//------------------------------// // Chapter 70: Children of the Moon // Story: The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Majora's Mask // by Ganondorf8 //------------------------------// The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Majora's Mask By Ganondorf8 August 28, 2017 Chapter 70: Children of the Moon. Playing the Oath to Order had no profound effect on me but for some reason, Starlight Glimmer was experiencing a tremendous amount of pain. It was the call being emitted from the Four Giants that was making her feel so much pain but why? She had no affiliation with them unless... no... there was no way she was the same mischievous imp from the story I heard from Principal Cinch via the All-Night Mask. I mean, she would have to be several centuries old but I questioned that claim. Still, why would Starlight be affected like this? It didn't make any sense but then again, nothing in this world ever did. Looking up at the moon, my entire body froze upon seeing just how close it had gotten to Clock Town. Starlight hadn't been kidding when she said that she would give me five minutes to do something as opposed to the six hours I originally had. What I witnessed in the Dream World where everything in Termina had been destroyed was beginning to come true in that this was how it must have started. Had Ganondorf wanted me to see the end result just to make me suffer some more or had he a different intention in mind? In any case, time had clearly run out as the moon was roughly a minute away from impact. Turning my attention towards Starlight, she continued screaming out in pain and showed no signs of stopping. Spike was completely beside himself, torn between wanting to make sure she was alright and trying to remove Majora's Mask from her face. Princess Twilight, on the other hand, was simply fascinated by the entire spectacle that was occurring before our eyes--you'd think the end of everything would affect Her Highness on a more emotional level but she seemed unfazed by it. Me? I was trying to grasp the situation but it proved difficult as I didn't expect anything like this to happen upon playing that song. Suddenly, a shadow completely eclipsed me and I turned to see what might have caused it. Looking in the direction of Woodfall, my jaw dropped upon seeing Principal Celestia appear out of thin air, her face carrying a serious expression. It had been a long time since I last saw her so I was taken aback by her shimmering golden swimsuit and the markings across both her face and arms. She began walking towards Clock Town by literally trampling across Termina Field without a care in the world--no one was in her path otherwise they would have met a rather untimely demise through no fault of her own. Another shadow then eclipsed me, this one coming from the north so I turned in the direction of Snowhead and watched as Vice-Principal Luna appeared. She chose to come in with a more creative pose--she was lying down on her side in a seductive manner--before she stood up and began walking over the mountains and onto the field. Much like her sister, her face looked serious, a sign both of them knew what needed to be done. Her dark blue shimmering swimsuit along with those markings reminded me of nightfall though I am certain it was just mere coincidence that I would be reminded of that. The next shadow appeared from Great Bay so looked towards the ocean. I was expecting Dean Cadance to appear out of thin air like the previous two Giants but instead she chose to burst forth from the ocean itself. The waves parted as she rose up from deep below the ocean depths, her pink shimmering swimsuit and markings clashing with the water though I doubted she cared. Once she had arisen, she began walking out of the ocean, the waves receding back to how they were before, onto the sand, across the beach, and towards town leaving only just one more Giant to go, the one who was different. A rattling noise then began ringing out and I knew that had to be Flurry Heart. Unlike the other Giants, she was much smaller so I wondered how she was going to contribute when she was clearly height deprived--I wasn't blaming her as she was still only a baby compared with them who were adults. Looking to the east, a rattle appeared and began shaking itself about before Flurry Heart appeared out of nowhere and held it firmly. Her inner tube looked just as adorable as ever though her swimsuit styled dress again made her stand out, but I could easily overlook such differences so long as she could contribute in stopping the moon from crashing. Unlike the others who walked across Termina Field with huge strides, Flurry Heart opted to float across using a pair of wings she had on her back--either I never noticed them before during my initial encounter with her or I did but forgot or didn't pay enough attention. I even noticed Sugarcoat floating alongside her which made sense as she had to serve as the representative of Flurry Heart and had to go everywhere she went. In my mind, I assumed that not having all Four Giants would have prevented them from stopping the moon, forcing me to go back to the beginning of a new cycle of time. That wouldn't happen now as they were all present and accounted for. As I watched the Giants approach Clock Town, a hand suddenly clasped itself on my shoulder. I whipped around in response and was staring directly into Starlight's eyes--the eyes of her mask at any rate. " What have you done!?" " I've called the only ones who can stop you." I answered. " I didn't think you had the means to actually summon them!" " Like I said before, I'm just full of surprises." Starlight attempted to grab the Ocarina of Time from my hand but I pulled it away from her at the last moment. " Give me that instrument, forest girl! I might be able to drive them away by playing something, anything so that I can get rid of this pain afflicting my body. Gah! Why did you have to go and ruin my fun just as I was about to pull off the ultimate prank?" Somehow, she managed to ignore the pain afflicting her body though it was obvious that she wasn't doing a good job of it. " I still have time to defeat you before they arrive so if I were you, I would hand over your instrument unless you want to get pummeled." I sighed. " You still don't get it, do you?" " Get what?" " Using threats and immaturity just to have your own way." " What!?" " Just look at yourself, Starlight." I said. " You could have used that mask for noble purposes but instead you decided to get back at people out of revenge. Come to think of it, a long of the things you've done using that mask were against those who probably never even heard of you before and didn't deserve it. I suspect you just had a grudge against everyone including strangers or maybe someone is suggesting things to you." That made Starlight annoyed. " I'm no one's puppet, forest girl!" She pressed her hand against her chest to make herself appear important. " Everything I have done with my power is because it's what I wanted to do period. You seem to be jealous of the fact that I have power and you don't, hee hee! Jealousy... That actually looks good on you. Makes me wish I had done more than just transform you into a Deku Scrub at the time." I began laughing. " Why would I be jealous?" Starlight was confused. " Because I have power?" " Power gets you nothing in the end." " Is that so?" Starlight asked as she got into my face. " Then how come I'm about to succeed in pulling off the ultimate prank and leaving my mark here in Termina? I'd said having power has made all of my dreams come true. Granted, I've had some problems lately in that for some reason, I black out for several minutes before coming to later and wondering what could have happened, but that's a minor setback, hee hee!" Her arrogance was really testing my patient but then what she said at the end made me feel concerned. " You don't why you've been blacking out? Maybe that's a sign that you don't have as much power as you think you do. Heck! It could mean that you're losing control of what you already have but are afraid to admit it. Either way, you'll have to face judgment for what you've done." " I'm not losing control!" " I beg to differ." " I'm not!" Starlight shouted. She then clutched her head and began writhing in pain. " Besides, it's not like you can do anything to hurt me, hee hee! I may have this pain coursing through my body but you can't defeat me. Guess you were wrong about power getting you nothing." " I'm not the one you have to face." " Then who?" I pointed at each of the Four Giants. " They have more authority on the matter than I do." Starlight then looked at each of them as they finally arrived at Clock Town but could do nothing other than scream at the top of her lungs again. In a way, I felt bad for her having to endure so much pain but then she deserved it for all of the pain she had caused across Termina. I supposed this was karma coming back to bite Starlight's butt as she could have prevented this had she chosen to stop her desire for destruction. And yet, my thoughts were still focused on what she said. Why was she blacking out? Could it that her mask was capable of being more than just that? I had spent some time throughout this journey thinking about as to whether or not Majora's Mask was just that, a mask, but chose to ignore such thoughts as they didn't amount to anything, but now that Starlight said what she did, perhaps such thoughts were closer to the truth than I assumed. The main reason why I never bothered to put it all into practice was because of not being able to confront her up here without acquiring the necessary items. A mask was just something one would wear and while some had special powers attributed to them, the idea of a mask controlling its wearer was just ludicrous... or was it? Before I had a chance to continue my thoughts, Princess Twilight bopped me on the head several times to get my attention and informed me that the Four Giants were ready to do whatever it was they were supposed to do. Each one stood in each of the four compass directions--and in front of the respective domains they guarded--and looked up at the moon that was mere moments away from destroying everything. They then looked at one another before turning back to the