//------------------------------//
// Chapter 62: Inverted 
// Story: The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Majora's Mask 
// by Ganondorf8 
//------------------------------//

The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Majora's Mask
By Ganondorf8
June 26, 2017
Chapter 62: Inverted.

Sunset Demon was dead! It took me a few moments for it to finally sink in that the she-demon was no more. As I gripped the Light Arrow that was in my hand, I thought back to all of my encounters with her both when she was my enemy and when I was her. As my enemy, I did everything I could to prevent her from taking my life and becoming what she claimed was the real Sunset Shimmer, someone who believed herself to be the ruler of everything around her, someone who embodied power above all else. Our battles were akin to an inner struggle with myself, battles between light and dark.

Her desire to kill me drove her insane and became her only purpose in life. She also brought out the worst in me in that I would lose control of my emotions and teetered on the brink of insanity yet I managed to come back from the brink while she merely continued to plunge ever deeper down the path of madness. In some ways, Sunset Demon made me realize that I was my own worst enemy and that I struggled to move on from the past, her presence a manifestation of everything I used to be before discovering friendship. In others, I wanted to defeat her and prove myself to be the one true Sunset.

As the she-demon herself, when I placed that crown on my head, I felt the power coursing through my body, yet it was also a painful experience. I was a monster who made others miserable at Canterlot High for my own amusement yet I didn't look like one until I wore Princess Twilight's crown. I knew my actions would condemn me but instead of stepping back and rethinking things over, I chose to keep going and became a hideous creature as a result of my lust for power and to become a princess. I had everything at that precise moment and it felt really good, a horrible thought but I truly felt that way at the time.

That night, everyone discovered the truth about me, and they rightfully rejected me because of what I had done to them. I was so lost in the moment of having all that power, I never realized how my actions had changed things in the world I called home for the better and for the worse. My friends gained magic similar to what Princess Twilight's versions of my friends possessed in Equestria, yet they were more subdued from never having had such power before. It was truly a blessing only countered by a horrible truth; I had introduced magic into a world that never experienced it before.

Looking down at the Light Arrow, I felt both relieved and conflicted. I was relieved as Sunset Demon was gone and that meant never having to deal with her ever again according to her own words. I was conflicted though as she didn't deserve to die despite wanting to do so to allow me to move on with my life. Sunset Demon's existence was my own fault and for that I felt as though she had been wronged constantly because she was created by my own selfish desires. She could have had so much instead of having to skulk about in the shadows looking for scraps in her bid for survival.

I then dropped the Light Arrow where it clanged on the ground before looking up at the night sky. It wasn't until now that I felt so much sympathy for the she-demon whereas before all she got from me was contempt resulting from being my past that refused to die. Seeing her change with my own eyes showed how wrong I had been. Had I tried much harder in the past to change her, she would still be alive and perhaps became her own Sunset Shimmer who could do anything she wanted without having to be a part of my life. Instead, she was gone and would never come back, that chance forever lost to me.

My thoughts then turned to Midnight Sparkle. She manipulated Sunset Demon all because the latter had understood the truth while the former refused to listen and slowly became corrupted with power, the very thing that most people believed in, the very thing Ganondorf himself proclaimed. While I knew he wasn't responsible for what happened, his very presence overall could be felt everywhere, and I was afraid of that presence. I had to stop Midnight Sparkle from succeeding in her plans of getting the Equestrian Magic but how far was I willing to go in order to stop her?

Would I show compassion and offer her the chance of reformation? Or would I choose to kill her in cold blood as a means of getting revenge? One option would draw me closer to Ganondorf, the desired outcome he sought, and expose my heart to hatred whilst fulfilling Sunset Demon's final request, the other would prove how much I had learned since being given my own reformation even when I didn't deserve it after all I had done. Both options had their good and bad qualities yet I could only choose one. My heart wanted me to go for the right choice while my brain wanted the wrong one; such a difficult decision I had to make.

Princess Twilight landed on my shoulder. " Still overcoming what happened to Sunset Demon?"

I slowly nodded. " It's made me think hard about myself as a person, you know?"

" You knew her better than most since she was your other half."

" What am I supposed to do now?"

" This is something you must figure out on your own." Twilight answered. " Her death will weigh heavily on you for quite some time and the emotional journey will be a difficult one for you to overcome yet know that in the end, the right decisions will come to you whether they are good or not."

" Even the bad ones?"

Princess Twilight nodded. " If those are the decisions that you've chosen to go with, then there's nothing more I can say about it. Again, only you can figure out the best way to move forward, and if it means resorting to getting revenge and invoking hatred, so be it. I won't look at you horribly if you choose that route because I've done something similar when I battled against Starlight Glimmer when she attempted to change time itself. I was filled with hatred to the point that my heart told me to stop her at any costs even if it meant losing my humanity just so she wouldn't succeed."

I was surprised. " I never pegged you as acting like that."

" She wanted revenge and I wanted to stop her no matter what."

" No wonder you two became good friends."

" Nothing is ever simple, Sunset."

I nodded. " Despite you not being able to help me come to a decision, I appreciate you telling me about your own experience. It's just that I fear that choosing the wrong options will bring me closer to Ganondorf's way of thinking."

" Like I said, you have to figure it out."

I wasn't liking that particular answer yet I knew Her Highness was once again correct. If I were to succumb to hatred and kill Midnight Sparkle as a form of revenge, I would be fulfilling Sunset Demon's wishes while losing my humanity in the process. Her wish was small compared with vengeance but Ganondorf would view it as me embracing power--not to mention evil itself--and giving him the perfect reason to have me become his servant. Choosing compassion would deny Sunset Demon her wish but also prevent darkness from consuming my heart. No matter what choice I made, a part of me would suffer for it.

Reaching down, I picked up the Light Arrow and put it away. " I'll figure it out when we find Midnight Sparkle."

Princess Twilight nodded. " It won't be easy finding her as she will no doubt keep herself hidden whilst trying to throw all kinds of traps in our way. This whole experience has frightened her yet it will make her more unpredictable. Anyone who feels scared tend to act in a defensive manner as a means of self preservation. She will keep herself hidden until she feels ready to appear so for now we can't do anything other than get through whatever traps she creates."

" So where do we go from here?"

" The only way is through the door we didn't use."

" Before we go, there is something I want to do."

" What's that?"

" I know it won't matter all that much since resetting time will erase it from existence but I want to leave behind a grave marker for Sunset Demon." I answered. " Granted, I don't have any materials to use in order to make such a marker, but I think using my sword to make a groove in the ground will be enough."

Princess Twilight nodded. " By all means, Sunset. I won't stop you."

Walking past the treasure chest that contained the Light Arrow and stopping just a few steps behind it, I took out my sword, raised it above my head with both hands, and drove it into the ground where it sunk down. I then pulled my sword about for a few moments and created the grave marker to remember Sunset Demon. It wasn't anything fancy since I lacked proper materials but I had poured my heart into making it. I then grabbed a tiny piece of my hair, cut it off using my sword, and sprinkled it onto the grave marker before putting my sword away and having a moment of silence.

Once I was ready to continue, I turned and walked towards door, looking behind me one last time at the grave marker. Opening the door, I entered the next room and immediately stopped. There was a narrow walkway that went across the room with a slight drop below with several blue rupees scattered about--I was tempted to collect them but I had to focus on making my way back to the entrance--yet something could be heard skittering about further ahead. The only way onward involved climbing up onto the walkway from below so I jumped, grabbed the edge, and pulled myself up.

The walkway was divided into two sections with the something in question on the other side of a rather small gap. It was minding its own business though for some reason it was wearing a mask much like how I did whenever I had need of one. I seemed to recall seeing this particular monster in the swamp but I couldn't tell as the mask made it difficult for me to recognize what it was. It was once again an example of seeing a monster that lived in another region of Termina and wondering if there were any new monsters. I mean, the Garo Master was new as I had never seen him before yet I was hoping for something different.

