrow to bounce up and down. " I thought so. I just love to dance about all day and all night until the crack of dawn and the howl of night. Say, how would like for us to keep on dancing until night? Or maybe you want to dance until morning?"

I didn't want to do either of those things as it meant missing out on helping Apple Bloom. Granted, dancing until night would be beneficial, yet I wanted to manipulate time myself rather than have someone or something else do that for me.

I shook my head and the scarecrow felt somewhat dejected. " What? You don't want to dance, baby? That's cold, real cold, but I get that perhaps you're not a party animal. It's okay though as not everyone can get in the kind of groove that I live for every single day." The scarecrow then noticed the ocarina in my hand and he started bouncing again. " Hey, you've got yourself a pretty sweet ocarina there, baby! How would you like to know some secrets that can help you manipulate the flow of time?"

" Now you're speaking my language."

" Ha! I knew you'd agree." The scarecrow said. " Before I can tell you, I need to know if you have the song that can send you back in time. If you've got that then things will be easy, but if you don't then I've got nothing to teach you."

" I know it."

" Then let me share my secrets with you, baby." The scarecrow said. " If you were to play those notes backwards, you would play the inverted version of that song. This would give you the power to slow down time by exactly one third of the normal speed that time flows in. Everything will be affected by this and you'll be able to know due to them moving about at a much slower pace than usual. If you play those notes backwards again, everything will move at the regular speed."

" I... I don't believe it." I said. Anger began swelling up inside me and I had to calm myself down quickly by using the breathing technique Her Highness taught me. Had I known about the ability to slow down time, things would've been a whole lot simpler than they were. I'd have had more time to complete the temples, more time to have gotten the gold dust and gotten a better sword, and not have to worry about rushing around in a blind panic. " I'm... I'm thankful for you telling me that."

Deep down however, I felt like a complete and utter idiot. In hindsight, I should have visited this scarecrow the instant I was free from being stuck as a Deku Scrub. Instead, I came now, past the halfway point, to learn about something I could've used much sooner. A part of me wanted to kick myself in the butt, but I refused to not humiliate myself any more than what I already had done. Princess Twilight was also embarrassed because she could've suggested I visit the Item Shop to get some supplies despite me lacking the proper equipment and bottles at the time.

" The other secret is the complete opposite." The scarecrow said. " If you play the first three notes twice each, then you can move forward through time between one to twelve hours just like that, baby. Of course, this secret is one I don't recommend personally as time is always important. No need to try and skip out on it."

" You mean play the first note twice, then the second, and then the third?"

" Correct, baby!"

That one sounded a lot more useful although risky as I needed to be specific about which time I wanted to get to. While it sounded like I would be wasting precious time during any given cycle, since I essentially had an infinite number to work with, some cycles could be used to complete specific objectives without needing to be stressed out over completing something that would bring me one step closer to the end. For instance, helping out around Romani Ranch was an example of doing something that didn't involve gaining access to the next temple or give me an important mask.

If I had my information correct based on what the scarecrow said, the first song was the "Inverted Song of Time" and the other the "Song of Double Time".  Again, I wish I'd known this much sooner but at least I knew them now instead of at the very end of this journey.

Thanking the scarecrow for sharing his secrets, Princess Twilight and I left the Item Shop--no one was there to serve so I had no reason to stay there anymore--and decided that going back to Romani Ranch and speed forward through time would allow us to resolve Apple Bloom's problem now instead of waiting around for it. I could spend a couple of hours taking a closer look at the Gormon Sisters to see if they were up to something, but I didn't want to run the risk of missing my appointment.

I raised the Ocarina of Time to my lips, played the Song of Soaring, and warped my way back over to Milk Road--I had slowly gotten myself adjusted to flying around through a magical tornado although I was still having some trouble getting past the queasiness that results when I land.

From there, I attempted to play the Song of Double Time--it took me about ten tries before I finally played it correctly. In my mind, I wanted time to move forward to around right before the alloted time of 02:00am so that I could meet up with Apple Bloom. The magic contained within the song then caused time to suddenly speed up and I could see an infinite number of clocks speeding up.



Night of the First Day - 52 Hours Remain.



And just like that, the night had come without a hitch. I immediately ran into the ranch and discovered that it definitely looked different at night. It looked rather menacing what with the darkness spreading across such a large landscape with the only actual lights coming from the house and barn.

My first call of action was to head on over to the house so I began to run and not realizing that I could've used Epona to make my way over there a lot faster. In fact, she was still standing next to the house where I had left her on my little errand to speak with Pinkie Pie. She was definitely as loyal as before although her whinnying told me she had wondered where I had gone upon decided to leave. Upon reaching Epona, I whinnied in response before giving her a great big hug. After that, I went up to the house and was about to knock on the door when Her Highness noticed something that she brought to my attention.

" It's closed now." Twilight said. " According to this sign next to the door, the Chateau Romani won't be open until tomorrow morning."

" Really?"

" Looks like it."

I slapped my forehead. " Ugh! Apple Bloom didn't mention anything about her home being locked for the night."