moon and lifted up their arms in what appeared to be an attempt to catch it in their outstretched palms. Were the Giants being serious with their plan? Catching it with their hands? I mean, sure, Celestia, Luna, and Cadance could easily do it as they were tall enough not to mention possessed powerful legs that would surely support some of the weight the moon had, yet Flurry Heart was just a baby. She didn't have the legs to use to support the weight and she had smaller hands compared to them. Unless Flurry Heart was secretly as stronger than her fellow Giants, their plan might not work. But, I knew they had everything under control so I didn't need to worry though deep down I was freaking out a little. The moon then fell a little bit more and into the hands of the Four Giants. At first, it looked like they were struggling to keep it up and my fears of Flurry Heart being the weakest link amongst them were becoming reality, but then they slowly began getting it under control, Flurry Heart proving she was just as capable as the others despite her size. This would continue back and forth for a while with the Giants pushing the moon in an attempt to slow its decent while it continued pushing down in hopes of hitting Clock Town--I was biting my nails as this had become so intense--until a bright light occurred which blinded everything for several seconds. When my vision returned, I looked up before quickly closing my eyes out of fear that they had failed in their duty. To my surprise, everything felt peaceful, calm, like nothing was happening and everything had become normal. Opening my eyes, I was shocked to see the moon mere metres away from the tower yet it was no longer moving. The red fire that had surrounded the moon as it got within range--it was pretty despite how horrifying it was in retrospect--had disappeared and the Four Giants were holding it up with their hands. Aside from how awkward everything looked--it looked like they were carrying a huge sphere that had a face on it--the Four Giants had succeeded in stopping the moon. Princess Twilight, who still had her eyes closed, landed on my hat. " What happened, Sunset? Is it over?" " You can open your eyes now, Twilight." " I'm afraid of what I'm going to see." " There's nothing to be afraid of." Opening her eyes, Princess Twilight looked around to see that the Four Giants had succeeded. " I don't believe it! How are they able to hold up the moon like that? Surely it must wear several thousand tonnes yet they are holding up like it was nothing. Truly, this is without a doubt, the most fascinating thing I've seen yet from this world. No one in Equestria is going to believe this and even I'm struggling to." " Remember the story from Principal Cinch?" Princess Twilight nodded. " I remember." " What the Four Giants have done shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone." I said. " Okay, I'll admit that I had my doubts too but this is something they have been doing since this world first existed." I then looked away from Her Highness out of guilt over what was about to come from my mouth regarding her niece. " I honestly thought Flurry Heart would struggle the most what with her size compared to the others so I doubted them." " As the representative of the guardian of Ikana..." Sugarcoat began as she appeared next to me. " I find it insulting that you would insult her status as one of the protectors of this land just because she is different. If not for the fact that she has performed her duty, you would have been punished by her and the others for such insolence. If I were you, I would quickly rectify the situation by apologizing or else you could cause an incident." I looked up at Flurry Heart. " I didn't mean to question your power." " Goo-goo! Gah-ga-goo!" Flurry Heart said. " The Giant accepts your apology." Sugarcoat said as she wrote something down on a notepad she held in her hands. " I'm writing down this slight infraction anyway because I feel you must be held accountable for disrespecting her but I won't hold it against you. Anyway, you have done well in summoning the protectors to stop what was happening. You did have trouble with the song but that was your fault for not practicing." " No need to remind me." " How else will you learn for the future?" " You're going to write that down, aren't you?" Sugarcoat nodded. " If the guardian I represent was able to talk, she would say the exact same thing to you. Anyway, you should check on that person who appeared to have fainted when the Four Giants succeeded in stopping the moon." " What about you?" " I must attend to the guardian of Ikana." Adjusting her glasses whilst glaring at me, Sugarcoat floated up to Flurry Heart before landing on her shoulder. Even in Termina, she was just as blunt as ever refusing not to mince her words and making others feel bad. I had hoped she would have lightened up a little but I supposed some things were impossible even in a fantastical world as this. Still, I was glad the Four Giants had appeared as it meant this adventure was finally over. I was upset at the notion as despite the obvious problems, this had been fun though it had to end as things had to go back to the way they were before Ganondorf changed it. " What do you think Sugarcoat meant about someone who fainted?" Twilight asked. I looked down and saw Starlight had collapsed. " There's your answer." " Why did she faint?" I shook my head. " Beat's me but we should check to make sure she is okay." " Good idea." " And her mask?" " It's probably too dangerous to take it off in case she were to suddenly awaken or something worse." Twilight answered. " If anything, we should consider tying her up so that she can't escape or use her magic. Before doing that, you should check her pulse first. You know, it saddens me to see my student lying on the ground having almost destroyed an entire world just for the fun of it. I was hoping she would have been better than that but perhaps old habits aren't so easily broken." " This isn't the same Starlight you know, Twilight." " I know, Sunset, but it's still hard for me." Walking up to Starlight before getting down on my knees, I pressed my index and middle fingers up against her throat to check her pulse. She was definitely breathing so she wasn't dead, yet there was something odd about her breathing. It was like someone else was doing the breathing instead of her. When I heard her breathing earlier during the altercation where she wanted the ocarina, I knew she had exhausted herself despite saying I couldn't beat her. What I heard then sounded normal compared with now which sounded almost inhuman. What was I hearing? I mean, I was glad Starlight had been defeated, yet something about this just didn't add up. The more I gazed upon her lifeless body, the more I felt something bad was about to happen that would change everything. For now, I decided to leave Starlight alone as she wasn't able to do anything. Plus, I didn't have anything to tie her up with. The Four Giants could always bring her down were she to become unruly again so there was nothing to worry about. Well... I wouldn't say that for sure as the moon still needed to be taken care of. It may have been stopped but the Giants couldn't keep holding it up forever. How were we supposed to send it back up to the sky? " Any ideas on what to do with the moon, Twilight?" Princess Twilight shrugged. " We were so focused on trying to stop it from crashing that we never even considered such a possibility. I suppose we could ask the Giants to simply cast it upwards into the sky but I'm not sure if they can do that. I'm not disrespecting their power yet there is so much about them we don't even understand. Had I been given adequate time, I could have figured out more of their history and other abilities they possess." I rolled my eyes. " Only you would want to do research on them." " I can't help myself." " Perhaps we should talk to one of them?" " That might prove beneficial." " And not for research purposes." Princess Twilight blushed. " I know when I'm to be serious." Before we could ask one of the Giants, Spike suddenly came out of nowhere and began hugging Princess Twilight as hard as he could. While I thought it was amusing to no end in addition to being adorable, she clearly didn't feel the same way. " Sis!" " Uh... Spike?" Twilight said, confused by his hugging. " No need to hug me like that! It's not like you haven't seen me in years or anything like that." " Are you okay, sis?" Spike asked. " Why did you call me by that name again?" I wasn't about to get involved in this one so I allowed Princess Twilight to deal with it much to her displeasure. Now she knew what it felt like whenever I accidentally mentioned a character in this world via their true name because of who they were in the world I called home and Equestria. Besides, someone needed to come up with a plan on how to get the moon back up to the sky and Her Highness was currently preoccupied with her own little problem. I tried calling them in hopes one would listen yet they ignored me entirely leaving me to wonder if I had offended them somehow. Meanwhile, Princess Twilight tried her best to explain things to Spike. " Well... You see... I thought it would make for a good nickname for you. Surely, you must be sick of being referred to as Tael all the time, right?" Spike was still confused. " Um... Why would I be fed up with my name, Tatl?" " I don't know!" " Maybe hanging out with that forest girl has given you unwanted stress?" Spike asked. " It's clear to me that she has quite the reckless lifestyle though to be fair, you have often complained about wanting more action in your life." " If only I could tell you the truth." " About what?" Princess Twilight sighed as she waved her hands. " If I tried to explain things to you, Spike, you would only get more confused and that's not fair to you. Huh... So this must be how Sunset feels when she's in a situation like this. I always thought it was easy but now I realize all it gave her was stress. Remind me to never criticize her about it again." Again, Spike remained confused about what Her Highness was saying and again, she sighed before changing the subject. " I'll tell you about it later, Spike, okay? In any case, we managed to stop the moon from