The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Majora's Mask

by Ganondorf8

Chapter 61: The Assassin's Duel

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Majora's Mask
By Ganondorf8
June 19, 2017
Chapter 61: The Assassin's Duel.

No doubt that Midnight Sparkle was responsible for this change in the obstacle before me. With the air currents turning themselves on and off at different intervals, I needed to make my across without one of them suddenly turning off, leaving me to plunge to my death in the pool of lava below. It felt strange that she was resorting to such tactics rather than choosing to fight me herself. I mean, her manipulation of the rooms was annoying because they became much more difficult to overcome yet why even bother considering she supposedly had a new power? Was she afraid to fight me?

While Sunset Demon was prone to wanting to resort to violence--the darkness combined with my temper resulted in such bloodlust--Midnight Sparkle appeared to be taking a more civil approach that involved using one's mind rather than their body. It made sense to me since Twilight Sparkle transformed into her when she unintentionally absorbed the magic she had acquired from me and my friends and prior she was my equal in terms of having an incredible intellect. This desire for knowledge manifested itself into the demonic monster known as Midnight Sparkle yet there was something that always bothered me about how it all happened.

I supposed that my knowledge of magic wasn't as good as I always lead myself to believe. Had I known what was going to happen before it actually did, I would have taken the proper initiative and prevented Twilight Sparkle from opening up her pendant by confiscating it from her until further notice. She believed magic was nothing more than science and used her pendant to collect it without realizing what she was really doing yet she someone resonated with the magic allowing her to absorb it into her body and becoming Midnight Sparkle. It was that resonation that confused me more than anything else.

Twilight Sparkle absorbing our magic should have been impossible as she had no connection to Equestria, and yet, magic was unpredictable in that it did whatever it wanted without having to deal with any repercussions. Had our magic found a kindred spirit with her resulting in it wanting to let her realize her dreams? Was she seen as a vessel for the magic to control while simultaneously developing its own conscious? Or was she destined to gain magic because of being Princess Twilight's human counterpart? Whatever the reason, I felt responsible for dragging her into our lives against her own will.

Perhaps the greatest sin for me is the fact that she retained some of the magic that she had absorbed after I had helped change her back to normal. My assumption was that she would suffer no side-effects after acquiring near god-like proportions and could continue living her life as normal but the opposite happened. During a recent sleepover, her first one since ever, Twilight Sparkle caught us all off guard--herself included--when she suddenly performed a small spell that almost destroyed a cake that Pinkie Pie had baked. While everyone else was ecstatic over what happened, I knew that the worst case scenario was upon us.

A small spell like that could transform into a bigger spell followed by an even bigger spell resulting in an endless loop until something truly bad happened. I wasn't saying that she had become dangerous, but Twilight Sparkle was practically inexperienced when it came to magic, and given what happened, she could suffer some kind of relapse resulting in her becoming Midnight Sparkle again even though the latter currently exists. Unless she could control her new powers, she was more dangerous than any threat to our lives, but if there was one positive to come of this, it would be her now having friends who appreciated her.

Okay, there was a second positive, having magic period despite the negativity surrounding it. Still, I blamed myself for getting her involved all because I couldn't accept the fact that I wasn't ready to ascend to the status of alicorn thus becoming a princess. All of my friends having magic was the result of my actions yet they didn't regret any of it as it meant they had something special but deep down I knew it shouldn't have happened again because of being stubborn. Princess Celestia had been right that my lack of humility was my greatest weakness alongside my temper but it wasn't going to define me.

I had taken great lengths to ensure that my initial mistake didn't escalate into something horrible though it was getting harder to keep it under control. Equestrian magic was difficult to control already and being in the human world had caused it to take on a completely different form with rules not previously documented. My only hope was that it would be contained strictly to the town of Canterlot as it spreading elsewhere would be nothing short of a disaster. Of course, I knew better than to hope for something beyond my control as magic played by its own game and we were all pawns.

Princess Twilight then bopped me on the head to snap me out of it but I ignored her so then she bopped me even harder before I shook my head. " That's the most intense I've ever seen you whenever you have a daydream, Sunset."

" Sorry if I went into a deeper thought than usual." I said.

" What were you thinking about this time?"

" About Twilight Sparkle."

" Oh..."

I shook my head profusely. " Not in that sense but rather, I still feel guilty over what happened to her."

" You couldn't have known what was going to happen especially with all of that magic." Twilight said. " I was surprised when you and the others told me what happened during the Friendship Games regarding her. I never would have expected anyone to have been able to absorb so much magic without being familiar with it. You used magic a lot back in the day so it didn't cause you any problems when you did the same thing she did but Twilight Sparkle still continues to be a baffling character."

" Baffling?"

Princess Twilight nodded. " She was supposed to have lost all of her magic after changing back yet she still has some according to what you told me in your last letter."

" I wasn't expecting it to happen."

" Magic is unpredictable."

I groaned. " Don't remind me."

" You can figure out how best to help her so long as she doesn't have a relapse or anything." Twilight said. " Maybe you should take her someplace where magic is non-existent and relax for a while. That could be what she needs to calm her nerves until she can get adjusted to what she is capable of doing."

I nodded. " We are planning on going to a summer camp in a couple of weeks."

Princess Twilight clasped her hands together. " That sounds like an ideal place for her to relax and not have to worry about magic. While she may not like the idea of being able to fling about magic spells at her leisure within the confines magic has in the world you call home, she must eventually accept it as truth but at a gradual pace. Piling onto her all at once would only make things worse resulting in that relapse I mentioned a few moments ago. Now that I think about it, I think you all deserve some time away from magic. It's gotten to a point where it could cause mental anguish so relaxation is perfect."

" Want to come along?"

" Me?"

I nodded. " You could do with some relaxation as well."

Princess Twilight sighed. " I'd love to but my duties as a princess demand that I focus on them first and foremost. This is especially true since Starlight has only recently reformed and needs my constant attention so that she doesn't end up trying to destroy the fabric of reality. Of course, our plans mean absolutely nothing if we don't save this world from destruction and changing it back to the way it was before."

Her Highness was right in that we needed to stop the moon from crashing into Termina and to an extent, defeating Ganondorf and preventing his plans from succeeding. While we knew that part of his ambition involved making me his servant, there was clearly much more at play that we couldn't see. Did he desire to conquer Equestria? It was within the realm of possibility but it wasn't the first time someone tried to conquer it. Princess Twilight had said many--even me--tried their hand to take over through sheer force only to meet with utter defeat yet they were nothing compared to Ganondorf but only he knew that answer.

Turning my attention back to the appearing and disappearing air currents, I had no other choice but to make my way across as there was no other path. Again, I knew this was the doing of Midnight Sparkle but why go through such theatrics? If she was afraid to fight me, why bother sticking around in the Stone Tower? She could easily leave with her dignity intact and go back to wherever she came from yet something was keeping her here. As for Sunset Demon... I could tell that she wanted to finally rest in peace and no longer exist. She wanted to give me the pleasure of moving on with my life and not be burdened by the past.

Jumping into the Deku Flower, I waited for the air current to appear before jumping out and flying towards it but then I remembered the small alcove from before, and there was a small treasure chest tucked away along with rupees of different colours. Luckily, I could easily reach the alcove without needing the current so I tilted left, flew over to the alcove, dropped onto the rupees, and collected them before kicking the chest open revealing a Stray Fairy. This was my fifth one and the first that didn't require solving some kind of complicated puzzle so I was glad about that but I knew the others wouldn't nearly be this easy.

Now I had to wait for the air current as I needed to make a leap of faith. I wasn't liking the idea but my Deku body was the only form that was capable of flight--it made me wish that there was a form that would allow me to fly on a regular basis without the need of using something else to make it work. Watching closely to see when the current would pause for a moment, the instant it reappeared, I jumped and immediately my flowers appeared just when it looked like I was about to plummet into the lava. I got pushed upward and began flying forward hoping I could reach the next current before it disappeared.

