The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Majora's Mask
By Ganondorf8
June 5, 2017
Chapter 59: Regret!
Despite the ever growing presence of the moon drawing closer and closer to Clock Town, I wasn't worried since I would be resetting time within the next few minutes. Instead, I was stuck with my little dilemma over what I wanted to do next. The Stone Tower was beckoning me to go there and awaken the final Giant but I had now acquired a new mask and was keen on wanting to see how it worked. Giving up 500 rupees for something that most likely had a single purpose was a hefty price considering that money could have been used to acquire some healing items for what was to come but it was worth it in the long term.
What Adagio said at the time continued to resonate within my heart. The ultimate mask and the power it supposedly contained was hidden somewhere in Termina and possessed a power that rivals Majora's Mask. My heart cringed over using something like that because I didn't want to become consumed much like what happened when I became the she-demon all because of wanting a crown that wasn't even mine in the first place. To lose myself again and not having a means of turning back. This mask was more trouble than it was worth from a certain perspective and yet it could be the means of defeating Starlight Glimmer.
She had caused so much trouble all in an attempt to play pranks but I was seeing the real reason behind her motivations. Whenever someone played a prank, it wasn't always a means of having a good laugh out of it. No, there was a hint of malice intertwined within it that was designed to hurt. Starlight felt like she had been wronged by so many people that she lashed out at them through her pranks and no doubt she had most likely forgotten why she was doing it. Her original desire for fun--or whatever was considered as such by her--had been replaced over time with a desire to destroy everything just because it was there.
Had she really become psychotic? Was she no longer satisfied with having fun and instead desired to destroy this entire world? Or was my theory of her being under the influence of another force true? There was much about Majora's Mask that remained a mystery. Not even the resident mask expert, Sonata Dusk, knew all its secrets despite sharing what she knew about the history behind the mask. I supposed I could pay her another visit in hopes she would have more information to tell me but I suspected she would merely continue reminding me to return what Starlight stole from her before she had to leave Termina.
I looked down at the All-Night Mask and began to think about the powers locked within each one I had collected so far. Some of them possessed powers that were adorable in nature and would generally make things a little easier for someone while others were fearsome in nature and should never be worn under any circumstances. Whenever I put on one of these masks, my mind contemplates whether I would eventually be consumed by its powers. Granted, none of my masks possessed evil powers but the thought continued to haunt me all because of what I had been experiencing.
Speaking of the All-Night Mask, I decided to take a closer look at it since I hadn't bothered to since I got it. It had large red eyes that looked like they were peering into my soul and the strange way it had been woven together made it look creepy. If anything, the mask would only cover my eyes, nose, and the sides of my face while my mouth would remain unprotected though I couldn't complain. To think that this had the power to keep me from falling asleep. If it did indeed worked that way, I would never have to sleep again for the rest of my journey yet such a thing was doubtful as no one could not fall asleep.
Still, 500 rupees was an awful lot of money. Perhaps I should have tried to convince Iron Will to give me a discount since I had been a somewhat regular customer? Of course, he wouldn't have known that as resetting time erased the memories of everyone's interactions with me. I then placed on my face in hopes that my body wouldn't suddenly collapse--my exhaustion levels were rising from having done so much lately--yet nothing happened. Had I been scammed by Iron Will? No, despite his shady dealings, I doubted that he would trick me unless he really was a crook. Perhaps there was more to this mask than I thought.
I looked at Princess Twilight. " Well? What do you think?"
" You look like a demonic monster with that one." Twilight answered.
I glared at her. " Twilight!"
" I'm only joking, Sunset." Twilight said, blushing. I didn't find it amusing and I continued glaring at her until she apologized. " I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you upset because of your past experiences, but that mask does make you look frightening what with those eyes."
" The eyes do have this creepy factor about them."
" Why did you put it on anyway?"
" I wanted to see if wearing it would keep me from falling asleep."
" Did it work?"
I shrugged. " I don't know. I mean, I don't feel any different than I was a few minutes ago, and I was thinking that perhaps Iron Will had scammed me out of my rupees by selling me a useless mask, but there's something about it that strike me as strange."
Princess Twilight took a closer look at the All-Night Mask. " It's definitely not your run-of-the-mill mask that's for sure. The material seems to be made of some kind of cloth I've never seen before and the craftsmanship tells me that whoever made this knew what they were doing." She then had a sudden brainstorm and started bopping me on my head. " Do you remember what Iron Will said about the grandmother of Scootaloo?"
I nodded. " Yes, but I didn't think Scootaloo had any relatives aside from Rainbow Dash--more of a sisterly bond."
" The Scootaloo of this world most definitely does." Twilight said. " And if there's anyone who can help us test out the power of this mask, it would be her. I know we should be making preparation for our upcoming exploration of the Stone Tower but we can pay this woman a visit just to see what happens. I know you don't like the idea of wasting any of the cycles of time but we do have an infinite amount so we could use one just for this."
" Guess we could do that..."
Princess Twilight knew I was hesitating but reassured me that I didn't need to feel guilty over wasting one of the cycles on doing some minor errands before having to go and take care of something major. She then mentioned about resetting time as it had been a while since I left the Curiosity Shop. I looked up and saw that the moon had gotten closer though I was curious as to what would happen if I were to go and confront Starlight right now. Nothing was stopping me from going to the top of Clock Tower and trying to talk some sense into her but would she even listen to me?
Of course, without the final Giant, the moon wouldn't be stopped and everything would be destroyed--it was an image I didn't want burned into my memory--so in that sense, going up there was pointless unless I had everything in place. Nothing could ever be easy for me no matter how hard I tried but this was something I had gotten used to. Sighing, I took out the Ocarina of Time and played the Song of Time to go back to the beginning of the first day. As I was pulled back to the start, I could only wonder how much longer it would be before finally changing everything back to normal and being freed from this nightmare.
Dawn of the First Day - 72 Hours Remain.
Upon hearing the sounds of a cucco cawing, my first instinct was to go straight to the Stock Pot Inn and speak to Scootaloo's grandmother. Unfortunately, Princess Twilight informed me that it wouldn't be open until 8:00am so I had to wait two hours which obviously meant killing some time. I could have gone out into Termina Field to grind for some more rupees and to waste some time but I didn't know if this would be a complete cycle or a smaller one due to how I approached the current situation before me. I didn't have any other ideas so I began walking towards East Clock Town and the inn.
No one seemed to notice me wearing the All-Night Mask, although come to think of it, this had been true regarding all of the masks I've worn. There were no freak outs, no ridicule, and even shunning just because I was doing something different. It never really occurred to be before until this exact moment and now it was the only thing I could think of as I made my way over to the Stock Pot Inn. Much of Termina's history was a mystery as I had never asked anyone about it. Even Her Highness didn't know much and she was the kind of person--pony--who loved knowledge and lore more than anyone else I knew.
Termina's history might not have been important from an adventuring standpoint, but it was from an educational one. Everywhere I looked, there was history to be seen and yet I had no idea what any of it meant. Sure, I knew some bits and pieces of the world's history from the four regions but it was nothing compared to what had eluded me all this time. If I knew more then perhaps I wouldn't be confused as often as I was. I preferred to know all of my facts without a single thing missing instead of going around with limited information--all that ever did was give me more trouble than I wanted.
When I reached the Stock Pot Inn, I looked at a clock hanging on the wall nearby, and it displayed the time of only 6:20am. Huh... I thought that my inner musings would have wasted a little bit more time but I guessed that wasn't the case. I couldn't remember if I had ever gone inside or notto see what what it was like in there but then I didn't really need to come directly to the inn as my errands had me going to other places across town. In any case, the Stock Pot Inn wasn't exactly glamourous--and that was a nice way of putting it--as it looked run down and in desperate need of repairs.