" That monster looks familiar."

" That's a Hiploop." Twilight said. " We encountered them back in the swamp."

" I figured as much but why is it wearing a mask?"

" I'm guessing the ones here in the Stone Tower wear them as a means of protection."

" Okay, so how do I go about getting rid of it?"

" You should be able to pull off the mask by using the Hookshot." Twilight answered. " On another note, the mask this Hiploop is wearing isn't just for show you know. It can be used as an offensive weapon where it can charge into you and knock you silly due to how heavy the mask is."

Since I couldn't get its attention, I had to jump over to the other part of the walkway. Taking out the Hookshot, I jumped across and immediately began aiming at the Hiploop who turned around again and charged. Firing the chain, it latched onto its mask and I pulled it off easily--it definitely didn't like that--before switching back to my sword and striking it a couple of times, destroying it. The way it burned away to nothing was unique in that it bounced around a couple of times before falling to pieces. Granted, it wasn't a glamourous sight but then nothing about this world was.

I was about to go through the door to the next room when Princess Twilight grabbed my attention. " You might want to look around down below."

" All I saw down there were some rupees."

" Yes and a Crystal Switch tucked away."

I opened my eyes wide. " Really? Why would someone go to such trouble to hide one of those?"

Princess Twilight shrugged. " I don't know but we should check just in case it reveals something we might need." She quickly flew down below to get a closer look at the switch before coming back and shaking her head. " You won't be able to activate the switch through conventional means as it's hidden below the floor but perhaps you could get around that by using the Blast Mask? I know it doesn't sound all that assuring coming from me but it's the best idea I've got."

" If I have to use it to activate this switch, I'll do it." I said. " I just hope it won't be a waste of my time."

Dropping down to the path below--and discovering that the walkway the Hiploop had been on was simply a raised path--I picked up the blue rupees--one could never have too many of these considering how often I needed healing--and began heading backwards until I noticed the switch beneath my feet. No doubt whoever hid it down there didn't want anyone to find it but then they were no match for Princess Twilight, who was pretty observant with her surroundings. I could be observant as well but I didn't want to deprive Her Highness of something she enjoyed doing.

Taking out the Blast Mask and placing it on my face, I got as close as I could to the switch so that the explosion I caused would trigger it. Since using my shield to deflect the blast would reduce its overall impact, I had no choice but to detonate my mask and take the full damage. Blowing myself up and activating the switch, a small treasure chest materialized right below the switch and that meant having to drop down even further below to open it. Sighing, I walked over to the edge, dropped down, and landed awkwardly on the ground as it was a deeper drop than I thought it was.

In fact, I almost dropped on top of a Hookshot plate that was surprisingly stuck in the ground--my knees of course buckled but it wasn't that bad. Looking at the plate, I deduced that there was more to it than appearances suggested and perhaps I would figure it out later. Princess Twilight made sure to make a note of this on the map before I walked over to the chest and kicked it open revealing another Stray Fairy, the seventh one giving me close to half of them in total. Now I needed a way to get back up and onto the main path so I started looking around in hopes of finding one.

My way out came in the form of a Hookshot plate hiding on the ceiling yet I needed to aim precisely otherwise the  chain wouldn't reach. I first thought about going to the edge of the wall and firing up but that proved ineffective as I was being blocked by it. I then took a few steps backwards and tried again but this didn't work either as the walkway was now blocking my efforts. Eventually, I found a sweet-spot in-between both sides and fired up at the plate, pulling myself out of the pit and back on the walkway though I was on the wrong side of the room--I needed to be on the other side.

Sighing, I climbed up onto the walkway, jumped across the small gap, and walked over to the other door before opening it and entering the next room. This next room turned out to be the room that had the two sun blocks guarded by the Beamos except now I was on the walkway that overlooked the water. With the Light Arrow in my possession, I could now come back here--it involved backtracking much to my dismay--from where I came into the room from initially and use them to remove those blocks. Before doing that, I needed to see where my current path would take me though the map showed me going back to the entrance.

That's when I noticed something in the distance. " Twilight? What do you make of that?"

" Make of what?"

" That!" I answered pointing in the direction of something large at the far end of the walkway."

" I can't tell what it is so perhaps you should get a closer look."

Sighing, I walked down the path until I was close to whatever it was, and my first thought was that it was some kind of boulder blocking my path. It didn't look like any boulder I had seen throughout the course of my journey so perhaps this was a new kind of boulder? I shook my head. No way would it be something that ridiculous yet I could sense a strong power surrounding it. " How do you propose I get past this obstacle?" I then noticed that the Blast Mask was still on my face so I took it off and put it away before addressing the thing blocking the way forward again. " It looks like a boulder but getting a second look at it, I don't think it is."

Princess Twilight nodded. " I doubt that boulders have arms and legs, Sunset."

I was surprised that I didn't notice that until now. " Guess that proves this isn't a boulder so what could it be?"

My answer came quickly when the strange object stood upright and I dropped my jaw in response. The "boulder" was in fact a monster that comprised of a giant blue eyeball that was on a large head that was on a tiny torso complete with clawed arms and legs. It's eyeball then glowed yellow and before I knew it, it slammed down its fists, knocking back a fair distance while shards of rock hit my body in several places. It's eyeball went back to being blue before it began walking towards me in a slow manner. I tried to defend myself using my sword only to get pounded by its fists again sending me back even further.

Now I wished that I hadn't complained about having to deal with old monsters again. This one was new and so far it was having its way with me what with attacking using a combination of strength, surprise, and the environment itself. It continued to pursue me while I chose to back away in hopes of coming up with a means of fighting back but then it suddenly stopped before moving backwards quickly until it was back where it originally was and resumed its motionless state. Drawing my sword and shield, I thought it was odd considering it had me on the ropes but chose to retreat.

" You need to be careful with this one, Sunset."

" How do you figure that?"

" This is an Eyegore, a rare monster that's only seen in Stone Tower Temple." Twilight answered. " Whether you figured it out or not, its eyeball is its weak point though you won't be able to defeat it using your sword. Every time its eye changes colour, it will attack with its arms or it might even fire a beam instead that you can't block by any means--not even the Mirror Shield can protect you from a laser blast. However, it becomes vulnerable when the eye changes so you need to use some kind of projectile weapon."

" Like an arrow?"

Princess Twilight nodded. " You might want to consider trying out the Light Arrow but be mindful of using up too much magic."

" Light Arrows might make the battle go quicker."

" Yes but the window with which to hit the eye is small."

I sighed. " You do have a point I suppose."

" Since we don't know how much Magic Power you have left, you should just use regular arrows instead."

Princess Twilight was encouraging me to use my new Light Arrows but she was right in that I had no idea how much magic I had left until it ran out. Since I needed to use these arrows to do something to the temple back outside in the Stone Tower, I didn't want to use up my Magic Power unless absolutely necessary. Granted, I did have a Green Potion that would restore my magic but I didn't want to waste it especially when there was more of the temple that had to be explored. It made me wish that I had more than four bottles on my person as this wouldn't have been an issue but I would make do with what I had.

Switching over to the Hero's Bow, I walked up to the Eyegore who immediately stood up and slammed its arms into the ground, its eyeball changing colour. It caught me off guard again and I fell down on my butt before it began coming after me with its clunky footsteps. I got back onto my feet and fired an arrow though it merely bounced off the eye as it had changed back to its blue hue so that meant having to force it into attacking. I allowed the Eyegore to approach when its eye changed but I responded with a well-timed arrow that struck the eye and it fell back for a moment before slamming its fists into the ground again.

I was knocked down onto my butt but scooted backwards as it began pursuing me again but when it reached halfway across the walkway, it stopped and quickly stepped backwards until it stood against the door before assuming its initial position. Now I was beginning to see an obvious pattern forming. It wouldn't pursue me because it didn't want to leave its position so by standing out of its range of movement, I could plan accordingly and approach when ready. Regaining my composure and breathing heavily, I walked back over and once again the Eyegore rose up and slammed its fists into the ground but this time I made sure to stand back.