Things got a bit tricky as I had to weave my way around corners and flying as a Deku wasn't exactly perfect. I mean, I could fly anywhere I wanted yet turning on a dime was next to impossible because of how the flowers operated. Reaching the next current, I dropped suddenly because my flight time had ended but regained my height when the air pushed me upward, my flowers appearing, but then I dropped again due to Midnight Sparkle's alterations. My heart went into a mad panic as I dropped towards the lava prompting me to close my eyes as a reaction out of fear only for my body to rise again.

The current pushed me back up and I breathed heavily to calm my nerves. " That was way too close!"

" Midnight Sparkle really wants to see you dead."

" If she doesn't kill me, a heart attack will do it instead."

" Don't joke about stuff like that."

" Sorry."

" Anyway, you need to make your way over to the final part of the room." Twilight said. " Once you're safely on the ledge, you can open the chest that was surrounded by the flames earlier and leave this room behind."

I shook my head. " Easier said than done."

" What do you mean?"

I looked up at my flowers. " These things aren't what you'd call aerodynamic. I can't simply turn just like that so I have to go slowly so I'm stuck here for a moment until I can get myself aimed in the right direction and then I can go on." As I said that, the air current disappeared again and I dropped like a rock landing on the fan itself. " GAHHHH!" My knees buckled but I couldn't pull myself up as the current returned, pushing me up instead, and leaving me with injured legs.

Princess Twilight was worried. " Sunset! Are you alright?"

I shook my head whilst glaring at her. " Of course I'm not alright!"

" Quickly! Fly over to the ledge."

Her Highness didn't need to tell me twice but I first had to turn around which was what I was trying to do before the air disappeared. I tilted my body to the left and would pause every few inches before continuing so that I wouldn't fly off in the wrong direction, and just when it looked like I had managed to re-orientate myself the air disappeared yet again and I fell landing on the fan again and my knees buckling even harder. My first instinct was to scream as my legs felt as though they had been crushed but no such luck as I was pushed up by the air and began moving forward thanks to my flowers.

Flying forward, I noticed a strange archway that looked suspicious as it was the only one of its kind in the room, but I ultimately chose to ignore it given I had to reach the other side of the room before my flight ended. Continuing on, my flowers began waning but there was another fan coming up that hopefully would keep me going yet there was no air. I again began panicking and dropped only to grab onto the edge of the fan at the last moment. With my legs being too injured as a result of them buckling previously, I had to find another means of climbing up.

I thought about pulling myself up at first but that required using my legs as leverage so that option was out. Then I thought about reaching out with my arms as though I were trying to leap and get up that way but if I were to let go, I would most likely plummet into the lava what with my legs acting as dead weight because of how injured they were. My arms began aching so I really needed to come up with something but my mind was drawing a blank. Again, I wished it was possible for me to fly naturally without having to use something to make it work, and it was at that moment an idea came into perspective.

My brain thought it was crazy but I didn't have much of a choice given my predicament. While it wasn't exactly flying eau natural, it was better than the alternate, a hot lava bath that would kill me instantly. Tilting my head downward as much as it could go, I began forming a bubble in my mouth, my aim being to create one big enough to push me upward onto the fan, but I had never made a bubble that big before so it boiled down to hoping it would work. If it didn't... I didn't want to think about that possibility. The bubble continued increasing in size though it was strenuous on my mouth and my body but I couldn't stop as this was my only chance of surviving.

Whether it was dumb luck, destiny, fate, or something else entirely, the bubble exceeded my own size and began lifting up and on to the fan before popping--I only dropped a short distance this time around so my knees didn't buckle a third time. I began breathing heavily as making a bubble that big had taken its toll but I couldn't relax as the air current returned at that moment, whisking me upward, and I flew over to the ledge where the door to the next room was before crashing into the wall. I slumped down to the ground where I immediately cried in pain because of what happened with my legs earlier.

Essentially, I threw a temper tantrum. " GAHHHH! IT HURTS SO MUCH!"

" Calm down, Sunset!"

I gritted my teeth and tried relaxing. " Too... painful."

" Can you reach into your pocket for one of those Red Potions?"

I shook my head profusely. " The pain in my legs is too much for me." I then screamed again. " I CAN'T FEEL MY LEGS!"

Princess Twilight then flew down to my shorts and began rummaging about in them. " Guess it's up to me to take care of you this time, Sunset." Her Highness was having some trouble trying to find the potions judging from how active she was searching. In fact, she was completely flummoxed by how difficult it was. " This is a lot harder than I thought. I didn't expect there would be so much stuff in your pockets. I don't know how you managed to get so much into them but I guess it's one of this world's rules that makes no sense."

" Behind my back is even worse."

After a while, Princess Twilight came out of my other pocket and shook her head. " Aside from some small items, I couldn't find anything in your pockets so I'm going to have to search behind your back." She gulped knowing that I was lying on my back thus making her task that more difficult. " It would be nice if you could turn over, Sunset, but that won't be happening so I'll just have to hope you don't throw another tantrum and accidentally squash me."

I glared at her. " You didn't have to say that you know."

" Just think of it as a reminder." Twilight said. She flew down and struggled to squeeze into the area between my back and the ground, but when she managed to get in there, she rummaged about, tickling me in the process as her wings brushed against my back numerous times. It actually felt relieving since it was counteracting the pain coming from my legs but I knew she wasn't doing it for fun since I was unable to move. Eventually, Her Highness popped back out and began pulling something that appeared to be stuck so I thought about lifting my back a little--whilst enduring some pain--but she refused and managed to pull out a Red Potion. " That was certainly interesting."

" What is it like back there?"

" Um... I'm sure you've seen what your back looks like."

" I meant with regards to finding items."

" Oh..."

" Well?"

" It was definitely weird as I couldn't see anything other than your back." Twilight answered. " But then, the items began appearing all around me like they were floating in place waiting for someone to pick them up and take them out into the world. Judging from how many items there were in addition to how long it took, you definitely picked up a lot of interesting things throughout the course of this journey. I personally think you could do with some organizing as it was hard to find what you needed."

I began laughing. " And somehow, I pull out what I need when I need it."

" It just doesn't make sense."

" Welcome to my world."

Princess Twilight then joined in on the laughter before the pain in my legs came back resulting in me screaming again. " I should take care of those wounds before you end up screaming my head off. I just need a few moments to uncork this thing and then bottoms up!" She grabbed the cork on the bottle and began pulling, obviously struggling though I thought it was cute that she was willing to go so far for me. She eventually succeeded before lifting the bottle up, floated over to my mouth, tipped the bottle upside down, and shook it a few times to get the contents out. " This should only take a few moments for the healing to take effect."

I could already feel the properties of the Red Potion working their magic so when I looked down at my legs, I could see the wounds slowly heal along with every other wound I had sustained since I first entered this temple. After a while, I got back onto my feet and checked my body to make sure everything was working properly. They were so I breathed a sigh of relief knowing that bringing along potions had proven to be most beneficial. The only setback was that now I had only two potions left--the Green Potion could only restore magic--to use throughout the reminder of the Stone Tower and I knew one would be used when I took on the demons.

Perhaps this was an indication that I should leave the temple before finishing it to acquire some more potions and come back once I had them. I wasn't short on rupees as I collected several blue and red ones earlier in the room and I was bound to get more in the future as many treasure chests contained rupees. There was nothing wrong with retreating when the situation had gotten too intense. It was more along the lines of being strategic instead of going in blind and getting myself killed because of not having the proper items that would ensure my overall success.

Grabbing my face, I pulled off the Deku Mask, and flipped back my hair before looking down at my legs again. The Red Potion had definitely done wonders so it was a wise purchase but perhaps the quality varied from store to store? I mean, other stores across Termina sold Red Potions--I never went inside any of them so I assumed they did--but probably sold them at a higher price than what I paid. Perhaps it was because of how remote it was? I wished I had now visited those stores as I could have avoided giving myself a tremendous headache because of going about without any healing items.