" So Scootaloo's grandmother is in there?"
I nodded. " Looks like it."
" Compared to the hotels I've read about in Las Pegasus, this place certainly comes off as pathetic."
" When did you ever go to Las Pegasus?"
" I never did." Twilight answered. " I've only read about it in books. I'd love to go there and see the fancy hotels with my own eyes but you know me, Sunset. As a princess, I have my royal duties to perform even when it looks like I don't have any as it has been pretty quiet."
I rolled my eyes. " Maybe you should ask Princess Celestia if you could go there some time."
" I'll think about it."
" Anyway, I agree that the Stock Pot Inn isn't what I would call five-star."
" I'm guessing that it fell on hard times because of a lack of customers." Twilight said. " Then again, that's only because of the problem that looms above us. I doubt they would be willing to tell us how many people have stopped here within the last few months as that would probably go against company policy. We should probably move away from the door in case they think we're loitering or something."
" Who would accuse us of that?"
Princess Twilight pointed to the guard standing in front of the east gate. " He would definitely think that."
While what Her Highness said sounded silly, I wasn't about to get on the bad side of one of the town's militia so I walked away from the entrance to the Stock Pot Inn and started walking around in circles just to pass the time until it opened. Despite everything that had been going on in Clock Town, it certainly was an interesting place, yet I never really took the time to appreciate it since I was always running around from place to place or warping away elsewhere before having a chance to take a closer look. Every building had its own unique charm that was saying 'come inside me and look' when you looked at them from the outside.
To the residents of Clock Town, everything was always the same unless weird things started happening--like now for instance. For tourists, they got to see what the town had to offer through its different attractions, yet I wondered if the residents ever bothered to indulge themselves in those same attractions. If not, how could this town maintain itself without the ideal income needed to keep things up if its own citizens never utilized anything designed for entertainment purposes? No wonder Mayor Mare had her hands full--even more so because of who she was dealing with--dealing with Clock Town's day-to-day upkeep.
Princess Twilight then informed me that it was now past 8:00am so I walked back to the Stock Pot Inn and went inside. Unlike the exterior which looked drab, the interior was certainly presentable though I suspected the rooms themselves were poorly adequate--I felt bad for patrons as they wouldn't expect such conditions. Considering this was the only hotel around, potential customers couldn't complain as they had no where else to go so it boiled down to having to accept it. No one was behind the counter so perhaps Scootaloo or whoever was supposedly working were busy doing something else so I took the initiative by giving myself a personal tour.
Beyond the counter was a staircase that lead up to the second floor and I could see Indigo Zap walking up and down the stairs in deep thought. As I recalled, she was portraying one of the two Rosa Sisters who were part of Gorman's Troupe. So this was where they had been staying--I obviously knew this but never had physical proof--while in town for the carnival yet none of them knew that it had been cancelled. I wanted to inform her about this but chose not to as Big Macintosh would find that out the hard way as he was currently heading towards the Mayor's Residence where he would be told about it by Monsieur Aroma--Troubleshoes.
Leaving Indigo to deal with her own thoughts, I walked up to a door and could hear someone mumbling on the other side. Their voice sounded awfully familiar so I entered the room only to stop dead in my tracks upon seeing who was there.
" Is that you, Tortus?"
" Why is she here?" I whispered to Twilight.
" Who is that?" Twilight asked.
" That's Principal Abacus Cinch." I answered. Sitting in a chair with a cloth draped on her shoulders was Principal Cinch herself though judging from how she was hunched over, she was portraying someone who was quite old, and then it occurred to me that she was the one related to Scootaloo in this world. " This must be the grandmother Iron Will mentioned yet why did it have to be her of all people?"
" You sound disappointed, Sunset."
" This is 'the' Principal Cinch our friends and I told you about when you met Twilight Sparkle."
Princess Twilight gasped before whispering. " This is the one who caused her to transform into a monster?"
I nodded. " Principal Cinch wanted to win the Friendship Games by any means necessary including using her best student as a guinea pig. Had she not had the desire to use magic to assure Crystal Prep's victory, Twilight Sparkle wouldn't have unleashed what she had collected in her pendant. Granted, I wouldn't have become Daydream Shimmer but that's beside the point. She was exposed as having cared more about her reputation and that of her school than the well being of her students. I've no idea what she has been doing since yet can you blame me for not being happy to see her?"
Princess Twilight nodded slightly though she hesitated. " Remember that in this world, Principal Cinch isn't the same person as she was back in the human world. You need to overcome your personal issues with her and view her instead as someone who could provide us with some information."
" Tortus?" Principal Cinch asked. " Who are you talking to?"
I whispered to Twilight again. " Who is Tortus?"
Princess Twilight whispered back. " I think she is referring to you, Sunset."
" I'm not this Tortus."
" You'll have to humour her then."
I slapped my forehead before moaning though I understood what Her Highness was expecting of me. While this was indeed Principal Cinch, she was an entirely different person here though apparently she had some vision problems given she was referring to me as this Tortus. I could have told her the honest truth but upon getting a closer look at her demeanour, I didn't have the heart to do it. I didn't want to be that kind of person. Cinch was reading a large book on her lap or had been until I entered the room and was beckoning me to come over with a wave of her hand.
" Come closer, Tortus." Principal Cinch said.
I walked over to her. " Um... What are you doing?"
" Such a silly question coming from you." Principal Cinch answered. " But then you always were asking questions like the good boy you are, Tortus. Have you finished with those errands for father like I asked?" I had no idea how to respond so I nodded and it seemed to have pleased her. " Good. You've done such a wonderful thing that mother will reward you with a story and perhaps some candy if you pay close attention. Now, which one of my two stories would you like for me to read, Tortus? I know it sounds unfair giving you only two options but you will be pleasantly surprised by them."
" What are they?"
" The first is called "The Carnival of Time" and the other is called "Four Giants". Both will take me a while to read them to you, Tortus, so I hope you can stay awake long enough otherwise you might end up falling asleep."
Good thing that I was wearing the All-Night Mask so I didn't have to worry about falling asleep. Both choices were interesting ones and I had every intention of listening to both stories for my own benefit--also to give Princess Twilight some research she could fawn over--though what she said about taking a while to read through them worried me. I mean, I wasn't worried in general as I could just reset time if she dragged on too long but I suspected it wouldn't be as bad as it sounded. Besides, it wasn't everyday that Principal Cinch would teach me about a subject given she was from a different school.
" How about the first one?"
Principal Cinch was delighted. " Considering that the carnival is in two days from now, I am not surprised that you wanted this story. It's always a good idea for you to learn the meaning behind why we celebrate it here in Clock Town every year so I'll read it with some enthusiasm. Please sit down, Tortus, and mother will begin telling the story." I did as she asked by sitting down on the floor and she flipped through several pages in her book before finding it. " Ahem... Each year, the season of harmony begins when the sun and moon are in alignment. Paying homage to the way that both nature and time are tirelessly in the process of progressing.
" The Carnival of Time is when the peoples of the four worlds celebrate that harmony and request fruitfulness for the year." Principal Cinch stopped reading and looked down at me with her squinting eyes. " Good, you're paying attention so far, Tortus, but here is where things truly begin. For ages, people have worn masks resembling the giants who are the gods of the four worlds. Now, it has become a custom for each person to bring a handmade mask to the Carnival of Time. It is said that if a couple united on the day of the festival and dedicated a mask as a sign of their union, it would bring luck."
" Is that so?"
Principal Cinch nodded. " Your daughter, my granddaughter, Anju, was planning on getting married on the eve of the carnival and had even prepared a mask for the occasion. Had she been able to go through with it, she would have acquired a considerable amount of luck, but it seems the one she was supposed to marry has disappeared. No one knows what happened to him and you should be concerned with it, Tortus."