crashing and destroying Clock Town." " How did you know what I was saying when I mentioned about bringing the four?" " It wasn't easy." " You always were the smart one, sis." Spike said. " I knew you would figure out the meaning behind my words even if they were confusing at the time. Though, I am surprised at how quickly you and that forest girl managed to summon them so quickly. How did you manage it in just under three days?" " You wouldn't believe me if I told you." " Fair point." " What's truly important right now is that we made it on time." Twilight said. " By summoning the Four Giants, their call worked on Starlight though I am surprised that she ended up losing consciousness." She then talked under her breath. " I'm sure Sunset was just as surprised so I know I'm not alone on that front but more importantly, why did their call affect her in such a manner?" Looking back up at Spike, he was scratching his head leaving Her Highness to resume talking to him. " I don't mean to ignore you, Spike, but something about all of this seems fishy as in there is something we've clearly overlooked." " I'm Tael, sis!" " Just accept me calling you Spike okay?" " To be honest..." Spike answered. " The more you call me that name, the more I like it. It feels like I'm getting a huge burst of confidence and believe me, I've been needing a lot of it lately given everything that's been happening ever since the Skull Kid stole that mask from that woman." " It appears that you feel conflicted, small fairy." Principal Celestia said, her voice echoing all around. " You need not hide your true feelings of the matter. Doing so will only cause you greater pain in the future so open your heart up to your sister and explain everything. Tatl... Or rather... Princess Twilight Sparkle... It is time for you and Sunset Shimmer to uncover the Skull Kid's secret. Remember that we Giants are aware of what is supposed to be and we know that you are a princess from another land, and the chosen one, a former disgraced individual now defender and heroine." " Oh come on!" I shouted. Why did they ignore me and chose instead to speak with Princess Twilight and Spike? Also, did Celestia have to bring up what I did in the past? " What do you mean?" Twilight asked. Spike's jaw dropped. " Whoa... Are you the Four Giants said to protect this land whenever danger threatens it? I always knew you were real as I listened to the stories passed down by the people of Clock Town yet I never expected to see you all looking so radiant. No wonder you are viewed as deities by everyone." How did he not notice their presence until that very moment!? Granted, he did hide when Starlight and I fought but that's no excuse for not noticing three giant women--and one giant baby. " Do not be intimidated by our presence." Principal Celestia said. " It's not easy considering how big you are." " Give it time." " We must thank you for having mentioned us to the one who freed us from our imprisonment from the dark masks conjured by that masked imp." Vice Principal Luna said. Spike blushed. " It was nothing, really, but I had to do it because the Skull Kid had gone too far." Vice Principal Luna nodded as best as she could given her current position. " We Giants suspected something was amiss when we heard the cries of the people. They called out to us clearly, praying that we help them with one who made them miserable. As the guardians of this land, we are bound to protect those who cannot protect themselves and that means forsaking friendships with others even though it wounds our own hearts in return." " But... We were careless." Principal Celestia said. " Indeed, my sister." " Had we known what was going on, we could have prevented all of the tragedy that has befallen on Termina from happening and this land would have carried on as always." " And yet, the masked imp used her powers to seal each of us within the dark masks of the horrid creatures that guarded the temples." Vice Principal Luna said. " We believed she was no threat to us but we were wrong. Our absence caused so much pain to those who live in this land now and we sincerely apologize for having failed you but now, the time has come to fix the damage caused by the imp and allow the land to begin healing." " Princess..." Principal Celestia began. " You must speak to the masked imp." " Why me?" Twilight asked. " Because you are her friend." " What can I do?" I asked, feeling ignored by everyone. " Should the masked imp awaken from her slumber, you must respond accordingly so that others do not feel her wrath." Principal Celestia answered. " You have the song that resonates with her so use it and our call will once again subdue her. I know you feel upset right now over being ignored, heroine chosen by destiny, but know that what must be done now can only be so between friends. There is much between them that remains a mystery to you and so you shall learn their secrets." I honestly had no idea what Celestia was talking about but I wasn't about to question it. She and the other Giants had way more authority when it came to understanding how this world worked than anyone else so allowing them to take charge of things was the right decision to make. Besides, I sensed they knew a lot more than what they were saying, as though they themselves were hiding a secret. I couldn't say anything in case my feelings were wrong but I wasn't about to just ignore what I could sense. All I could do was allow things to carry out as intended and hope nothing would go wrong. Princess Twilight gulped before floating over to where Starlight was still lying on the ground. " You can get up now, Starlight!" She didn't respond leading Her Highness to repeat herself again. " I said you can get up now!" Again, she refused to budge though Her Highness wasn't about to lose her temper over something so trivial. She knew Starlight had been greatly affected by the call of the Four Giants and that meant a different approach was needed. " Maybe I shouldn't shout at you even though it's appropriate because you're clearly not listening but perhaps you should be reminded of your behaviour." " I hope you know what you're doing." I said. " I hope I do too." " You're just making it up!?" Princess Twilight nodded. " I'm not being given much of a choice here, Sunset. I'm Starlight's friend back in Equestria, yes, but here... I was at first before you found me and showed that this world isn't supposed to exist, but now... I don't think there is a connection between us. I'll still try and see if I can get through to her but it might involve some tough love and maybe even some harsh words which as you know, goes against what I stand for as the Princess of Friendship." Her Highness sighed knowing she had little choice but to rely on being assertive. " Alright... Here goes... Starlight... Do you realize what you've been doing to everyone!?" " Subtle..." I said with a smirk. " It's a start." " Do continue." Princess Twilight breathed in and out several times before resuming. " I know you think you did all of this just because you wanted to perform the ultimate prank, but I think I know why you really did all of this. Something is stirring within my memories of when we all first met back in that tree stump. I remember how you said that you were picked on just because you felt like making them miserable by playing pranks on them. You didn't want to leave yourself a lasting legacy or whatever it was. No, this was all about getting revenge and not only against those who wronged you but everyone in Termina was to be a victim." Once again, Her Highness amazed me with how articulate she was with her explanation. I had long suspected that Starlight was out for revenge as opposed to wanting to cause mischief to everyone via pranks, but why did she go so far as to want to destroy everything? Pranks don't lead towards destruction so clearly there was a gap in-between that needed filling up. All of this was merely speculation and the only one who could explain the truth was unconscious. Hopefully, Starlight would wake up before Her Highness would do something she would live to regret. " Tatl..." Spike began in an attempt to make his voice heard. " You must apologize to everyone!" " Tatl... Please..." " The sooner you apologize, the sooner we can figure all this out." That's when Spike finally flew out in front of Princess Twilight as a means of trying to protect Starlight. " Wait... Sis... Don't... Don't be so hard on the Skull Kid. I know it sounds weird coming from me but you must understand that there was more to her intent than appearances suggest." " What are you saying, Spike?" " I don't want you to bully her." Princess Twilight was surprised to say the least. " Bully her? I'm not trying to do so, Spike, but given her lack of a response, I'm not in the position to just speak freely as though nothing had been going on these past three days. Besides, why are you protecting her? From what I could see, she constantly abused you and your friendship. She admitted that she had hit you so many times just because you chose to speak your opinions. That is not a friend by any means. No, that is a monster who is out for her own personal gain by using others as tools until she has what she wants." " Way to remind me of my own past, Twilight." I said with a glum expression. " Sorry, Sunset, but you were my best example." " Warn me next time, okay?" " Please, sis... Leave her alone." Spike said. Flying up to him and grabbing him as tightly as she could, Princess Twilight had that look in her eyes she gained whenever she wanted something explained. No one could resist her whenever she did that so Spike would be forced to explain himself or else continue to feel pressured by her gaze. It reminded me of Fluttershy's "stare" that she used in order to get critters under control whenever they became unruly. You could say that this was Her Highness' equivalent of the stare but I wasn't going to say anything. In any case, Princess Twilight was shocked at how Spike continued to stick up for Starlight--even I was questioning his motives. " I want you explain right now." " What do you mean?" " Tell me, Spike..." Twilight answered. " Why are you protecting Starlight?" " Because of loneliness." Princess Twilight blinked before planting her