In any case, I kicked open the chest that had been surrounded by flames and another Stray Fairy appeared giving me a total of six. Princess Twilight made sure to mark its location along with the other on the map using her fairy magic before I walked up to the door. Reaching out for it, I suddenly pulled my hand back upon sensing a powerful darkness coming from the other side, and it made me feel really uneasy. Were the two demons waiting for us in the next room? If so, there was no point in delaying things any longer. I had to keep going to awaken the final Giant who was waiting for me.

Opening the door and entering the next room, it immediately locked with iron bars so there was no point in trying to escape. It was a fairly large room with another locked door to my left--it was also locked with iron bars--but aside from that, there didn't seem to be much else, but then I looked up out of curiosity and noticed something breathtaking. There was a massive hole in the ceiling and it looked like something just as massive could fit right through it. The night sky was pleasant to look at reminding me that the temple was somehow affected by the time of day but it didn't shake the premonition I was feeling.

" Something bad is going to happen."

" What makes you say that?"

" Just standing here makes me nervous."

" Maybe you should head to the center of the room." Twilight said. " If something is going to happen, we might as well go and trigger it. No sense in just waiting here when it's obvious that it won't come to us."

I nodded. " Yeah... I guess you're right." I began walking forward and looked around at my surroundings. " It feels pretty quiet in here doesn't it?"

Princess Twilight nodded. " As though it were the calm before the storm."

" I wonder who we will end up facing in here?"

Princess Twilight then pointed her finger at something ahead of us. " I think that will answer your question, Sunset."

Looking in the direction Her Highness was pointing at, I came to a sudden stop, my body turned cold, and I gulped heavily before drawing my sword and shield. Standing in front of us was Midnight Sparkle and she had a cruel smile across her face. I now had a personal grudge with her because of what she did in the previous room but I knew not to allow my anger to cloud my judgment especially when we were in the presence of a powerful opponent. That's when I noticed Sunset Demon wasn't with her. Despite hearing about their grievances towards one another, they were always together so where could she have gotten off to?

Midnight Sparkle giggled. " I hope you enjoyed my little twist, Sunset."

I glared at her. " You are one sick, twisted individual."

" That's not very nice to say to someone who is on the verge of success."

" What convinced you to go and prevent me from using the air currents?"

Midnight Sparkle rubbed the bridge of her nose. " Okay, so it wasn't my best idea. I knew you were going to get through my little twist but I didn't think you would get injured just by falling down." She then noticed I was completely healed and turned her face away from me. " Using potions now are we? Can't say I blame you for doing that. I'd have done the exact same thing if it meant I would survive to see the next sunrise. Still, I wanted you to make it here because if you were to have died back there, my friend would have been denied her chance at getting to fight you again." She turned back and looked down at Princess Twilight. " Any words from the princess?"

Princess Twilight shook her head. " This is between you and Sunset."

" Really?" Midnight Sparkle asked, clearly confused by that statement. " I thought you would be furious with me for what I tried to do to Sunset. I was expecting you to come at me in a blind fit of rage all because I nearly killed one of your best friends."

" Oh I'm furious, but not to the point where I would do that."

" Well that put a damper on things."

" I'm not the Twilight Sparkle that you've come to know." Twilight said. " We may be look the same but we're independent from one another. You have no quarrels with me while I have none with you. Granted, it doesn't mean I'm ignoring what you've been doing to my friends since we all came into this world as that is unforgiveable, but I honesty don't have any claim towards seeing justice get served. Sunset and Twilight Sparkle have a much stronger claim than that so I'll let them deal with you as necessary."

Midnight Sparkle looked saddened. " You're serious?"

Princess Twilight nodded. " If I had been there at the Friendship Games to witness your actions, I honestly would have had Sunset cut you down by now, but I wasn't so I don't have much to say or do about what's going to happen. Besides, I'm not as unhinged as Sunset tends to be and that's one of her greatest strengths. I'll help her take you down and thwart your plans but that's really all I can do given the circumstances."

" I really wasn't expecting that."

" Sorry to douse your expectations."

" And here I was hoping that the Princess of Friendship would take some pleasure in seeing a monster suffer given she has bested many of them." Midnight Sparkle said. " Guess I was wrong about you, but not to worry as you'll soon change your tune. Right now, you don't have any animosity towards me and I'm okay with that. Once I kill Sunset before your very eyes, I'll kill all of your friends and Twilight Sparkle leaving no one to stand in my way with the sole exception of Your Highness. I intend on killing you as well and then all of the Equestrian Magic will be mine making me the most powerful scholar who exists."

I coughed. " Still harping on about that?"

" The magic will be mine to understand!"

" At least you have no desire to conquer anything."

" Now why would I do something like that?" Midnight Sparkle asked. " To be fair, I could easily conquer Equestria as I have the knowledge and will soon possess the magic to go through with it, but I have more important things than to become nothing more than a warmonger." She lowered her head and began mumbling under her breath but I knew she was planning something. " Funny thing about conquering? I recall that you yourself once tried doing that, Sunset, and it failed in spectacular fashion. I wonder if she would have better luck once her desire finally gets fulfilled."

Snapping her fingers, a shadowy figure emerged from the ground right next to her, and formed itself into Sunset Demon. The lack of expression in her eyes was all I needed to know to see that she was under some kind of mind control concocted by Midnight Sparkle. I knew the two had their issues but I wasn't expecting something like this to happen. In fact, I was expecting one of them to destroy the other leaving me with only having to deal with one demon as opposed to both. She also gave off a powerful aura, one she didn't have before, further confirming that Midnight Sparkle had done something to her.

I thought about backing away only for Sunset Demon to suddenly disappear only to reappear behind me before she swung her taloned hand at me. I wasn't fast enough to react to her and her claws dug deep into my back before she disappeared again. Midnight Sparkle laughed as I tried to see where Sunset Demon had gone only for her to attack me a second time by raking my legs causing me to topple over and land on my butt. She returned to where she had started initially while I got back onto my feet but it was a struggle as my legs had only recently recovered from the wounds they sustained earlier.

" What have you done to her?"

Midnight Sparkle giggled. " I've re-awoken her true demonic self."

" She didn't want that!"

" No, but I did."

" How could you do that to your friend?"

" Friend? Ha!" Midnight Sparkle answered. " She and I could never be friends! When I revived her from the dead after reviving myself, I intended on using her to further my own agenda in hopes that I could acquire the Equestrian Magic that I craved more than anything else. But, she was smarter and intended on doing the same thing to me so she could become the real you, but something changed that still makes me want to throw up. She saw the death and destruction of this ancient kingdom and realized what she had done was morally wrong and insisted on dying for her sins."

" That's what she said to me but in a different manner."

" When I discovered what had happened, I couldn't sit by and watch our desires come crashing down around us."

" So you used that new power to take control of her mind?"

Midnight Sparkle shrugged. " No, that wasn't actually my intention but rather it was my only option. Despite how she had mistreated me all because I did things differently and kept some things from her, I believed we could achieve our respective goals by ending the lives of those who could stand in our way. But she chose to accept her fate and wanted to die so that you could move on with your life, and that was when I had to draw the line with her by taking matters into my own hands."

" I didn't think you could sink so low and now I see that you have."

" We've come too far to be denied now!"

I sighed. " Just listen to yourself, Midnight Sparkle. You sound exactly like Sunset Demon did when she was desperate to become the real me. She kept harping on about doing whatever it took even if it mean having to give up everything to achieve it. Do you know where it got her?" Midnight Sparkle just stood there in silence indicating that she knew what the fate of the she-demon was. " Your lack of an answer is evidence enough for me so why even bother going through with this? Why not follow her example and allow yourself to move on so that Twilight Sparkle can move on as well."

Midnight Sparkle obviously didn't take my words well and her body began glowing. " Who gave you the right to say what we demons can and can't do? We have every right to do whatever we want just as much as you and Princess Twilight do. Both of us have needs that will be fulfilled even if one of us isn't feeling like herself. But, that has now changed thanks to my tapping into the dark power of this temple."

