//------------------------------//
// Chapter 53: The Other Sparkle 
// Story: The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Majora's Mask 
// by Ganondorf8 
//------------------------------//

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Majora's Mask
By Ganondorf8
April 24, 2017
Chapter 53: The Other Sparkle.

Why did it have to be an Iron Knuckle of all things? I would have taken on just about any other powerful monster in Termina yet I had to fight this one. Was fate being mercilessly cruel to me or was this destiny? Either way, this was going to be a battle for survival since its axe could effectively cut me down in several hits while I had to first remove the armour plating on its chest before I could attack the body--something I could never forget. Unlike in the past where I had plenty of room to maneuver as well as having those pillars to hide behind, I had no such luck this time around.

The room was small in size no thanks to the strange curtain hanging behind the Iron Knuckle, covering something in its morbid coloured drapery, and the lack of pillars meant I had to face it head on and not rely on a more tactical strategy so as to avoid being sliced apart. I hadn't noticed the curtain until now mainly because of the nasty axe wielding monster in front of me, but it was definitely suspicious considering this was below the graveyard. No doubt the curtain would open upon defeating the Iron Knuckle--much to my dismay--yet what could be so important down here that it was needed to guard it? 

Looking down at my sword, I gulped because I remembered something else about my previous experiences with this monster. A weak sword like mine meant its armour would take a pounding before finally coming off, and a more powerful sword would have made the process go by a lot quicker. I cursed myself in my mind over not getting that sword upgrade in the mountains but that involved defeating Goht a second time, winning the Goron Races again to acquire some gold dust, and spending an entire three day cycle just to get it all because of how long it took to re-forge a simple blade.

A stronger sword also had a longer range and that would have allowed me to keep my distance, but since all I had was the basic Kokiri Sword, I had to get up close and personal in order to strike the armour. Knowing I couldn't continue complaining about it, I walked forward with my shield raised--I had no idea if the Iron Knuckle's axe could smash my shield to pieces leaving me even more vulnerable--and sword at the ready towards what could be best described as walking death, and waited for what was to come. Each step it took felt like my heart was pounding in comparison, the thunder of each impact from those steps struck fear into my very being.

Trembling, I moved a little closer only to back away quickly as the Iron Knuckle slammed its axe into the ground, the blade missing my head by a couple of inches, yet it did trim off a few hairs in the process. Fortunately, it was stuck for about a second or two, and that allowed me to strike its armour a few times before it lifted up its axe and continued to walk towards me with that expressionless face I had come to fear. While the blows with my sword might have looked like they caused damage, all I had done really was make tiny dents in its armour it probably didn't even notice. Until that armour came off, it wasn't going to pay attention to my efforts.

Princess Twilight noticed that I was trembling and insisted that I didn't allow this monster to scare me, but if only she knew what it had been like to go up against five of these things in the span of a short period of time. Each one of them was as strong as a temple guardian--more so than the early ones--and put just about every regular monster to shame due to having so much power. If Her Highness had experienced what I felt on my previous journey, she would be trembling as well out of fear, yet I would be giving her the same pep talk she was unto me out of a sense of not truly understanding rather than sheer ignorance.

Moving towards the Iron Knuckle again in hopes that it would slam its axe into the ground, the corner of my eye noticed some pots scattered around the edges of the room, and I thought there could be some recovery hearts or even a fairy hidden in them that would allow me to survive. I quickly looked back at the Iron Knuckle who swung its axe back and forth by dropping to my knees before attacking its armour several times but then it responded by slamming its axe into the ground. I couldn't avoid getting hit this time but fortunately I was merely grazed instead of getting a full blow to my body.

Still, the force of the blow was enough to push me into the wall--not slammed into it this time--so I quickly rebounded and waited for the Iron Knuckle to approach me again via its incredibly slow walking speed. " That's the third time I've been thrown against a wall." I said, breathing heavily, my shield raised. " Then again, this was what I was expecting given the kind of monster Iron Knuckles are, so I shouldn't really be complaining."

" What are you doing?" Twilight asked.

" What do you mean 'what am I doing'!? I'm trying not to get killed!"

" Your strategy of moving towards it does work in theory but only if you don't get hit."

" It's not like I have a choice here, Twilight."

Princess Twilight was miffed. " What I find strange is that it continues to keep on going despite you having hit it several times already. I must admit that this Iron Knuckle has quite the resolve to want to keep on fighting despite the wounds you've inflicted."

" I haven't been hurting it directly."

" What?"

I nodded. " Like I said, Iron Knuckles feel nothing so long as that chest plate remains intact. My attacks have been damaging that instead of the monster and until it comes off, it will continue to feel nothing, but then that's when things become much worse." I shuddered at the prospect of knowing what happened next. " When it begins to run, that's when you have to be extra careful as it becomes more aggressive since its torso gets exposed, but then it doesn't take many hits for it to be defeated."

" That means it views its weak point as a true detriment."

I walked closely before jumping back as the Iron Knuckle's axe slammed into the ground. " This is the only time it's vulnerable while that armour plate is intact but even then you can't get carried away otherwise it will attack whilst you're distracted." I struck its armour a few more times before backing away and allowing the Iron Knuckle to pick up its axe where it resumed walking towards me. " As you can see, it's pretty persistent about wanting to stick its axe into me."

" Well, you did wake it up from its sleep."

" What else would you have had me do?"

Princess Twilight thought about it for a couple of seconds before shrugging. " Okay, you have me there, Sunset." Her Highness then noticed how fatigued I looked and I could tell what she was about to say next. " Judging from your condition along with how many times the Iron Knuckle has hit you, I'd say you can afford to get hit at least three more times before you get killed so I suggest finding some means of recovery. Or, you could use the alternative and get out of here."

I knew what she was hinting at and while nothing would have pleased me more than to flee from this battle, I couldn't run away knowing that the Iron Knuckle was protecting something important down here. That was the one trend about them that made their presence suspicious. They were always guarding an important item or location otherwise they would be all over the place destroying everything with those axes and nothing could stop them. My only hope was that this was the only one that I had to deal with. Even if I were to prevail without ponying-up--that would have made this easy--I didn't want to fight another one.

I shook my head. " I have to defeat it."

Princess Twilight rolled her eyes. " I knew you were going to say that."

" And what's that supposed to mean?"

" Princess Celestia always knew how to choose students who were stubborn." Twilight answered. " She just seemed to have this knack for ponies who would always stick to what they intended on doing no matter what anyone else said. You and I are definitely dead-set on doing what we want and being stubborn in the process. Since you intend on seeing this battle through to the end, I do have one additional bit of information regarding this Iron Knuckle. Don't try and attack it from behind as it can and will turn around and respond accordingly catching you by surprise."

While it sounded like Her Highness was trying to make me feel bad for not wanting to flee, it felt reassuring knowing that she was just as stubborn as I was. She also knew that my mind was set on defeating the Iron Knuckle so any attempts at trying to make me consider running away were a moot point. I just hoped that I was doing the right thing given I had no potions or fairies to use in case it brought me to within an inch of my life--and I had taken such initiatives to remind myself to always bring such items along. I steeled myself before walking forward where the Iron Knuckle swung its axe about.

It was a relatively easy pattern to avoid though it all depended on when it would use it. First, it swung its axe to the right in a wicked curve with the blade sticking out so as to maximize potential damage against whatever it was fighting. At the end of this swing, the Iron Knuckle would quickly turn its axe over and swing the other way using the same curve before grabbing the handle with its other hand and continue walking forward. It was actually an incredible feat that a monster could swing about such a heavy weapon like it was nothing. If I wasn't fighting for my life, I would want it to show off some more.

When it slammed its axe into the ground--I jumped back slightly to avoid it--I moved in and attacked the chest plate a few more times--I had no idea how many hits it would take given my sword was pretty weak--but it suddenly slammed its axe down again, catching me off guard, slicing my side, and using the inertia of the blow to through me against the wall. I was lucky that I didn't suffer a severe wound--the axe barely cut into my flesh despite how it attacked--but I knew that blow had weakened me tremendously. I needed recovery hearts now more than ever and my only chance was to use those pots.