Did she just say my "daughter"!? Now I definitely knew her vision was poor but I wasn't about to call her out on it. She did give me a small clue about Kafei in that his sudden disappearance was known to more than just Monsieur Aroma but I had a feeling she wouldn't say much more. " Is that the end of the story?"
Principal Cinch shook her head. " There is one last bit for me to read and mother will be finished. The centerpiece of the carnival is the clock tower, and on the eve of all the festivities, the doors to its roof are opened... From atop the clock tower roof, a ceremony to call the gods is held and an ancient song is sung." She took a moment to catch her breath before continuing reading, surprising as it wasn't as long of a story as she said. " All of these festivities for the Carnival of Time are held so that we may ask the gods for a rich harvest in the year to come!" She then slammed her hand onto the book before looking down at me again. " You did a good job!" (1.)
" We're done?"
" That's all for Tortus."
" I was surprised about that bit regarding Anju."
" I thought it best to mention it to you, Tortus."
I wasn't entirely sure of the situation but I nodded my head just to make her feel happy. " Guess we should get started on the--" I cut myself off upon looking at a clock on the wall and it said that it was now 10:20am when it was clearly 8:20am a few moments ago. Cinch wasn't kidding when she said that she would take a while to read the story. In fact, she had taken an entire two hours to read it and I wouldn't have noticed the change if not for the clock indicating it. Would the same thing happen with the other story? Would hours merely pass by in an instant? " Like I said... About that other story."
" First, a question."
I gulped. " A question?"
Principal Cinch nodded. " Now, when does the clock tower roof open?
" The eve of the festival."
Principal Cinch smiled. " You did a good job remembering. That's the boy I'm proud of." I would have mentioned that I was a girl and not a boy but again I wasn't going to call her out on it. " I'll give you some candy as a prize. It might not be traditional but hopefully you will enjoy it." She reached for something on the bookshelf behind her, fiddled about for a few moments before handing over a Piece of Heart, surprising me. I didn't expect her definition of candy was a Piece of Heart but I gladly took it anyway and felt the warmth within me once again as it entered my body. " Would you like me to read you the other story now, Tortus?"
" How long will it take?"
" This one is much longer and will take until tomorrow morning."
My jaw dropped. " Seriously!?"
" Does Tortus not want mother to read it to him?"
" N-no! Go right ahead."
Principal Cinch smiled though I wasn't sure about the sincerity behind it. " This is quite a long story, but it is a good one for you to hear, Tortus, so I will read this to the very best of my abilities." She flipped through some more pages in her book until stopping at where it was before coughing. " Ahem... This tale's from long ago when all the people weren't separated into four worlds like they are now. In those times all the people lived together, and the four giants lived among them."
" They lived amongst the people?"
" Do you doubt it?"
I shrugged. " I mean, it's hard to imagine them living amongst the people what with their size and all.
Principal Cinch chuckled though I felt uncomfortable when she did as I wasn't used to it. " Remember that this is just a story, Tortus, so while some aspects of it are indeed real, others are merely fictional and designed to tell an interesting tale. Now then, on the day of the festival that celebrates the harvest, the giants spoke to the people..."We have chosen to guard the people while we sleep... 100 steps north, 100 steps south, 100 steps east, 100 steps west. If you have need, call us in a loud voice by declaring something such as, 'The mountain blizzard has trapped us.' Or 'The ocean is about to swallow us.' Your cries shall carry to us..."
" I didn't think they could perform such miracles."
" The Four Giants possess powers far beyond our own comprehension."
" So everyone was happy with this arrangement."
" Not all."
" There was an exception?"
Principal Cinch nodded. " Such a curious boy you are, Tortus. You make mother so proud by being so attentive. I honestly thought you would have fallen asleep by now but it seems something is keeping you awake much to my esteemed delight."
I looked away. " I'm just so thrilled to be hearing your stories."
" You're also a good boy, Tortus.
The All-Night Mask had definitely proven itself useful for the situation it had been created for by keeping me from falling asleep. Had I not been wearing it and Cinch read her stories regardless, I'd have fallen asleep and the time would have ticked away for nothing. Granted, I would have gotten a lot of sleep in the process but at the exchange of not learning more about Termina's history--that would have resulted in Princess Twilight bopping me on the head endlessly as she loved historical information more than any sane person would. If it wasn't for the reward of a Piece of Heart--maybe even a second--and the knowledge, this would have been a waste of time.
" Who was the exception?"
" There was one who was shocked and saddened by all this... A little imp."
As soon as Cinch mentioned the word 'imp', I immediately interrupted her. " An imp? Does it have a name?"
Principal Cinch shook her head. " The story does not give a name to the imp but perhaps you would like to give him one, Tortus? It would make the story sound much more dynamic and this is meant for your enjoyment so I will gladly male the necessary alterations to the narrative."
" How about Starlight?"
" Mother likes that name so Starlight shall be what I refer to the imp as." Principal Cinch answered. " A strange name for a male imp but this is what Tortus wants and mother wants for you to be happy. Allow me to continue the story. Now then, Starlight was a friend of the giants since before they had created the four worlds. "Why must you leave?" "Why do you not stay?" The childhood friend felt neglected, so he spread his anger across the four worlds. Repeatedly, he wronged all people. Overwhelmed with misfortune, the people sang the song of prayer to the giants who lived in each of the four compass directions."
" Does the story say what those wrongs were?"
" I believe that is left to the imagination."
" I guess?"
Principal Cinch laughed. " You need not worry so much about such matters."
I had every reason to worry. Cinch wasn't aware that what she was telling me in her book was really happening. The imp in the story had acted in a manner similar to what Starlighthad been doing but unlike the story, her actions were real and would bring about destruction to Termina. What had once been a story was slowly transforming into a surreal nightmare that would only continue to get worse. There could be answers to the overall problem within the story itself so now I needed to pay close attention to catch it. That bit about the people singing to the Giants sounded a lot like what Principal Celestia taught me but I needed clarity first.
" What did they do?"
" The giants heard their cry and responded with a roar." Principal Cinch answered as she turned the page. " They said: "Oh, imp. Oh, imp. We are the protectors of the people. You have caused the people pain. Oh, imp, leave these four worlds! Otherwise, we shall tear you apart!" Starlight was frightened and saddened. He had lost his old friends." She turned to the next page before coughing briefly. " Starlight returned to the heavens, and harmony was restored to the four worlds. And the people rejoiced and they worshiped the giants of the four worlds like gods. And they lived happily... ever after..." (1.)
" Not the kind of ending I was expecting."
" Wasn't that fun, Tortus?"
" I did learn a bit about Termina's history."
" Then mother shall ask you another question."
" What is it?"
" What did the people do to call the giants?"
Crap! I had completely forgotten about that part and it was the most essential bit of the entire story. I was so caught up with what Starlight had been doing, I neglected the imp in the actual story and pretended that they were one and the same. I needed to come up with an answer otherwise Cinch might think I wasn't paying attention despite the fact that I had listened to the entire thing. She began looking at me hoping for an answer yet my mind was a complete blank. My mind then thought about simply making something up and hoped she would believe me but I couldn't lie to her despite who she was and all.
Sighing, I had to tell her the truth. " I don't know the answer."
" Not even a guess?"
I shook my head. " I honestly don't know."
Principal Cinch seemed disappointed but quickly changed her tune. " Oh, really? But you listened so hard and had so many questions so mother is happy. I'll give you some more candy as a prize for trying." She reached over to the bookshelf, turned back, and handed over a second Piece of Heart before closing her book. " Well, I have no more stories to tell you right now, Tortus. You should run along and carry on with those chores for father before he gets overwhelmed."