Again, I sighed before putting my sword and shield away. " Then you've learned absolutely nothing!"

" What are you doing?"

" I'm going to wait here for the Garo Master to show up."

" What!?"

" I suspect that I was supposed to fight him in this room instead of you two." I said. " Why don't you just leave, Midnight Sparkle? It's clear to me that you'll never understand what it truly means to have humility, something I had to learn the hard way, and now Sunset Demon has learned the same thing. Besides, I have a feeling a certain someone doesn't want you to kill me because of already claiming that distinction."

Midnight Sparkle looked like she was about to explode but refrained from losing her temper. " That dead assassin isn't going to rob us of what we rightly deserve!" She clenched her hand into a fist. " I think it's time we got things started as we've stalled long enough to warrant his eventual appearance. I was smart to have distracted him by sending him on a wild goose chase but he won't remained fooled for very long. Sunset Demon? I've kept you waiting all this time so now you can finally do what you were meant to do. Have fun killing your other self and taking over her life as you desire."

" What about you?"

" What about me?"

" You're not going to fight?"

Midnight Sparkle shook her head. " Why should I get my hands dirty when clearly Sunset Demon wants a piece of you? Besides, who am I to deny her what she wants even if she needed to be pushed a little in the right direction to give her the motivation. You two can have all the fun while I'll just stand back and watch the festivities. I won't be watching for very long as I must continue testing out my new power. If my little inspiration to Sunset Demon isn't enough to kill you, Sunset, then I'll need to come up with another plan."

Before I could respond to her, Sunset Demon disappeared only to reappear next to me and kicked me in the stomach causing me to crash against the wall. I struggled to get back onto my feet when she dashed forward and kicked me in the head. The hit knocked me into the wall leaving behind a indentation but before I could get up, she grabbed me by the hair, spun me around several times, and tossed me across the room where I landed on my butt. No doubt she was out for blood given how ruthless she was acting, yet I couldn't will myself to fight against her as I couldn't accept her becoming an obedient slave.

Getting up again, I drew my sword and shield and attempted to strike Sunset Demon, but she proved to be too fast and quickly disarmed me before tossing my equipment to the other side of the room. Her eyes still possessed that expressionless gaze but was now mixed with a desire for bloodlust, a desire to beat me within an inch of my life before ending it, a desire to be completely unstrained. I began running across to where my equipment was only for the she-demon to cut me off and quickly deliver several punches followed by slashing me in the stomach using those taloned hands of hers.

Once she did this, she grabbed me by the hair again, slammed me into the ground, lifted me up with both arms, and tossed me aside like I were a heavy object. Landing on my back as a result of her toss, I rolled over to my equipment and managed to pick them up before Sunset Demon came over where I swung my sword only for her to catch it with her hand. I could see the twisted smile that now warped itself across her face. She had completely embraced her inner monster because of Midnight Sparkle and no doubt was completely unaware of what she was doing. If this kept up, I would be dead within a matter of minutes... after using up my remaining Red Potions.

Princess Twilight finally spoke up. " What are you doing?"

" Trying to survive." I answered.

" I don't think this is a battle where you have to last as long as possible."

I was about to say something when Sunset Demon finally acted by pushing my sword back at me causing me to drop it on the ground. I quickly reached down to pick it up only for her to kick me in the head followed by several more kicks to my head leaving me in a dazed state before landing on my butt again. " Okay... You've now convinced me that trying to survive isn't working so what do you suggest I do?"

" You have to fight back."

I was hesitant towards doing that but I knew there was no other choice. " Alright... I'll fight her even though I don't want to but perhaps this will give her the final release she's been wanting for some time now." Sunset Demon then lunged at me but I managed to hold up my shield and she began slashing it with her claws but it would prove pointless as it was a much stronger shield than what I had used before. " When I last fought against her, I was able to pony up all the way to Daydream Shimmer while she had her own form to counter against mine. I don't have access to that form in this world so how can I prevail?"

" You won't be able to use your transformation masks as I doubt she will give you a chance."

I then snapped my fingers. " That's it!" Unfortunately, I shouldn't have done that as Sunset Demon knocked aside my shield before slashing me in the chest several times before kicking it aside using what looked to be a moonsault kick. I went sailing across the room, landing on my stomach, slid along a little until I stopped, and slowly got back onto my feet again. " That will teach me for doing something so stupid but anyway, you gave me a brilliant idea, Twilight."

" I did?"

I nodded. " I can use my other masks to give me an edge."

" Yes." Twilight said. " Unless Midnight Sparkle somehow prevents you from using them, you can put on one of the more useful masks. I suggest the Bunny Hood as it will increase your speed enabling you to keep up with her. You could also try the Blast Mask but that would involve perfect timing though you'd have to wait several minutes each time before it can be used again."

" What about the Stone Mask?"

" I think she would be able to still see you if you wore it."

That didn't give me many options. Of the masks I had in my possession, the Bunny Hood was the only one that had a practical use in battle. The rest of them were simply novelties to be used whenever the situation demanded it. Technically, the Stone Mask was useful as it allowed me to avoid battles but then it didn't work against everything and I wouldn't gain any experience were I to avoid encounters. As stated by Her Highness, it wouldn't help me against Sunset Demon as she was someone who most likely could see me as she wasn't a mere monster in that sense.

Reaching behind my back, I took out the Bunny Hood and put it on just as Sunset Demon was about to strike me again. I managed to get away just as she pounded her fist into the ground and when she pulled it out, she was surprised at my sudden speed increase. I just had to remember that I was now much faster than before and that meant I could accidentally get myself caught were I to become careless. Sunset Demon lunged at me and I stepped aside as she sailed past and crashed into the ground. Of course, I couldn't continue relying on this kind of tactic as the she-demon would eventually catch on and adapt accordingly.

Midnight Sparkle had turned her attention towards doing her own thing as I fought against Sunset Demon but quickly looked behind her to see that I was wearing a mask prompting her to make a comment. " Normally, I would have prevented you from wearing one of those masks just to make it that much harder. But, I'll let it slide since Sunset Demon does deserve what you'll eventually do to her after the way she treated me."

I thought about taking the Bunny Hood off but I chose not to. " You really are a monster aren't you?"

" Don't blame me!" Midnight Sparkle answered. " Sunset Demon forced me to do things I didn't want to and that includes acting like a monster. I consider myself to be better than that and prefer to use my intellect to solve problems rather than using brute strength like other people I know."

" Such conceit."

" You might want to stop criticizing me and focus on Sunset Demon."

I turned around just as the she-demon caught me off guard. " GAHHHH!" Her strike caused me to start bleeding on my side and Midnight Sparkle laughed before she resumed testing out her powers by performing some spells. Sunset Demon looked at the wound she had inflicted and I could hear her giggle slightly, her bloodlust was growing, and I wasn't doing her or myself any favours. I needed to take the battle to an offensive level and that meant fighting back even when my heart wasn't up for it. " I don't want to do this but you've given me no choice, Sunset Demon."

Midnight Sparkle waved her hand. " Just do it already!"

" I'll deal with you eventually."

" If you say so."

I turned to Princess Twilight. " Her arrogance makes me sick."

" I have a feeling that she is slowly losing her mind as a result of the power she has acquired." Twilight said. " If you think about it, she is acting in the same manner that you yourself acted when you put on my crown at the time. I know you don't like to be reminded of it but you have to admit that the coincidence is appropriate."

I nodded. " Midnight Sparkle isn't the same as I remember her from the Friendship Games. She was arrogant of course, but she only wanted to acquire knowledge even if it meant the destruction of an entire world. She was violent in her mannerisms but she was never like this until now. Has the Stone Tower Temple's dark power corrupted her mind? It feels like that's what happened but I can't be certain about it."

" Whatever the case, she must be stopped before she can succeed and that means defeating Sunset Demon."