Scrambling onto my feet, I ran over to the nearest pot, stumbling along the way out of not concentrating, and tripped before sliding over to the pot. The Iron Knuckle was on the other side of the room though it was slowly making its way over with those heavy steps echoing all around. Picking up the pot and smashing it, a single recovery heart fell out, and I quickly picked it up before scrambling to the next pot that was just a few steps away. The Iron Knuckle continued making its way over to me, those heavy footsteps reminding me that it was walking death, so I had to act quickly.

Picking up the next pot and smashing it, a bundle of arrows fell to the ground much to my shock. I mean, come on! What in the world was I going to do with a bunch of arrows against a monster that wore thick armour that could protect it from just about anything? I knew I had both Fire Arrows and Ice Arrows but I doubted those would be effective either again because of its armour. A shame I didn't have any arrows that were capable of exploding upon impact. That would have made things easier for me since I had no Bombchu on hand but sadly that arrow didn't exist in this world.

Collecting the arrows--there was no sense in letting them go to waste--I stumbled over to the last pot in the room and smashed it revealing a fairy. Now that was more like it. I could use it to fully restore my health so I reached out with my head so that it could touch it and use its healing powers, but I suddenly pulled back at the last minute before taking out one of my empty bottles and uncorking it. The fairy was oblivious to my actions as I used my bottle to scoop it up before corking the cap and placing it behind my back. At that precise moment, the heavy steps of the Iron Knuckle suddenly stopped and I immediately dove to the left as its axe came crashing down.

Princess Twilight was shocked. " Sunset! Why didn't you use the fairy to heal your wounds?"

I picked myself up from the ground and turned to face the Iron Knuckle again. " I thought it would be better to keep it in a bottle and let it heal me when my health runs out. I know that sounds rather morbid but I know it will happen."

" Since you did do that, your health is already running low."

" Nothing new for me."

" Yes." Twilight said. " That's what I meant when I said you act reckless back when I first witnessed you taking unnecessary risks."

" Sometimes you have to do that in order to succeed."

Princess Twilight looked at me with disappointment in her eyes. " Do you really enjoy acting like that?"

I shook my head before jumping back when the Iron Knuckle's axe slammed down where I had standing and I proceeded to attack its armour plating again. " No... I really don't. If I could, I'd gladly leave this world behind and go home where I can live a somewhat decent life instead of dealing with stuff like this every five minutes! But, that wouldn't make me feel right abandoning this place just because I'm losing my composure over it little by little." I jumped back as the Iron Knuckle swung its axe around in both directions. " I know complaining doesn't do anything but something it feels like that's all I can do."

" Maybe I should have been the heroine instead."

" Somehow, I don't think that would have happened."

" I know that I'm not exactly heroine material since I do use magic more often than rely on brute force."

I shook my head. " No, that's not what I mean." Before I could say anything else, the Iron Knuckle swung its axe back and forth, catching me on the second swing, and knocking me into the wall once again where I slumped down the ground clutching my chest. Princess Twilight called out to me but I waved my hand indicating that I was alright. " I'm alright! I just got distracted by talking about my complaining about having to endure all of this all because of one man."

" Maybe you should focus on this instead?"

I nodded. " I've got plenty of time to complain about him later."

Princess Twilight nodded. " According to some quick calculations I've done in my head since this battle started, you have struck the armour plating on the Iron Knuckle's chest at least fifteen times and yet it still hasn't fallen off. I'm going to guess that it will take only a few more hits before it finally comes off and you can attack its body properly." A grim expression then appeared on her face. " Are you sure that it only moves faster when the armour falls off?"

" That's what they did on my previous journey."

" Termina is much different from Hyrule from your perspective." Twilight said. " What happened in the latter might not be the same in the former in terms of locations, items, monsters, peoples, and anything else that's appropriate. I've never seen Hyrule myself so my words don't hold much value but you've seen those differences yourself and can easily determine what those differences are."

She had a valid point other than the locations since that one was pretty obvious. The behaviour of some monsters who existed in both worlds were different here compared to how they behaved back in Hyrule. Granted, I had only seen this on a few occasions but they were there such as the Skulltulas possessing a shield-like ability whenever they spun around to attack compared to not having it previously. Did the Iron Knuckle perform differently here compared to what they were like in Hyrule? The thought began to race through my mind and I feared what could happen when the armour plating fell off.

The battle in general was going surprisingly well considering what I was up against. In the past, I struggled to overcome an Iron Knuckle--I prevailed but it took a mental toll on me because of how powerful they were--but here I hadn't taken that much damage as though I had gotten much better since then. I wasn't about to brag or anything since I still made some obvious blunders on occasion such as accidentally throwing my sword when I was merely trying to swing it at something for example, but then I could give myself credit for having gotten used to this kind of experience while most could only dream of doing something like this.

When the Iron Knuckle slammed its axe down into the ground, I stepped around it and slashed its armour plate, but when I stepped back to keep away from any kind of retaliation, my eyes noticed that the plating started to rattle, indicating that it had gotten loose. That meant one more attack would remove the plate and expose its torso but again, the thought of how it would behave once its weak point was exposed continued to plague my mind, but I couldn't let that serve as a distraction since I had to keep going until it was finally defeated and whatever lurked behind the curtain became known to me.

It swung its axe around in both directions and I kept my distance, and when it slammed it down again, I rushed forward and struck the armour plate, causing it to fall off though I was surprised when the shoulder plate and upper chest plate also fell off. This exposed the Iron Knuckle's true form, a very skinny warrior whose weak point consisted of a glowing spot on its stomach that was near enough impossible not to see. It lurched back a bit upon losing its armour and at first it looked like it would attack as it had normally done, but I wasn't prepared for what was to happen.

All of a sudden, the Iron Knuckle slammed its axe down, but this time it moved forward when doing so, giving it more reach and overall impact. The pain I felt across my body was immediate and I went flying, crashing into the wall, and leaving an indentation behind as I slumped to the ground. It then began running towards me and as I struggled to get back up, it slammed down its axe again, pinning me down against the wall, and then lifting me up and over it body upon raising the axe. I landed a short distance away and it ran after me again though I got up this time and managed to hit it in the stomach causing it to reel.

" I wasn't expecting that." I said as I began walking backwards with my shield raised.

" You just had your clock cleaned out."

" No need for a snappy quip, Twilight."

" It looks like the Iron Knuckles of Termina become more aggressive when they lose their armour." Twilight said. " That makes it even more dangerous now though at the same time you have an advantage. Whenever you hit its weak point, it will come to a halt because of being wounded properly so you can use the brief moment that ensues to come up with a plan or continue the attack provided nothing goes wrong."

I suddenly buckled as a result of feeling weak. " Guess I took more damage than I thought."

" Those two sudden attacks have drained you of your strength."

" Before, this is where I would pony up and attack with a new sense of purpose."

" Like you said, Sunset, that isn't going to happen."

I raised my shield just as the Iron Knuckle ran over but it couldn't prevent me from being knocked aside and into the wall. " Oooof!" As I dropped to the ground, I looked at my shield and saw that it had received a huge dent courtesy of the Iron Knuckle. " My shield can't take another blow like that otherwise it will shatter to pieces and I'll have to get a new one from the shop back in town."

Princess Twilight nodded. " You'll have to just avoid its attacks from now one."

I rolled my eyes. " Easier said than done when you consider how banged up I am."

" Maybe you should use that fairy you collected earlier?"

I had hoped to use it a while later but at this point I didn't have much of a choice. I ran in the opposite direction prompting the Iron Knuckle to give chase by running after me, but again my legs buckled allowing the monster to catch up. Swinging my sword and hitting its chest causing it to reel back again, I started fumbling behind my back for the bottle that contained the fairy, but when I took it out and was prepared to open it up, the Iron Knuckle lurched forward whilst slamming its axe down into the ground, and I had no chance of avoiding the blow, causing me to slump to the ground.