" What will you do now?"
" Me? I'll have some food but hopefully not the kind that tastes terrible."
Principal Cinch relaxed in her chair and I could tell that nothing I said would convince her to do anything else. I then looked at the clock again and was shocked to discover that now said that it was 11:00am the next day--there was an additional feature that revealed the current day and it was different than what I saw before. I had spent an entire day listening to stories and while I received two Pieces of Heart for my trouble, it was the principle more than anything else. No doubt Cinch was overjoyed at getting to tell someone close to her stories about Termina's history so at least I made her happy.
Once the effects of the second Piece of Heart had warmed me up, I took my leave of her and exited from the Stock Pot Inn proper. Much of what Cinch said had flown over my head because of confusion yet I knew Princess Twilight couldn't wait to delve into it though she knew there were more important things that needed doing. Taking off the All-Night Mask and holding it in my hands, it had proven itself to be a very useful mask though I doubted it would be of any further use. A shame really as I wanted to keep wearing it but I supposed its purpose was now over.
There was no chance that I could get through the final temple with the amount of time I had left so that meant resetting time again, make the necessary preparations, and head on over to the Stone Tower to solve the last part of the ancient puzzle. Before going back to the beginning again, I looked up at the Stock Pot Inn and wondered if I would have to come back here again for something. I most likely would but I wasn't sure in what capacity but it wouldn't be until after the final Giant was freed. Taking out the ocarina, I played the Song of Time and warped back to the beginning despite feeling that much hadn't been accomplished.
Dawn of the First Day - 72 Hours Remain.
My first objective was to get some healing items yet that involved money, something I didn't have because I would lose such things every time I reset time. While I could have gotten rupees out of the bank, I hadn't deposited all that much and I doubted that I had enough for what I needed. Before doing anything else, I played the Inverted Song of Time so that everything would slow down by one third. As the melody began affecting everything around me, slowing it all to a crawl, I began to picture what could be awaiting me in the final temple other than Sunset Demon and perhaps Midnight Sparkle. I needed to be extra prepared for them.
To that end, I left Clock Town--I first had to convince the guard that I could leave on my own--and began grinding rupees for about an hour or two. It wasn't what I would call productive but it was necessary to purchase what I needed. Once I had amassed one hundred rupees--I was exhausted at this point--I went back into Clock Town and paid a visit to the shop on the west side of town. The owner of the shop bore a slight resemblance to Iron Will in terms of facial features though I knew it wasn't him as he lacked the size. He was certainly surprised at seeing a kid come in but he changed his tune once I showed him the rupees I had gathered.
After spending almost all of my rupees, I walked out of the shop with three bottles of Red Potion and one of Green Potion. I had a feeling that magic would be used inside of the temple so having a potion that restored Magic Power would prove useful. Unfortunately, I didn't have enough rupees to buy the essential items--namely arrows, bombs, and the like so hopefully I could find them inside pots while exploring the temple. I then played the Song of Soaring, concentrating on the Stone Tower, and wings protruded from my back before wrapping themselves around me.
I then disappeared only to re-appear moments later on top of the Stone Tower with the mouth-like entrance of the temple looming in front of me. " Guess it's finally time to go in there and awaken the final Giant, huh?"
Princess Twilight nodded. " You did a lot of grinding to get your hands on those potions so use them wisely. By the way, I listened with glee when that Principal Cinch read those stories to us about the Giants and the carnival. I never knew Termina had such a strong history behind even though we haven't had much opportunity to learn about it. Still, I could write a research paper based on what we know though it would mean having to rely on guesswork for the rest of it."
I rolled my eyes. " Only you would think of research at a time like this."
" I can't help myself."
" So I guess we need to move those platforms into the right positions?"
" Yes, but I suggest pressing each switch once to see what the order is before using the Elergy of Emptiness." Twilight answered. " You know, I don't know why but I have this weird feeling that the Stone Tower doesn't look quite right."
" What makes you think that?"
Princess Twilight shrugged. " It's just a weird feeling that's all."
" Considering what we've been through so far, anything is certainly possible."
" Maybe but I feel like this place looks better if it were upside down for some reason."
I was taken aback. " Seriously?"
Princess Twilight nodded. " Take a look at the hands on either side of the entrance to the temple. If you look closely, you'd swear that they worked the same way upside down as they do right-side up. It's weird sounding, I know, but try to imagine it right now, Sunset."
I looked at the hands and couldn't see what Her Highness was seeing so I tilted my head in order to see upside down. Upon looking at the hands again from this perspective, I could see what she was saying but not for long as my neck began getting sore. " You might have something but I honestly don't see anything different. Maybe a better example than a pair of hands might work."
" You don't believe me, do you?"
I scratched my head. " Um... Well... You see..."
Princess Twilight sighed. " Maybe I'm just overlooking things again. I have been working my brain a little too much lately what with trying to learn as much as I can about this world before we go and change things back to normal so perhaps I need a break from thinking." I quietly chuckled under my breath though she hadn't noticed. " Ten minutes is more than enough time for my brain to relax and unwind. You'll have to figure things out until then."
While the thought of Her Highness working her brain too hard was funny, I could understand her desire to want to unwind as she had been going above and beyond the call of duty when it came to giving me solid advice. I intended on giving her as much time as she needed--it would also give me the opportunity to rely on my own brain rather than have her tell it to me straight. Stepping on the centre switch caused a platform to move only for it to collide with another before going back to its original position. I then pressed the switch on the right and it moved before stopping in front of me.
Playing the Elergy of Emptiness and walking forward, another shell of my true self appeared, yet I was looking forward to not having to look at it once I was done here. I then tried the central switch again to see if it would do anything and this time the platform moved forward before stopping right behind the first one. Taking out the Zora Mask and placing it on my face, I squatted down, watched my body shimmered from human to Zora, and screamed at the end of it. Upon becoming Mikau, I played the Elergy of Emptiness again, walked forward to create a shell of him, and pressed the final switch that moved the final platform into place.
No doubt this was something else I was glad to not have to do again any time soon. Placing the Goron Mask on my face, my body shimmered between Zora and Goron though I didn't stumble about--most likely I was going between forms instead of going from human to another body--until I became Darmani. It was here that I felt exhausted over switching between forms too frequently. I hadn't gone adjusted to doing it as it hadn't been something I relied on so before creating my next shell, I opted to sit down and regain my composure otherwise I'd have given myself a heart attack.
As I sat, I began thinking about Sunset Demon again and what she had been through as of late. She wasn't the same demonic monster I had known before. Instead, she was beginning to feel sympathetic towards me, like she didn't want to come back from the dead and preferred remaining where she ended up. I also felt sympathy towards her but not because of what had happened but because I was responsible for what she essentially was. If I could go back in time, I would prevent myself from wearing Princess Twilight's crown thus creating the she-demon in the first place. That alone would have prevented so much from happening.
My body soon felt ready to go so I played the Elergy of Emptiness, creating the Darmani shell giving me a path across. Grabbing my face, I pulled off the Goron Mask, flipped my hair back, and was about to cross over when the images of Sunset Demon appeared in my head again. Had she never existed, I wouldn't have become friends with so many different people nor would I have understood the Magic of Friendship. My life would have still been one where power meant everything and while my ambitions would have been exposed, I would have never considered changing my ways. I'd probably be alone right now plotting revenge and having lost my sanity.
" Are you okay, Sunset?"
" I was just thinking about the she-demon again."
" You know you must overcome her, right?"