Its eye changed from yellow to blue so I stood still while it got closer to me and when it did, the eye changed colour again and I fired another arrow, striking its eye, causing it to rear back for a moment. I then thought about using a Light Arrow to see what would happen so I rummaged through my items to pull it out only to get hit by the Eyegore's fists as they hit the ground. I went flying back and landed on my butt--it was becoming an annoying trend--while the Eyegore continued advancing until stopping and moving back to where it was through its quick steps. As I got back up, I took out the Light Arrow and felt the power that radiated from it--I also rubbed my butt as I had bruised it too much.

With the Light Arrow ready to use, I got close to the Eyegore where it stood up and slammed its fists down again. I wasn't close enough to get knocked down but I was shaken up a little before it moved towards me again. Aiming my Light Arrow, I waited until the Eyegore got close enough before it eye changed colour again and I fired it causing it to get knocked back further than ever--I knew the Light Arrows were strong but not that strong. It quickly recovered and was about to make a move when its eye became red, a different colour this time, and it toppled over before exploding upon hitting the ground.

This produced a small treasure chest that appeared back at the other door I used to enter this room from but more importantly, I breathed a sigh of relief knowing that I had overcome such a powerful enemy. " That was a lot more difficult than it looked."

" You certainly hurt your flank more than usual."

I frowned. " We're not ponies in this world, Twilight, so the use of the word flank doesn't make much sense."

" Oh I think its appropriate."

I shrugged. There was no point in trying to argue with Her Highness as she ended up winning almost every single time. " In any case, it was weird that it never used the beam from its eye despite you saying it could do that."

" Yes, it does bother me as well."

" Maybe some of them can while others can't?"

Princess Twilight shrugged this time. " I don't know but I recommend being prepared for whenever we have to deal with another one again as I'm sure it will happen. Still, you did well and you even used a Light Arrow despite me saying to be careful as your Magic Power may or may not be low."

" It seemed to really affect the Eyegore."

" Yes." Twilight said. " Most monsters are vulnerable to the light as they are creatures of darkness, but some might only be able to be defeated using Light Arrows so having that Green Potion proved to be an excellent idea. I wonder what would happen if you were to destroy a monster with a Light Arrow instead of using your sword? You should try it out sometime just to see what might happen."

Putting away my bow, I turned towards the chest. " I wish it could have been placed closer to this end." It sounded like I was complaining about having to walk over to something when I had clearly shown my athleticism countless times but in truth I was complaining about the principle of the thing. " Let's just open this chest up and get out of here while I've still got some dignity left." Walking back across the walkway towards the chest, I kicked it open and another Stray Fairy flew out before entering my body. It made sense that the chest would contain one given I had to fight a powerful monster.

" That now gives us eight of them."

" We're making good progress on collecting them."

" It might not be easy from now on, Sunset."

I nodded. " I was thinking the same thing, Twilight."

Princess Twilight then used her fairy magic on the map and noticed where we were going. " According to the map, the next room is the entrance of the temple so we've come full circle already but we should go back to this room from where we accessed it originally and see what those crystal switches do. They might give us more Stray Fairies or help us to acquire some later on when whatever happens when you use the Light Arrow on that jewel outside happens."

Walking back across the walkway, I opened the door and entered the next room which was indeed the entrance, and I immediately raised my shield as a Real Bombchu came charging at me with its tail lit up. It bounced harmlessly off my shield before exploding leaving me to catch my breath as it took me by surprise. I remembered seeing the sun switch hanging on the wall and recalled not being able to do anything about it as there was no sunlight around but now I could activate the switch and see what would happen. My eyes then noticed the two Dragonflies fluttering about and one of them was within range.

Seeing it being so close gave me an idea. I took out the Hero's Bow again, my aim being to see what would happen if I were to use a Light Arrow on a monster, and inched my way closer in order to get its attention. It noticed and began flying over to me when I fired the arrow and struck it with a blinding flash. It burned away to nothing upon hitting the ground leaving behind a purple rupee much to my surprise. I quickly jumped across the small gap, picking up the rupee before it could disappear and suddenly I felt a lot richer. Was it a coincidence that destroying the Dragonfly with a Light Arrow would produce a purple rupee? I needed to test this further.

I walked over to where the other Dragonfly was and waited until it noticed me, and when it did, it flew towards me and was about to strike with its electrified tail when I fired my arrow, destroying it in another blinding burst of light. It burned away and left behind another purple rupee thus proving my theory. It seemed that using Light Arrows to destroy most monsters would produce purple rupees--they were worth fifty in total--giving me an easier way to grind for money though at the cost of consuming a lot of magic. It made me wish I had been able to do this a lot sooner but at least I could do it now rather than use the old method.

" Looks like I'm going to be rich." I said as I picked up the purple rupee."

" Just don't go overboard with it, Sunset."

I nodded. " I know, Twilight. Still, I'm happy I found an easier way to grind for rupees."

" Provided you have the magic for it."

" Collecting Magic Jars will restore lost magic."

Princess Twilight then began thinking. " What else do you need to purchase, Sunset? Other than the obvious Red Potions at any shop across Termina, I don't think you need to buy anything else thus making this whole money-making scheme a complete washout." Her Highness continued to think and I couldn't help but agree that there wasn't really anything else for me to get as a lot of it could be found through exploration. " Well... I suppose there is that 5,000 rupee reward that Fleur Dis Lee mentioned you can get if you were to deposit that many rupees off at the bank but that might take a long time since you probably have about one hundred or so in there."

" Okay, so I don't use the bank that much."

" Maybe there is still time for you to deposit some rupees in there before we wrap this adventure up."

" That would involve grinding for an entire cycle."

Princess Twilight nodded. " Nothing ever comes easy." She then slapped her hands on her cheeks when she realized there was something I needed to purchase. " You need to eventually buy a Powder Keg to enter the Goron Races when spring returns to Snowhead and one hundred rupees to upgrade your sword to the Razor Sword if you plan on getting the strongest sword imaginable. Plus, you will need to buy some potions as a means of preparing to take on Starlight once and for all."

" Guess I need to do some grinding after all."

" First, we should awaken the final Giant."

" Then let's go outside and see what happens when I use the Light Arrow on that gem."

Princess Twilight then flew out in front of me and began pushing me back though her small body made that impossible though I gave her props for trying. " We can't leave just yet you know. You still need to see what that one sun switch does we found when we first entered the temple and you need to go back to the previous room via the other path to see what those crystal switches do. I know I'm sounding redundant right now but doing all of that could lead us to more Stray Fairies or something else altogether."

I was hoping she wouldn't remind me to have to go back through the temple again but I would be remiss as Her Highness would make sure I go back by means of nagging at me about it endlessly until I had to cave in. Sometimes, Princess Twilight would try my patience yet she knew what was for the best as that was her main purpose in this adventure according to the game's mechanics. Sighing, I walked back to the central platform, dropped down below--it wasn't a deep fall so I took no damage--and turned around to face the sun switch that was hanging on the wall.

Aiming my bow up at the switch, I fired a Light Arrow, causing it to glow before smiling brightly with its goofy grin, and a treasure chest appeared on the ceiling in front of the raised groove that featured Majora's Mask on it. Why did it end up there instead of down here? Once again, I needed to remind myself that it was where it was and come back to it later though I suspected the wait wouldn't be that much longer. I then climbed a nearby ladder before taking out the Dungeon Map and looked to see which room had those sun blocks. I sighed seeing that it involved going through the room with the blue switches.

That meant having to do all of that business involving the Elergy of Emptiness again. I slapped my forehead. As much as I enjoyed playing my instruments, I didn't like the idea of having to switch bodies just for one simple thing. I suspected that the shells had long since disappeared as I left that room quite some time ago, a unfortunate disappointment to be sure but also expected as some things just couldn't be kept regarding puzzle solving unless it were important. While my brain wanted me to bang my head against a wall out of annoyance, I sighed knowing I didn't have any choice other than to backtrack once again.