finger in her ear. " I'm sorry but could you please repeat that?" " She was lonely... the Skull Kid." Spike answered. " Because so many people shunned her, including those who claimed to be her friend, she felt like she had been trapped and found no way out other than pulling pranks in hopes of making herself feel better. Sure, the pranks made people miserable instead of making them laugh and some were questionable, but it allowed her to experience personal joy. You remembered what the Skull Kid said to us when we first met her, right, Tatl? She said she had a fight with her friends over a misunderstanding but never did explain any further." " I'm sorry but I have to question your ethics." " How come, sis?" " Surely, you saw what she was trying to do, right?" " I know what the Skull Kid has been doing but again you shouldn't be so hard on her." " While I don't mind you defending her, Spike, I do mind when it comes to your excuses." Twilight said. " She was trying to destroy everything around her! To me, that doesn't sound like a lonely child, far from it. In fact, it sounds like she was psychotic in nature and was taking advantage of your emotions as a means of sympathy. You can't defend something like that no matter how honorable. What she did was wrong and it's not fair to allow her to get away with it. Too many people suffered at her hands so to brush everything aside and pretend it never happened isn't going to work here, Spike." " I know why she acted the way she did." " And what would be that be?" Spike then pointed to Majora's Mask, the source of Starlight's powers. " The power of the mask made her do it. At first, she was in complete control of her actions and pulling pranks as a means of making herself feel better, but then she slowly began doing things she never would have considered before. The Skull Kid started becoming someone else entirely, and her voice became vicious in nature. It was too much for her to handle." That's when I decided to step in much to Princess Twilight's relief. " So you confirm that she was losing control?" Spike nodded. " She would suddenly change and treat me with such disdain." I was beginning to see a pattern but I needed more evidence. " Maybe she wasn't as strong as she claimed?" " Ever since she brought that moon down from above..." " So it was the moon that caused her change in attitude?" Again, Spike nodded. " Just look at the Skull Kid over there. She didn't mean to cause so much pain to all those people but she just couldn't help it. Had she been more powerful, the mask wouldn't have proven itself to be a challenge." " It's because she is weak." Twilight said. " What do you mean, sis?" " Anyone who deals with magic and magical artefacts must possess both a strong willpower and a strong heart to be able to control it." Twilight answered. " If you have one or neither of these, no magic will do as you command. I can see now that Starlight lacked both of these forces resulting in what happened. I know you don't like hearing me say it, Spike, but this is the truth that she needs to hear. She was a fool to think she could control something that was beyond her means. But then, this isn't the first time I've seen it happen. Many think they can control great power but it ends up backfiring on them every time." " Certainly, she had far too many weaknesses to use my power." I suddenly sensed something was wrong upon hearing a strange voice. I began looking around in hopes to see what might have spoken out but I couldn't see anyone other than those who were on and surrounding the Clock Tower. I knew I heard something just now as I couldn't have imagined a deep voice but then the more important concern was how I could sense a powerful evil though it was trying its best to hide from my detection. Having used evil magic myself back when I stole Princess Twilight's crown, I had the ability to sense other evil magic but it wasn't as potent as I would have liked. " That's exactly right, Sunset." Twilight said. " Those weaknesses prevented her from using the full extent of the mask's power." " Uh, Twilight?" I began, speaking nervously. " I didn't say that." " Really?" Twilight asked in confusion. " No wonder as your voice sounded different." " I think we're in trouble." " What makes you say that?" I then pointed towards Starlight's body and Her Highness looked to see what I was getting at. All of a sudden, Starlight's body lifted itself off of the ground and began floating in front of us though it was clear she was still unconscious as it was just dangling about. The evil I sensed moments ago had returned but was now much stronger. I thought that this was Ganondorf's doing as a means of testing me but I quickly concluded he had nothing to do with it resulting in me drawing my sword and shield. The instant I did that, Starlight began laughing though it was clear that she wasn't laughing and instead it was the mask itself. Princess Twilight and Spike immediately hugged each other out of fear while I showed no signs of being intimidated by this mask. After all, I had seen much worse than a floating body wearing a mask. Granted, I wasn't expecting anything like this to happen despite believing that something had been controlling Starlight. Unfortunately for all of us, we had no idea what was going to happen next as we knew nothing about Majora's Mask. One thing that was certain was this adventure wasn't finished because of this sudden twist. If anything, it meant I would continue being tormented. " You..." Starlight began, clearly focusing her words on me. " Had I known you would prove yourself to be such a thorn in my side, I would have had this one kill you a lot sooner instead of merely playing with you." " Who are you?" Starlight laughed though with her unconscious body, it just looked really weird. " I am known as Majora's Mask, an ancient deity that once existed in a forgotten era. You already know much of my legend as told by that woman who treasured me like I was hers." " I vaguely remember Sonata telling me about what you were used for." " And yet that was merely a small indication of what I am." " Okay, then what are you?" " I am a demonic monster that has one purpose." I shuddered. Just the mere mentioning of the word "monster" rubbed me the wrong way. " Then answer this one question if you can. Why did you manipulate the who you currently wears you into causing so much chaos? There's no need for you to try and pretend that you're just an innocent mask as I think we've gone way past that now." Again, Starlight laughed though it quickly changed into a weird snickering sound. " I needed to disguise the fact that I was a living entity sealed within this mask but I also learned that much time had passed and so my power was vastly inferior to what it had been in the ancient past. I needed someone who could carry out my desires whilst thinking they were carrying out their own, someone who lacked a strong will to resist me. This imp proved to be an ideal pawn though it soon occurred to me that she lacked a true vision. She wanted to perform mere parlour tricks for petty reasons so I used persuasive measures and have her carry out what I wanted." " You used her?" " Correct." " Why would you do that?" " Because this child is nothing more than a puppet." I aimed my sword up at Starlight's head. " I know Starlight is pretty messed up right now what with all that she has been through, but that's no excuse for you to treat her as nothing more than a slave. Funny thing is that you remind me of someone who does the same thing. Unlike you, he is actually a true nightmare who could easily conquer or destroy any world that he wanted without any effort." " You compare me to a mere human?" " He's more of a demon that you could hope to be." Starlight lowered her head slightly. " So... You think of me as nothing but useless?" I shrugged. " It's the best I could come up with given your current attitude." " Then perhaps I should show you that I am capable of so much more." Starlight said. " This puppet enabled me to get accustomed to my power despite her using it for petty reasons that were an insult to me. However, it is with regret that I must end this charade as continuing with it would only infuriate me further. A puppet that can no longer be used is mere garbage and is best cast aside and wallow away in both ignorance and solitude." At that moment, Starlight's body shook and she crumpled to the ground leaving only Majora's Mask which began floating of its own accord, its eyes glowing brightly upon removing Starlight. " This puppet's role has just ended." " How pitiful..." Majora's Mask cackled. " You show pity towards that piece of garbage?" I shook my head. " No, I find you to be pitiful that you would cast her aside just like that. It does mean that I can now focus on you directly without having to hurt her in the process, something that was a concern but no longer is. Don't underestimate me just because I have a sword and shield. What I said about there being someone far worse than you is still true as he would have destroyed this world several times by now, but he can't interfere here directly as he isn't supposed to be a part of this world." " Why you insist on further angering me?" " I thought this adventure would be over but you had to show up." Majora's Mask's voice then grew deeper and I had every reason to be worried. " It seems that you clearly don't see me as much of a threat. Such ignorance that spews forth from that gaping mouth of yours but then I shouldn't be upset as you nothing but a mere human who swings around a thimble." The mask then lifted its face--or whatever constituted as such and the eyes on its face began glowing in an eerie light. " Look up and tell me what you see..." " I already know it's the moon." " Yet why is it up there?" " Because Starlight wanted to destroy everything as part of her ultimate prank." Majora's Mask cackled again. " Yet why would that piece of garbage bring down such an object unless she had been given an ulterior motive?" It was at that moment when I came to the realization as to the true significance behind the moon. What had originally been seen as Starlight's attempt to make herself be remembered by creating a prank that could never be topped, in reality it had been a means for Majora's