The she-demon must have heard Princess Twilight as she immediately tackled me to the ground--I didn't drop my sword and shield this time--and we rolled along until I took the initiative and kicked her away where she landed on her feet. Her expression became one of intrigue as though she had been waiting for me to do something to her other than continue to play defensively and all I could do was shake my head. I knew it wasn't her fault she was acting like her old self but Sunset Demon could have easily resisted Midnight Sparkle unless the latter was too strong or the former desired to fight me again. Getting back up, I prepared myself for the next assault.

As she swung her taloned hands at me, I used my shield to deflect her blows before going on the offensive, striking her in the chest repeatedly until she jumped over me in a bit to attack me from behind. I quickly turned around and repelled her assault with my shield though my side started giving me pain because of the wound I got from her earlier. I needed to ignore it as much as possible while focusing on maintaining my attack. It was strange how I was now turning things around when before she had been wiping the floor with me and all because I began taking this situation seriously.

It was also strange how she had been fighting this entire time. Despite not having access to her full powers, Sunset Demon was still pretty strong, yet I felt like she was holding back as though she didn't want to kill me. Was this her way of getting me to put her out of her misery? Or did she want me to continue fighting until I could find a way to free her? I really wanted the first option to happen as she deserved to go out on her own terms but I was willing to do what was necessary now. My mind was now clear and I knew the she-demon wanted to move on and allow me the same opportunity.

We resumed clashing with each other, my sword versus her claws, and now we were evenly matched despite not using our full power. The Bunny Hood had proven to be a real difference maker as its speed increasing ability enabled me to keep up with her but I wished it could have given me better protection. The Mirror Shield was very good in that regard but it couldn't protect me from everything such as when I got thrown into the wall for example. Sunset Demon then suddenly got the upper hand by raking me in the face--at least she didn't hit my eyes as that would have been terrible--resulting in me being unable to see.

She took advantage by repeatedly attacking my face until I dropped my equipment, but then she suddenly jumped back and attempted to breathe fire from her mouth only for nothing to happen, and began stomping the ground in frustration. I regained my vision and picked up my sword and shield before looking on at the she-demon as she continued in vain to breathe fire--it was pitiful seeing her do that--and taking out her anger on the ground. She then tried firing flames from her hands by thrusting out her hands only to fail at doing that and she repeated the attempt only to become even more annoyed.

I wanted to attack her in response to her failure but I just couldn't bring myself to doing it. Sunset Demon took pride in her power as it was pretty much the only thing she had left, but to see her being unable to use it brought a tear to my eye. She and I were a lot more alike than either of us were willing to admit. When Princess Twilight and our friends defeated me during the Fall Formal last year, I tried using my magic despite knowing it had been taken away from me, yet I kept on trying, venting out my anger in solitude as no one wanted to associate with me, until I finally admitted it could never come back.

Losing my magic made me feel less than nothing but I accepted my punishment as I deserved it after all the trouble I caused. Sunset Demon was going through a similar experience though she appeared to be unable to accept having lost what made her the she-demon in the first place. She looked at me and began cursing, saying it was my fault that she had been reduced to such a weakened state, and I shook my head saying she had no one to blame for herself. That pushed her over the edge resulting in raising my shield to protect myself as she began attacking erratically.

Midnight Sparkle looked behind her head and chuckled. " Wow... Not even I managed to make her that mad. I'm glad I didn't otherwise she would have killed me a lot sooner and our desires would have been lost to us. You definitely know what buttons to push, Sunset, and I say it as a good thing since she really needed to vent off that pent-up rage. Well... I won't get involved so you two can continue having fun tearing each other apart."

" Being cowardly now, are we?" I asked.

" Nope!" Midnight Sparkle answered shaking her head. " I'm just being smart about it that's all."

Sunset Demon tackled me to the ground again but I managed to strike her in the shoulder causing her to reel back in pain but then she responded viciously by raking my face again followed by kicking my stomach so hard, I went crashing into the wall before slumping down to the ground. As I remained dazed from the sudden impact my back had received, she walked over, picked me up by the neck, and began laughing before crying. For the first time ever, Sunset Demon was actually crying. I could see it from her eyes that her tears were sincere in nature and that was when I knew this battle had gone on long enough.

" Help... help me..." Sunset Demon said.

" How can I do that?" I asked.

" You must... kill me..."

I gasped. " I don't think I can do that."

Sunset Demon growled. " You must kill me now!"

" My heart doesn't have what it takes."

Now I wished I hadn't said that as Sunset Demon clearly took it the wrong way and slammed me into the wall yet again. I slumped to the ground where she began kicking me repeatedly whilst saying she thought I could help her but in truth I was just too hesitant to be of any use. While her words did hurt my feelings, she was correct in that I couldn't take her life despite clearly seeing her struggle, but it wasn't as simple as she made it. I wasn't a bloodthirsty person who could kill anyone evil just like that. While I did destroy monsters, I never took pleasure in doing it and often professed not wanting to resort to violence.

As she continued kicking me, the she-demon grabbed me by the neck and lifted me up again. " You must kill me, Sunset. I know you don't like the idea but you must end my suffering now before it can get even worse."

Princess Twilight nodded. " I know it goes against everything you stand for, Sunset, but you need to give her the release she wants."

" I... I just can't do it."

Sunse Demon growled. " If you don't then you will die!"

" I'm sorry but I just can't take someone else's life without a proper reason."

Sunset Demon then smiled all of a sudden. " And that is what makes you the kind of person you are." Sure, you still possess a temper that can get the better of you, but you're not a heartless monster who goes around killing just because you love it." She then released her grip around my neck and I dropped to the ground. " For you, killing monsters has become a reluctant necessity, yet you do it knowing it must be done. That's why I made special arrangements before all of this started."

I looked confused. " What do you mean by that?"

" I had a feeling Midnight Sparkle would do this to me so I made a contract with someone."

I gasped. " You did what!?"

Sunset Demon laughed. " I wanted you to kill me, Sunset, so that we could both finally move on, but I knew you were going to hesitate and try to prolong this as much as possible until you could find another solution. That's why I talked to the one person who would kill me without hesitation, the one who kills for a living. I needed to be weakened enough for him to strike the fatal blow and kill me but I wanted to give you a chance first. He agreed and has been waiting all this time and I hoped you would be the one, Sunset, but I knew you wouldn't have what it took to do the job."

" What did you expect from me?"

" I expected this outcome."

Midnight Sparkle heard all of the chatter and immediately turned around. " What the!? Since when did you suddenly regain your senses? The enchantment I placed upon you was strong enough that most would never be able to break free of it."

Sunset Demon laughed. " Then I guess that makes me one of the few who could. I actually broke free about a couple of minutes ago when Sunset admitted that she couldn't kill me because of her convictions but I know you intend on casting an even stronger enchantment."

" Then you guessed right."

" After all this time together, Midnight Sparkle... I figured you out completely."

" You don't know anything about me."

Sunset Demon shook her head. " Keep telling yourself that but it's true. I knew what you were going to do once we entered this temple. Heck, I could see it coming a mile away but instead of resisting you, I chose to allow you to control my actions. I wanted you to have the satisfaction of things going your way until it all comes crashing down later. Sunset will kill you in the end but it's a shame that I won't be around to see it with my own eyes."

" You said she hesitates so that means she won't kill me."

" She will only take a life if it's within reason and your existence is reason enough for her to do it."

Midnight Sparkle began glowing again. " Then perhaps I will enchant you again. Once you've done that, I'll finish you off myself, or better yet, have you go somewhere and die at the hands of a very powerful creature. Yes, that sounds much more pleasant than my other option. A shame you became so soft, Sunset Demon. I thought you were a ruthless demon but in truth you were weak-minded and unworthy of fulfilling your desire. Oh well. You can't win them all as they say."

Sunset Demon sighed happily. " In my case, I've already won."

She then felt a powerful influence come over her and she resumed kicking me while I was down, her actions now beyond her control as Midnight Sparkle began laughing before instructing her to administer a killing blow. She grabbed me by the neck and lifted me up before punching my stomach repeatedly followed by a powerful punch that released me from her grip and sent me flying where I landed on the ground. I struggled to get back onto my feet but Sunset Demon was too fast and soon she was standing over me. I struggled to get out from under her but she was too strong and looked prepared to kill me.