I sighed. " It's not that which has been bothering me. No... It's this whole sympathy thing I've been getting regarding her. I just feel as though I've wronged her all because I refused to embrace the power she represented and she ended up going down a path where she wishes to be dead and forgotten to the world. I know that last bit is a stretch given what we've seen of her but I think Sunset Demon is struggling with emotions she never had before. It's like I can understand what she's going through as we're essentially the same person just on opposite ends. Termina has changed her perception and maybe her desires?"
" How positive are you about that?"
" To be frank, not at all."
" Normally, I would gladly give you advice, Sunset, but this isn't my place." Twilight said. " You and you alone must decide how you want to approach Sunset Demon. Whatever you decide upon in the end, know that I will stand by your side whether it's the right decision or not."
" Thanks, Twilight."
" I believe you'll know what to do."
" And Midnight Sparkle?"
Princess Twilight went quiet and I repeated the question forcing her to give me an answer. " That's difficult for me to answer. She is associated with Twilight Sparkle as she was created when she unintentionally used the magic of you and our friends. As such, she's not really my problem per say." Her Highness struggled to explain herself further and quickly hid behind my hat to avoid looking at me.
" You don't really mean that, do you?"
" Like I said, it's difficult for me to answer."
" I know Midnight Sparkle isn't your problem, Twilight, but you owe it to yourself to help Twilight Sparkle." I said. " After all, she is connected to you in a way most would never be able to understand. I helped her to overcome the monster she had become and while she doesn't recall that incident due to our worlds being altered, I won't allow Midnight Sparkle to succeed in whatever plan she has been concocting. While you don't have a personal stake in this, she would really appreciate you helping her out. Besides, doesn't she remind you of who you used to be back when you first started out as a unicorn?"
Princess Twilight nodded slowly though I couldn't see it. " I could tell she was insecure about friendship based on how awkward she was acting around everyone, and you're right in that it reminds me of how I used to act before I moved to Ponyville and discovered friendship with my own eyes." She came out from hiding and looked me directly in the eyes. " I'll do what I can to help her because she doesn't deserve the kind of life you once lead."
" Now that wasn't so hard was it?"
" You're one to talk."
I blushed. " I know I had the same problems yet you helped me get through them."
" So this was a turn about moment?"
I nodded. " Pretty much."
Princess Twilight flopped onto my hat. " You should consider becoming a friendship consultant or something similar to that. Anyway, we should probably enter the temple as I think we've delayed it long enough. I suggest having all three transformation masks ready to wear as you might be switching between your different forms constantly. I know it's not a definite possibility but it does sound like a trend that could potentially happen."
Nodding my head, I began jumping across using the three platforms, yet I stopped halfway and looked down at the abyss below. I knew the Stone Tower was massive in scope but seeing it from this perspective was enough to make me want to faint. Heights weren't an issue for me but I couldn't help but feel frightened of how far of a drop down it really was. I shuddered at the thought of encountering something similar inside of the temple and feeling my life slipping away were I to fall off. I resumed jumping across until I reached the other side and continued walking forward and entered the temple.
The first thing I noticed was that everything was outside. Was I still in the Stone Tower itself or had I entered the temple proper? I took a few steps forward and began looking around to gather my bearings. There were a few directions I could take to progress though it was a strange looking stone head at the back of the room that piqued my interest. There was a locked door at its base yet one of its eyes was a switch I could activate using an arrow yet I needed to get closer as I wasn't confident in my shooting skills. The middle of the room featured a platform that went up to the door in the head with a pit right below.
Scurrying about on the platform was one of the Real Bombchu I encountered on the path leading into Ikana, but it was the two Dragonflies flying around that struck me as being in the wrong location. They were native to Woodfall so why were they here all of a sudden well outside of their natural element? Something about this didn't seem right. I then curiously looked upwards and my entire body froze upon seeing something that was really in the wrong location. The raised step that featured the symbol of Majora's Mask was on the ceiling. Why was it up there? I had no means of reaching it as I couldn't fly.
I turned to Twilight. " Um... Remember what you said about those two hands outside?"
Princess Twilight nodded. " What about it?"
" I think you were right." I answered, pointing up at the ceiling.
Princess Twilight looked up and was surprised to see what was there. " That strange step we've seen in the other temples is up there!? I wonder how we're supposed to reach it or rather how are you supposed to reach it? I mean, I can easily fly up to it though you don't have any wings and I doubt using the Song of Soaring is going to count. I wonder if this is just an occurrence in this room or it happens in additional rooms further inside."
" What is this place supposed to be?"
" I don't know."
" And then we have monsters we haven't seen since Woodfall."
" Oh yes, the two Dragonflies." Twilight said. " I don't know why they are here but you can easily take care of them as you're much stronger than you were back then. I do advise getting rid of them along with the Real Bombchu before you go and activate the switch on that stone head."
" I should have brought some arrows."
" You didn't have enough rupees."
" Don't remind me."
" There should be some around nearby in pots, crates, boxes, and even shrubs."
That last one sounded weird until I noticed a few shrubs located to the right of the locked door at the base of the stone head. I remembered that they grew back about a minute after they were cut down so I could grind a little bit until I had enough arrows but there was no guarantee of getting any since what came out from shrubs was random. I walked forward which was enough to trigger the Real Bombchu to light up its tail. It began running around aimlessly though I couldn't destroy it as I had no arrows to shoot it with and the platform made things rather awkward.
It eventually noticed me and ran down into the pit landing on a path below before coming back up the other side. I quickly raised the Mirror Shield just in time as it bounced off and exploded when it landed on the ground. With that taken care of, I could now focus on the Dragonflies who began flying towards me due to getting in range of them. I remembered they were annoying because of their electrified tails but so long as my shield was raised, their electricity would harmlessly bounce off without any problems. I was also fortunate in that it only took a single hit to destroy a Dragonfly so it wouldn't be a dragged out conflict.
The first one flew over, swung its tail, and connected with my shield, causing no damage, and I countered with a swift stroke that destroyed it. The other one was a bit more cautious though it would eventually come towards me out of curiosity. It swung its tail, crashing it against my shield doing nothing, but when I attempted to attack back, it swung its tail again and I was caught by surprise--not to mention felt an electrical surge throughout my body. The shock knocked me back a few feet causing me to land on my butt but when I got back on my feet, the Dragonfly attacked again only for me to raise my shield and deflect it before destroying it with a single sword swing.
My body still felt the after-effects of being electrocuted--it wasn't fun by any means and felt like my innards had been roasted--but now I could focus on the eye switch. I had no arrows to shoot it with so I walked over to the right of the center platform and cut down the shrubs I saw earlier when Princess Twilight mentioned it. Only one produced arrows which was honestly better than nothing but it meant needing to conserve them until I could get some more. Luckily, the eye switch was a large enough target for me to hit and only took me a single shot to activate it, and a small treasure chest materialized on the center platform.
I walked back and jumped over to the chest before kicking it open, revealing a yellow Stray Fairy. " Huh... I was expecting this little one to have hidden a lot better instead of being revealed after activating a simple switch."
" We have to assume that the rest of them will be much harder to find."
" Yeah, I guess you're right."
" How are you feeling by the way?" Twilight asked. " You took a nasty shock when that Dragonfly's tail hit you."
I looked down at my hand and saw that it was slightly numb. " It could have been a lot worse than it was but I won't sugarcoat it. I felt like my entire body was going to burst when the electricity went through its course. A shame I don't have any resistance to electric based attacks."
" All I can say is you need to be a bit more careful."
I was about to jump back over to the main part of the room when I noticed something. " There's a sun switch on the side of the pit just below my viewpoint. If I hadn't noticed it just now, we probably would have missed it entirely."
" Unfortunately, there is no way you can activate it."
I nodded. " Without sunlight, that thing is just going to remain that way for some time."
