Chapter 2: So That's Where My Plot Went!
"I really should have found some kind of weapon before coming in here," I said to myself. The dungeon Keeta had sent me to was an underground one. Only a fool would go into such a dangerous place and think he wouldn't need something for self defense.
While I thought of something durable to use, I decided to start thinking about the black pill again. According to the old man's note, my form was related to what killed me first. But last I checked, Volvagia was the one I got my game over on. So why wasn't I a fire-breathing dragon with a funky flaming hairdo and only two arms?
That's when it clicked: what killed me first. Did it mean what actually made my life hit 0? But whatever it was, I was revived! I got back up to fi-
...............
I facepalmed. Of COURSE it meant what made my life hit 0 first: because you can't be "revived" unless you were originally "dead!" Okay, brain, time to rewind the clip! I mentally backtracked through the Fire Temple I had just went through yesterday. Let's see...nothing, nothing, nothing, keep going, STOP! End of Forest Temple, I collapsed as I missed sending a magic volley at Phantom Ganon! ...no, that's not it. Otherwise, I'd have black armor, a skeleton head, and an awesome black horse to ride.
Keep rewinding, keep rewinding...here we go! Two big Stalfos guarding the key I need to progr-oh, that was painful. I remember now: I had captured a fairy back in Jabu-Jabu's dungeon, and kept it with me until I got to the first Stalfos battle. I was stabbed through my defenses, then he caught me off-guard with a jump attack, which I tried to block. This proved futile, and my PC collapsed to the ground before the fairy revived him.
Well, that's one mystery solved. I think. That's what I'll go with for now. I found a metal shield jutting out of the ground near the entrance to the dungeon. It's not a weapon, per se, but I've seen what Captain America and those Defender Heartless can do with one. Just put your mind to it, and a shield is the most dangerous weapon you could ever wield. I examined it a bit. It was kind of like the wooden shield I bought at the Renaissance Faire back when I was 12 years old: the top was smooth, the sides were smooth, and the bottom curved to make a point. Although it didn't have the dragon hoarding the treasure on it.
Sorry about that little bit of nostalgia, it was a nice shield. I put the metallic shield on my left arm, hoping I'd find a good attack weapon to compliment it. I moved to the front of the dungeon, testing the weight of the shield. For a metal, it was pretty light. Hopefully, it would hold up against whatever enemies were down there.
There it was. The door to hell itself. Maybe. I wasn't particularly sure at this point. I grabbed the handle and pulled. It didn't budge. I pulled a bit harder. Still nothing. I did the comical thing, grabbed it with two hands, stood on the side of the door and pulled with all of my might! .........still didn't move an inch.
Sighing, I leaned against the stubborn door. "Well, this is a bust. How am I supposed to save Keeta when the dumb door's lo-WHOA!" The door suddenly opened and I fell down the stairs. For every step I hit, I seemed to lose another bone, until by the end of it all, I was nothing more than a skull on a spine. My first adventure in...wait, was this Equestria? But Keeta said the Black Marsh, and that's in Tamriel, and we're Stalfos, and those are in Hyrule...and am I really contemplating this while I'm a shattered wreck?
Amazingly, my limbs worked in spite of the fact that they were not attached to me. Focusing, I had my right arm crawl towards me and align itself in place. Then, I willed my left arm to meet me, made a shade more difficult by the fact it still had the shield equipped. I locked it in place, and crawled to my legs. I had attached them and was just about to get up when I stared at my legs. My feet were curved outwards.
...............
Son of a bitch, I put them on backwards, didn't I?
2 Minutes of Putting Everything Back Together in the Right Order Later:
I walked down the dark corridor, the pathway lit only by strategically placed torches. If it weren't for those flaming sticks of light, I would assume that this place had been abandoned. As I reached the end, there was another door. Thankfully, this one was easy enough to open: I pulled it towards me and closed it as I walked into the open room.
Ladies and gentlemen, let me tell you something: wherever I was, it seemed to be paradise for the undead. Skeletons (or were they Stalfos, too?) were operating trading stands, zombies were rolling the dice, and all sorts of so-called creatures of the night were having a good time. As I approached the edge of the area, I was greeted by a ghost.
"Hello, there, stranger!" she giggled slightly. She seemed young. Quite the opposite of what I was expecting. Wait a moment...was she a horse? She sure seemed like it: she had four hooves, the mane and tail, and the muzzle of one. Curiously, I peeked at her flank. ...nope, nothing there. I immediately shifted my attention away as soon as I confirmed that.