Mask to be able to destroy everything. The mask had influenced Starlight into bringing about the end of Termina but wasn't able to control her actions completely due to Starlight's apparent weaknesses according to Princess Twilight. No wonder the moon had such a hideous face--let along one to begin with. Fortunately, the Four Giants had prevented the moon from crashing thus denying Majora's Mask the desire of causing decimation to all it surveyed, yet I could tell that there was something more at play as otherwise it would have flown off into a murderous rage for having it desire taken away. As if on cue, a strange light then surrounded Majora's Mask before it shot straight up at the moon whose mouth had suddenly opened making it appear even more menacing. I tried moving forward to stop the mask from doing whatever it was planning but a strange power froze me on the spot preventing me from going anywhere. Majora's Mask then began floating upwards on the beam of light that it had created until it disappeared into the mouth of the moon before its eyes began glowing. What was strange was that it left the light behind as though it were begging someone to follow--that someone obviously being me. This world needed to be saved so that it could be changed back to the world I called home so I had no choice but to follow Majora's Mask even though I had no idea would could be waiting up there for me on the moon. At least Starlight was safe though I doubted she would ever be the same again as her mind had probably been shattered by wearing that mask for so long. " What is going on down there?" Vice Principal Luna asked. " We suddenly sensed a powerful presence and were wondering if everything was alright." Dean Cadance said. A voice from within the moon suddenly called out. " I... I shall consume... Consume... Consume everything." " Did you hear that?" Vice Principal Luna asked. " It was as though the moon itself spoke out a desire to end everything." Dean Cadance answered. Suddenly, the Four Giants began to buckle as the moon began pushing itself downward. Majora's Mask was determined to make sure that the moon crashed and destroyed everything even if it meant destroying itself in the process. Vice Principal Luna began losing her grip on the moon before she regained it by adjusting her hands though it meant giving herself some unwanted pain. " The moon is trying to force its way down! We must not submit my sisters or else that which we protect shall become lost to us." " The evil power that once emanated from the masked imp... It has become its own entity." Vice Principal Luna was shocked. " What!? How was it that we did not sense this?" " I assume that the entity cloaked itself from our sight by using the masked imp as a shield." " Then truly we were careless for not detecting the true enemy." Dean Cadance nodded. " Then we must ensure that the people of this land are not destroyed by the very evil that threatens their existence. Try as it might, we shall not yield though we can only hold on for so long until its power proves too much for us." Tilting her head downward, she then noticed me standing there and the symbols on her both her face and arms began glowing. " We must guide the one who risked her life against the dark forces and freed us from our imprisonment." " Do not consume your power or else you will not be able to help us keep the moon aloft." " There is no other choice." " The first Giant should be the one to communicate with her down below." " Her power is more important than my own." Dean Cadance said. " Of us four, she is the one who binds us all together and so she must refrain from using her power. So long as I can reach the child chosen by destiny and tell her to pursue the evil power, it matters not what becomes of me." " Do not be so foolish!" " It is the only way." Flurry Heart then spoke up in her own unique manner. " Goo-goo! Ga! Ga! Ga-goo!" " What did she say?" Vice Principal Luna shook her head. " I am not sure as to the meaning behind the youngest of us." " Goo! Goo!" Flurry Heart shouted. " Isn't it obvious as to what she is saying to you?" Sugarcoat asked as she continued writing down on her notepad. " Ga! Ga-goo! Goo!" Sugarcoat nodded. " As the representative of the guardian of Ikana, I am able to go down there and get that heroine moving in the right direction. You four should focus on making sure the moon doesn't crash or else you will have failed those you are to protect. My words may sound harsh and they should but they are honest in their approach. You may choose to punish me for my insolent but that isn't important right now." Flurry Heart giggled. " Ga! Ga! Goo!" " Please allow me to take care of this." Sugarcoat said as she flew down towards the Clock Tower. Again, Flurry Heart giggled. " Ga! Ga-ga-ga! Ga!" " That spirit has much vigor." Vice Principal Luna said. " Yet her tongue is sharp." Dean Cadance said. As I stood there contemplating what to do next, Sugarcoat then appeared next to me and I was prepared for her to give me a scolding. " Why are you just standing there acting like a complete idiot? Isn't it obvious that you should be following that evil thing and stop it from destroying everything. You are supposed to be the one destined to save this land so why don't you live up to that expectation." In response, I put my sword and shield away before steeling myself for what was about to happen. I knew that I couldn't allow Majora's Mask to have its way yet I still hadn't acquired the ultimate mask but then a thought occurred to me. " Do you know where I can get my hands on the ultimate mask?" I asked. Sugarcoat wasted no time in denouncing my question. " There is no time to be thinking about such pointless things, a common trait among you humans. Even as I speak, the Four Giants are struggling to keep the moon from crashing yet here you are wasting time." " If I had that mask, I might be able to defeat Majora's Mask." " You doubt your own abilities?" " I've faced far worse than this mask." Sugarcoat sighed. " There's no point in me trying to convince you otherwise that your thought process is severely flawed. I suppose that is the major drawback of you humans but then the Giants have always loved that about you. You might be able to find this 'ultimate mask' that you keep on babbling about in the place where you're going but it will involve dealing with whoever resides up there--assuming anyone is there--whose power is beyond even that of the Giants." I felt uneasy over how she explained that but I knew not to question it otherwise Sugarcoat would get even more agitated. Nodding to indicate that I was ready to head up to the moon after Majora's Mask, I took a step forward only to realize that Princess Twilight wasn't by my side. I looked around in hopes of finding her and sure enough, she was floating awkwardly as though something were on her mind. Knowing Her Highness, the thought of going up to the moon would have been perfect from a curiosity perspective, but it seemed she wasn't thrilled about the prospect as I thought. " Twilight?" I asked upon seeing her. " Is something wrong?" " This has gotten a little too much for me, Sunset." Twilight answered. I rolled my eyes. " But, you've seen the same things I have throughout this journey. Heck! You've seen even worse things as a princess in Equestria. I know things look dire right now especially when we learned about Majora's Mask's true desire but I need you with me on this one, Twilight. You've always been there to guide me through the most difficult of situations and believe me, I doubt I'll be able to figure anything out on my own." While it did sound like I wasn't giving myself any credit, it was meant for Her Highness more than for myself so I hoped she would believe my words. " Let's go back." " What?" " Let's go back." Twilight answered. " I know it sounds crazy coming from me but why don't we use the Song of Time?" I shook my head. " That won't accomplish anything and you know it. If we go back to the beginning of another three day cycle, this is still going to happen regardless of how we end up approaching it though we will have an advanced warning. Twilight... Don't tell me you're actually afraid. I thought you would be thrilled about the idea of seeing what the moon is like as after all, you love gathering knowledge." Princess Twilight nodded. " I know that we must keep going, Sunset. I was foolish to think that resetting time would solve our problem but that would just be running away from it and allowing that mask to get away with destroying Termina. And I also know that you're just as afraid because of what could be waiting for us up there. Don't pretend that you're feeling extra brave because it really doesn't suit you." I blushed. " Okay, so I'm nervous about it." " You've prepared for this moment even though you originally prepared for Starlight." " Same thing, right?" " Yes." Twilight answered. " So what say we head up and see what awaits us. Besides, I think Sugarcoat is starting to get very antsy about us just standing here." She pointed towards Sugarcoat who indeed was giving us both a glare that could freeze anyone to the bone on account of how chilling she looked. Looking up at the Four Giants, they were showing signs of struggling to keep the moon up so we had to move quickly before one of them were to suddenly give out. I was about to walk into the light when Spike called out. " Sis?" Princess Twilight turned towards him and saw that he was clearly worried. " What's wrong?" " Are you really going up there?" Nodding, Princess Twilight spoke softly. " I have to go up there and help my friend." " I don't you to go." " Excuse me?" " You've been through enough already Tatl." Spike answered. " If you were to go up there and something bad happened, I wouldn't know what I would do. We've been separated for what feels like forever and after only just reuniting mere minutes ago after the Four Giants appeared, you're off again leaving me on my own to deal with the Skull Kid who may or may nor be the same again." " Spike..." " I'm going in your place!" That definitely came out of nowhere and Princess Twilight made sure to address it. " You want to do what, Spike? Are you being serious right now? I hope this is a joke you're pulling as a means of making