She licked her lips and lunged at my head though I managed to tilt it in time to avoid the blow so then she planted her foot on my neck while her other foot was on my stomach to keep me from doing anything. Sunset Demon began pushing her foot down on my neck in hopes of crushing it and I could feel tremendous pain causing me to black out for a moment but then her foot suddenly stopped applying pressure and relaxed--the same thing with her other foot. Opening my eyes, I could see Sunset Demon standing there dazed and I wondered what was wrong with her and that was when I noticed the flaming blade that had pierced through her body where her heart was.

A sinister laughter then echoed throughout the room causing Midnight Sparkle to start quivering and then Princess Twilight told me to look up at the hole in the ceiling to which I did and standing up there was the Garo Master himself. I should have known that he was the one Sunset Demon mentioned making a contract with. He jumped down from on high and landed on the ground before snapping his finger and the blade in Sunset Demon removed itself from body and returned to him where he produced a second flaming sword. He looked at me for a brief moment but quickly turned towards Midnight Sparkle.

" The contract has been fulfilled." The Garo Master said.

" What did you do?" Midnight Sparkle asked.

" The chosen one was unable to complete the job so it fell onto me to carry it out."

" You weren't kidding when you said you could kill us."

The Garo Master laughed. " And now you understand the frailty that you possess, demon. Your companion offered me the chance to kill her if the chosen one hesitated and I gladly took on her request as it meant adding another kill to my total. She will die shortly as the wound I inflicted was fatal but perhaps you would be wise to flee with the mental image of your fellow demon dying in a pool of her own blood haunting your every moment."

" And if I don't?"

" You're next!"

Midnight Sparkle gulped. " I know better than to fight against the likes of you, assassin."

" Then leave this place while you still possess your life."

" And give up this power?" Midnight Sparkle asked. " Never!" She laughed. " I have every intention of fulfilling my desire to get all of the Equestrian Magic but now it will be so much easier without having to put up with Sunset Demon constantly threatening me and not wanting to act like a proper demon. I actually owe you for killing her, assassin, as I actually was going to go through with it. I will leave but I'll just be going to a different part of this temple so that I can further expand my powers until I'm ready. Sunset... If you somehow survive against this assassin, I shall be waiting for you to come and find me. I know you won't rest until you see me dead."

Midnight Sparkle then disappeared into the wall leaving me to mourn over what had happened to Sunset Demon, but before I could say something, the Garo Master aimed one of his swords at me before slightly nodding his head. " I shall give you the time you need to say goodbye, chosen one. Once the fallen one has faded away, you and I shall do battle as was intended until only one of us remains."

I looked at the Garo Master with anger on my face. " How could you make me fight you after what has just happened."

" You have no choice."

" Of course I do!"

The Garo Master laughed. " No, you do not. The iron bars blocking the doors was by my hand and they will not open unless you can best me in battle. The treasure of the temple shall become yours to claim if you can defeat me. Unless you can best me, this temple will be your tomb for eternity. Now, say goodbye to the fallen one and then prepare yourself to face me, the leader of the Garo."

Despite what had happened to Sunset Demon, the Garo Master was unfortunately correct in that there was no way out of this room without going through him. If the treasure was indeed the Light Arrows, I definitely needed them and that meant defeating him. While he was allowing me to say my final farewells to Sunset Demon, I doubted he would allow me to heal my wounds that I had sustained against the she-demon so that gave him an advantage almost immediately and before we had even started. He had every intention of killing me as he lacked any morals but it made him more dangerous.

Sunset Demon gasped, grabbed my tunic, and pulled me down towards her face. " Ha... Guess this is really the end for me. After all of our struggles, this is how it will end, you living on as you want and me becoming nothing but a memory you'll end up forgetting when other things enter your life."

" Don't say that."

" I wanted to become you because I believed you were better off as a monster."

" My life has become better now."

Sunset Demon nodded. " I know that now thanks to being exposed to this ancient kingdom. Seeing so many undead skulking about made me realize that they are remnants of the past that must remain as such so that the people of today don't end up falling into the same trap that claimed them. I am a remnant as well, your past come to life, yet my time has come and gone, and you were more deserving of life than me. You... you are the one... Sunset Shimmer."

" What happens now?"

" I die, obviously."

I began to cry. " I really wish it didn't have to be this way."

" You have to live on with your life."

" I know you gave me nothing but trouble, but I also think you gave me the confidence to do what was right."

Sunset Demon coughed. " Heh... Then it looks like it wasn't a total waste after all. If it pleases you... I'm sorry for everything that I did to you. I was consumed by jealousy and vengeance over how you seemed to cast me aside... but you were simply moving on and trying to fix the mistakes you made." She let go of my tunic and began coughing even more which meant she was fading fast. " I'm not much of saying goodbye since I always kept saying I wouldn't die until I succeeded in becoming you but I'll make this an exception. You don't need to worry about me coming back. I'm done for good and will fade away into the darkness."

" A shame you can't be reformed."

" There can only be one... Sunset Shimmer... and that's... that's you."

" I'll never forget you."

" You... you can teach others not... not to become a monster." Sunset Demon said as she struggled to talk. " I know that... you... you've already done this but... I... I feel it prudent of me... to... to... to give you a reminder about it. Never... for... for... forget who you are. Before I go... I have something to... to say to Princess Twilight."

" What is it?" Twilight asked.

" Your crown... It never looked good on me did it?"

Princess Twilight smiled. " It was made for my head."

Sunset Demon coughed even more. " No wonder it didn't feel right... heh... heh... heh..." She began coughing up blood signalling that her end had come. It was truly a morbid thing to witness but I knew I had to remain strong otherwise the she-demon would never let me hear the end of it in death. " My time... It's finally over. I... I can finally rest in an eternal sleep and... and... and never be a burden upon you again."

" You reformed in the end." Twilight said. " Not in the manner Sunset spoke of but you did nonetheless."

" Coming from you... I'll take that as a compliment."

" You will be missed."

Sunset Demon coughed. " Probably... But... listen... to... to me... carefully. Don't you... dare... d... d... die, Sunset! If you do, I'll... I'll... I'll haunt you forever! Don't... view that as intimidation or a... a threat but a... a... promise. Oh, and Garo Master... don't underestimate Sunset by any means." She then began to close her eyes and her body started to fade away into the breeze as death began taking her. " Midnight Sparkle... I... I... I will see you on the... other side. I... don't know how long... it will take... but... but... but I will see you there. Ha... Now I finally understand... what it means... to... to... to die with... with... with honour........................"

Her body then completely disappeared into the wind leaving nothing behind. For a moment, I simply stood there in complete silence, my head lowered, and tears trickling down my face as I mourned her passing. Sunset Demon had a troubled life because of actions I had committed but she deserved much better than what she got. Had she not been a demon, she could have become something so much more, but instead she was handed a bad hand by fate. And yet, this was what she wanted. She wanted to go out on her own terms and wouldn't allow anyone else to say otherwise. By choosing to move on, I could now do the same thing, her final request.

The sound of a sword being thrust in my direct caught my attention and I looked to see that the Garo Master had raised it against me. " You have had time to mourn the fallen one so now you must do battle with me, chosen one."

" I understand." I said.

" The demon wanted to die and I delivered her release."

" And for that I thank you."

The Garo Master laughed. " What I did was what I have always done, kill someone. She contracted me to kill her because she knew you could not and so I have fulfilled her contract by ending her existence. She did not pay with rupees as those are useless to one who is already dead but instead it was the desire to kill a demon that compelled to accept."

" So now you intend on killing me?"

" For a different reason."

" And that would be?"

" You are the chosen one, she who is destined to bring light back to this desolate kingdom." The Garo Master answered. " You have been tasked to free the spirits of the dead from their torment so that they can return to their eternal slumber. If you cannot defeat me, you will never save this kingdom and this world from destruction. Now, show me that you are indeed the chosen one."