Princess Twilight began screaming knowing that I had just been killed but stopped when she realized what would happen next. Now she understood why I chose not to use the fairy straight away because I knew it would restore me back to life and with full health. The fairy came out of my bottle, flew around me several times, and disappeared into the ether as my body got back onto its feet. The Iron Knuckle swung its axe around prompting me to jump back to avoid getting hit again and when I swung my sword in response, it used its axe to shield itself from my attack by parrying it.

No doubt it didn't want me to attack its weak point again but it wouldn't be able to keep it up forever. It then slammed its axe into the ground and I decided to perform a jump attack--a maneuver I hadn't used all that often--striking the Iron Knuckle's weak point. It reeled back again though I could tell that I had angered it immensely by doing that, but I was more than ready to deal with it now. Being restored had made me feel even more perky than usual though it didn't give me a boost in power--again I needed to upgrade my sword to its strongest form without resetting time--yet it meant I was on an even playing field.

The Iron Knuckle began running towards me, swinging its axe about in its bid to attack me, and managed to hit me though it was another graze. While I didn't get sent flying, the damage was still pretty painful, but I knew that I needed to utilize what the fairy had provided by winning this fight. Princess Twilight had been silent for some time since I was revived moments ago and I feared she had been mentally scarred, but she reassured me that she wanted me to prevail and suggested I keep my distance from now on and use jump attacks since using them inflicted more damage, a fact I had forgotten about.

I wanted to use my shield but couldn't out of fear that it would break--I could let it be destroyed and purchase another one since I did see it on display back in Clock Town at the shop but it was the principle of the thing--against that axe so I opted to keep it on my back and hoped I hadn't made the wrong choice. The Iron Knuckle slammed its axe down after lurching forward yet it seemed like it was moving a lot slower now than before. Had the wounds it sustained been enough to effectively weaken it? If so then I needed to take advantage quickly before anything else could go wrong.

Out of a desire to end this quickly, I attacked the Iron Knuckle head on, it using its axe to deflect my blows, but I swung downward--I was much faster after all--hitting its weak point, and moving backwards while it came running after me. Unfortunately, I forgot that the room was small so I ended up walking backwards into the wall, and getting hit by the axe, resulting in my tunic ripping on the side and a small gush of blood trickling out from it though it quickly subsided--the wound would take some time to heal. When I got back onto my feet and ran behind the Iron Knuckle, it turned around, swinging its axe but didn't connect.

It slammed its axe down and I performed yet another jump attack, though instead of reeling from it and wanting to pursue me, the Iron Knuckle let out a weird cry before dropping down on both knees and clutching what constituted as its throat. It remained in that pose for a few seconds until it dropped its axe leaving me to wonder what else would happen. It had been defeated without a doubt but its behaviour had me worried to no end. Putting my sword away, I walked away from the Iron Knuckle, sitting down once I felt I was a safe distance and looked upon it closely.

Princess Twilight then bopped me on the head. " So that's why you didn't use the fairy."

" I didn't think I would need to use it so soon."

" Sometimes, you can't plan ahead for such things, Sunset."

" Sorry if you were freaked out when I suddenly dropped dead."

Princess Twilight blushed. " I should have realized that would happen since I have seen it happen to you before. In any case, you defeated the Iron Knuckle though you did take a beating in the process. I'm upset that you acted recklessly again but I'd have done the exact same thing had I been the heroine instead." Her Highness looked in the direction of the fallen monster before looking back at me again. " So what do we do about that thing now? It doesn't appear it will be doing anything any time soon but perhaps we could take a closer look? I'm curious as to what makes it operate as a mechanized being."

I rolled my eyes. Even after all I had just been through, she wanted to study the thing for research purposes. " Sure, we can take a closer look at it." Now that I thought about it, we had an opportunity to look at an Iron Knuckle as Iron Will had its armour stashed away behind some other items in the Curiosity Shop, yet there was no way of knowing it was complete or was missing a few pieces. I walked over to where it had fallen and Her Highness began to comb over it. " It's weird that it didn't burn away to nothing like other monsters do. It should have done so by now so maybe this was a flawed monster?"

The moment I said that, the Iron Knuckle burned away to nothing, leaving Princess Twilight feeling slightly vexed. " I wish you hadn't gone and said that, Sunset, but I did manage to get a closer look at it. I'm not sure such a small body could have moved around in all that armour but there was one thing that stood out. The Iron Knuckle seemed to have a feminine body given the curvature of the shoulders. Was it once a female all those centuries ago?"

I shrugged. " You're asking the wrong person."

" Perhaps I'll know more if we run into another one."

" Not in this life-time."

" I kid, Sunset, I kid, but still, it would be nice to know more for research purposes."

My focus then turned towards the curtain. " Since the Iron Knuckle is no longer around, I wonder if this curtain is going to move." As though it heard me somehow, the curtain opened from the center revealing a large stone that appeared to have writing on it. " That was certainly surprising."

Princess Twilight flew over to the stone and began combing it over. " The words on this stone are difficult for me to understand but I suppose I could figure out what they mean so give me a few minutes." A strange force then pushed her away and she attempted to fly back over to it only to get pushed back again. " Something doesn't want me to read the message on this stone. Maybe you should try and read it instead, Sunset. You are the heroine after all."

I didn't like her analogy though she had a good point overall. Sighing, I took a step forward only for the strange force that pushed her to push me away as well. Whatever was pushing us away either thought we weren't worthy of getting close or was trying to impede our progress. Suddenly, a laughter echoed throughout the room followed by the sounds of crying before going back to laughter again and then back to crying. I should have suspected immediately that a ghost was preventing us from getting close to that stone, yet why was it switching between laughing and crying? Something was definitely wrong and I was about to get my answer.

" Free... At long last I am free!"

The voice echoed around the room so I decided to call out to this mysterious ghost. " What do you mean you're free?"

" Oh? Is someone there?" The ghost asked. I frowned over such a stupid statement. I mean, why would a ghost ask something like that when the obvious was exactly that? The Iron Knuckle didn't just go and destroy itself because it was bored or anything. I explained to the ghost that I had defeated the Iron Knuckle and they sounded joyful upon hearing my words. " You defeated the one that had been placed me to prevent my spirit from experiencing freedom? You have done me a great service this day! Oh, but where are my manners? Here you are having presented yourself before me while I hide away in the shadows. That will simply not do at all."

Princess Twilight whispered into my ear. " That voice sounds familiar."

I nodded. " I've heard it before though the echoing makes it difficult to recognize."

The ghost spoke again. " I have been trapped down here in this accursed place for over a thousand years, and now I can finally move on to the next life, but first I must take care of one small detail. I know that this is rather sudden of me and completely improper, but I would like for you to listen to my words." The ghost then appeared in front of us and despite the ridiculous getup, the giant violin being held in their hands was an obvious giveaway as to who this was.

" Is that... Octavia Melody?" Twilight asked.

I nodded. " I should have known that she would be portraying a ghostly spirit again." The last time I encountered Octavia in this fantasy realm, she alongside DJ Pon-3--an unusual name for someone who wasn't even a pony--were two sisters who had been killed by Ganondorf though why he did that was something I had sadly forgotten. I knew that he hadn't killed them in this world so what could have caused their deaths this time? Given that Octavia was down here, it was safe to assume DJ Pon-3 was close by though probably not in the graveyard.

" I know of her pony persona but next to nothing about her human self."

" I'd say they're probably both the same."

" You have no idea do you?"

I shook my head. " Not at all."

Princess Twilight sighed. " Well, we'll just have to go with what we have then."

" Allow me to introduce myself." Octavia said. " I served the Ikana Royal family as one of the two royal composers tasked by our king to create a series of songs that would serve the family in times of need. I am the composer called Flat, known to all as the younger."

" And the other composer?" I asked.

Octavia went silent for a few moments before answering. " My older sister... Sharp, known to all as the elder." She then began to play her violin and a miserable sounding melody echoed around the room. I could tell that it caused her personal pain--being a guitarist meant I could understand how certain musical pitches sounded--leading me to suspect that her sister had been lost to her or she did something horrible. Octavia eventually stopped playing and addressed me again. " Of all the songs we composed for the Royal Family, two proved to possess more power than all the others."