Sometime earlier in the evening...

" Well... Here I am with your food, grandmother."

" Ooooh! You certainly took your sweet time with this one, Anju." Principal Cinch said.

" I don't understand how you can be hungry at this time of the evening." Scootaloo said.

" It's because my metabolism is different from other people."

Scootaloo knew what the reason was behind her grandmother's problem. It was because she was a terrible cook pure and simple yet never believed it to be true until she finally tasted her own cooking and near enough threw up. She had tried time and again to improve on her skills yet it didn't amount to anything and most came up with lousy excuses so that they could avoid tasting what she made. She felt dejected knowing that her passion had been doused before it could reach its true perfection yet she chose not to let anyone know as a means of keeping it close to her heart.

That was what made her prone to apologizing for every little thing she did. It didn't matter what kind of problem she had to deal with but she would always apologize even when she didn't do anything wrong. Others around her knew this was her biggest weakness and took complete advantage of it. Had she a stronger backbone, those situations would have turned out differently but instead she was practically a doormat though only a select few saw her as something else. Her fiancé was perhaps the one person who viewed Scootaloo as being the ideal woman despite her faults.

And yet, therein lied a problem that had been on her mind for quite some time. Her fiancé, Kafei, had been missing for about a month and had practically dropped off the radar in that no one knew where he had gone. Kafei was the son of Mayor Dotour and her husband, Monsieur Aroma, so he possessed some political clout yet others viewed him as a scoundrel who had effectively stood up Scootaloo mere weeks before their marriage. Scootaloo's family didn't like him all that much and professed her to have chosen someone else yet she believed in him where others had turned a blind eye to him. It was a tale of love that had unexpected twists.

Scootaloo sighed. " If you say so, grandmother."

" Is something bothering you?"

" The same thing has been on my mind for the past month."

" Put my food down first before you speak further." Principal Cinch said. " I'm starving so much that I feel my body is wasting away to nothing." She then mumbled under her breath in hopes her granddaughter couldn't hear her. " At least this food will be edible since Anju didn't make it with her inferior cooking skills. It took some mighty convincing to get my own daughter to make me something that I know I'll enjoy but maybe I shouldn't be so hard on poor Anju. She has been through a lot since Kafei disappeared though I wish he had left her a message saying where he was going."

Scootaloo then noticed Principal Cinch mumbling away. " Did you say something, grandmother?"

Principal Cinch shook her head. " I was just saying how much I look forward to this meal. I mean, you do a pretty good job of cooking yourself, Anju, but I wanted to try some of your mother's cooking."

" You just don't like my cooking."

" Nonsense!" Principal Cinch said in a defensive manner. " I think your cooking is fantastic."

" Then why don't you eat it more often instead of telling me to take it away."

" I wasn't hungry then, Anju."

Scootaloo sighed and placed the plate next to Principal Cinch. " Well, despite how late it is to be eating something, at least you will be eating rather than allowing yourself to go hungry for a lengthy duration." She turned and began leaving when she suddenly stopped and turned her head. " I'm worried about 'him' more than ever before. It has been such a long time since I heard anything from him."

" You worry too much."

" I... I'm sorry."

" Not to mention apologize."

Scootaloo bowed slightly. " I'm sorry."

Principal Cinch sighed. " Perhaps I should tell you a story, Anju? You could do with something to take your mind off silly trivial matters. Would you like to hear about the history behind the creation Clock Town or maybe you want to hear all about the Gorons of Snowhead? I have plenty of stories to tell you so please feel free to sit down and let me indulge you in a way only a grandmother would know."

Scootaloo shook her head. " I think I will pass tonight, grandmother. I have a lot on my mind and I would rather head off to bed early tonight. I hope that you enjoy the food that my mother has prepared for you. Goodnight." She then left the room leaving Principal Cinch contemplating whether or not she could eat knowing how Scootaloo felt but she ultimately chose to eat as her stomach began growling something fierce. " Why haven't I gotten anything from him?  Did I do something to offend him? I know that I will be a good wife to him so why did he up and disappear when we are so close to our wedding day?"

As Scootaloo walked down the corridor towards the staircase, she ran into someone very familiar to her. " I take it that you have given your grandmother her food?"

" Yes, mother."

" Perhaps now she will finally eat after coming up with such lousy excuses."

" If it's okay with you, mother, I would like to head off to bed now."

" You don't want to talk with your own mother now, Anju?"

Scootaloo shook her head. " I'm sorry."

" There you go again! Apologizing for something you didn't do. Sometimes, I think you're nothing but a doormat, Anju, and I do mean that in the best of ways. I've raised you as best as I could ever since your father passed away long ago yet despite my best efforts, a lot of people have been able to take advantage of you. I'm trying to protect you from those who wish to do you harm but perhaps I've been too overprotective."

" It's about Kafei, isn't it?"

" You've been moping about for the last month ever since he disappeared."

" He and I were supposed to get married the day after tomorrow." Scootaloo said. " We had made the arrangements months ago to get married during the Carnival of Time and now no one has seen him for the last month."

" If Kafei were to show his face now, I doubt he would get a warm welcome from the townsfolk. Maybe it's for the best that he stay as far away from Clock Town as possible until at least after the carnival if he knows what's good for him."

" Mother!"

Principal Cinch then called out from her room. " Misty Fly!? What is going on out there?"

It turned out that in the world of Termina, Misty Fly, one of the more prominent members of the Wonderbolts, was Scootaloo's mother. She didn't seem like the motherly type given she was a career pony in Equestria who had big plans but then things were never what they appeared to be in this world. It appeared she had antagonism towards Kafei and wasn't afraid of expressing her opinion of him given what had been going on within the past month. Misty Fly looked upon her daughter with disgust knowing she continued to believe in her fiancé rather than admitting that he had proven to be unfaithful by disappearing right before their wedding.

" Nothing is wrong, mother." Misty Fly answered.

" It sounds like an argument."

" Never you mind about that."

" In any case, you ought to keep it down in case our guests complain."

Misty Fly groaned as she rubbed the bridge of her nose several times. " Ugh! That's not even in the right context and she knows it." She sighed. " Anju... I've told you this before and I will continue to tell it to you until it becomes clear. You must forget all about Kafei ever fulfilling his promise to you. I knew that boy was trouble from the first moment he entered into our lives yet you insisted he wasn't a problem but now he has left you at such a crucial moment."

Scootaloo was shocked. " How could you say that, mother?"

" I am only speaking the truth."

" He must have his reasons for disappearing."

" Perhaps he decided to backstab you and decided to marry Cremia."

" Mother!" Scootaloo shouted. " How could you accuse my best friend of such a thing?"

" I don't blame Cremia for this mess, Anju." Misty Fly answered. " But it was common knowledge that she had romantic feelings for Kafei but knew she could never be his as she believed you were his special someone. If you want my opinion, Kafei had been manipulating both of you from the very beginning and his parents have been encouraging such behaviour given how protective they are when it comes to his well being. They claim to have no idea where he's been but I suspect they know something but choose to pull off this innocent act as a means of earning sympathy."

" That's such a harsh accusation."

Misty Fly walked closer to Scootaloo and raised her finger to her daughter. " Then where has Kafei gone?"

Scootaloo shrugged. " I... I'm sorry but I don't know."

Misty Fly placed her hand on Scootaloo's shoulder. " I'm not going to argue with you, Anju, but know that you need to accept the fact that Kafei has abandoned you most likely in favour of either Cremia or someone else. It will take you some time before it sinks in but I know it will become clear in due time." She looked towards the staircase, nodded, and then turned back towards her daughter. " Why not head off to bed early, Anju? You could do with a good night's sleep."

Scootaloo nodded. " Very well, mother."