me laugh." Upon seeing him shake his head, Her Highness was completely beside herself with his sudden bravado. " This isn't a game, Spike. While I would love to stay here and keep you safe, I have to go up there because this world could be wiped out if I don't. I do appreciate your wanting to do something but you could have picked a far less stressful situation." " I must go, sis." " Why?" " I don't always want to be running away." " I'm not sure I follow." Spike sighed. " I could have done something to stop this from happening. I had plenty of chances to muster up some courage and tell her to stop before things got out of control but my words meant nothing all because I didn't try hard enough. Had I been more assertive with my approach, none of this would be happening right now and we would be back in the forest having fun. If only I had been stronger, the Skull Kid wouldn't have become corrupted by that mask. I should have done more to convince her to take it off. Now do you understand why I must go with your friend instead of you?" Princess Twilight nodded. "I understand, Spike, I really do but I insist that you remain here." " But why? " Right now, you are feeling tremendous guilt because of what you said you didn't do." Twilight answered. " That makes you a liability in that your emotions could cause you to give Sunset some poor advice resulting in her getting her hurt or even killed. As it stands, she is the only one who can defeat Majora's Mask and she needs to have a fairy partner who can remain calm in the face of danger and not allow emotions to cloud their judgment. Now... I don't want you to feel stubborn just because you can't have your way, Spike. I already have someone I know who sometimes acts like that so a second one is something I'd rather not have to deal with." " Alright... I'll stay here with the Skull Kid." I knew that Her Highness was referring to me when she said she knew someone who acted stubborn--I wasn't going to argue about it as I was pretty stubborn at times as a result of my temper--so hopefully her words would convince Spike to watch over Starlight and not choose to follow us up to the moon. At that point, Sugarcoat had since begun tapping her foot and smacking her notepad to tell us to get going as we were wasting even more time--she could have been more kinder about it--so closing my eyes and breathing heavily, I walked into the light where I found myself being launched upwards towards the mouth of the moon. Everything suddenly went white as I blacked out upon plunging into the moon's open maw but when I opened my eyes moments later, I was shocked to find myself in some kind of large plain that seemed to carry on forever. Everywhere I looked, there was nothing but plains though there was one very large tree located in the center of the plain. Looking up, I could see nothing but clear blue coloured skies--a vast contrast to the gloom and doom as the moon represented--meshing perfectly with the plains. Everything felt relaxing and peaceful yet this was all located within the moon? How could this exist inside of something like that? Knowing that there was no where else to go other than the tree, I began walking forward in hopes of reaching it--but not before nightfall. Upon taking my first step, I almost fell on my butt due to a sudden tremor courtesy of the moon vibrating. Despite it currently being cradled by the Four Giants, Majora's Mask was still trying to force the moon down resulting in the tremors. Princess Twilight, in the meantime, was simply in awe upon seeing such splendid beauty coupled with the peaceful aura that surrounded us. She kept on saying how she would write all this down and present it to her peers during their next gathering at Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. I couldn't help but find that adorable. As I continued walking towards the tree, its features started to become more distinct. It looked to be a fairly ancient tree what with having so many branches extending out in all manner of directions but I was curious as to how and why a tree could exist in the moon. Upon getting closer, I noticed several children running around the base of the tree with one sitting down in front of it on their own. I was surprised at the fact that there were people up here. How could they be here when this was the moon? Just when I thought Termina itself had gotten weird enough, this had now completely eclipsed it. " Can you hear my voice, child?" Principal Celestia said. I nodded. " I can hear you." " You currently stand in a place that is unknown to us and yet I can sense the presence of others." " There are people here." " We know nothing of them so we are unable to provide you with any advice." Principal Celestia said. " You will need to trust your own instincts to determine whether you are able to seek their counsel or not." " One amongst them is exuding a malefic aura." Vice Principal Luna said. " We suspect that is the one who even now tries to bring down the moon." Dean Cadance said. " You should go and challenge the evil one at once." " Do not be so hasty in rushing towards something without planning." " Ga-ga! Goo! Ga!" Flurry Heart said. " The youngest amongst us is wise beyond her years." Dean Cadance said. " If you can talk to the children successfully and appeal to them, they may be willing to help you in your eventual struggle against the evil one." " Goo!" " In the end, the decision is yours to make." " We shall continue to hold the moon aloft but there is no telling how long we can keep it up." Vice Principal Luna said. " Ga-ga!" Flurry Heart said. " You know what you must do now, child." Principal Celestia said. " Goo! Ga! Goo!" " This world hangs in the balance." As much as I appreciated their confidence in my abilities, I was already under immense pressure and didn't really need any more of it. I knew that the fate of Termina rested on my shoulders yet all they did was remind me of what was at stake. Sometimes, being the heroine was nothing but a headache. Sighing, I continued walking forward until I finally reached the tree and could get a closer look at the people who were running around it. To my surprise, they were just children, yet the bigger surprise was what they were wearing on their faces. They were wearing masks--the common trend of this world--but it was what they were wearing that proved surprising. The one sitting at the base of the tree by their lonesome was wearing Majora's Mask and I could immediately sense a tremendous dark power enveloped around them. They then looked up in my direction before looking back down and I decided to keep my distance for the time being until I figured out what was going on. The other four children each wore a mask of one of the boss monsters I fought in the temples: Odalwa, Goht, Gyorg, and Twinmold, yet how did they acquire them? I assumed they were either one of a kind masks or at best represented an accomplishment resulting from me having conquered them. And yet, there these children were, wearing one of the Remains Masks on their face. I then quickly looked through my inventory to see if they had somehow managed to steal them from me when I was momentarily unconscious upon coming here. To my surprise, the masks were still in my possession. What in the world was going on here? I needed answers and my best option involved talking to one of the children. Since I had no idea how they were going to react, I needed to be cautious so I made sure my shield was slung onto my arm in case one of them tried attacking me. I decided to talk to the one who wore the mask of Odalwa on their face. I figured that since he was the first one I defeated way back in Woodfall Temple, that particular child would be more receptive towards me. If there was one thing about these children that struck me as odd apart from them wearing the masks of the defeated bosses, it would be that they were all wearing white shirts with pants but no shoes. As a colour, white was seen as either neutral or simply just standing out. Could it be that these children were some kind of representation of innocence? Perhaps but I had no means with which to test my theory. Princess Twilight then suddenly began bopping me on the head. " I know who that one is!" " What are you talking about?" I asked. " The one wearing Odalwas's mask." Twilight answered. " That's my old friend, Moondancer!" " Moondancer?" I asked. " Didn't you once tell me about her in one of your responses to my Friendship Reports?" Princess Twilight nodded. " I wanted you to know what could happen if you were to move away from your friends and forget all about them all because of having other commitments resulting from being a princess. Moondancer is essentially the old me though more dedicated to books than anyone else I know. It took a massive undertaking to get her to understand that I wasn't trying to leave her out of my life but I knew that what I had done to her was reprehensible. I'm surprised we haven't run into her before until now." " Guess there were still some surprises left." " Maybe you should talk to her." I looked confused. " Huh? Why me? She's your friend so you should do it." " Not in this world as I know understand." Twilight answered. " Besides, you often handle most of the talking anyway whereas I listen in and take note of anything before relating it back to you once you're done. You'll need me to be extra attentive this time, Sunset, as we have no idea how Moondancer or the rest of these children will behave once you engage in conversation with them." Knowing that Her Highness was right--I wish she wasn't this time--I walked up to Moondancer who immediately turned and looked at me. I felt uneasy about this simply because she was wearing Odalwa's mask on her face but it was something I had to get over quickly if I were to figure out what was going on. " Um... excuse me..." Moondancer then yawned. " Ahhhh! Nice weather, isn't it?" In my mind, red flags were flying. Suffice to say, I was annoyed. " How could you say that? Don't you know what's happening in Termina?" " We don't know anything that happens beyond this place." " Seriously?" Moondancer nodded. " Sometimes, it can be rather dull but we all manage to make do with what we have." She then looked in the direction of the child wearing