Dawn of the final day:
24 hours remaining
On the final day, the heroes departed the Yak Village and headed towards the Smithy in the mountains. "That's right, Rarity! Oh no, please be okay, please," Rainbow said, worried about Rarity, as they couldn't find her where she was frozen.
However, when they checked Zubora's Cabin again, they were surprised to see Gabora jumping for joy with a decorated barrel on his head and wearing fashionable and sturdy clothes suitable for his work. Zubora, with crossed forehooves, was facing away from Rarity while both were sitting on the couch, which was serving as Zubora's bed.
"Darlings! You freed me! I am so happy to be out of that awful ice prison. I shall assume that the heroism came from you, Hero?" Rarity jumped off the couch, hugged everyone, and cried joyfully. Everyone was overjoyed to be reunited with her.
"Hey, we helped Hero too, you know. We missed you, Rarity." Rainbow expressed her happiness at being reunited with Rarity. The group noticed that Hero's sword had been sharpened and was returned to him.
"Here's your razor blade, tougher than the original. But it'll revert to its original sharpness after at least one hundred swings, so be aware." Zubora warned Hero as he nodded, and they went their separate ways.
The team managed to escape and saw a couple of yaks helping another one climbs onto a high plateau. The starving yak was greedily eating the fruit bread. Rarity then pointed to a sign and read it aloud, "Giant Yak's Big Powder Kegs Shop. Warning: You must be thoroughly trained on how to use them." Rainbow was amazed by it.
As the two friends returned to the Yak Village, Rainbow suddenly spotted a massive bomb. She immediately pointed it out to Hero, her eyes widening in excitement. "Hero! Look at that. It's a huge bomb!" she exclaimed. It would be so awesome to have on our travels. Just imagine the power it holds!"
Hero looked in Rainbow's direction and saw the path that led to the bomb keg shop in the distance. He didn't share Rainbow's enthusiasm, knowing how dangerous it could be in the wrong hands. However, Rainbow was adamant about getting her hands on the powder keg, determined to add it to their arsenal. As they continued their journey, they went to the Yak Village to see the temple's trench and the giant Yak they had encountered earlier.
He has established a station where he crafts powder kegs near the temple. "Hey, that's the yak that tried to blow us off like... well, you know who."
"Oh, hello there. I don't know what happened initially; I went to investigate the temple, fell asleep, and then woke up during springtime—It's the strangest thing. Anyway, I only sell powder kegs to fellow yaks for excavation purposes. I'm sorry for the inconvenience."
"Well then, Rainbow. I suppose that is a shame, isn't it?" Rarity chuckled at her friend. She grinned back, "What's the grin for?"
"If Hero could become a yak, would he still be qualified to use powder kegs?" Rainbow asks as she looks up to the huge yak's eyes.
"Of course, he would. But I don't think that would be possible," retorts the massive yak as he had doubts.
"I think we may have something that could overturn that decision, right, Hero?" he said, nodding as he placed the yak's mask over his face and transformed. As he underwent the painful transformation, he screamed and soon became a yak.
Rarity was shocked, "H-Hero... how did you do that?"
The giant yak and Rarity were both astonished by the transformation. "W-What?! Darmani?! That's not possible. I saw him before I went to investigate the mountains. What happened to him?" The giant yak asked.
Hero explained the sad news to the giant yak, who began to shed tears, "Darmani and I have known each other since we were young. Was it... me? Did I kill my best friend? This makes me very sad," The massive yak tilts his head down in sadness, thinking the worst about himself.
Fluttershy comforted the giant yak, "It's okay. You didn't mean to. The influence of the awful Majora has been terrorizing the land. Come here, big guy." She hugged the wounded giant yak, who sighed blissfully, "You're not a bad guy. You're a sweetie," Fluttershy says in her tender and sweet tone.
The giant yak felt better and thanked Fluttershy, "T-Thanks, little butter pony," The giant yak continued, "Darmani wouldn't want to see me upset. He would want me to remain strong like he was." He then looked at Hero, "You resemble Darmani to a fault. This is incredible. So he lived on in spirit to protect his home even after his untimely demise. That's the Darmani I know and love."
Rainbow eagerly asked, "So, you will allow Hero to use a powder keg, right?"
The giant yak considered the request and replied, "I understand that you need it for a specific purpose—I will not ask any personal questions, but I have to ensure that Hero is trained well before he can handle such a dangerous object."
Rainbow nodded, grateful for the yak's concern for their safety. "That sounds reasonable. What kind of training do you have in mind?" she asked.
The yak explained that Hero would need to undergo a trial. "A boulder has blocked our raceways since that monster came charging through. This powder keg has enough power to destroy it. However, the wick that burns on the keg is not limited and will run out quickly—I'd give it at least two minutes after it's lit before it goes off, and you do not want to be around it when it does." This news made Rainbow gulp and the others gasp in shock.
Rainbow Dash studders briefly, "O-Okay, we don't have much time! Hero, pick up the keg, and let's go deliver it to that boulder. We need to hurry, literally no time to lose!" As soon as Hero picked up the keg, it immediately lit up to signal its eventual destruction. The team had less than two minutes to deliver that keg as they rushed towards the Yak Village to see the pathway down to the raceway.