" Once we get the Dungeon Map, I'll mark it down along with any Stray Fairies we encounter." Twilight said. " For now, we should decide which direction to go next. We can't go north as the door is locked so it's either east or west."
Both directions were possibilities but could also be fraught with danger. This was the problem I found whenever I entered one of these dungeons. Until I got the map and saw what the layout was, it all boiled down to making guesses and hoping that I would find my way without getting lost. Good thing Princess Twilight was around--Spike during my previous journey--to keep me company as the thought of walking around these kinds of places alone made me feel very uncomfortable. Going on a journey by yourself was never fun and it was a much better experience if you had someone along for the ride.
Mulling it over for a few moments, I eventually decided to head east just to see what was there. I jumped over to the main part, walked up to the door, and entered the next room only to be stopped by one of those giant sun blocks we encountered back at Ikana Castle. " How do you propose we get past this obstacle?"
Princess Twilight shook her head. " I don't see any means of getting past the block, Sunset, and without any sunlight to shine off the Mirror Shield, this is one direction we can't continue on so we'll have to go back and try the other door. Perhaps there is a way of getting to the other side of the block by coming in from another room but for now we should remember this room along with that sun switch we saw earlier and check out the other room."
" Why do I have a feeling we're going to be backtracking again."
" It can't be helped."
I moaned. " You know I don't like doing it."
" I have a feeling this temple will require it though I'm not sure how."
Mumbling under my breath, I walked back into the entrance room only to raise my shield as a Dragonfly swung its tail at me. I had forgotten that monsters re-spawned whenever I left a room and returned to it later barring special cases. The tail bounced harmlessly off and I began to run as the thought of being electrocuted again was something I didn't want to go through for a second time. The Real Bombchu noticed me running and lit its tail before chasing after me but I didn't want to deal with it right now. Instead, I kept on running until I reached the other door and opened it just as the explosive terror had caught up.
As the door closed behind it, I heard the sound of an explosion on the other side indicating that the Real Bombchu had indeed exploded. I began patting my chest so as to calm my heart down whilst breathing heavily as that could have been quite nasty had it exploded next to me. Once I felt ready to continue, I looked forward and noticed a cracked wall but there was also another Real Bombchu running about nearby--those things were really starting to get on my nerves now. Raising my shield and taking a few steps forward, the Real Bombchu noticed and lit its tail before charging at me, but I deflected it back with my shield where it exploded upon hitting the ground.
Since I had no bombs with which to use to blow up the cracked wall, I had to rely on the Blast Mask. I wasn't upset about using it as it had been a while since I last used it--I would have used it sooner to destroy those Beamos but it was much slower than actual bombs. Taking it and placing it on my face, Princess Twilight reminded me that by raising my shield before using the Blast Mask, I could blow up the wall without taking any damage. I needed to conserve my health as much as possible despite having healing items as this temple was sure to be a challenge. Raising my shield and detonating my mask, the wall exploded revealing what lurked behind it.
Behind the wall was a series of crates with a large block behind it but my eyes were fixated on a treasure chest that was hanging upside down on the ceiling. Again, this was another instance of something being beyond my reach and was reaffirming that there was more to this temple than appearances suggested. I doubted that I could use the Hookshot to pull myself up to the chest--I needed to be on solid ground to open it and pulling myself would just cause me to drop back down. The block looked to be moveable but perhaps it needed some extra muscle, something my current form lacked.
Taking out the Goron Mask, I was about to put it on when something started emerging from the wall. " Um, Twilight? Is that supposed to happen?"
Princess Twilight shook her head. " I have no idea what it is so get back before something happens to you."
I stepped back, accidentally dropping my mask in the process, and was surprised to see Sunset Demon coming out of the wall. " You... I wish you would warn me when you do something like that." For a moment, I was annoyed at how she scared me just by coming out of the wall, and yet I knew something was wrong as she didn't attack. " As you can see, I finally arrived in the temple so is this where you decide to fight me?"
Sunset Demon said nothing at first before squatting down to pick up my mask. " You know... I really do envy you, Sunset." She got back up and started twirling my mask around in her hand before tossing it back to me much to my surprise. " You've endured so much to the point where you want everything to come to an end but you keep on fighting knowing that you're doing the right thing."
" You should try it sometime."
" It's not in my nature since I was created as a result of your desire for power."
" Believe it or not, I actually feel sorry for having done that to you."
Sunset Demon was slightly startled but soon began chuckling to herself. " While you know that I won't give you the pleasure of coming off as good-natured, I do appreciate you telling me that to my face. It's funny really. When I was brought back from the dead by Midnight Sparkle, my only thought was to get my revenge against you. It kept me going for quite some time and I was determined to become the real you. That changed when I came back to this place and saw the undead and how violence, bloodshed, vengeance, and so much more had practically robbed them of themselves."
" You felt sorry for them?"
" I did." Sunset Demon answered. " Imagine me... A demonic monster, showing sympathy towards others."
" It shows that you've changed but whether you admit it or not remains to be seen."
" I always believed that power was the most important thing in the world." Sunset Demon said. " I thought it would give me everything I could ever want and with it, nothing could stand in my way, not even Princess Celestia herself. Ever since seeing those poor tortured souls, my mind began thinking that perhaps my methods have been wrong. No... I have been wrong and you have proven yourself to be the one true Sunset Shimmer."
Princess Twilight and I looked at each other before looking back at Sunset Demon. She had just openly admitted that she had been wrong about everything she had done since first becoming a problem for me. And yet, something about what she said seemed unusual and it involved her claims of having changed because of seeing the undead. While I for one felt bad for them, that alone wouldn't be enough for me to change were I in her position. There was something else involved and she needed to come clean otherwise I wouldn't believer her words to be sincere.
On a side note, she had confirmed that Midnight Sparkle was alive and was responsible for bringing her back to life. I had no idea how she was able to pull that off considering she most likely ended up in the same place Sunset Demon found herself in, but now that her presence had become known to me, the only way I could get an answer was to ask her in person, and I knew that would happen soon enough. Looking into the eyes of the she-demon, I could sense she was being sincere but a part of me was having trouble believing her because of what she had done to me on a personal and emotional level.
No doubt that this had become the most awkward moment in my entire life. I had experience moments like this before but this was the worst not to mention the most stressful as essentially, this was an argument against myself. I also noticed that Sunset Demon looked in as many directions as possible, like she were afraid of something, or perhaps someone who didn't want her to be talking to me. That someone had to have been Midnight Sparkle but why would she act in such a manner? Had the two demons experienced a falling out as one wanted to change while the other was bent on getting revenge?
I needed to get her to confess. " Wow..."
Sunset Demon snarled. " You don't believe me, do you?"
" I'm trying to but there is much you're holding back."
" Oh?"
" Just seeing the undead wasn't enough to make you regret your actions." I answered. " In your eyes, they reminded you of every horrible thing you've done though I shouldn't be too judgemental since part of your existence was shared by me. To base any kind of regret on seeing those who died centuries ago is kind of pathetic, isn't it? Don't try and pretend you don't know what I'm talking about. Remember that we're essentially the same person but on opposite ends."
Sunset Demon smirked. " Heh... I never could get anything past you. Alright... I admit that I was lying when I said that the undead in this place made me change. They were only a small reason but one none-the-less but the truth is that your friends were the ones who began changing me. Just seeing them in this world as different individuals instead of their true selves was saddening as they were practically helpless while Midnight Sparkle and I tormented them. Yet, their Elements of Harmony resonated with them despite not knowing why it was happening in the first place. You've probably figured it out along with Her Highness."
I nodded. " What is Midnight Sparkle's plan?"
" You'll find out when you encounter her in this temple."
" And you can't tell me?"
" I have my reasons."