" It must have slipped her mind." Twilight said. She then peered through the windows to see if she could spot anything but there was no movement. " I'm going to assume that she went off to bed and won't be around to help us deal with the problem at hand. She's still young after all so staying up this late might not be very good for her development. Since we know what's coming our way, we should just kick back and relax for a while."

" How much time do we have?"

" About an hour before they supposedly come."

" Do you think those ghosts will be here?"

Princess Twilight shrugged her shoulders. " I'm not sure what's going to happen. All I know is that we agreed to help Apple Bloom and that's what we've got to do. You should have more than enough arrows to take care of as many ghosts as possible until the sun comes up later."

" I was thinking." I began. " What if I used the Inverted Song of Time to slow them down."

" A good idea in theory but with one drawback."

" What's that?"

" The ghosts would slow down yes." Twilight answered. " But, so would time itself. It would take you even longer because of time stopping so it all boils down to whether you want to take it easy or hard. Time itself would also play a factor in determining how things are going to go."

" Guess I'm doing this the hard way." I said, sighing. All of a sudden, the lock on the other side of the door clicked and out stepped Apple Bloom armed with her bow. She had a serious look on her although I was surprised that she was willing to be up so late at night. " I'm here like you asked but I didn't think you'd be up this late."

" Like I told ya earlier, Grasshopper. Romani is gonna help protect ta cows." Apple Bloom said. She looked up at a clock hanging on the outside of the house before turning her attention towards me. " It's almost time... They will be here any moment. Y'all take care of things outside, Grasshopper! If ya got a map, watch it real careful like. Whatever happens, don't let 'em get into the barn or we're finished." She began running towards the barn before stopping midway through. " They'll come from behind the barn, too, so watch out. If y'all run out of arrows, we got that there crate near the house, so stock up when you need to."

" How long do I have to do this?"

" Just until the sun comes up."

" And what about you?"

" I'm gonna be the last line o'defence." Apple Bloom. " I don't suppose I'll be able to hold 'em off if they get past ya, but I ain't backing down now." She then continued towards the barn, opened the door, went inside and closed it leaving me and Her Highness on our own.

I had no time to go into the barn and scold her for not wanting to be outside where the action was. A bright light suddenly appeared out of nowhere and began circling around the ranch like it was observing everything to get a better assessment. The light looked beautiful but I knew that this was the ghosts' means of getting to their destination. As the light continued going around, it suddenly stopped and something strange came out from below, materializing into a creature that looked exactly like the description Apple Bloom mentioned when she first brought them up.

More and more creatures came from the light whenever it stopped and soon the entire ranch was plagued with them. I was now face to face with the ghosts. It was a good thing I hadn't wasted any arrows on the way as I was going to need each and every one of them in order to drive them back until the sun came up.

The ghosts began to start moving towards the barn in a quick manner and I knew what I had to do. I took out the Hero's Bow and waited for the first ones to get close enough, and when they did, I fired arrows at each of them. Whenever one was struck, it got knocked back a bit before disappearing, yet I couldn't celebrate victory straight away. As soon as a ghost was vanquished, another one would pop up in its place.

" How many do you think there are?"

" Most likely an infinite number." Twilight answered. " They're going to keep on coming until the sun comes up. You've got about three hours to keep them from reaching the barn so I hope you're up for this." Her Highness then noticed a ghosts was moving towards the barn from behind the house and began to panic. " Sunset! There's a ghost back there trying to sneak in from behind our backs."

I turned and saw that the ghost was getting awfully close. " Don't worry, Twilight! I've got him!" I fired a couple of arrows, the second hit the ghost, pushing it back, and disappearing into a puff of smoke. I turned back to see at least a dozen more were getting closer to the barn by hovering over fences. " They're everywhere! I'm going need to rely on some excellent sharp-shooting if I'm going to do this!"

Letting so many come at me all at once wasn't the best idea. I had to pick them off as they came otherwise I'd get swamped, and Apple Bloom wouldn't stand a chance if any of them got past me. I looked up to the sky to see if dawn would soon be upon us--it wasn't even close--so I resumed firing arrows in hopes of hitting some ghosts. My first shots defeated several that had gotten really close but then my next shots missed entirely. They weren't changing directions in a bid to avoid being picked off nor were they trying to hide behind anything and avoid my arrows. No, they were fixated on reaching the barn.

The next ghosts came up and I easily picked them off, yet that was when I noticed that my quiver was beginning to run low. I knew that there were extra arrows in the crate in front of me but how was I supposed to break it open without something heavy enough to smash it. Could I use my sword for leverage and pry the crate open? That could work although it would waste precious time that I didn't have. I could always punch it as a Goron but shifting between forms that quickly would exhaust me.

I groaned. " How am I supposed to break this crate?"

" Roll into it."

I blinked at Her Highness. " Seriously?"

" Yes." Twilight answered. " You didn't know that you could roll around as a human?"

" I never thought of it until you brought it up."