Turning, she began walking up the stairs leaving Misty Fly to ponder over what she had said about Kafei. " I know my words were harsh, Anju, but you needed to be told the truth before you could get hurt. I don't know how long it will take you to forget me but know that this is for the best even if you don't think so. Perhaps, in another time, I would have understood Kafei a lot better had he chosen not to disappear." She sighed. " Ever since that weird moon appeared above town, everything has been falling apart and is showing no signs of changing any time soon. If only things were different..."





After spending roughly ten minutes changing to each of my different forms with the exception of the Deku Scrub for obvious reasons, I played the Elergy of Emptiness to create shells to keep the blue switches pressed and used the lone block to activate the remaining switch before I could continue. The Real Bombchu proved annoying so before I began activating the switches, I bounced them back using my Mirror Shield where they exploded upon impact. Once the puzzle had been solved again, I heard the sound of the way onward opening--I still didn't know what it was that was rising up but it didn't really matter so long as I could continue.

The next section featured the hole in the ground that I had to destroy in order to bring sunlight down to the room below but the moment I entered, the Guays from before began attacking by flying towards me in a straight line. Rather than waste precious magic by using Light Arrows, I simply destroyed them one at a time with my sword. Luckily, one of them dropped a small Magic Jar which I picked up as I needed magic to deal with the puzzle in the next room. Speaking of which, I entered the next room and immediately switched over to my bow before firing an arrow at the sun block and it disappeared revealing the Beamos from before.

Since I knew arrows had no effect on them, I switched over to my bombs and took one out before tossing it over to where the Beamos was stationed. The bomb exploded but all it did was cause the Beamos to close its eye prompting to toss another one--I was fortunate to have had the Biggest Bomb Bag for emergencies--where it exploded, destroying the Beamos only to discover nothing else. Had I been tricked? Had this been a waste of time? It certainly felt like it but I remembered the crystal switch on the other side. I suspected activating it would cause something to happen on this end and now I needed to go over there to find out.

Had I used the Blast Mask earlier to activate the switch on the other side of the fence, I could have saved myself some time but instead I chose to do things as intended. Cursing under my breath, my obvious blunder was one that would taste awful for some time but there was no sense in mulling over it. Putting all of my equipment away, I took out the Zora Mask, looked at it for a few seconds, and placed it on my face where I squatted down and watched as my body parts shimmered from human to Zora before screaming upon finishing my transformation into Mikau.

In retrospect, I didn't really need to transform as I could simply swim under the walkway--it would prove uncomfortable--but I didn't want to take any chances in case something went wrong. Jumping into the water and dropping down until I reached the bottom, I used my fins to destroy the exploding mines by pushing one of them into the others before walking along the bottom, rising back up to the surface, and climbing out. It then became apparent that being a Zora really wasn't necessary. I had to become human and remove the sun block to be able to access the crystal switch before going back to the other side again.

Grabbing my face, I pulled off the Zora Mask, and flipped back my hair whilst cursing under my breath. Already this temple was testing my patience and I wasn't even halfway through this place Taking out the bow and shooting a Light Arrow, the sun block disappeared--I really should have used the Blast Mask earlier--and I jumped over to where the alcove was, activating the switch. A small chest materialized where the Beamos had been on the other side and while I could have become a Zora to swim back across, my stubbornness had gotten fed up with doing all of this nonsense.

Jumping back into the water, I swam underneath the walkway--it wasn't as bad as I thought--and climbed out on the other side before walking over to the chest and kicked it open revealing another Stray Fairy. " If this chest had contained something other than a Stray Fairy, I would have thrown a massive temper tantrum." I said as it flew into my body and disappeared. " I really should have activated that switch earlier as I could have avoided going into the water again."

" Perhaps not doing things as intended is actually a wise idea." Twilight said.

I sighed. " It's too late now as we already came back here."

" If it's any consolation for you, Sunset, I do believe there is nothing more we can do in the temple."

" So we can finally see what the Light Arrow does to this place?"

Princess Twilight nodded. " Yes, but perhaps you might want to consider getting some supplies? You only have one Red Potion left in addition to the Green Potion to see you through the remainder of the temple, and Midnight Sparkle is still lurking about somewhere waiting to make our lives more difficult. If you're feeling confident in your abilities, we don't need to get any supplies, but perhaps this would be a good idea. I mean, you picked up those purple rupees a while back and they will go to waste if not used."

" I could do with some more Red Potions."

" Good thing the Owl Statue for this area has been activated."

I wiped my brow. " I've no intention of climbing that Stone Tower again."

" The only problem with leaving this place entirely is that you might have to move those platforms about with the Elergy of Emptiness." Twilight said. " However, if your aiming has gotten exceptionally better and the target is big enough, we could potentially avoid having to use that song."

My skills with the bow have been getting stronger but I won't deny that I still had a tendency towards missing my shots on occasion. I never really was any good at shooting targets that moved--I preferred targets that were stationary--evidenced by how many arrows I'd wasted throughout the journey but perhaps hitting this gem the Garo Master mentioned upon his defeat would be easy enough to hit. In any case, I had to leave the temple as the target was outside hanging up just above the entrance and I had no intention of taking the long way back to the entrance.

Taking out the Ocarina of Time from the pouch on my belt, I was about to warp around Termina three times. First, I played the Song of Soaring to whisk myself back to the entrance of the temple though I didn't get any wings this time around--perhaps it was because I was only warping a short distance--and when I arrived back at the entrance, I turned around and walked outside before playing the song again. I concentrated on warping over to Clock Town as that was where the shops were that housed what I needed and once the wings protruded from my body, they wrapped themselves around me and I was whisked away.

Landing back in Clock Town, before I did anything else, I checked my wallet to see how many rupees I had in total. A part of me really wanted to start depositing them at the bank on a regular basis--I had over one hundred rupees--yet doing so would take a long time since I only had deposited a small amount in general in the bank. Perhaps, if I were to start making deposits after the final temple, and use the Light Arrows to get purple rupees from defeating monsters, it should only take one cycle as opposed to my current pace. My goal determined, I started walking off towards the shop, my head briefly turning towards the Clock Tower because the bank was on the other side.

At the shop, I ran into some problems as a result of who was running things. Last time I was there, the actual shop owner served me, but this time, it was his assistant who had to tend to my needs, and it didn't take long to figure out he didn't really want to be there given his attitude. He had no idea what any of the items did or if he had an idea, he just spouted nonsense in his bid to make himself look smart. I suspected this assistant only worked during the night hence his attitude but if he were to actually put some effort into it, it could help him acquire the necessary skills that would eventually lead him into getting a better job.

After what felt like forever, I was able to purchase two more Red Potions, bombs and some arrows--I was beginning to run out of the latter two--before leaving the shop quickly. Next time I go in there, hopefully the owner was there instead of the assistant. I never met anyone who showed zero motivation in anything though Princess Twilight said she had in the form of Fluttershy's younger brother in Equestria, Zephyr Breeze. According to her, he was voted the laziest pony in all of Equestria for three years running; not exactly a record one should be happy to win as it set off a bad precedent.

Back outside, I played the Song of Soaring for the third time and the wings brought me back to the top of the Stone Tower. Now that I was fully stocked up on the necessary items, it was finally time to see what would happen to this place upon using a Light Arrow as the Garo Master had said. Looking over the chasm at the other side, I could see what I needed to hit though I felt nervous as I had never hit anything at such a far away range like that. To further increase my chances of success, I walked forward and got as close to the edge as possible until my toes were hanging over the edge.

" This is as close as I can get, Twilight."

Princess Twilight nodded. " Unless you were to use those platforms, you'll have to hit the red emblem from here."

" I've personally had enough of having to manipulate switches even if the song is beautiful."

" Perhaps but I suspect we'll see more of this when whatever happens here happens."

" Maybe but my point still stands."

Princess Twilight pointed over to the entrance of the temple before raising her finger up at the emblem itself. " At least it's big enough for you to hit it, Sunset, but you will need to arch your shot if you hope to hit it from this distance. In my opinion, it's going to have to be a perfect shot especially since you can't afford to use up so much Magic Power. I still think getting closer by using those platforms would make it easier but you do what you think is best."