I sighed. " That wasn't what I was expecting from you but I won't force you to. While you have changed, you do know that I have to destroy you and Midnight Sparkle, right? It might come as a shock but you're both demons who cannot be allowed to exist. Call me a hypocrite for saying it but it's the truth."
Sunset Demon nodded and took a step back towards the wall. " I actually agree with you, Sunset. I shouldn't exist anymore as I represent your past and long ago you cast me aside in favour of friendship. I resented you for that and wanted to get my revenge but in truth I am nothing but a weak-minded fool who didn't realize that my efforts were in vain. Only my hatred kept me going in both life and death." She stepped back again and began merging into the wall. " You will have to fight me because Midnight Sparkle will force me to and I will accept my eventual death with dignity."
" Why would she force you to fight?"
" Because she has acquired a dark power."
" What does that even mean?"
" Again, you'll find out when you encounter her."
" Just tell me!"
Sunset Demon shook her head. " If I do, she would punish me even though I could kill her before she got too far. All I can say is that you must stop her from achieving her goal no matter what the cost may be. You must also stop me, but like I said, I will accept my death with dignity. I'm just a remnant of the past who must be forgotten. I won't make it easy for you to end my life as where is the fun in that but I want you to do that for me. Think of it as my final request, Sunset Shimmer. I want to go down in glory and not a whimper. If you don't do this for me then I will make sure to torment you until the very day you die."
She then disappeared into the wall leaving me with more questions than answers but there was one last thing she said by echoing her voice around the room. "Beware of the one who kills for a living. You will be tested in a way you've never experienced before." As I held the Goron Mask firmly in my hand, I couldn't help but want to cry. Sunset Demon was my other half--literally as well as figuratively--and I knew that her request, trivial as it was, was sincere but I wished there was another way that didn't involve fighting and killing her. If only she could be given her own life that had nothing to do with me. She could do whatever she wanted and not be tied down by me.
Princess Twilight then pressed her body against my cheek and I could sense her sniffing whilst trying to hold back her own tears. I smiled at Her Highness' sentiment and insisted she cried because there was no point in holding it all in. Even I began crying though it felt weird doing so for a demon though Sunset Demon had become more than that. She had become an individual who wanted to go out on her own terms and not allow anyone else to tell her otherwise. There was still much about all of this that didn't make sense and the only one who knew the answer lurked somewhere in the temple.
" Twilight... We need to find Midnight Sparkle."
Princess Twilight nodded. " This has become extremely personal now."
" That means we should continue exploring the temple in hopes of running into her."
" Yes."
" By the way..." I began. " I know Sunset Demon was referring to the Garo Master when she mentioned 'the one who kills for a living.' I wonder if she and Midnight Sparkle have run into him while they were doing whatever it was they've been planning."
" If they have, they were fortunate that he didn't kill them." Twilight said. " Sunset Demon and Midnight Sparkle don't have their Equestrian Magic along with us and our friends due to this world somehow negating it. The Garo Master would therefore be much stronger and could kill them at his own leisure but it looks like he prefers keeping them around as a form of amusement. I expect that he will be patiently waiting for our arrival so we don't need to worry about him performing a sneak attack while the two demons are sure to hound us at every turn especially Midnight Sparkle given what we now know."
" What do you think of her, Midnight Sparkle?"
" From what I've been hearing, it sounds like Twilight Sparkle had some inner demons that came out when she absorbed all that magic."
" But it wasn't her fault."
" I know but someone should have noticed the signs a lot sooner."
" Then that fault is mine."
Princess Twilight shook her head. " No... You didn't know what her pendant was as she built it herself plus you rarely had a chance to speak with her given how Crystal Prep wanted to keep her away from anyone who tried to influence her in the wrong manner. If anything, Twilight Sparkle should have known better and instead come to you for help despite what position was at the time rather than shy away and continue acting oblivious to what she was really doing."
" And Midnight Sparkle?"
" She is undoubtedly a threat that needs to be stopped."
I could tell that Her Highness wasn't happy with how Twilight Sparkle chose to do things during the Friendship Games but she wasn't furious about it. She could understand where her counterpart was coming from in that she didn't really have anyone other than her version of Spike and Dean Cadance though the latter had her own problems to worry about that revolved around Principal Cinch. She had every intention of doing everything she could to help the other Twilight despite what happened as she knew better than anyone regarding what could happen when magic was the source of the problem.
Twilight Sparkle, if anything, was simply curious about something she thought was scientific in nature, and was determined to uncover the truth even if it meant her investigation would be compromised by the Friendship Games, the Shadowbolts, Principal Cinch, and a lot more. Wow... No wonder she didn't like being at Crystal Prep despite having an intellect that rivaled my own. Had she been in a more loving environment, Midnight Sparkle wouldn't have existed as Twilight Sparkle wouldn't have had inner demons caused by how she was treated by her peers, and her life would have turned out different than it ended up being.
She even wouldn't have decided to transfer over to Canterlot High and instead go back to Crystal Prep had things been different for her there. That was the weird thing when it came to alternate timelines. You wonder what might have been had something so small been altered rather than what actually happened. Had Twilight Sparkle returned to Crystal Prep, we would probably have continued to see her on occasion, but forming a friendship with her would have been more difficult as she would have preferred associating with her own peers. I supposed we were fortunate things turned out as they did.
Placing the Goron Mask on my face--and focusing on what I was supposed to do--I began stumbling about as my body shimmered from human to Goron but at least there were no other monsters around. Upon finishing the transformation and becoming Darmani, I started punching the crates and collecting the items that dropped out from them--roughly ten arrows and five bombs which wasn't bad at all--until all that remained was the block. It would be easy for me to push it about as a Goron rather than as a human so I began pushing it along not knowing where it needed to go.
I had only pushed it for a short distance before noticing a blue switch that was slightly dipped into the ground. " Looks like this block is needed to push the switch down given that its blue and those kind need something heavy on them."
" You might want to look above your head first."
I looked up and noticed another blue switch on the ceiling. " What is that doing up there!?"
Princess Twilight shrugged. " I couldn't even begin to answer that question. All we can do is make a note of it once we get the Dungeon Map and come back here once we figure out some way of being able to walk around on the ceiling."
" Or we could somehow turn this room upside down."
" That sounds rather unrealistic don't you think?"
" We're magical talking ponies from a fantasy kingdom."
" Touché."
Turning around, my jaw dropped upon seeing more blue switches. " Just how many of them are there in this room!?"
" Since you activated that one behind you using the block, I think the rest of them will require using the Elergy of Emptiness." Twilight said. " I would suggest looking around before using that song just in case there is anything unusual you might find."
I walked forward in the direction of the blue switches and discovered that one of them was much larger than the others. It didn't take a genius to figure out that the Goron shell was needed to weigh the switch down upon activation. Unfortunately, there was another Real Bombchu nearby but I had an idea on how to get rid of it. The switch was to my left so I took a few steps forward to get its attention. The Real Bombchu then lit up its tail and began charging at me and my response was to activate my defensive mechanism as a Goron that involved dropping on my hands and knees before my back hardened like a shield.
The Real Bombchu bounced off of my body before exploding when it hit the ground. With that done, I stepped on the switch, played the Elergy of Emptiness, and walked forward leaving behind Darmani's shell. Turning left, I noticed yet another Real Bombhu scurrying about on the wall--these things were getting on my nerves too--so I applied the same tactic as I had done just now by walking forward to get its attention. It noticed, lit up its tail, and crawled down, but I dropped down onto my hands and knees again to produce my hardened back resulting in it being knocked back and exploding upon hitting the ground.