" You composed songs?"

Octavia nodded. " The songs connected to the Royal Family that remain here were all composed by my sister and I. When we were alive, we poured our hearts and souls into each one as our king had commanded of us. No matter how difficult the songs were, we dedicated our lives to ensuring that our legacy would be one that would forever be remembered by future generations."

" Where is your sister now?"

" She lurks in Ikana."

" That doesn't give me much of a clue."

Octavia went silent again before she spoke. " Oh... Sharp, my dear sister. Everything was going fine between us as we continued composing songs, yet her heart slowly began getting consumed by darkness when we learned that the two songs I spoke of contained great power. I tried to convince her that she should not go down such a horrible path yet she ignored my warning and continued pursuing power."

Hearing how she described what happened to her sister reminded me of what happened to me when I was Princess Celestia's protégé. In fact, it was almost an exact mirror image of what happened minus the fact that both Octavia and DJ Pon-3 in this world were dead. When I saw my image in the mirror I used to flee Equestria to pursue my twisted desires, I refused to listen to Princess Celestia, who tried in vain to get me to stick to the path she felt was best. She wanted to talk about other things while I wanted the subject to go back to the mirror and my attempts at convincing her proved to be my eventual undoing.

I wasn't ready to learn the secrets of the mirror yet I believed that I was, resulting in the fall-out that even now continues to haunt me--it no doubt haunted Princess Celestia as well since she most likely felt that she had failed me but in truth my own actions condemned me. By choosing to go out on my own and learn them by reading the forbidden tomes, I had been exposed as wanting power above all else and betraying Princess Celestia all because I believed she was denying me. DJ Pon-3, from what I could gather from Octavia's words, chose to go down a similar path though she wasn't under anyone's guidance.

" What happened to her?" I asked. " What did she do?"

" My sister... She sold her soul to the devil."

I was shocked. " What!?"

Octavia sighed. " Sharp desired power more than anything else and would do anything to get it. She also believed that I would end up getting in her way or warn the king of what she had done, and so she locked me in here where I would eventually pass away with both sadness and anger in my heart. If only Sharp had listened to me. Had she done so, we could have continued creating new songs and please our king while also create our own legacy. Alas, it was not meant to be for I would remain down here for many centuries while my sister would gain the power she sought."

I held back my own tears. " What will you do now?"

" As a spirit who has passed on from this world, there is nothing I can do now."

" I'm sorry to hear that."

" But you... you can fulfill my own desire that has lingered for so long."

While I had some doubts over what she wanted me to do, I nodded my head knowing that I couldn't allow anyone else to go through what I experienced. " Alright... I'll carry out your request for you."

" Really? You shall fulfill my desire?" Octavia asked. I nodded again and she played her violin again, this time with a more joyous tune before suddenly changing it into another miserable sounding song. " So be it! You who do not fear the dead, learn well the song that is inscribed in the stone behind me. The song is one of the two that my sister and I created that contained special powers that went far beyond what even we assumed was possible. The other was a present to our king but I have been trapped down here for so long that its melody became lost to me."

I looked at the stone and noticed a melody had been etched onto the bottom of the slab. I couldn't see what the notes were but I sensed a great power emanating from it so I nodded once again. " I've got an ocarina so I should be able to play those notes."

" Then I shall finally move on from this world." Octavia said. She started to fade away but suddenly brought herself back. " I have one last thing I must tell you. If you ever meet my sister, I'd like you to inform her... The thousand years of raindrops summoned by my song are my tears. The thunder that strikes the earth is my anger! Be sure to let her know the pain I have felt for so long." Octavia began fading away again and disappeared this time, her voice echoing all around before it began growing weaker. " I have made my request." Soon, everything went quiet again though I could hear Princess Twilight crying, breaking the silence.

I comforted her. " She has moved on to a better place now."

Princess Twilight sniffed. " How could DJ Pon-3 have done all of this to her own sister?"

" Remember that they are portraying characters, Twilight."

" I know, Sunset..."

" Still, I can understand what Octavia had gone through since I experienced something similar when Twilight Sparkle changed into Midnight Sparkle." I said. " DJ Pon-3 acted a lot like she did though the more correct comparison would be with me. Twilight Sparkle didn't intend on gaining tremendous power while DJ Pon-3 sold her very soul to get it, something not even I would have done."

" What can we do?"

" We know where DJ Pon-3 is thanks to Pinkie Pie telling us."

Princess Twilight nodded. " Yes. She is housed inside of the cave where the water used to flow from and enabled the Music Box House to drive away the monsters that surround it even now with its music. If Octavia's song does indeed affect her sister as she assumes, what do you suppose will happen to her? Will she be as free as Octavia or will DJ Pon-3 suffer eternal torment?"

I shook my head. " I don't know." Looking at the song etched on the stone again, an idea soon formed in my mind. " I'm going to see if I can use the Song of Healing to perhaps soothe the soul of DJ Pon-3 before using what Octavia had left behind for us. That should allow the former to perhaps be able to rest in peace without having her ghostly form be torn asunder by whatever force can destroy spirits."

" Then let's see what song is written on the stone."

I walked forward towards the stone and this time there was no force preventing me from reaching it. Since Octavia had now moved onto the next life after I had agreed to fulfill her request, the spiritual energy that had engulfed the room had also disappeared. The stone itself had several cracks all over it, a sign that it had been down here for many centuries, yet while I wanted to focus on the melody, my eyes were fixated on the words above. Princess Twilight began geeking out as usual as she gazed upon the stone's splendour--it was just an ordinary slab of stone yet she saw it as much more--while I looked closely at what had been written.

Surprisingly, what Octavia said to me before she disappeared for good was also written on the stone. "If you are reading this, then please fulfill my final request. My sister's soul may yet still be saved but I fear she is now lost. The thousand years of raindrops summoned by my song are my tears. The thunder that strikes the earth is my anger! I shall never rest in the eternal beyond until my sister knows what pain she has inflicted upon me. Only when she knows can I finally leave behind such lingering regret. Here is written the song that shall cleanse her cursed, black soul." A part of me felt saddened by what Octavia had endured all because of her sister's actions.

Looking down at the melody, I was surprised to learn that I recognized it from my previous journey. I mean, I couldn't recall the name of the song, but the notes were ones that I recalled given how simple they were in execution. Knowing what needed to be done next, I took the Ocarina of Time from the pouch on my belt, raised it to my lips, and began playing the six notes that comprised the song. I didn't even need to be told how it went as my memories from before were enough to guide me. Upon performing the song, it suddenly started raining and a mighty downpour followed before stopping several minutes later.

A voice inside my head told me that this was the Song of Storms, a song that could bring forth a storm that could wash away curses from those afflicted by them. Curses? I didn't know that the song had the power to do that, but perhaps, the Termina version could whereas what I learned in Hyrule was merely used to drain a windmill. Even though I was thrilled at having learned a new yet familiar song, my heart still wept for Octavia who endured all because of the darkness that corrupted DJ Pon-3. I then heard the voice tell me to find the one who was holding back the flow of water and restore live back to the land of the dead.

Before I could do any of that, I first needed to pay a visit to Clock Town in order to finally get started on getting my hands on that expensive mask. Sure, it would be a while until I could actually get it since it involved waiting until the final day, but I was certain time would practically fly by since I had all of Ikana to explore. Princess Twilight nodded to inform me that she knew what was about to happen next, and I followed up her nod by playing the Song of Soaring and wanting to leave this underground chamber behind. Unfortunately, the song didn't work which left me wondering what I was supposed to do next.





Sometime in the past.

" We finally managed to make it all the way up here." Starlight said as she collapsed to her knees. " This place is a lot bigger than I gave it credit for not to mention those weird eyeball things firing lasers everywhere just because we got within their range."

" Um... Why are you complaining, Skull Kid?" Spike asked.

" I have every right to complain!"

" You didn't exactly walk up here since you can fly and all."