I could tell that Her Highness wanted me to get closer and I ended up caving in all because I had no confidence in my aim. " Okay... I'll use the Elergy of Emptiness but only on the one platform by using my true self to create the shell."

Princess Twilight smiled. " I knew you would make the right choice."

" I never could say no to you."

" Using the platform should make it a little easier."

Stepping on the switch that was right behind me, I took out the ocarina and played the Elergy of Emptiness as one of the platforms moved into position. Surprisingly, it stopped halfway across leading me to wonder if something had gone wrong. " Um... Why did it just stop right there instead of stopping right in front of us?" I stepped aside so as the shell of my true self would appear--it still creeped my out--and took a closer look at what happened. " It's not like I can jump across to it, can I?"

" It is possible for you to make it."

" Really?"

Princess Twilight nodded. " You'd need a running start first but that alone won't be enough. Extra speed is needed to leap that far so use the Bunny Hood. Not only does have a use when it battle, it also has practical uses like this right here."

And here I thought the Bunny Hood was only meant to make me fast enough to run about or fight faster monsters with equal speed. I never figured it could be used in an unorthodox manner but there we go. Taking it out and placing it on my head--I just found the ears to be oh so adorable--and stepping back several paces, I gulped and started running at top speed before making a leap of faith, landing on the platform though I had to quickly stop as I would have run off the edge. Looking at the red emblem, it was much closer now so I took out my bow after putting the Bunny Hood away, prepared a Light Arrow and aimed upward.

My first shot completely missed the target--it didn't even come close--prompting Princess Twilight to remind me that I needed to arch my shot carefully so that it would sail across the remaining distance otherwise my shot would come up short as it were. Aiming upwards until my line of sight was directly on the emblem, I aimed even higher knowing a straight aim wouldn't work either and I fired the arrow. It sailed over in an arch formation as expected and struck the emblem right in the center of it. At first, nothing happened which made me think I had been tricked by the Garo Master, but then a loud clicking sound proved that he had been correct.

" What was that noise?"

" I don't know."

Suddenly, the entire Stone Tower began tilting to the left. " What in Equestria is going on!?"

" This must be what happens when light strikes the red emblem."

I began to panic. " I don't want to end up falling into the abyss!" My heartbeat began pounding quickly as the tower continued to tilt and I was forced to grab onto the edge of the platform so that I wouldn't fall but this proved futile as it continued to tilt until the entire structure had turned upside-down. " Ugh! Urrgh! Gah! Twilight... I don't think I can hold on for much longer... Ack!"

Princess Twilight began to panic as well. " I'm not sure what I can tell you, Sunset!"

" I think the Garo Master tricked us in the end." I said. I tried to pull myself up onto the block in hopes of avoiding a terrible plunge but it was no use and I accidentally released my grip and instead of falling into the abyss, I fell down towards the sky. Obviously, I screamed but as I fell, I couldn't help but wonder why I was falling towards the moon. " At least I won't die in the abyss though where I'm currently going isn't really much better!" Everything then went white and when I regained consciousness, something had happened that defied reality and logic together at the same time.

The entire Stone Tower had been turned upside-down as expected but I never would have guessed that it would look the way it did, and what was really weird was that I was no longer falling down towards the sky. No, I was standing firmly on the ground as though nothing had changed other than cosmetics. It was as the Garo Master said, The heavens were now below me while the ground itself was now above me. The Stone Tower's secret had finally been revealed and it explained why I couldn't reach certain treasure chests. Now I could thanks to everything having been turned upside-down but did it mean everything inside the temple had also changed?

" Sunset... Are you seeing what I'm seeing?"

I nodded slowly. " Everything is upside-down."

" I'm not sure how we're unaffected but the entire area has undergone a tremendous change."

" Do you think the temple has been changed?"

Princess Twilight nodded. " I wouldn't be surprised at this point. It's also safe to assume that the Dungeon Map has changed to accommodate the tower's shift so think of it as going through an entirely different temple despite it simply being a change in perspective."

I looked up at the sky that was now the ground. " You have to wonder what happened to those Beamos and the boulders we encountered along the way up?" I then looked down at the sky before and gulped. " The moon is falling up towards us now. This is definitely the weirdest thing we've ever seen, Twilight. I mean, nothing like this has ever happened back home in Equestria as far as I know but it has been a really long time since I last paid a visit."

" I've seen all kinds of weird things in Equestria yet nothing like this."

" Well, I've often thought that this world continues getting weirder with every passing moment."

" I'm starting to see why."

I looked over at the now upside-down temple and noticed that the red emblem hadn't moved. It made sense since it looked the same at all angles so it was the only thing that wasn't affected by how everything had changed. In front of me were three platforms that were now stationary and didn't require me to move them with the Elergy of Emptiness. At least I didn't have to deal with creating those shells but then there was no way of knowing if I would have to use the song in the temple now that it was upside-down. I looked behind my back and noticed that the Owl Statue had disappeared. Had it fallen down into the sky upon everything inverting?

But then, if I were to leave the Stone Tower by warping away with the Song of Soaring--there was no chance of going back down to the entrance as that was now above my head--would everything go back to the way it was supposed to be upon returning here later? That felt rather redundant but then nothing about this world surprised me anymore given all that I had seen so far. Another thought then crossed my mind. What would happen if I were to hit the red emblem with another Light Arrow. Would everything go back to normal or was this transition permanent?

I turned to Princess Twilight. " Would everything change back if I hit that emblem again?"

Princess Twilight nodded. " Yes though you would need to have a pretty good reason given we need to have the temple inverted to access the boss room."

That answered that question. " Guess we should make our way over and enter the temple again."

" You should be able to make all those jumps since you're still wearing the Bunny Hood."

Reaching up on top of my head, my hands felt the fuzzy ears of the Bunny Hood, reminding me that I had been wearing them this entire time including when I was at the shop back in town--the assistant probably didn't even notice since he showed no signs of caring about anything. Taking a few steps back, I ran forward and began jumping across each platform, the Bunny Hood giving me the extra distance I needed, until I reached the other side though I almost didn't make it due to the final jump ending with a slight slope. Taking off my mask and putting it away, I walked forward and entered the temple.

Upon entering the Stone Tower Temple again, I was surprised at how different it looked despite it simply being upside-down. The raised groove with the mark of Majora's Mask on it was now directly in front of me including the small treasure chest I had caused to materialize when I activated the sun switch earlier with a Light Arrow. It felt weird that the sky was below me as opposed to above but this was nothing compared to what could be waiting for me further along. There was also the fact that Midnight Sparkle was still around though she might have been shook up a little by the sudden change.

I walked forward making sure to be careful as the pathway was extremely narrow--also it twisted slightly in places--until I reached the chest and kicked it open. A Stray Fairy came out of it before entering my body giving me ten altogether yet now I had no idea where I was supposed to go next. " Which way are we supposed to go?"

" Let's take a look at the Dungeon Map now."

I took out the map and unfurled it only to be shocked at how it had changed. " What the!? It's a completely different map."

" Yes." Twilight said. " It makes sense since we have inverted the Stone Tower."

" So which way can we go?"

Princess Twilight looked closely at the map before giving me an answer. " The only way forward I can see right now is to the right but there is something on here that you should take a look at before we continue." Her Highness then pointed at a skull on the map that was located where the Garo Master had been fought. " It seems the Garo Master was in the same room that houses the boss, yet now we need a Boss Key to gain access this time around."

" Where do you suppose that could be?"

" I have no idea."

That wasn't very reassuring indicating that using the map was going to be essential. " Guess we might as well go in the one direction we can." According to the map, there was a door to my right and it involved walking a really weirdly shaped path. " At least this door doesn't require a key otherwise I would have lost my temper by now." I walked very slowly so as to not fall down until I reached the door and opened it to the next room where I got stopped by a sun block. There was something strange about it that made me feel uneasy. " I can sense an evil presence coming from this thing."