The Garo Master then jumped into the air and began dancing about much like the regular Garo did but I knew not to underestimate him. He was their leader after all and that meant he knew skills they didn't. With my already battered body, I had to take extra precautions as he could kill me in a few hits yet the same wasn't true the other way around. With my sword at its weakest level, it would take a lot of hits before the Garo Master would finally go down--another reminder that it needed upgrading. The Garo Master then dove at me and I avoided it by stepping to the side only for him to disappear completely.

I began looking around to see where he was only for him to appear above me and drop down before slicing me across the back using both of his flaming swords. I was knocked forward, landing on my stomach, but rolled when he dove again and he continued moving along until he stopped. He then turned around and took to the sky again before dancing about while I got back up onto my feet. I then raised my shield just as the Garo Master's flaming swords struck but unlike Sunset Demon, he kept on going before he stopped and began looking around as though he didn't know where I was.

Moving quickly, I attacked him from behind only for him to spin around and knock me to the ground where I rolled away to the corner of the room to avoid any further attacks. I rolled into the wall and got back up and saw that the Garo Master was waiting for me to make a move. " What do you suppose he's doing by waiting over there?"

Princess Twilight shrugged. " I don't know but you need to be careful, Sunset. Because you didn't get to recover from your battle with Sunset Demon, you're likely to exhaust yourself too quickly allowing him to take advantage and eventually kill you. I suggest keeping on the Bunny Hood as you'll need the speed increase to keep up with him and stave off the exhaustion that grips your body."

" What else do you know about him?"

" The Garo Master fights in a similar manner to that of the other Garo so you can easily predict when he's going to attack." Twilight answered. " That's where the easy part ends however as he is much stronger than they are. His swords are also much longer allowing him to attack you from a greater distance and even possesses some abilities they don't such as his ability to appear from above."

" I'm not going to enjoy this."

" Just don't allow Sunset Demon's death to affect you."

" I don't intend to."

" Good as you can get very emotional when something happens."

Her Highness had every right to be worried about my mental state after seeing Sunset Demon die. Granted, it wasn't the first time I saw it happen yet this was much more unbearable than before as she was in the mindset of becoming the real me. Her death this time was more symbolic, an end of a legacy that was forged by my hands, and had now been put to rest so that both of us could move on. Midnight Sparkle used her as a puppet to make me kill her while wanting to kill me yet she proved herself to be a true monster who deserved no sympathy. Sunset Demon proved herself to be human and rejected darkness in favour of the light.

Midnight Sparkle needed to be defeated as she had gone too far in her ambition of acquiring all of the Equestrian Magic but I first needed to overcome the Garo Master, a spirit who was more feared than either of the demons. He instilled fear into them through manipulation and his desire to kill as would befit an assassin, and combined with their lack of powers from being in this world, he could carry out his threats without any impediment. I was curious to why the Garo Master didn't kill Midnight Sparkle when he obvious had several chances to do so but I doubted I would get an answer.

He then began moving again by dashing forward so fast that I couldn't react quick enough and I felt his flaming swords burn my chest--my tunic miraculously didn't suffer any damage--with incredible force before he pushed me back until I hit the wall. The Garo Master then pinned me to the wall using one of his blades whilst using the other to attack me repeatedly until I slumped forward slightly, grabbed the other blade, pulled it out from the wall, and struck me once where I fell to the ground. He followed this up by disappearing then appearing above me before dropping down and slicing me across the chest with both blades.

I slowly got back up onto my feet and swung my sword only to miss him entirely. The Garo Master looked like he was about to laugh but instead he took to the sky and began dancing about before diving at me again where I responded by raising my shield. He was caught completely by surprise when his blades struck my shield and dropped them by accident allowing me to attack him. I struck him a couple of times but as I swung for the third hit, he repelled me with his blades resulting in a stalemate. We began exerting force in hopes of pushing the other back but he proved more resilient due to my weakened state.

Eventually, I dropped down to one knee allowing the Garo Master to gain the advantage but then I figured I could perform one of those leg sweeps to knock him off balance, but I forgot that he possessed a second sword. My body froze when I was suddenly staring down at the tip of his other flaming blade while the first one was still parrying my sword. He knew exactly what I was going to do and had planned accordingly. Only a leader would be capable of such an advanced technique because they were more advanced in the ways of battle and had earned great respect from their soldiers.

" You have proven entertaining despite your wounds."

" I wish you had allowed me to use one of my Red Potions."

The Garo Master laughed. " A true warrior does not rely on the use of additional items to guarantee success." He noticed the Bunny Hood on my head and lurched forward, his face close to mine, the red eyes behind his masked face burning into my own, the emanating fear was intense. " Were you at peak condition, I would have condemned you for using a crutch but since you fight with a bruised body, you can continue wearing that mask on your head."

" I don't get you."

" The demon said similar words."

" Why do you continue with your desire to kill?"

" It was what I was known for in life."

" Time has changed now and you can make something of yourself."

The Garo Master laughed. " We undead of Ikana cannot change. We are remnants of a time long forgotten who must remain in an eternal sleep. I died as an assassin when the kingdom fell to bloodshed and I shall be vanquished as an assassin. You have already seen what has become of the kingdom, chosen one, so you know that such words coming from you hold no meaning for us now." He then knocked away my shield and then my sword by swinging his blades in swift strokes leaving me defenceless. " There is nothing more for me to say about the past. It has become part of history." He twisted his blade, pulled it back, and thrust it forward hitting my leg.

Had I not managed to raise my leg, my heart would have been pierced instead. " So I can't convince you then?"

The Garo Master shook his head. " Ikana is locked in a permanent state of decay."

" I feel pity for you."

" There is no need to show concern to one who is already dead." The Garo Master said. He pulled his sword out from my leg, twisted it, and thrust it against my neck. " Perhaps you are not as strong as I thought. Your worry about others can be seen as a weakness, a weakness that cannot restore this dead kingdom. Perhaps another chosen one will come along and prove themselves worthy to do what must be done." I then did something unexpected... stepping on his foot and he dropped both blades in reaction enabling me to run over and pick up both my sword and shield. " Such cunning coming from you, chosen one."

" You left yourself wide open."

The Garo Master laughed. " Unconventional means are the mark of an assassin."

" I'm not like you."

" No, you are not." The Garo Master said. " You could never be the monster that I was in life, one who killed without reason, without mercy, without honour. We Garo took pride in our kills yet I took more lives than any other during the war that destroyed Ikana." He raised his hand and begged me to be quiet for a moment. " Even now, the spirits of those whose lives were taken by my hands continue to linger." I listened closely and began hearing the sounds of wailing all around. It quickly became unbearable and I started losing my concentration as the wails grew louder. " They cry out for justice to be done. They want you to ease their suffering, their pain."

" How?"

" Defeat me."

That was easier said than done considering how much of a disadvantage I had. Had I been at full health, I would have been on more equal footing with the Garo Master but instead I had been forced to keep up with him as best as I could. My ears then picked up the wailing sounds of the spirits whom he killed yet this time they were crying out in tears and I could hear what they were saying. They wanted me to give them the same freedom that Sunset Demon had been given. They wanted to move on to the next life and finally be freed from the eternal limbo that had trapped them for so long.

I wondered if Sunset Demon and Midnight Sparkle had experienced the same wailing or maybe they were given something else entirely. The wailing grew louder as the spirits requested me to defeat the one who had robbed them of life and despite my hesitation, I had no choice but to do this. Raising my shield and holding my sword firmly in my hand, I began walking forward--badly due to my injured leg--towards the Garo Master until we both swung our respective weapons and they collided with one another. Sparks flew about as we tried to overpower the other but again I was completely overwhelmed.