" Well, now's your chance to try it out, Sunset." Twilight said. " And you'd better be quick about it as another ghost is approaching the barn from behind. In fact, it's going to get there in the next fifteen seconds!"

How could a ghost have gotten that close? I didn't have time to break the crate since Apple Bloom's life was in danger. I turned and ran over to the ghost before stopping right in front of it, and gazing into its expressionless face. It was truly the stuff of nightmares. Nothing like this existed in Equestria and yet here it was before me. It attempted to attack me using its talons although I jumped back and fired an arrow that sailed past it.

" I've only got three arrows left!"

" Make it count quickly!" Twilight shouted. " The other ghosts are getting closer!"

" Huh?" I turned around and saw that they were getting close, yet I couldn't deal with them until I had taken care of this other one. " AH!" The ghost before me scratched my shoulders with a powerful strike all because I turned my attention away from it, but before it had the chance to do anything else, I fired another arrow--at point-blank range--destroying the ghost although now my shoulder was now throbbing with pain. " Crap! My shoulder's hurt!"

" Are you alright?"

I checked to see if it was bleeding and I was fortunate that it wasn't. " I'm not dripping blood but it feels like my shoulder got hit by a stone slab." I had no time to complain about an injury as the other ghosts had now gotten even closer. I ran back and fired my final arrow at the closest ghost although I struggled to aim because of the pain from my shoulder. " I'll have to bear this pain until the sun comes up."

" Normally, I'd be against such reckless behaviour." Twilight said. " But, in this case I agree with you. Those ghosts won't wait for your injury to heal so you'll need to keep on going for just a while longer. If I have my calculations correct, you need to last about another fifteen minutes at the most."

While it was reassuring to know that this nightmare was almost over, I was feeling an incredible amount of pressure due to needing to be in so many places at once. I ran back to the crate and rolled into it, smashing it into pieces, revealing an assortment of arrows. Picking up enough until my quiver was full up, I looked ahead and saw that the ghosts were now mere feet away from reaching the barn.

The ones at the front began to use their talons in their effort to get me out of the way, but I held my ground and fired a slew of arrows, picking them off one by one. As each one vanished in a puff of smoke, more appeared in the same location and were grouping together with the ones in the rear who were now moving up to the front. I got rid of them with more arrows, pushing the line back, yet the same result occurred with more appearing.

I was about to fire my bow when one of the ghosts got me in the shoulder again, resulting in me dropping my bow. " This isn't working! There are too many of them!" I reached down to pick my bow up only to be scratched again. " If this keeps up, we're going to be swamped!" Despite the incredible pain now coursing through my shoulder, I gritted my teeth and continued firing arrows, defeating more ghosts only for them to be replaced yet again.

" Sunset... You need to fall back." Twilight said. " If you can get some distance between us and them, you should be able to even the playing field."

I winced. " I don't know if my shoulder can take it."

" Do you want to die?"

I shook my head. " No! Of course not!"

" Then fall back, Sunset."

Princess Twilight was right. I needed to fall back otherwise I'd just be throwing my life away, and Apple Bloom would never forgive me for my actions. I began walking backwards until my back connected to the side of the barn. The ghosts continued advancing so sighing, I resumed firing arrows at them although my aim was now really bad thanks to my shoulder causing so much pain for me. I did manage to pick off a couple who were within range including another one that was trying to sneak around from behind the house. 

That's when I suddenly realized that Epona was still over by the stable. I thought she was going to be abducted, or worse killed, but the ghosts simply ignored her as though she didn't exist in their eyes. Did I have enough time to play her song and call her over to my side? No. They would reach the barn before Epona could gallop over and I didn't want to risk getting her hurt. I looked up at the sky and noticed that it was starting to get brighter, the sun was beginning to rise, but it wasn't rising fast enough. I had about ten seconds before I would be swamped by these ghosts. It looked like I failed in Apple Bloom's time of need.

" What can we do?"

" I'm all out of ideas." Twilight answered. " All we can do is watch them enter the barn."

" And Apple Bloom?"

" We should tell her to run."

" She won't abandon the cows."

" If those ghosts take her then she'll end up just like she the last time we were here."

" I see your point." I said." Twilight... You go inside and tell Apple Bloom to get out while she can. I'll see what I can do to hold them off before I have to make a run for it too. No need for any of us to succumb to them even though the cows will ultimately suffer because I couldn't protect them from this invasion."

Her Highness protested my decision for a moment before realizing there was no other choice. She turned and was about to head into the barn by flying through a small crack in a nearby window, when all of a sudden, the ghosts started disappearing into puffs of smoke. One after another, they disappeared leaving no traces of their presence, and the ball of light they used to materialize down onto the field began flying away. Just like that, everything was peaceful and quiet.

What in the world just happened? Why did they leave like that? They were on the verge of victory and they just upped and left. My first reaction involved dropping to my knees, then my hands, and finally breathing heavily, sweat dripping onto the ground from my brow. We had somehow managed to survive the ordeal by the skin of our teeth, yet something about it didn't seem right. Was this a brief pause in their attack? Would I soon have to face another group? Or was it really over?