" It's because I enchanted it." Midnight Sparkle said as the upper half of her body came out of the wall to my left.

" You've got a lot of nerve showing yourself."

Midnight Sparkle brushed my comment aside. " Oh don't act like you're some kind of high authority, Sunset. You did me a favour by defeating Sunset Demon as she had been getting on my nerves, but I will admit that I wasn't expecting her to have hired that assassin to kill her. On a different note, what in the world happened to this place? Everything has turned upside-down and it's done nothing but confused me to no end."

" The temple will remain that way until I choose to switch it back."

" Wait! You did this?"

I nodded. " Guess you didn't like having your world turned upside-down?"

Midnight Sparkle wasn't amused by my pun. " I can't believe you did that but then I am impressed that you possessed the ability to do so. Don't take my comment as a sign that I will make things easier for you. I've no intention of being defeated, especially when I'm so close to achieving my goal. I'm going to fight you, Sunset, but when I feel the need to do so and no sooner than that. My power is greater than yours even if you can turn this place upside-down while I can't but that will change soon enough. Anyway, this sun block isn't anything special yet I coated it with darkness just to prove a point and to grab your attention."

" You're a coward."

" I'm being strategic."

" Either I'm going to take care of you or something else will."

" Considering how you acted when you took on Sunset Demon, I doubt you'd be willing to carry out such a pitiful threat." Midnight Sparkle said. " You shouldn't make threats if you aren't allow to carry them out. It kind of gives off a bad image and you can't afford to have that since you're supposed to be the heroine." She then disappeared back into the wall laughing as she did leaving me to deal with the altered sun block.

I then could no longer sense the evil presence coming from it. " Well, at least we can continue on now."

Princess Twilight nodded. " Midnight Sparkle is certainly enjoying herself while taunting you."

" She will get what's coming to her later."

" And you will figure out what you want to do."

I sighed. I wasn't looking forward to when that would happen but I knew it had to be dealt with. Taking out my bow, I fired a Light Arrow at the sun block, removing it and revealing the rest of the room. The mirror on the ceiling coupled with the upside-down large treasure chest told me that this was where the Compass was located. At least I was in familiar territory though everything else had completely changed. Instead of there being water, air currents were blowing up from various holes, and a Deku Flower hinted that my Deku Scrub body was necessary for me to keep going.

Ahead of me was a pathway that went across the room that was blocked off by fencing and inside were several Blue Bubbles. I didn't recall seeing this when I came through here initially when the Stone Tower Temple was right-side up but this room proved that each would be different from before. I then looked down below to see if there was anything of merit but I couldn't see what with how much air blew about. I then looked up and could see there was even more to the room than initially suspected. Judging from how high it got, flying would prove essential provided I could control myself in mid-flight.

As I stared at the air currents, some of them suddenly began shooting bursts of flame that caught me by surprise. I fell onto my butt and scampered back to avoid being roasted before getting back onto my feet and began checking to see if my heart was beating normally. I knew without needing to guess that this was Midnight Sparkle's doing but it meant progressing through this room had just gotten more difficult. One hit from those flames would kill me instantly while in Deku Scrub form and I wouldn't even know which current would change from air to fire until it was too late.

Midnight Sparkle's voice then echoed all around. " I said that the sun block wasn't anything special but I didn't say anything about the flaming columns. The look on your face combined with your reaction was oh-so adorable, I wanted to take a picture of such a moment, but then I don't have a camera to use. Either you'll make it through or end up becoming nothing more than a charbroiled piece of wood."

As her voice disappeared, I took out the Deku Mask, placed it on my face, and began convulsing as my body shimmered from human to Deku. Midnight Sparkle was doing her utmost to taunt me into making a mistake and I knew I couldn't listen to her words. I had to focus on getting through this room whilst avoiding the fire whenever it comes. Once I had finished my transformation, I jumped into the Deku Flower, and launched myself only for an air current to suddenly become fire. I floated for a few moments while the fire shot upwards but my flowers began slowing down indicating that I was about to fall.

Luckily, the fire switched back to an air current and I flew towards it before being pushed up by the powerful breeze. It actually felt really nice considering I just felt the intense heat moments ago, but I wouldn't be appreciating it for long. I then floated up to a small ledge with a blue switch and Deku Flower on it and flew forward only for the air to change into fire, blasting me from behind, the resulting force causing me to roll right into the wall and leaving me dazed. When I came to, I accidentally pressed the switch and a circle of fire disappeared on a ledge further up. I suspected there was a treasure chest up there but I needed to keep the switch pressed.

" Looks like you need to play the Elergy of Emptiness." Twilight said. " It's unfortunate that the Deku Scrub shell can't be used due to it being too light."

I moaned. " And I was hoping to have been done with having to create shells."

" I did say to expect something like this."

" I know, I know."

" You might as well do it since there isn't much of a choice unless a block were to suddenly appear out of nowhere."

As if one cue, a small crate suddenly flew out from nowhere, smacking me in face. " Ouch!" I said as I rubbed my bruised mouth. " I wish you could have said something a little less threatening but it looks like I've found a means of avoiding having to create a shell using the Elergy of Emptiness." I reached out to pick up the crate only for it for the air to blow it off of the ledge and in a random direction leaving me holding nothing. " I really should learn to keep my mouth shut sometimes."

" That could have been Midnight Sparkle's doing."

I sighed. " I wouldn't put it past her to give me some help only to quickly take it away as a means of torment."

" Now you have to create a shell as intended."

Grabbing my face, I pulled off the Deku Mask, and flipped back my hair all whilst grumbling under my breath over what had just happened. If Midnight Sparkle had done all of that just to spite me, I was really going to give her a rude awakening when we find her. Placing my mask on the ground, I whipped out the ocarina, played the Elergy of Emptiness, stepped forward as the shell of my true self appeared, keeping the switch down, and preventing the ring of fire from returning. Picking up my mask and putting it back on, I began convulsing and my body shimmered once again as I changed from human to Deku.

I then jumped into the Deku Flower but was forced to wait as the air current became fire once again. While I wasn't too annoyed with this little twist Midnight Sparkle had thrown me to make things more difficult, I was more concerned with wasting too much time given that if I had my calculations correct, we were getting closer to dawn. Was she trying slow me down intentionally or was there something else at play? I couldn't allow myself to become worried about how much time remained. I had to focus on getting through the rest of the temple and awaken the final Giant. So long as all four were freed, time wouldn't really be a factor.

When the fire became the air current, I launched myself out of the Deku Flower, and grab the wind as it pushed up to the ledge where the ring of fire had been. On top of the ledge was a small treasure chest that I kicked open upon landing on it and a Stray Fairy emerged where it entered my body. That was now eleven of them leaving me only four remaining but then my eyes caught sight of a locked door. That meant there was a key somewhere in this room. I wasn't surprised since locked doors were a standard though I thought it was some kind of trick by Midnight Sparkle designed to annoy me.

Rather than jump down to the ground below--Deku Scrubs couldn't sustain such a fall--I jumped into the Deku Flower that was on this ledge and launched myself where I began floating downward in hopes of getting closer without dropping a long distance. At that moment, the air current became flames, pushing me in the opposite direction though my flowers prevented me from hitting the wall. A shame that my flowers had to give up right there and then causing me to fall the rest of the way, but before hitting the ground, I took off the Deku Mask in hopes that the landing would be more tolerable as a human than as a Deku.

" O-o-o-o-oooooooohhhh!" I moaned as I landed hard on the ground, my knees buckling in the process.

" Are you alright?"

I nodded whilst gritting my teeth. " That was absolutely painful to no end!"

" At least you didn't land as a Deku Scrub."