Starlight raised her finger in order to make a counter-argument but quickly realized that what Spike said was accurate. With her vast magical powers, she could have easily reached her intended destination without any trouble, and yet she chose to go the long way and almost got both of them blasted by lasers and flattened by boulders that rained down from the upper levels of the Stone Tower. She floated over to a small statue that had been buried slightly in the dirt, used her power to lift it out, mulled over it for a few moments, and finally tossed it over the side where it disappeared into the abyss below.

When it was obvious that it wasn't going to make any sound, Starlight started laughing, forgetting about her ordeal. " This would be a great place to push someone off the edge and see if they manage to land somewhere down there, hee hee!" She was expecting Spike to respond to her but he was focused instead on the giant door that stood before them. This annoyed her and she smacked him aside. " Don't you ignore me when I'm making a joke!"

" I wasn't ignoring you, Skull Kid."

" Yes you were!" Starlight shouted. " I just made an excellent joke and you completely ignored me!"

" I was focusing on this door."

Turning her attention to what Spike was looking at, Starlight calmed down and immediately looked up. " Wow... Talk about one huge door. I wonder who had to go and build this in the first place? Oh well! Not like I care about something like that." She clenched her hand into a fist and smashed it against the door causing no damage but leaving her fist with a tingling sensation resulting from the impact. " Yeow!"

Spike floated there in complete and utter shock. " Why did you do that?"

" Because I felt like it, that's why!"

Spike cowered back in fear. " Don't lose your cool now, Skull Kid, given how far we've come."

Starlight calmed down again and focused on the door. " You're right, Tael. I need to focus on the prize and that is pulling off my latest prank." She reached out and grabbed the giant ring that served as a door handle. " When I open this up, all those spirits who passed away long ago will be forced to come back to life and continue on from where they left off. They will have no choice but to accept their fate until someone decides to close it up again. Any living person who comes here will be scared out of their wits when they see the living dead running around."

" A shame our guide ran away, huh, Skull Kid?"

" I would go back and make an example of her but I have better things to do."

" Do you want me to help you?"

Starlight shook her head. " If I can't pull open a massive stone door even with my power, I don't deserve to wear this mask." She grabbed the edge of her masked face and held it firmly in her hand. " I will throw this mask away if I fail at this simple task. Yes! I said it!" She pulled on the ring with all of her strength and the door slowly swung open. When it was completely open, darkness began seeping forth from the depths behind the door and Starlight began laughing once again. " Hee hee! This is absolutely perfect! Those spirits are going to wake up disoriented and are likely to attack each other out of confusion."

" That's your prank?"

" Only a true prankster can prank those who no longer are among the living."

" Guess that means we're done here now, right?"

Starlight turned towards Spike, lurched her head forward, and tilted it to the side. " What do you mean by "done", Tael? Did I say we were finished? Did I? I never said anything like that so obviously you just lied about what I intend on doing." She raised her hand and was about to hit him but stopped at the last moment. " No... I'm not going to punish you for that as you're just a fairy who is ignorant. I still have my one remaining prank left. Yes... It will be the best one I've pulled in my entire life and I shall forever be remembered by those who hurt me long ago, hee hee."

" You mentioned that earlier but I thought you were joking."

Starlight shook her head. " I'm being very serious, Tael, more than I've ever been before, hee hee!"

" What do you have in mind?"

" We're going back to Clock Town and to the top of the Clock Tower." Starlight answered. " From there, I will use my power to pull down the moon until the people can see it with their own eyes, and from there, I will continue pulling it down until it crashes into the town. They will come to know what fear means when they see death coming down from on high, and no matter where they run, it won't matter because there is no escape! Hee hee! I'm going to enjoy pulling off this prank."

Spike immediately protested. " Are you sure you want to do that?"

" I'm going to, Tael, and no one will stop me."

" Your pranks have been fun so far, Skull Kid, but you've been getting more and more psychotic with them as of late."

Starlight then slapped Spike away. " Don't speak out of line! I know what I'm doing, Tael, and I'm not about to stop now! I'm going to bring down the moon and destroy this entire world so that they know what happens when you pick on someone who didn't deserve it in the first place. Their deaths will be absolutely glorious and I will forever be remembered as the greatest prankster who had ever lived. Now, come! We depart for Clock Town at once!"

Floating into the air whilst laughing and kicking her legs, Starlight began floating down towards the bottom of the Stone Tower. Spike in the meantime merely floated there on the spot struggling to grasp what he had just heard his friend wanted to do in terms of her "ultimate prank". He began to believe that Starlight was beginning to get consumed by the mask she wore on her face as she never once thought of the desire to destroy the entire world all because of how she was mistreated by others. In her mind, pulling pranks was what she wanted, not complete and utter destruction. He had to do something before it was too late.

He thought about asking Starlight to reconsider her prank and perhaps remove the mask but deep down he knew that she wouldn't do anything of the sort. In fact, he was convinced she would smack him for speaking out of line once again. Before he could prove either theory, Starlight floated back up upon realizing he wasn't following her and threatened to punish him again if he didn't follow her back to Clock Town. Sighing, Spike resigned himself to keeping quiet and followed Starlight despite knowing that she was going too far with her desire to ensure everyone would remember the ultimate prank.

As the two figures disappeared down into the abyss and back towards the main part of the canyon, something was taking place right in front of the stone door that Starlight had opened mere moments ago. The dark aura that seeped forth from the door began causing those who had passed on long ago to rise up from the ground and immediately question how they had suddenly been brought back to life as the living undead. Spirits of all kinds were popping up all across the canyon yet at the very door itself, a purple hand burst forth from the ground, moved about and clenched its fist, and was followed by arm that was connected to the hand.

The arm uncurled itself and appeared to embrace the darkness before a second arm burst out of the ground followed by a head along with a body. Someone or something was coming out of the ground yet unlike the undead, this figure was anything but that. In fact, they were very much alive although confused by how they suddenly existed. The figure took a few steps forward before stretching to ensure nothing felt out of place and then turned around to see the large door standing before them. The figure looked up to see how majestic looking it was and whistled in response.

" What a fascinating sight! I have never seen anything like it before!" The figure turned to face the hole they dug themselves out of and noticed someone else was inside though they appeared unwilling to want to come out. " You... I don't know why but you remind me of someone I've seen before." It took the figure a few moments to figure it out and they were shocked upon realizing it. " You look like an evil demonic version of Sunset Shimmer, the one who defeated me. Talk about complete and utter convenience on my part! Strange that you don't seem to want to come out of there and experience what I'm seeing.

The figure dropped to her knees and peered into the hole. " Hello? Are you alright? Are you even breathing?"

The other figured opened their eyes and murmured a few words. " Leave me alone."

" What? And miss out on all this?"

" I said leave me alone. I'm dead now and shall remain here because I no longer have a reason to exist."

The first figure then laughed. " Really? Is that what you think? Let me tell you something then! I'm standing outside in this fascinating place and I feel very much alive. It's like someone has unleashed a powerful dark aura and it resulted in me being able to climb out of that accursed place. I, Midnight Sparkle, feel like a new person though things have definitely changed since I last witnessed Canterlot High."

" Midnight Sparkle... What a stupid name. In any case, just leave me alone."

" If you can find it in yourself to get out of that hole and out here, you'll be alive again and free to do whatever you want to do." Midnight Sparkle said. " Judging from your composure along with that ridiculous looking hair, you remind me of that Sunset Shimmer girl who defeated me at the Friendship Games a short time ago. That does explain why she said she was once a monster. It was you she was referring to wasn't she?"

" Did you just say... Sunset Shimmer?"

Midnight Sparkle nodded. " She was the one who prevented me from acquiring all of the Equestrian magic I craved. Luckily, I already have a plan in motion that will rectify that issue but it will take some time since everything has changed." Before she could say anything else, a hand lunged out from the hole, grabbed her arm, refused to let go, and grumbling could be heard coming from below yet Midnight Sparkle was completely unfazed. " Wow... I didn't think you were such a serious person but I suppose its to be expected given your previous record."

