Dawn of the first day:
72 hours remaining
After taking some rest and feeling refreshed, Twilight and her friends entered South Clock Town. The locals were busy with their daily routines, preparing for the upcoming carnival. In order to make their way to the Canyon Region, they had to head towards Eastern Clock Town.
As they approached the gate, the guard stopped them and said, "Halt! The Eastern Canyon is a dangerous place, known for being infested with curse-ridden monsters, especially at night. I cannot allow a child like you to go there... Wait, is that a sword?"
After realizing his mistake, the guard apologized, "My apologies, sir. It was wrong of me to treat you like a child. Please be careful when going through the Eastern Canyon. It can be quite dangerous." He then raised the gate to allow them to leave Clock Town.
As Hero and his friends ventured through Termina Field, they made their way toward the canyons of Ikana. Once they arrived, they found a scorched and lifeless rocky pathway leading into a dried-up ravine. It seemed unexpected for such devastation.
As they continued their journey, they came across what appeared to be a small quarry used for mining rocks. However, this place had been burned down and looted. Applejack realized that this was the farm Termina Pinkie had mentioned, and they had arrived too late. "This looks like the place, guys," Rainbow said to the group.
"Oh my... oh god..." Twilight gawked at the gruesome sight that greeted them. The dead bodies of three sisters and their parents lay scattered around, with no mercy shown. It was clear that the perpetrators of the attack were ruthless and had left no survivors. The words "Applejack the Malicious was here" were scrawled on the wall of their main family house as a chilling reminder of the evil that had taken place.
Twilight noticed that one item had been left behind, "Hey, Hero, they left this behind. A mask?" But why?" Twilight ponders about that golden mask with a purple hood. It looked like a ritual mask, but why was it there? As Hero picked it up, he could feel its spiritual energy. He wore the mask, but it did not transform him. Instead, it heightened his spiritual senses tenfold.
The group was pondering the significance of a mask that was left behind and why it was there. It was a small consolation in the midst of such tragedy, but it was a reminder that there was still much they did not understand about the region.
The entire area was haunted by the spirits of the victims who were murdered there. Hero shuddered as he felt their anger looming over him. They felt rage, but also sorrow at their fate. Hero saw a mare that looked like the mother, and oddly enough, he bowed to her to show her respect, and she did the same.
The mother then revealed her knowledge to him; her name was Cloudy Quartz. She was a proud mother of four children and a loving husband. While he wore that mask, she spiritually fed him information through her connection to him.
"What's going on, Hero? What are they saying?" According to Cloudy Quartz, Hero told Twilight how they died, "Oh god... that's horrible," Twilight's face was horrified as her eyes widened, "Such unnecessary cruelty." More information was provided as another soul manifested itself next to Cloudy. He introduced himself as Igneous Rock.
There were also three other souls: Maud Pie, Marble Pie, and Limestone Pie. Hero knew them from Equestria, even though these were different. They all revealed flashing images of what happened in their home. Hero was mortified by the grotesque images.
These unfortunate souls had suffered enough pain and trauma. Hero nodded and pulled out his ocarina to play the Song of Healing to ease their suffering. The magic of the song healed them of their turmoil, grievances, and bitterness, and they manifested into real life as they revealed themselves to the group.
"I am Cloudy Quartz, a mother of four and a wife to a loving husband. Though you look very similar to the ones who have slain us, you are different."
As the floodgates of their emotions opened, Hero became the recipient of an overwhelming torrent of pain, sadness, and trauma. It was as if a river of anguish was flowing into him, causing him to double over in agony as his body struggled to assimilate the poignant feelings.
Every fiber of his being was inundated with the intensity of their emotions, and he could feel the weight of their suffering bearing down on him. Despite the overwhelming nature of the experience, Hero remained steadfast, determined to be a source of comfort and support for those in need.
"I am Limestone Pie. I don't normally compliment anyone, but thanks for easing our burdens. I am concerned about Pinkie. Before darkness claimed me, I saw her running away in tears."
"I am Marble Pie. The sadness and lament I felt were incredible; thank you for easing that from us. You're not too badly hurt, are you?" She tried to hug him but went through him because she was a spirit. "Oh dear..."
"I am Maud Pie. We used to be a happy family together, even though we lived in the barren wasteland of Ikana. Before my death, there was much I wanted to do. Unfortunately, I could not rest peacefully until you arrived to help us. I am very grateful for your kindness."
"And I am Igneous Rock Pie. I am a proud father of four children and a loving wife I hold dearly, even in the afterlife. I still feel rage and sorrow, but not to the extent that I did," Igneous continues, "You are an exceptional young lad. We can only offer you our sincerest gratitude and blessings for you in your travels. Further east, you'll reach the valley of death, which used to be the Ikana Kingdom."
"Oh dear, please be wary of those spirits there; they dwell in hatred and bitterness. They are truly awful creatures. If they curse you, you'll be unable to draw your weapon," Cloudy admonishes Hero.