With less than a minute remaining, they ran as fast as they could towards the path that led to a huge boulder blocking a tunnel to their sports field. The team's hearts were pounding with adrenaline as they knew they had to complete the task before time ran out. In less than ten seconds, Hero dropped the keg, and the team ran away as fast as possible, hoping to make it to a safe distance before the explosion.
With a gigantic explosion that could rival even a magic blast from Celestia herself, the boulder was reduced to tiny pebbles and gravel. The team sighed in relief, but their excitement was palpable. Pinkie Pie, the ever-enthusiastic one, couldn't contain her excitement and exclaimed, "That's close, guys! We made it just in time!"
Rarity, the fashionista of the group, added her own flair to the conversation and said, "Yes, it was, darling. Oh, my goodness. That was quite exciting; if that doesn't get your blood pumping, I don't think anything will." The team was relieved and exhilarated at the same time.
After the work was done, Rainbow Dash asked the yak if they had done a good job. The yak nodded and said, "This work was satisfactory. I acknowledge that Hero yak is approved to use powder kegs. Thanks for helping us get that boulder out of the way; this first one is free. Also, you have fulfilled the wishes of a friend who meant everything to me." The team felt proud of themselves for completing the task successfully and for fulfilling the wishes of the yak's friend.
The team felt a sense of accomplishment as they left the Yak Village and passed by the Mountain Smithy, exiting the mountainous regions and entering Termina Field. "So, where do we go now?" They were interrupted by another rumbling that shook the earth, causing them to look up and see the moon gradually approaching, "Huh? Oh y-yeah, I totally forgot about that moon," Rainbow said as they saw it.
"Oh no, is that moon really getting closer to us?" Rarity asked worriedly, noticing the angry expression on its face as it hovered over the clock tower. "Just when you believed it could get any worse, this is the worst possible thing," Rarity says, frozen in fear; they searched for a way to go that they had not yet traveled when they noticed a pathway leading to the swamp on the right and to the ocean on the left. With no other options, they decided to check there to see if they could find one of their friends.
The group of five individuals walked down a pathway between the swamp and the ocean that was divided into two directions: the left had a stable and a raceway, and the right had a giant boulder. "Look, a giant boulder. Oh no, what a tragedy! It's not like we don't have anything to break it into tiny pieces," Rainbow said sarcastically.
"Yes, way to be subtle, Rainbow," Rarity scolded Rainbow for being too direct as they noticed a tough-looking stallion, who resembled Big Macintosh, trying to mine the boulder out of the way. They went towards him as he swung his tool at the huge rock.
"Some no-good varmint thought blocking the road to our Romani Ranch would be funny. I'm sorry; I'll remove it quickly," the stallion said.
As he kept swinging, Hero approached the boulder in his yak form and placed a powder keg on it. Big Macintosh looked at it, panicked, and ran away as fast as he could, "Christ?! I'm getting out of your way!"
The bomb destroyed the boulder, allowing the five heroes to proceed. "I-I could have cleared that boulder, but I guess that should be enough so long as it's done," Big Mac said as the group continued towards the farm to look for their friends.
The tremors intensified as they entered the fields of Romani Ranch. Near the entrance, they spotted a house and a steel cage. To their shock, they saw Applejack trapped inside the cage. "Applejack!?" the group exclaimed in unison.
"Howdy there, Sugarcubes. You finally made it over here. But as you can see, I'm trapped here for a crime I never even committed. This is plum ridiculous," Applejack sulked behind the bars.
Rainbow tried to pull the bars open with her might, while Applejack just gave her a "seriously?" look. "Don't bother with that, Rainbow," Then, Applejack looks up to see Hero, "B-But I'm sure a full-grown yak could smash these iron bars open." Applejack saw the tall yak warrior standing over the gate. Hero backed up and kicked the bars open, bending them like paper with his yak might. "Yeehaw! Freedom sure does feel mighty nice."
"Hey there! Those ponies are attempting a jailbreak! After them!" The heroic group heard that and made their way out of Romani Ranch as fast as possible. As they galloped towards the exit, they realized a group of guys was chasing them. Upon making it out, they saw Big Mac, who glared balefully at Applejack. "What is she doing out of her cage?!" he asked, blocking their way. "Do you know who you're trying to smuggle out of here? That's the infamous bandit leader, Applejack the Malicious."
"What in tarnation? I am not a criminal. I was just minding my own business and checking out this place after I woke up in the fields here, and these guys grabbed me. They locked me in that cage and then accused me of being a criminal."
"That's because you are one, you varmint!" replied Big Macintosh.
Rainbow raised her eyebrow and asked, "Where's the proof that she did anything you're claiming? Hmm?" hoping that it was a rhetorical question.
"A pretty stupid question, don't you think?" said Big Mac as he showed them the wanted poster of Applejack the Malicious on the side of the cliffs where they were standing. "We also have photos of her robbing Romani Ranch of all of our grains. Although... she never let us capture her before. But why should I care as long as she gets what she finally deserves."
"I can see you're not the bigger brother I have back in Equestria despite you both looking identical," said Applejack.
"Don't try to confuse me with your jargon, Applejack. I ain't listening to it," replied Big Mac.
"Hey, Hero. You'll be mad at me later, but we must get going," said Rainbow, challenging Hero's strength by flexing her forearms.
"Hero is that big guy?! How in Granny Smith's Apple Deluxe Pie did he manage to do that?" asked Applejack as the hours were ticking as they explored the mountains and the Romani Ranch. The night fell upon the final day of Termina.