The other figure pulled herself out, a serious look on her face. " Take me to Sunset Shimmer."

" Sorry but I have my own plans and they don't involve you."

" Perhaps you and I can come to some kind of arrangement."

" Oh? What did you have in mind?"

" I am Sunset Demon, the opposite of Sunset Shimmer in many ways. I too was defeated by my other self though what you experienced was nothing compared to me. I can help you with whatever it is you desire but you must give me the chance to get my vengeance and ultimately become the true Sunset Shimmer. Other than that, you can do whatever you want and I won't get in the way of it."

Midnight Sparkle chuckled. " Such a direct request."

" Well?"

" I'll think about it."





It became apparent after a while that I needed to leave the underground by the same way I came in. It seemed that a strong force was preventing the Song of Soaring from reaching down here and prevented me from leaving, but fortunately I didn't have to worry about dealing with monsters on the way back. I made sure to put on the Captain's Hat before leaving as I had no doubt that the Stalchildren were still hanging around the graveyard since it was still night time and wearing it would prevent them from attacking. I walked over to the door, entered the previous room, over to the next door, and the room after that before stepping on the platform that allowed me to rise back up to the surface.

The instant I was back in the graveyard, I immediately played the Song of Soaring to warp back to Clock Town, and proceeded to the north part of town. I had no idea what time it was at first but a nearby clock hanging on a wall said that it had just passed midnight. The Iron Knuckle had taken me plenty of time and I feared I wouldn't be able to get back and prevent Lightning Dust from robbing the Old Lady from the Bomb Shop, but I managed to make it just in time as the former began walking--more like prancing--her way forward towards her victim and stealing the Bomb Bag right under her nose.

Without a moment's hesitation, I took off the Captain's Hat--I didn't need it now--unsheathed my sword, ran towards Lightning Dust who was trying to escape, and struck the bag causing her to drop it though she did manage to get away by running out of the gate and into Termina Field--why the guard didn't stop was simply baffling. The Old Lady thanked me for preventing the robbery though there was no reward this time around since I had already acquired a long time ago. Now that I had prevented the robbery, Iron Will would eventually the expensive mask so I needed to come back here during the final night in order to get it.

Playing the Song of Soaring a second time and warping back to Ikana Village, I was now ready to deal with DJ Pon-3. The Gibdo were still surrounding the Music Box House as before and completely ignored me--I planned on ignoring them since fighting them would have been pointless anyway--so I began walking towards the cave that served as the source of the water that once ran through the village. A sign outside the cave confirmed my suspicions and I walked inside where the darkness immediately surrounded me. I could also sense great evil as well, watching my every move.

No doubt that the evil belonged to DJ Pon-3, who even now must have become incredibly powerful and demonic in nature she had sold her soul. As I walked through the cave, I stumbled a few times because I couldn't see where I was going, and had I know this would be the case, I would have brought along a torch. The path eventually opened up into a large chamber consisting of water that definitely reeked of evil given how horrible it smelt. A purple-red hue radiated on every wall making everything a lot brighter than it should yet the most unusual feature was how all aspects of the room went down to a point in the center.

Princess Twilight shivered. " This place is creepy."

I nodded. " You can sense the evil all around us."

Princess Twilight nodded. " Yes so you need to be careful, Sunset. DJ Pon-3 is somewhere in this chamber and we need to find her before she finds us. I have no idea what kind of power she possesses now but be prepared for anything."

" I still intend on using the Song of Healing before the Song of Storms."

" Do whatever you need to."

Suddenly, a strong wind began blowing about, catching me off guard. " Where did this come from?" I asked as I attempted to see what was going on but couldn't due to the wind obscuring my vision. It wasn't natural since there was no wind prior but a sinister laugh began echoing all around.

" Well, well, well... What have we here?" The voice asked.

" Where are you?"

" My, aren't you quite the demanding one?"

" I want to talk to you."

The voice didn't respond at first yet I knew they were still there since the wind was still blowing about. It began growing weaker and continued to do so until it faded away completely, and that was when another ghost appeared before us, wielding a baton and dressed in a rather formal outfit. And yet, the sunglasses along with the headphones made it pretty obvious--also ridiculous given the rest of her attire--that this was in fact DJ Pon-3. What truly surprised me was that she was capable of talking, an unusual factor since she preferred to express herself via emotions and other similar reactions.

I mean, I had seen her talking to other students at Canterlot High, but I couldn't hear what she was saying since the voices of numerous other students drowned her out. I was going to ask Princess Twilight if the pony version of DJ Pon-3 was also a mute and her expression told me that this was indeed correct. A powerful aura was surrounding DJ Pon-3 and it made it difficult for me to breathe due to how powerful it felt. While I could have whipped out the Ocarina of Time and played the Song of Storms, I wanted to hear what she had to say in case she unintentionally gave me some clues.

" You... You want to talk to me?"

I nodded. " Yes. I've heard much about you and wanted to see you in person."

DJ Pon-3 glared at me. " You only know of me through the words of my sister, Flat." She then swung her baton around and pretended that she was spinning some discs before glaring at me again. " I can sense her aura all around you but it doesn't matter that you paid her a visit. That was a long time ago so who cares if you listened to what she had to say. My heart has no time to deal with someone who tried to deny me my destiny!"

" You can't mean that."

" What would you, a living flesh, understand?" DJ Pon-3 asked. " It happened long before you even came crying into this world so don't pretend that you understand what you know nothing about!" Her glaring then changed into an expression of malice so I had to keep my guard up just in case she tried to pull off something. " I am curious about something and it involves your very presence in this place. Tell me, what business have you in Ikana Kingdom, land where only the dead roam?"

" I came here to free the guardian who has been imprisoned."

DJ Pon-3 laughed. " You? Freeing the guardian? What can a living flesh like you hope to achieve?"

" I've already rescued the other three guardians."

" What!?"

" I've been through much hardship in order to rescue them." I said. " And I know that isn't going to change any time soon as I make my way through this land."

DJ Pon-3's expression changed from malice to concern. " Yes... I was starting to wonder why the spirits of the kingdom were getting agitated. They must have been talking about you and you do reek of the undead since you have interacted with my sister, and have most likely spoken to Keeta at some point." She turned away from me and began mumbling to herself to keep me from hearing her. " This living flesh could ruin everything with her presence... I must deal with her appropriately so that my desire won't be thwarted." She looked at me again with the malice-like expression strewn across her face. " Leave."

" What?"

" This is no place for one as full of life as you."

I shook my head. " I have no intention of leaving."

" Leave now and no harm shall befall upon you." DJ Pon-3 said. " Or do you say that you wish to join the dead? I can arrange for that to happen, you know, and it would make things far more interesting than they are now."

I shook my head feverishly. " No-no... Let's not be too hasty."

DJ Pon-3 laughed. " I understand your desire even though you don't. You really do wish to join the ranks of the dead. It's not often that one amongst the living wishes to end their existence and be relegated to the legions of the beyond." She twirled her baton again and I felt a presence beginning to surround me. Was this the power she had acquired when she sold her soul to the devil? " Do not worry. The process of joining us won't take long. Now, sleep gently to the melody of darkness that the great composer, Sharp, shall play... and join the ranks of the dead."

When she started twirling her baton again, strange music suddenly came out from the walls themselves. I tried to take out the Ocarina of Time only to find myself dropping on one knee and then the other before dropping onto my hands. My body was being drained of its energy because of the music and that meant I didn't have much time before I would die. Princess Twilight attempted to distract DJ Pon-3 to stop the music, but she too grew weaker, collapsed on the ground, and struggled to get up again before she stopped moving--her wings continued flapping though I didn't know for how much longer.

I struggled to get back onto my own feet but it felt like my body was being dragged down by an extreme level of gravity, but I couldn't give up as I needed to carry out Octavia's request and save DJ Pon-3 from herself. Reaching into my pouch and taking the ocarina out, I pulled it up to my lips only to drop it at the last second prompting DJ Pon-3 to begin laughing as she continued playing her morbid music. I crouched down, picked it back up, and immediately played the Song of Healing believing I could at least heal her soul before giving her the proper song that would stop all of this.