My greeter tilted her head slightly. "I've never seen a skeleton of your shape before. What kind are you?"
What kind? The human kind, I wanted to shout. But as I examined the room a bit more, I noticed she was right: there were zombified ponies, skeleton gryphons, vampiric Diamond Dogs, even a dragon ghost. But nowhere did I see even a single, solitary thing like me. Maybe I was where I thought I was?
I decided to give her my best answer. "I am a Stalfos. Daniel Fortesque, if you're looking for a name."
Maybe it was just me, but her eyes seemed to widen when I gave her my psuedonym. Was that a good sign? "A Stalfos?!? Oh my goodness, we haven't seen a Stalfos since the King and Keeta!" The King and Keeta? So maybe Keeta wasn't lying after all. I was about to ask her a question, but she gave me a "SILENCE!" motion. "Listen, Stalfos aren't really welcomed around here. They were all destroyed when the current King dethroned Igos and claimed it for himself. Only Keeta survived, and he was cursed to be a reflection in a puddle until the day he died."
"But isn't Keeta already dead?" I asked without thinking. "I mean, you can't be a Stalfos unless you're dead, can you?"
She stared at me. "...that's a good point. Then why can't he get out?"
I dropped my voice to a whisper. "That's what I'm here to find out," I told her. "Can you help me, Miss...?"
"Oh!" She clapped her hooves together. "Sorry, I was just so excited to see someone new, that I forgot my manners! I'm Melody! Decendant of the Forte Family!"
Conspicuously close to a double-soft Melody, I thought to myself. Aloud, I said, "My question still stands, Melody. Can you help me break Keeta's curse?"
She eyed my shield. "Well, Mr. Fortiskay," she began. I winced. Even though it wasn't my real name, having it mispronounced still bugged me. It's one of the reasons I rarely used my real name. She didn't seem to notice as she continued, "if you want to break his curse, either Keeta has to die, or you have to convince the current King or Queen to release him."
"Why either or?" I asked.
She shrugged. "That's just the kind of curse that was placed on him."
A loud ringing erupted from the top of the market area. Melody and I stared as a gryphon with a crown dropped down from the top. He wore one of those malicious smiles, one that said, "You're lucky I'm kind enough to allow you to live." My ghostly friend gasped.
"That's the King! Mr. Fortiskay, if he sees you, he'll destroy you! Hide!"
I had to think fast. How do I hide in a marketplace? Um...aha! I jumped behind an empty stall and found a set of blue robes. Could I convince him I was a zombie of some sort for a moment?
As I threw the clothes on, quickly covering myself, armor and all, the King spoke.
"Greetings, my subjects! Your King has graced you with His presence! However, I'm afraid my being here was not entirely a nice visit." There were a few mutterings in the crowd, wondering what he was talking about. "As you know, the last of the Stalfos has been wiped out, and their sole survivor, Keeta, lies trapped in the Black Marsh until the end of days!" There were a few claps, some cheering, and one whistle. Were we really that badly thought of? "But, it has come to my attention that I, your King, was mistaken!" More hushed whispers. "One of the evil Stalfos has infiltrated our little town and is planning to destroy it by releasing Keeta!" There were gasps all around. "Therefore, in order to get rid of this threat, I hereby issue a proclamation: capture the Stalfos and bring him to me! Whoever brings him to me shall be crowned as my next heir when my time comes!" With that, whooping and hollering came from all around the market place. "I wish you luck in finding this evil monster and delivering him to me. And always report any findings of suspicious activities to guards. That is all, you may continue your work." With that, he flew back up.
The crowd mostly went back to work as I slowly started taking the robes off. Melody, however, stopped me by placing a wide, yellow hat on my head. "You can't show your face, Mr. Fortiskay! Others will notice."
"It's Fortesque," I said as calmly as I could. "Four-tis-cue. Not Fortiskay!"
"Whatever," she brushed it off. "But you still can't show your skull around here yet!" I was just not off to a good start on my journey. She motioned at me to follow her. I nodded slowly.
"Hey, Melody? Who owns that stand?" I asked.
She shot me a smile. "My father does! His name's Allegro. Don't worry about paying us, because I'm sure you'll find something to do around here."
I could only hope.