Majora's Mask who was sitting at the base of the tree prompting me to do the same. " That child over there never makes any attempt to want to play or even talk to us. We don't know why but we feel she is calling out to you to go and play with her. You can if you want but you might find yourself feeling overwhelmed." " Maybe I'll talk to her later." " A shame that she never could rid herself of that mask she carries with her." " What kind of mask?" " All she kept saying was that it could invoke the ultimate transformation." Moondancer answered. " We children of the moon are fine just the way we are so the thought of wanting to change our appearances left us feeling unhappy about her carrying around that mask. She chose to isolate herself by sitting there whilst everyone else continued running about and enjoying life." My eyes opened wide when I heard Moondancer mention the word "ultimate" just now. Was is possible that the child who wore Majora's Mask had in her possession, the ultimate mask that I had sought by collecting all of the masks in Termina? If so then I needed to know how to get my hands on it. It could prove invaluable in dealing with Majora's Mask though there was no telling what it could do seeing as I knew next to nothing other than who had it. Moondancer seemed like she had an idea but would she be willing to share such information with me? It seemed I had no other choice but to inquire about it. " Do you think I could get that mask from her?" " Why would you want it?" " Because I have been working very hard to obtain it." Moondancer then got really close to me before she began sniffing. I felt really creeped and held up my hands to let her know she was in my personal space. Acknowledging my concerns, she stepped back to give me some breathing room. " I don't see why anyone would want that mask but I suppose there is a first time for anything. If you really want to get it from that one over there, you must first give up everything that you collected in order to claim it." " What does that mean?" " Such a curious stranger." Moondancer answered. " When I sniffed you a few moments ago, I sensed something good on your person and it got me thinking. You have a lot of masks so I was wondering if you would like to be a mask saleswoman and give me one of your masks. In return, we can play a game together." " Give you my masks!?" " Correct." " Why would I do that?" " I knew you would show some hesitation but hear me out." Moondancer answered. " By willing to give up everything that you have collected, it may be enough to convince that one to relinquish what she has. Besides, we have grown bored around here lately and we wish for some fun before we must disappear. We children only exist until we are satisfied then vanish as though our existence never occurred. So... Will you give me a mask?" Just when I thought it was going to be easy to obtain the ultimate mask, Moondancer had to go and throw an unusual curveball in my direction. I had a feeling that the other three children of the moon would react in a similar manner so at least I knew something to expect from them when I talk to them later. Still, the thought of giving them my masks after going to such great lengths just to get them made me question their true motives but considering what was at stake, my options were limited and stacked against me. Once again, I had no other choice but to willingly give my masks up. I then sighed. " Fine... You can have a mask." Reaching behind my back, I took out the Deku Mask at random and presented it to Moondancer who immediately tried batting it away. " Please... Put that mask away. There is something about it that makes me feel very uneasy as though it were cursed. I will accept any mask you have except any that are like that." I was skeptical of her reason but chose to go with what she wanted. Putting the Deku Mask away, I randomly pulled out the Mask of Scents--I never really did use it for anything so it practically had been collecting dust--and presented it to her. " How about this one?" Moondancer happily took the mask from me. " Thanks. You really are a nice person despite some hesitation. Now we shall play a game of hide-and-seek where I shall hide and you must find me. This place however, is far too open and thus it would be no fun at all so I shall send us to a more entertaining location." Everything then went white though this time I didn't black out from the experience. Instead, I found myself being teleported to another location. Dropping down from the ceiling in a blue light, I quickly checked to make sure that everything about me was still intact before turning my attention towards where I was. I found myself inside of a large cave that was covered in moss that hung about everywhere and I was immediately reminded of Woodfall Temple for some weird reason. Ahead of me were a series of rotating bars that moved at a decent speed with platforms on the end that were either covered in spikes or had a Deku Flower on them. Against the wall were ledges that appeared to have additional flowers along with Gossip Stones. I had no idea why there were so many of them around but perhaps they could provide me with some information by using the Mask of Truth. Moondancer was nowhere to be found though right off the bat I could tell that this wasn't the kind of hide-and-seek I knew of when I was growing up in Equestria. Nothing else seemed to stand out apart from a light that was to my left which could be a means of leaving. What I did know was that getting through this mess required becoming a Deku Scrub. " I can't believe Moondancer brought us to this place." Twilight said. " She did seem really eager to play with me." " Well... We're here now so we might as well figure out what we're supposed to do." " The Deku Mask is going to be essential here." Princess Twilight nodded. " Yes, and judging from how those rotating bars work, it seems this place will push your abilities as a Deku Scrub to the limit. On a side note, I wasn't happy with the fact that you had to give up one of your masks just to come here but Moondancer and perhaps those other children know more than appearances suggest. For now, it's best to follow along and have fun though that could be quickly dismissed depending on what they do." " And those Gossip Stones?" " You didn't give away the Mask of Truth so you can check them out if you want." " Strange how Moondancer didn't want the Deku Mask." " It contains the spirit of a Deku child." Twilight said. " I suspect these children don't like masks that contain spirits and probably view them as evil in their minds. Until we know for certain how things are going to work around here regarding them, be on your guard, Sunset." " Can you hear me?" Moondancer called out from somewhere. " Where are you?" I asked. " I am somewhere close by but first you must overcome this little challenge." Moondancer answered. " If you can fly across this bottomless pit whilst avoiding the sharp spikes and awkward ledges, you will be able to find me. Should something cause you to plunge into the abyss below, life will not escape you but instead you will be returned to where you can see the blue light that shines brightly. Have as many tries as you want." Her voice then disappeared leaving me to have to deal with this unusual obstacle. " At least plummeting down below won't kill me." " Maybe so but I wouldn't think about making a habit out of it." Twilight answered. Just then, another tremor occurred that almost caused me to fall onto my butt. " I guess the tremors from before are still around." " Yes but they are more powerful since we're in the moon itself." Twilight said. " Better make sure you don't end up getting caught in a bad situation when one goes off. For the time being, you should change into your Deku Scrub form as there is no other way to get across aside from that. Because the moon is no longer falling, you have essentially an infinite amount of time so make sure to take things carefully." Taking out the Deku Mask and placing it on my face, I began convulsing--it had been a while since I felt this unfortunate sensation--and watched as my body shimmered from human to Deku until my transformation was finished. I needed a few moments to get used to being small again--the one drawback of my Deku form--before I walked up to the Deku Flower and dove into it. Before launching, I looked ahead to see what was up first. The rotating bars each had a Deku Flower on their platforms so I didn't need to be concerned yet regarding the spikes though one flower was yellow and the other pink. If I recalled correctly, the yellow Deku Flower would launch me up much further and give me more flight time than the pink Deku Flower. However, because I had gotten so used to using the regular one for flying, if I were to use the other one, my momentum could seriously get messed up resulting in an unfortunate plunge. To play it safe, I needed to land on the platform that housed the pink flower. At least there were no monsters about so it's not like I was in any danger. Launching from the flower, I quickly dropped back down upon realizing that I didn't check to see just how fast those bars moved in comparison to my flight distance. Were I to miss the platform then I would plunge into the abyss below. Sure, I would just re-spawn back at the beginning of this cave according to Moondancer but I wanted to get through this challenge in one attempt. Choosing the pink flower, I waited for it to rotate around before launching myself again. Flying across, I made sure I didn't look down--the thought of seeing an endless black nothing would make me freak out and do something stupid--and landed on the platform with the pink flower. So far, things were going well but I had only just begun making my way across this cave. The next bars featured one with spikes on both ends but I wasn't confident in making it over to the Deku Flowers so long as where I was kept on rotating. Luckily, the ledge to my left housed another flower--and a Gossip Stone--so when I launched myself from my current flower and turned left, I flew over and landed on the ledge and kissed the ground. I had only just started and already I was feeling immense pressure because of having to be so precise with my flying. It was strange at how