My leg gave out and the Garo Master attacked by striking me in the chest followed by him disappearing then reappearing above me before dropping down and striking me from behind, sending me forward where I fell flat on my face. He jumped up, began dancing about, then followed up by diving at me but I rolled away just in time while he kept on going until he disappeared again before I rolled away again when I saw a familiar shadow drop down from above. The Garo Master was surprised that his attack missed, his blades now stuck in the ground, and that allowed me to get up and strike him again.

He then span around, knocking me off my feet, jumped back and performed another diving attack. Luckily, I didn't land on my butt so I used my shield to parry his attack, resulting in him dropping his blades, and I attacked him a few more times before he picked them up and spun around, knocking me back. We then rushed each other, our sword colliding, and sparks flying once again, yet I could tell he was beginning to show signs of exhaustion. I had no idea how many more hits it would take before he would finally go down but the Garo Master was slower than before and his reaction time had clearly weakened.

We both pushed back at the other in hopes of getting the upper hand yet I was struggling due to my leg throbbing with pain but I chose to grit my teeth and bear the pain--I had no idea if the Garo Master felt a similar pain--whilst continuing to push back. Miraculously, the upper hand was won by me and I pushed him back only for him to spin around, knock me onto my butt, and disappeared. I knew what was about to happen so I prepared by raising my shield but I didn't expect him to come down in front of me at such a close range. The blow he gave me was one I couldn't avoid at all and I landed on my back a short distance away.

" Sunset!" Twilight exclaimed. " Are you okay?"

" I think we both know the answer to that question."

" You need to consume another Red Potion."

I nodded slowly. " Way ahead of you on that." I reached into my pocket and pulled out the Red Potion only for it to get knocked out of my hand by the Garo Master's flaming sword and rolled along the ground until it stopped at the wall with a soft clunk. It was fortunate that it didn't break but it was also inconvenient as now I couldn't heal my wounds and was at the Garo Master's mercy. " Twilight... Can you go over and get that potion for me and quickly?" Her Highness nodded without questioning my decision and flew towards where the potion had landed but before I could get back onto my feet, two flaming swords were mere inches from my face.

The Garo Master laughed. " I can sense you no longer hesitate."

" I have to save this world from destruction and you're in my way."

" To think that I thought you would be unfocused due to the death of the demon."

" I'm not as petty as you think."

" No, you possess a strong sense of humility." The Garo Master said. " You have accepted the fact that the demon is dead and are not allowing it to consume your mind. I had hoped for this as I had been waiting for a strong warrior to come along and give me a true challenge. A strong warrior would make for an excellent kill worthy of an assassin."

I wasn't liking where this was going. " So you still intend on killing me?"

The Garo Master nodded. " It is my nature as an assassin."

" If you kill me, then this world is done for."

" You were strong in the end by fighting me with everything you had but it was not enough."

The Garo Master twisted his swords, and held them back before thrusting them forward in one quick motion. Princess Twilight in the meantime had since picked up the Red Potion and had flown back over to me when she was shocked at what had just transpired. The flaming blades of the Garo Master were just barely touching my skin--I didn't feel any pain--yet my own sword had protruded through his heart. He looked to be in immense pain as he slowly backed away whilst dropping his blades before dropping down onto one knee. I had effectively dealt him a fatal blow yet it felt like as blur as my sword arm acted on its own in response to what he was doing.

Princess Twilight came up next to me. " I definitely didn't expect that."

" I... I don't know what happened." I said.

" It was instinct."

" Instinct?"

Princess Twilight nodded. " You were about to be killed when your body reacted in a way that all creatures would when it comes to survival. You instinctively used your sword and struck a fatal blow by attacking the one part of the Garo Master that was vulnerable. I know it doesn't sound pleasant coming from me but it was necessary as this world is on the brink of destruction and only you can save it, the world you call home, and Equestria."

" I know the difference between taking a life needlessly and having to for progress."

" Glad you haven't lost that conviction."

I got back onto my feet. " I'm not the monster I used to be, Twilight."

" I know, yet you have been hesitant at time."

I sighed. " I couldn't help myself. While I'm reluctant about being an adventurer and having all this pressure on my shoulders, I'm even more reluctant when it comes to fighting monsters and even killing them. I just don't see the enjoyment that other people would."

Princess Twilight dropped the Red Potion in my hand. " You might want to drink this before doing anything else." She paused for a moment before continuing. " And you once again prove why you understand what it means to have humility."

Uncorking the bottle, I consumed the contents and immediately felt the healing properties of the Red Potion taking effect. My wounds began to heal and my strength came back although it was a morbid victory in that now I only had one potion left and I hadn't even gotten started truly exploring the Stone Tower Temple. Either I could find some fairies and place them in my bottle for later or I would have to leave for a while to get more supplies. Either way, I needed to be fully prepared for what was to come especially considering that I still had to deal with Midnight Sparkle, who ran away when things got rough.

I walked towards the Garo Master who suddenly raised his hand to stop me. " Heh... You have defeated me in battle. I did not think that I would lose to a living one such as yourself but then you are destined to save this dead kingdom."

" What happens now?"

" We Garo do not get captured." The Garo Master answered. " Instead, we commit seppuku so that we do not leave any trace of our existence behind. That is what I taught my followers and only the best amongst them became members of the Garo. I shall end my existence in this world but before that, I must commend you for your strength. Although you were my rival, you were most spectacular despite what happened. Now, you will learn that which is known only to me, the greatest secret of the Stone Tower."

" I'm ready."

The Garo Master laughed. " First, you shall receive the power of light in the form of a sacred arrow. This arrow is necessary in order to use the secret that I shall share with you by opening up my heart and revealing my wisdom."

" The Light Arrows."

" You are correct."

" What do I do with them?"

" If you shoot that which burns with a sacred golden light into the glowing red emblem outside the temple... things shall change in a way that you would not expect but know that this is the power of the temple." The Garo Master answered. " No doubt you have seen things that are beyond your grasp, objects that defy comprehension, yet now they shall become accessible to you, chosen one, through that which is now yours to claim. The world shall be rearranged so that the earth is born in the heavens and the moon is born on the earth. Do not forget my words as they are your only means of progression."

" I won't."

The Garo Master then took out a bomb from within his clothing and placed it down in front of him. " I have fulfilled my purpose so now you must fulfill yours by freeing this land from the torment that holds it within its twisted maw. You must also defeat the other demon who even now waits within this temple, her time drawing closer to its end. Die I shall, leaving no corpse." He lit the bomb's fuse, where it exploded seconds later leaving nothing behind, but then the Garo Master's laugh echoed all around as his spirit finally moved on. " That is the law of the Garo..."

His death caused the iron bars on both doors to rise up allowing me to finally move on from this room, but then a large treasure chest materialized in the middle of the room, the treasure earned from defeating him, and I knew what was contained within. Walking over to the chest, I opened it, reached into it, and took out an arrow whose tip was surrounded in a beautiful yellow crystal that glowed in the light of the moon. I remembered the last time I used these particular arrows on my previous journey. They cost a lot of Magic Power to use yet it was a necessary sacrifice as their power was unrivaled by anything else.

" The Light Arrow contains the sacred light of justice, Sunset." Twilight said.

" I know and it feels good to be holding it again."

" Not only are monsters incredibly vulnerable to the light, you can also use them to activate sun switches without the use of the Mirror Shield."

" And that red emblem the Garo Master mentioned."

Princess Twilight nodded. " You now hold a powerful item in yours hands but you need to use this power wisely. If you were to abuse the power of the Light Arrow, you could become corrupted by power much like in the past, and Sunset Demon's death would be in vain. Also, your magic will be heavily drained as these arrows use more than the other two do so be sure to aim your shots carefully.

Once again, Her Highness was correct. The Light Arrow was the most powerful of the three magic arrows and could destroy most monsters instantly. The power contained within each one could wipe out an entire army of monsters and while it sounded great, it could lead me to becoming corrupted, something I don't want to ever have to go through again so long as I lived. I needed to use these arrows carefully so as to avoid the temptation that came with them. Now I needed to go back outside and find out exactly what happens when light shines upon the red emblem. Would it truly unlock the secret of the Stone Tower?