The instant she heard the Song of Healing, DJ Pon-3 came to a stop and began twirling around in circles, getting faster and faster with every rotation. I knew this wasn't going to work because it wasn't what Octavia wanted, yet I believed that this would prove effective despite not go the full distance. She continued spinning around until she came to a sudden stop and began laughing before floating down to my location until she was right in front of me. Her ghostly eyes attempted to instill me with fear yet I resisted because frankly, I had seen worse courtesy of Ganondorf himself.

" How do you feel?" I asked. " Did my song do anything for you."

DJ Pon-3 stopped laughing and looked at me with a serious expression on her face. " That song... I could tell that it had a special power much like what my sister and I created when we were composing songs for the king. Somehow, my heart is eased. Hmmm... I haven't felt this way in a very long time. Whoever taught you that song had impressive skills and has rubbed off on you." It looked like she would change her mannerisms but I knew it wouldn't happen so I wasn't about to be persuaded. " This melody has a serenity to it... Yet... To one of the dead and darkness, like myself, a song like that no longer holds meaning for me."

" I'm well aware of that."

" What!? Then why did you play that song?"

" I thought it would help you but I guess it didn't."

" You believed I could be swayed so easily?"

I nodded. " Guess you proved me wrong."

DJ Pon-3 became enraged. " This foolishness has gone on long enough. You shall end your futile resistance and quickly join the ranks of the dead." She then began twirling her baton around and the sinister music from before began to play again. My body began growing weaker again due to my energy slowly being drained and DJ Pon-3 laughed once again. " I am going to enjoy seeing you as one of us and I am certain our king will want to make you one of his soldiers or a slave."

" I have to disagree." I said as I raised the Ocarina of Time to my lips and played the Song of Storms--it took several attempts before I played it properly.

DJ Pon-3 suddenly stopped when the rain began pouring down. " W-What is this? This song? N-No, it can't be. This song... How do you know..." She then began twirling around in circles like before only this time it was having the desired effect. She began shrinking down in size before disappearing in a puff of smoke before returning moments later without the evil aura surrounding her. " You... You learned that song upon seeing my sister. Yes... There is no other explanation. Flat, my dear sister. Forgive your foolish sister who dreamt of the revival of the Royal Family..."

Had that been her plan from the beginning? To restore the Royal Family of Ikana? There was much that I didn't know so I had to take her word for it but to want to sell her soul just to bring back the rulers? Either she had been consumed by her own lust and believed she could do such a thing or she wanted Ikana Kingdom to flourish once again so that it wouldn't be forgotten by future generations. To revive the Royal Family... It sounded like whoever was ruling the kingdom died before DJ Pon-3 and Octavia did or the family had fallen on hard times and needed some kind of resurrection.

DJ Pon-3 then continued talking. " Ye who do not fear the dead... Please listen to my words. I know that I have no right to ask this of you given that I attempted to make you part of the undead like all those who linger here still but I insist you listen. With my sister's song, you have broken the curse that was placed upon me. It is all thanks to you. Our time was long ago and as such we dead should not exist now. We should not be lingering but we cannot rest because of what has happened at the heart of this land. The masked one who came here some time performed a trick and has now upset things."

I should have known Starlight was responsible. She was up to her old tricks though this was far grander than anything she had done in the past. " I'm familiar with this masked one, as she has caused trouble all over this world through various pranks." I said.

" Then you will do nicely."

" What do you mean?"

" You know how the masked one works so you can undo the damage she has caused."

" Yes, I suppose I can."

" If you truly do not fear the dead... I wish for you to go to the temple of this land." DJ Pon-3 said. " Go there and sever the root of the evil curse that torments us. Do so and we undead shall return to our eternal twilight and disappear from this world once again. However, it isn't as easy as I am making it sound. In order to free us, you must seek out the one who once ruled over us. I, the only one who knows the way into the temple, shall direct you to the King."

" Where can I find him?"

DJ Pon-3 pointed outside. " The King is in the ruins of Ikana Castle, awaiting the coming of the one who will break the curse. To reach him, you must first acquire something important that lies below this land deep within an underground maze. Before you can go down there, you must follow the water that has now begun flowing from this place and aid the one who resides within the house that can play music. I have made my final request."

Her body then faded away until it had disappeared and despite what she attempted to do to me, I felt sorry for her because she was only trying to do what she thought was best for the future of the kingdom. Still, she could now rest in peace alongside Octavia and compose songs together once again. At that moment, water began flowing from the center of the chamber and outside so I quickly followed along by running after the flow. It trickled down the path until it reached the water wheel and began turning it around whereupon music began blaring out from the two horns on top of the house.

The music was surprisingly really catchy despite its simplicity yet it was definitely a welcome improvement over the drabness that was Ikana. Looking forward at the Gibdo, they continued walking around the house until they suddenly came to a stop, and then clutched their heads in pain. It appeared that they weren't fond of the music but then something else started happening to them. Each one crouched down and began convulsing, changing colours in the process, and the ground beneath their feet began vibrating. I knew music was powerful but I wasn't expecting anything like this.

This convulsion act went on for quite a while before the Gibdo suddenly stood up, raised their arms, and let out bloodcurdling screams before they sank down below the ground until none of them remained. Princess Twilight and I said nothing while all that happened and our jaws remained dropped for several moments after the fact. To think that those undead monsters were felled by the power of music--simple as it was--yet now we needed to figure out what to do next. The Music Box House had something inside its walls the Gibdo wanted so now Her Highness and I could gain access.

I walked up to the door and attempted to open it only to discover that it was locked. " Shoot! We can't get in."

" I'm not surprised by this." Twilight said.

" To be honest, I don't think a locked door would have prevented those Gibdo from getting inside."

Princess Twilight nodded. " Yes but you have to wonder why they didn't attempt it in the first place. We've almost been through an entire day of this cycle and I suspect those monsters had been surrounding the house since before then."

" What's even weirder is that they ignored us."

" Did you want to destroy them?"

I shook my head. " No. In fact, I'm glad they didn't come after us. They can freeze you on the spot with a powerful piercing gaze couple with a bloodcurdling scream before latching onto your body and draining it of vital energy. I'm surprised I remember such a vivid image but I suppose it's because I had it happen to me on my previous journey. An image like that is near impossible to forget."

" Anyway, we should focus on getting inside."

I nodded. " Any ideas?"

" Try knocking the door?"

I slapped my forehead. " Oh... Right."

Gently knocking on the door, there was no response so I tried again, and again there was no response. Either whoever was inside was hiding from the Gibdo and their hiding spot prevented them from hearing my knocks or they were ignoring me on purpose or weren't around. I then knocked for the third time and this time someone responded on the other side of the door by saying that no one was inside. I countered by saying that someone was home thus proving they had lied and they responded by saying that they refused to let me in and told me to go away and leave them alone.

I even said that there weren't any Gibdos anymore yet they refused to believe me and again told me to go away. Since there was nothing more I could do, I decided to heed their threat and leave the vicinity in order to come up with another plan. I couldn't put my finger on it but the voice on the other side of the door sounded very familiar but their tone was a mixture of anger and nervousness. Walking over to a small boulder and sitting down, I relaxed after what I had endured against DJ Pon-3 and began thinking about how I could convince the person on the other side that everything was fine.

" We need to get inside, Sunset."

" How can we when whoever is in there refuses to leave."

Princess Twilight then remembered something and began bopping me on the head. " Do you remember what that Garo said when you defeated him?" I tried to recall the exact words it said but I couldn't prompting Her Highness to bop me again. " I can't believe you forgot about it, Sunset. It mentioned the girl who lives inside comes outside every two minutes to check out the dried well."

" So you're saying we should wait for her to come out?"

Princess Twilight nodded. " Yes, but you need to make sure she doesn't see us otherwise she will run back inside and lock the door."