there were so many Gossips Stones and while there was an urge in my brain to investigate them proper, I needed to focus on finding Moondancer. Princess Twilight then took a closer look at the nearby Gossip Stone. " Other than having this tiny little symbol at the base, this stone and most likely all of the other stones in here look just like the ones we've seen all across Termina." " I wonder why these are even here?" " Want to find out?" " What do you mean?" " You'll need to change back to a human first of all." Twilight answered. "Then, when you've done that, use the Mask of Truth and talk to this Gossip Stone. I know you don't like switching forms just for a simple task but I am curious as to what this Gossip Stone has to say." I nodded but with hesitancy. " Guess I'm a little curious." " You don't have to check it out if you don't want to." I shook my head. " No... I think I will check this one just to put my mind at ease; also, because you would insist on me checking it out on two fronts. One would be out of curiosity and the other being the Mask of Truth. I know you enough that you can be predictable, Twilight." Her Highness blushed as I grabbed my face, pulled off the Deku Mask, and flipped back my hair before I switched out my current mask for the Mask of Truth. Placing it on my face, I walked up to the Gossip Stone and attempted to talk to it though nothing was happening at first. " This is really awkward." " Something is sure to happen." " If not then this will be just humiliating." As if on cue, the Gossip Stone then spoke to me in my mind. " The mask that trickles out troubles from its face seems to be held by the greatest of traveling men." It took me a moment to figure out that it was referring to the Troupe Leader's Mask as given to me by Big Macintosh though a simpler explanation would have sufficed. Still, the Mask of Truth had done what it was supposed to do despite what it said was something I already knew. " That was rather pointless." " Perhaps but at least we know what it says." Twilight said. " Perhaps the other Gossip Stones will say something along those about the other masks you've collected? I do find it strange that they would reveal such information here of all places as opposed to back down in Termina proper." " Guess there's nothing more to do here other than continue on to Moondancer." " Should you decide to check out the other Gossip Stones here or elsewhere, you should see what they have to say." That meant keeping the Mask of Truth for as long as possible and not giving it up to Moondancer or those other children--I assumed without proof that they would do something similar to what she asked of me earlier before coming to this cave. Taking off the Mask of Truth and switching it over for the Deku Mask, I placed it on my face and began convulsing as my body shimmered from human to Deku. No matter how many times I saw my body change in this manner, I never got tired of it. Once my transformation had finished, I jumped into the nearby Deku Flower and waited for the right platform to come along. When a spiked platform came by, I thought about jumping but chose to wait and see how the formation worked. It appeared that the Deku Flower platform and the spiked platform alternated so I had to make my move after the spikes went by. After waiting several moments, I launched myself as the spiked platform came around and flew over before my flowers began faltering indicating that I needed to land quickly. Without worrying about what lurked below--namely the abyss--I dropped flew over and dropped down onto the next Deku Flower, diving into it just as the other spiked platform came up and almost knocked me over. I then noticed a Piece of Heart on the large ledge to my right along with a Gossip Stone, to my left was a door which appeared to be the exit. Two large trees were blocking my path to the door and I suspected that my current Deku Flower wouldn't be able to get me over there. I needed to use the yellow flower as that would give me enough distance to weave my way around those trees without my flowers faltering. The best point to launch myself would be when the platform rotated around far enough so that the ledge with the Piece of Heart was directly in front of me so I waited for the opportunity to come. When my platform rotated under a spiked one and was directly in front of the ledge I was aiming for, I launched myself and flew over to it, but just barely as my flowers gave way right at the very end causing me to drop. I then picked up the Piece of Heart and immediately felt its warmth, making me stronger, more resilient against attacks. The Gossip Stone on the other hand was tempting but I didn't want to have to take off my mask again just for one moment. That's when a crazy idea popped into my head though I doubted it would work. I reached behind my back and took out the Mask of Truth. So long as I was in a different body, I couldn't wear my other masks but perhaps there was a way around that restriction. Placing one hand on the Gossip Stone whilst the other held the Mask of Truth, the stone was able to speak to me. " It seems the mystical item that the skulls obey is in the fiercely burning flame in the graveyard of an accursed land..." I knew it was referring to the Captain's Hat I acquired from Captain Keeta when I first came to Ikana. Again, such information was what I already knew but perhaps it was nice to be given a cryptic reminder of my past accomplishments. Now that I had done that, I put the Mask of Truth away and dove down into the yellow Deku Flower. I had managed to get through the majority of this room without any problems but there was still the matter of weaving my way around the trees without smacking into them. Launching myself really high from the flower, I flew towards the area in-between the trees only for the branches jutting out from each tree to block my path forward to the door. I floated over one branch followed by flying under another but I was clipped by a third branch I didn't notice and I began dropping like a rock. My body then immediately reacted by having me hold out my arms and grab onto the edge of the ledge where the door was--my body smacked into the side of the wall very hard but I managed to not fall into the abyss. I remained there, stunned for a few moments, before slowly pulling myself up and breathing heavily. " That was too close for comfort!" A tremor then occurred causing me to vibrate a little before it stopped. Had I been hanging on instead of up on the ledge, I would have plummeted into the abyss below. " And here I thought this was going to be easy." " Moondancer is playing a serious game." I nodded. " I know she said I could try this as many times as I wanted but something about how she said it made me suspicious." " Well, no need to worry about it now." " Yeah." " Let's see what's in the next room." Picking myself up from the floor, I walked up to the door, opened it, and entered the next room where I saw Moondancer standing there. I thought she was serious about playing hide-and-seek not simply waiting somewhere in hopes of me getting through whatever insanity had been prepared for me and thereby reaching her. " There you are! I was expecting you to be taking this seriously." Moondancer than cringed. " That mask is very unpleasant so please take it off." " Why?" " I want to speak to you as your true self." " Fair enough I suppose." I said. Grabbing my face, I pulled off the Deku Mask, changed back to normal, and flipped my hair back. " Better?" Moondancer nodded. " That strange mask just didn't settle well with me at all. In any case, you managed to find me so that means you've won my little game. I am sure the others will love playing with you too so be sure to talk to them. By the way... I want more masks so please give me some." " Again!?" " Please..." Groaning, I reached behind my back and randomly took out the All-Night Mask--its one use had proven effective from a research standpoint--before handing it over to Moondancer. " I'm not sure why you needed another mask but if this will make you happy then by all means take it." " I'm satisfied now so I don't need anymore." " Does that mean you will disappear?" " It does but at least I got to enjoy my time with you." " So what happens now?" " I would like to ask you a question." " A question?" Moondancer nodded. " You're a very nice person so I hope that your answer will be as pleasant. Your friends... What kind of people are they? Judging from how many masks you've given me, you look to be someone who has made plenty of them throughout her life. Also... Do those people think of you as one? You know... As a friend? I know this sounds like a strange question but I am curious as to your answer." I wasn't expecting such a personal question but I was fortunate that I knew how to answer her straight away. " My friends mean more to me than anything else. Without them, I would probably be alone right now with my own twisted thoughts. They changed me from who I was into the person I am now and I will forever be grateful. Granted, we still have our little arguments which is a part of the whole friendship bit but I know my friends will always be there to make me feel better. They are kind, loyal, honest, generous, funny, and even magical at times and they see me as being empathetic." " You must be so proud of them." " I am." " Thank you for answering my question and giving me your masks." " I guess this is goodbye then." Moondancer nodded. " Perhaps we shall see each other again someday in another time and place. For now, I think you should go back to where we first met. I know the other children would love to talk and play their own games of hide-and-seek with you." While she came off as being unusual given the current circumstances, Moondancer turned out to be a pretty interesting person. I could only hope that the remaining three would be just as easy to deal with but I sensed they would provide me with much harder challenges than what I faced here. I suspected that my other bodies were going to have their own struggles soon enough. Everything then went white and I blacked out, the image of Moondancer fading from my vision as something pulled me back. When I opened my eyes moments later, I was back where I started on the moon.