Hopefully, I wouldn't have to worry about running into anymore of them for a while after that. Stepping onto the next switch, I took out the Zora Mask, placed it on my face, and watched as my body shimmered from Goron to Zora before becoming Mikau again. Playing the Elergy of Emptiness again, I walked forward as Mikau's shell appeared behind me to keep the switch activated and walked over to the next switch. When I activated it, I heard the sound of something sliding upwards nearby indicating that I had solved a puzzle, yet I needed one more shell, my own, to keep it activated and whatever slid upwards to stay up there.
Grabbing my face, I pulled off the Zora Mask, flipped back my hair, played the Elergy of Emptiness, and walked forward as the shell of myself appeared on the switch. At first, I had no idea where I was supposed to go next as I didn't see any traces of a door, but then a warm breeze wafted around the corner and I walked in the direction of it until I found myself back outside in a room that featured what looked to be someone's garden or at least an attempt at making one. This "garden" was just a bunch of shrubs I could cut down to pick up some additional items like arrows, bombs, Deku Nuts, and so on.
Another Dragonfly was flying about along with two Guays but now that I had arrows, I intended on picking them off from a distance rather than having to fight up close. The monsters had their own plans and started getting closer but I raised my shield upon which the Dragonfly's electrified tail harmlessly connected with it. I then swung my sword in return, destroying it, only to get bushwhacked by a Guay followed immediately by the other one. Luckily, they were within range so I swung my sword and destroyed both of them before cutting the shrubs to pick up some rupees and arrows.
I then noticed a crack section in the floor nearby. " What do you suppose that is for?"
" Why not blow it up with a bomb?"
" Good thing I have some this time rather than just the Blast Mask."
" How confident are you at using them?"
" Pretty good so long as I don't get caught in the explosion."
" Then toss a bomb from a good distance."
Walking up to the crack in the ground before stepping back a few paces, I took out a bomb, tossed it, and it landed in the middle of the crack, exploding several seconds later, destroying the ground and revealing a hole that looked like it could lead me to another room below . " That went better than expected." I walked over and looked down into the darkness but couldn't see anything as it was too deep. " I don't think dropping down is a good idea unless I wanted to break both my legs or perhaps something worse."
Princess Twilight nodded. " We could try that staircase over there instead. Besides, we don't have anywhere else to go right now as the door in front of us is locked and we don't have a key on hand to unlock it."
There was indeed a staircase to my right that went down to the floor below so I decided to take it instead of dropping down into the dark hole. Running over to the stairs and walking down them, I entered the room below and stopped before I ended up walking into a pool of lava. A sun block was directly in front of me slight submerged with sunlight pouring down from above courtesy of destroying the cracked ground up above. On either side of me were strange statues that resembled armed soldiers but I knew that they were monsters who came to life upon touching them.
I couldn't recall their names off the top of my head but I knew they would attack the instant they were touched. It looked as though this room would require me to become a Goron as only they could walk on lava without taking any damage--my other forms couldn't not to mention doing so with them would kill me. Looking up at the ceiling again, I noticed in one corner was a Hookshot plate so perhaps something was hidden up there. The statues then suddenly started vibrating to life but how was that possible? I didn't touch them! They then came to life and began moving towards me leaving me with very few options.
" You certainly made a mess of things, didn't you?" Midnight Sparkle asked.
" I did what I wanted to do without having to listen to you." Sunset Demon answered.
" I thought you were going to intimidate her a little or maybe even fight her for a couple of minutes."
" Sorry that my feelings ended up offending you."
" Maybe I shouldn't have brought you back from the dead."
" We agree on something for the first time in a while."
Midnight Sparkle sighed. " This whole regret thing of yours has really pushed my patience to the limit, you know that? I thought you wanted to get revenge on Sunset for having beaten you on several occasions before not to mention refusing to embrace the power you clearly display?" She paced back and forth a few times whilst mumbling under her breath before turning to face her companion. " I didn't expect you would go soft on me! We've come too far for you to suddenly say you don't want anything to do with what we've planned!"
" That's just the way it is."
Midnight Sparkle's eyes glowed. " Why can't you just be a team player and embrace our destinies?"
Sunset Demon waved her hand. " I used to think that way but as we've made our way around this strange world, seen what has happened to Sunset's friends, what has happened to this world--especially this ancient kingdom--my heart has finally become clear for the very first time. What good is revenge when all it does is cause more pain for yourself resulting in nothing more than a pointless existence that results in a just as pointless death? I had nothing but hatred in me resulting from the premise behind my existence and all I got for it was pain, misery, and the urge to keep going because I had nothing else."
" A demon's calling you know."
Sunset Demon snapped back. " You'll find out soon enough what can happen when you lead the kind of life I've experienced." She then raised her hand, clenched it into a fist, and was prepared to smack Midnight Sparkle, but ultimately sighed before dropping it. " I would gladly kill you right now but with that dark power you've been absorbing, I doubt I could make a scratch if actually hitting you at all."
" Now will you follow our plan?"
" I'm going to do things my way."
Midnight Sparkle stomped her foot. " You know what? Fine! You can do whatever you want and get yourself killed by Sunset while I carry on with our plan. I'll make sure your desire is fulfilled even if you don't want it because of having a change of heart." Sunset Demon walked away somewhere and Midnight Sparkle began talking to herself in silence. " I'll use the power of this temple to make her fall in line. I don't care what that assassin says about using the darkness. I also don't care about those wailing spirits. I even don't care about my so-called companion."
The Garo Master laughed. " Do you still believe you can use the darkness of the Stone Tower to your advantage?"
Midnight Sparkle glared. " Why are you still bothering us?"
" I find it most amusing that you two creatures are able to co-exist despite not seeing eye-to-eye."
" Once I'm done channeling the dark power, you'll find us to be more powerful than you could even begin to imagine."
The Garo Master laughed again. " Perhaps you should listen to your friend."
" And perhaps you should get lost before I use the power to destroy you."
" Do not make threats that hold no value to them." The Garo Master said. " Behind all of your bravado is a miserable wretch who thinks she is all-powerful when it truth she is nothing but a pawn in a much grander scheme."
" What are you talking about?"
" You should listen to your friend." The Garo Master answered. " You may claim her to be useless to you but in reality she knows much more than you could ever hope. She has seen the pain that comes with war and allowed hatred to cloud her mind until she saw the truth she had denied. My words most likely will not resonate so there is no point in me trying to convince you of anything. Continue down your current course and ignore the pleas of others who know much better about the futility of war. I look forward to see your very ideals crumble into dust and leaving no traces behind."
Midnight Sparkle laughed this time. " Your attempts at psychology are pitiful."
The Garo Master laughed. " Are they? Perhaps you are merely denying the truth?"
Midnight Sparkle gagged. " Ha! Hardly! I can see right through your deception and I won't allow such words to get in the way of what I want. All of the Equestrian Magic will belong to me by any means necessary and no one will ever be able to stand up to my power." She then began giggling followed by clasping her hands together before jumping up and down like she were a little girl. " Ooooh! Just thinking about getting all of that magic makes me feel incredibly giddy. Sunset Demon will practically beg before me when she sees what we can do with all of this power, and she'll get over her delusion."
" You really think this?"
" Get lost!"
" Such a pitiful creature."
" We'll see who is pitiful."
The Garo Master laughed. " Let my words burn into your soul and allow the screams of the spirits who linger here cast your ideals into doubt. Go, claim your precious power even as your mind slowly fades away leaving nothing but a mindless beast who craves power and nothing more." Midnight Sparkle waved her hand as a sign of refusing to let his words scare her yet he merely laughed before turning around and walking away. " Your ignorance has sealed your fate and nothing can be done to change it now. And your friend's fate has also been sealed but can she be spared or will she become condemned to an eternity of torment?"
(1.) This is how the stories were written in the actual game minus the additional dialogue I provided.