" If I had done, I'd be in even more pain than I already am." I said. It took me a moment to stand fully upright as my legs needed time to get over having made such a heavy impact on the ground, and when they did, I was knocked down onto my back when a Hiploop on the walkway charged at me. " Ooof!" When I got back up this time, I took out the Hookshot and waited for it to turn around after it had turned away from me. " Strange how I didn't notice it until it attacked with that horn." And when it did turn around to charge, I fired the Hookshot's chain, latched onto the mask, and pulled it off before using my sword to destroy it.

" Always pay close attention to your surroundings."

I moaned as I walked forward, jumping up and down several times along the way to get my legs to start circulating again. " We need to find the key so that we can get out of this room, but it looks like we've searched everywhere other than through that corridor in front of us."

" Let me take a look at the map." Twilight said. I took it out and unfurled it before she began combing over it. " The corridor ahead goes forward a little ways before turning left and continues going until it reaches a dead-end in another room. The key we need could be down there but then again, we know where each treasure chest is since the Compass does show them as marks on the map." She pointed to one such mark nearby--it was actually right behind where I was standing--yet there was no chest behind me. " Perhaps we need to do something down that corridor that will make a chest appear in here."

" Guess we might as well try it out." I said. Hopping up the step and walking down the corridor, I turned left and saw a trail of rupees that looked to be hanging over a pit, but then my eyes noticed a switch located just in front of them. " That must make the chest appear."

" It seems a little too easy, don't you think?"

I nodded. " Yeah, but we can't just stand here and wait for something to happen."

" Just be sure you can handle it."

I walked forward when flames began shooting out of nowhere from the walls, floor, and ceiling. " YEEEOOOWW!" I shouted as I was caught off guard and got hit by the  fire before being knocked back onto my butt. Getting back up, I quickly patted my body in an attempt to put out the fire but when that proved ineffective, I began rolling back the other way until it was put out. " Okay, I don't thin that was supposed to happen."

" Another one of Midnight Sparkle's traps."

" How do I get past that?"

Princess Twilight observed the flames burning until they stopped only for them to not start up again. " I have a theory on what we can do, but you will need to sacrifice a small object to prove it for me. Could you toss a rupee down the corridor for me, Sunset? I know you need them to buy things but it's the only thing I can think of that won't melt when being surrounded by so much fire."

" I think I get what you're thinking of." I said. I took out my wallet, opened it up, and pulled out a single green rupee before putting my wallet away. " Good thing I know how to flick objects otherwise this would be pretty embarrassing right now." Princess Twilight looked at me with confusion on her face and I couldn't help but roll my eyes in response. " It's a human thing kids and teenagers do out of boredom. I'll tell you more about it sometime." Flicking the rupee, it bounced along until it stopped near the switch, and the flames suddenly appeared, burning everything in sight until they disappeared again.

" As I suspected." Twilight said. " The fire comes out when someone gets to close to the switch."

" So how am I supposed to activate it?"

" You're going to have to dodge the flames as they come."

" Just like playing a game of dodgeball." I said. Again, Princess Twilight looked at me with a confused expression and I rolled my eyes again. " I'm surprised you've never played dodgeball before, Twilight. I'm guessing Equestria either doesn't have the game or it has its own version, but again, I'll tell you about it sometime when this is all said and done. In any case, things are about to get really hot and I'm not trying to make a joke out of it."

I walked forward and the flames then appeared as before causing me to raise my hand above my eyes so that I could see what was happening. The switch remained perfectly fine but there were no spaces in-between for me to slip through so unless I could charge through somehow, the fire would surely burn my body something fierce. Midnight Sparkle had definitely outdone herself with this one but I wasn't about to give up just yet at this stage of the journey. I began thinking of a means to get through when I suddenly had a brilliant idea, one I never even considered before.

Even though Gorons could withstand fire better than the other tribes in Termina, as Darmani, I would be too slow when it came to walking, and rolling was sure to make me miss the switch and plunge over the edge in the next room. No, this called for something more traditional combined with an absolute sense of sheer insanity. Taking the Mirror Shield off of my back, I held it up close to my body using both hands and ducked as much as I could behind it. I also needed a running start--the Bunny Hood would have burnt to ashes by the fire so using it was too risky--so I walked back a few steps, the fire coming to a stop.

Running forward with my shield up, the flames came out from the walls yet I plowed right through them, raising my head ever so slightly so that I knew when to stop. The flames singed my tunic, arms, and legs but I kept on running until the switch activated when my feet stepped on it. I heard the sound of a treasure chest materializing somewhere but I couldn't think about it since I had to run all the way back. Stepping back a few paces, I began running back, the flames began shooting out as before, and I plowed my way through. Again, my tunic, arms, and legs got singed but it was worth it if it meant surviving Midnight Sparkle's death trap.

Heading around the corner and back into the main part of the room, I noticed the treasure chest had appeared in-between two pots that I looked at before when I looked behind my back initially when Princess Twilight mentioned a chest would be there as the map detailed. Walking across the walkway and hopping up onto the rised step, I smashed the pots with my sword, picking up a couple of hearts--I needed them after what I had endured--and kicked open the chest revealing a small key. Now I was getting somewhere as this would let me unlock the door at the top provided I flew up there to reach it.

" Now we just need to get back up to the top." I said as I put the key in my pocket.

" Rather than use a Deku Flower, you should just use the air currents."

" You think that will work?"

Princess Twilight nodded. " I do, but you need to make sure not to get hit by the flames."

" Curse Midnight Sparkle."

" I wouldn't let her tricks get to you, Sunset."

I sighed. " You're right, Twilight."

" She will come unstuck when we finally have to deal with her." Twilight said. " She has a lot to answer for but know that you don't have to necessary destroy her. I mean, you could do that as you are well justified in doing so, but you would be doing so in the name of revenge. If you were to kill her, do it because it's the right thing. Or, perhaps she will meet her end against one of the more powerful monsters that still lurks around here."

" I've got a lot to think about then."

" If you go for the revenge angle, I won't condemn you for it."

" Thanks, Twilight."

" Like I said, you will make the right decision when the time comes."

Taking out the Deku Mask again and placing it on my face, I began convulsing yet again--three times within the last ten minutes--and changed into my Deku Scrub form. While I would have preferred diving down into a Deku Flower, Princess Twilight assured me that I could simply use the air currents without the flower. I had every confidence in her advice--she had never steered me wrong--so I jumped down into the current and began floating upwards though I was forced to quickly move forward when the current became flames. Sadly, I didn't fully avoid the fire resulting in my butt getting slightly singed--it hurt like gangbusters because of being a plant now.

I felt the searing pain on my butt but I couldn't do anything about it until I reached the locked door. Fortunately, the flames turned back into air and I used the current to push myself up until reaching the top of the room. The locked door was on a ledge to my left that was surrounded by a few exploding mines that were bolted to the ceiling via chains. I began floating towards them though my flowers began weakening but I kept going in hopes of being able to weave in-between them without causing any vibrations. My flowers gave up a few moments later and I weaved past all three mines only for my foot to hit one causing to collide with another and exploding both.

The explosion from the mines didn't hurt me but I was pushed forward until I smacked into the locked door--the story of my life--and was dazed momentarily. When I regained my senses moments later, I was about to unlock the door when Princess Twilight alerted me to a sun switch that was upside-down located on the ledge where the chest with the Stray Fairy had been. I turned around and looked downwards to see it with my own eyes, and I slapped my forehead in annoyance. How could I have missed something that obvious? I knew what needed to be done so I grabbed my face, pulled off my mask, and flipped back my hair before taking out my bow.

Unlike the red emblem, the sun switch was much closer in terms of distance. All it took was a single Light Arrow to hit it causing to glow before displaying its goofy grin, but when the treasure chest materialized upside-down on the other side of the ledge, I slapped my forehead even harder. If that chest contained a Stray Fairy, I had to invert the temple back to its original position. Granted, this was an early room so it wasn't as bad as it looked. Unlocking the door and entering the next room, I was surprised to see two large pits but before I could assess the situation, something suddenly dropped down from above.