"Igneous always used wards to keep them away from our farm. I suppose that won't do much for us anymore. We can finally move on to the next plane. We can only hope that Pinkie remains strong. She has been known to crumble under pressure," Cloudy explains to Hero.
Hero and his friends saw them all fading into the light, disappearing from this world. "Be strong, be safe, and let Pinkie know that we deeply care for her. A chest in our house should contain the plushie she had since childhood. Please bring that to her so she knows it came from us." Hero nodded and went to respect her wishes.
"Such purity in those eyes... I know you'll do what's right. Farewell." Cloudy Quartz vanished with the rest, leaving Twilight in awe, unable to comprehend what had happened.
"Let's go and give that plushie to Pinkie. I want to do it because I feel mighty guilty about this, even if I didn't technically do it," wracked with insurmountable remorse, Applejack wishes to make this right.
"I understand, Applejack. Let's go back to Clock Town and find Termina Pinkie. Then, we can proceed to the Ikana Kingdom," Twilight said as they entered the ruined house to find a unique ornate chest in Cloudy Quartz's room that contained a Gummy Plushie. It looked like an adorable alligator with no teeth. Twilight led the group with Hero to leave the canyon region and return to Clock Town through Termina.
Twilight and her friends went to South Clock Town to look for Pinkie, who was feeling depressed. They found her lying down and facing the Clock Tower peak. Twilight got Pinkie's attention and said, "Hey, Pinkie, we want to talk to you."
"What?! What do you losers want from me?" Pinkie replied in an irritated tone. "Can't you see from my lack of interaction that I want to be left alone?"
"We have something for you that I think you'll like. Hero, if you please." Her eyes widened as Hero pulled out her Gummy Plushie.
"W-Where did you get that? That's my Gummy Plush. How did you get that?" Pinkie asked, hugging the plushie close to her chest.
"Cloudy told us to give this to you before she passed on. She said that she and the rest of your family love you very much and want you to be strong," Twilight explained.
"I love them and I miss them so much. But why do you guys care so much about me in particular? I'm nobody special," Pinkie said.
"That's not true, Me! No Pinkie will ever be a sad filly on my watch. I will not stand for that," Happy Pinkie Pie said, hugging her to show she was loved and not alone.
Twilight and her friends also embraced Termina Pinkie, who felt an unusual warmth that reminded her of the tender love and friendship she had with her family before they were killed. She cherished that memory and was grateful for the kindness of her new friends, which made her feel alive again.
Termina Pinkie shed tears of joy as she felt her sadness slowly melting away. "All you need is genuine friendship and love. That's not impossible to give to anyone," said Twilight.
Applejack apologized for the actions of her other self in a different reality, admitting that this version of her made her sick to even think about. "I'm sorry for what she did to you. I know it's hard to forgive, but I want you to know that me and my friends from where I come from are not like her," said Applejack to Termina Pinkie.
"For some strange reason, I believe you. You don't have her evil aura that we've felt from Applejack the Malicious. We're rock farmers who also dabble in spiritual studies. That was my daddy's specialty: paranormal phenomenon sciences."
"He put immense care into warding wicked spirits from our farm to protect us." She then relaxed as she drained all the sadness from her wounded spirit. Her mane became brighter but was still silky; her fur color also filled in with the color of life, a richer hue of more brilliant pink to show her current mood.
"We may not be around forever, Pinkie," Twilight said, her voice gentle and reassuring. "But we wanted to give you some closure. No one deserves to feel the kind of pain you've been through."
Pinkie's eyes shone with unshed tears as she looked up at Twilight and her friends. "Thank you, guys. This means a lot to me."
"Gummy is all I have left from my childhood to remember my family by," Pinkie says as she reaches around her neck to unclasp her obsidian necklace, "Here. Take this as a sign of deep appreciation for you guys."
Hero, one of Twilight's companions, took the necklace from Pinkie's outstretched hand. The necklace was wider than his palm, with the obsidian stone shining like volcanic glass. In the center was a charm to ward off curses, chiseled into the stone with intricate detail.
"It's been given a protection charm to ward off evil spirits so that you won't get cursed," Pinkie explained softly. "I won't need it anymore if I'm living here now."
"Thank you, Pinkie. We'll be sure to take good care of it," Twilight said, her voice warm with gratitude. "Please try to be strong for your family, and we promise to come back and visit you. But right now, we have something important to do. Stay safe."
With her friends' words of comfort ringing in her ears, Pinkie watched as Twilight and the others said their goodbyes and made their way out of her home. She knew that they had a mission to fulfill, but she couldn't help feeling a sense of loss as she watched them go.
As the sun set and the moon rose, Hero, Twilight, and company made their way through Eastern Clock Town, Termina, and back to Ikana Valley. Nighttime was approaching, and they knew that they had to continue their journey to the Ikana Kingdom.