Looking around to see if there was a suitable place for me to hide, I felt dejected upon realizing that there was nothing within the immediate vicinity. That's when an idea popped into my head and I took out the Stone Mask and placed it on my face. It enabled me to hide from most of the Gerudo Pirates when I infiltrated their fortress over at Great Bay so perhaps it would work here with whoever was inside the house. The waiting soon began and at first no movement came from within the house but when the door's lock suddenly clicked and slowly creaked open, I was ready to make a move when it suddenly closed again.

That quickly deflated my hopes of getting inside but no sooner had the door closed that it opened up again and stayed open this time. A hand reached out of the darkness that was within the house--I was too far away to see the interior so it looked dark to me--as a means of checking to see if there were any monsters surrounding the place. A sigh could be heard coming from inside before someone stepped outside and my jaw immediately dropped. I had long suspected that she would have ended up becoming part of this world just like the rest of my friends had done but I never thought of finding her here of all places.

Princess Twilight was besides herself with surprise upon seeing the one who came out of the door as being her human equivalent, Twilight Sparkle. I would have thought she would have portrayed a more significant character in Termina much like how my friends had done but here she was portraying an ordinary girl who lived in a barren wasteland that was surrounded by the living dead. Her clothes indicated simplicity and her feverish glances all around told me Twilight Sparkle felt nervous about leaving the safety of her house. Could she be trying to protect something inside or wanting no one else to know?

Now I had a decision to make. " What should we do?"

Princess Twilight was much more direct. " Talk to her! What else!"

" Won't she try to run back inside and lock the door?"

" We need to talk to her, Sunset, now!"

I could tell Her Highness felt eager towards wanting to speak with her other self but I shook my head knowing that confronting her wouldn't be in our best interest. " We should focus on what could be inside her house before talking with her." Unfortunately, Princess Twilight had other ideas and flew over to the other Twilight, who was starting to make her way over to a well located nearby. " Twilight!" I shouted. " Get back over here! We need to go inside the house as that was what DJ Pon-3 suggested!" She refused to listen and I sighed before following along after her.

Never would I have imagined Her Highness acting so impulsively all because we had encountered Twilight Sparkle, but then the two of them did have some issues to work out when they first met each other a couple of weeks after the Friendship Games. Princess Twilight came through the portal, revealing that she had only just gotten the messages I had sent to her yet instead of getting to discuss things that she wanted to talk about, she was confronted with her human counterpart, an encounter none of us were expecting. It was like two polar opposites had finally converged to meet with one another.

Twilight Sparkle felt bad at that time since she viewed herself as an outsider given that my friends and I had a much stronger connection with Princess Twilight, but then when she was asked by Her Highness to tell her more about herself, I could tell that Twilight Sparkle felt more comfortable despite how awkward everything was. It was also a lesson my friends would take to heart since they could eventually meet their pony counterparts one day. I was the exception of course as I had no human counterpart to call my own. I could take solace in knowing how it would look but ultimately not truly understanding the experience.

Princess Twilight began buzzing around the other Twilight who looked up to notice her. " Huh? What is a fairy doing here in the middle of this wasteland?" 

" I want to talk to you."

Twilight Sparkle was surprised. " You want to talk to me? I'm surprised that a fairy would want to talk to me but I don't see what you would want from the likes of me. You don't look like one of the fairies from the fountain over there so perhaps you should talk to them instead. I'm sure they will help you a lot better than I could."

" No, you're the one I need!"

" Me? I'm honoured that you would think that but I cannot right now."

" Why not?"

" I need to get some water from the well over there, little fairy, in order to provide some much needed heating to my home." Twilight Sparkle answered. " You would think my house would have one of those modern fireplaces like they have back in Clock Town, but this one requires water to make it work and it can be difficult to leave sometimes especially with the evil presence that lurk about here."

" You... Struggle out here?"

Twilight Sparkle nodded. " My father and I moved out here some time ago in order for him to pursue his interests. To be honest with you, I wish we could go back to Clock Town and not have to worry about the undead who have been roaming freely lately. My father... um... he doesn't like receiving visitors because... because... he feels it would distract him from doing his work and I... well... I have to make sure no one bothers him."

" What does he do?"

" Um... I'd rather not say."

Princess Twilight felt disappointed. " I guess it's too private, right?"

" By the way..." Twilight Sparkle began. " Why were you hanging around over there? A fairy like you would be threatened constantly by the undead creatures that plague this ancient village so unless you want to die, you should head on over to the fountain and wait until everything calms down--though that could take a really long time. The Great Fairy hasn't been herself ever since some strange masked figure visited her but I haven't been able to visit her because those undead creatures had been surrounding my house until just recently. I am glad the house is operating again but I still don't feel safe."

" I have a friend who would like to see you."

" Friend?" Twilight Sparkle asked. " I don't see anyone else out there."

Princess Twilight turned around and discovered that I was invisible to everyone except for her but before she could say anything, Twilight Sparkle began walking towards the well prompting her to fly out in front and stop her other self from leaving. " Where are you going? I want you to meet my friend."

Twilight Sparkle shook her head. " I need to get some water so I can't stand here talking to you, little fairy. The monsters may have disappeared but there is no telling when others will show up, and my father... um... never mind about him."

" You shouldn't fear monsters since your house is playing music again."

" The strangest thing about that..." Twilight Sparkle began. " Is that the cave where the water comes from used to have a strange wailing noise coming from deep within. I assumed it was a spirit or some other such apparition haunting the place so I never went anywhere near it in case it came after me. Now that it's gotten quiet again, I might decide to check it out myself but not until my father... I... I'm sorry but I really must be going. A pleasure talking to you, little fairy. Oh... Please don't go inside my house if at all possible. There is... um... just don't go inside."

She then walked off towards the well leaving Princess Twilight feeling dejected over what happened and when she--Twilight Sparkle--was far enough away, Her Highness sighed and called out to me knowing that I hadn't revealed myself. " You can come over now, Sunset."

I took off the Stone Mask--Her Highness could still see me regardless--and walked over to her. " I can't believe that you went over to her even though I said it wasn't a good idea because of what we needed to do next. But then... you did what your heart was telling you."

" You could have said something."

I shook my head. " I decided to let you two talk to each other. After all, you two are essentially the same person but from different worlds and different upbringings. Still, I feel bad for her in this world given what she had been enduring. I also noticed that she didn't like talking about her father."

Princess Twilight nodded. " Yes. She paused whenever she brought him up as though she was trying to hide something. We should go inside and find out what's going on in case there is much more than we realize."

" What about her?"

" So long as she suddenly doesn't look this way, she won't even know you were here." Twilight answered. " As much as I would like to continue talking with her, we should focus on rescuing the final giant, and besides, I might have another chance at talking to her later. The door should still be open--surprised she would forget to close it let alone lock it--so we can take advantage of her oversight."

Walking up to the door and opening it, I entered the Music Box House and was surprised at how well detailed it looked. I was expecting something fantasy-like given the premise behind the house yet it was an ordinary interior one would come to expect. Judging from the lack of anything on the table, Twilight Sparkle and whoever her father was hadn't been eating for quite some time. While she had no excuse for not eating, her father might have been too busy with whatever he did to consider eating food. Everything seemed to be in order until I noticed a strange light coming from the basement.

My first instinct wanted me to explore the upper level of the house in case there was something up there--I also wanted to see where the horns on the roof connected to--but the light from the basement proved impossible for me to ignore. There was a staircase near the table so I walked down them and entered the basement, and it consisted of what could be considered a mad scientist's laboratory. There were pieces of paper everywhere, each one had a diagram of an undead monster on it, various books, containers, and other nick-knacks were strewn about, but the most curious object of all was a large closet situated at the very back.

I could sense a presence coming from the closet so I walked up to it to get a closer look. As I got closer, I could see what undead monsters were on each diagram, and while I did recognize the obvious ones such as Gibdos and Garo, others were ones I had never seen before including one creature that had a single eye but featured a formidable physique. Suddenly, the closet door swung open and I was shocked beyond all reasoning at what was lurking inside of it. Even Princess Twilight was shocked at what we were witnessing, and it also explained why her other self didn't want us to know about her father...