//------------------------------//
// Chapter twenty-four: Dawn of the Final Day (IV) 
// Story: The Legend of Equestria: Majora's Mask 
// by xombiekilla 
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Dawn of the final day:
24 hours remaining

Twilight Hero and the team left Ikana Castle and saw the front gate to Ikana opening as blue fires lit up the flames in the castle. They quickly visited the Music Box House where Starlight was tinkering.

"We're back out here again. Well, everyone, let's head to that place that Igos mentioned. That's where we'll find the last of those four giants. Just hang in there, Celestia and Luna. We're coming for you guys," Twilight said with shaky breath after their harrowing experience with the Ikana king.

Twilight, Hero, and the rest of their group then headed towards the cave where they found Composer Sharp and saw, over to the right, the entire pathway that was once an impassable wall glowing with blue embers as it faded away and revealed a path forward to the massive Stone Tower Temple.

As they made their way ahead, they felt the presence of spiritual energy growing immensely strong. This must have been the source. They saw the imposing tower rise to over a thousand feet of pure monolithic stone. "We're finally here, guys. It's so big," Twilight said.

"Wow. This was their place of worship?" Starlight continued after Twilight as they entered the temple. 




As they approached the entrance, they saw a message carved on an obelisk that looked like a tombstone. Starlight read it aloud to her friends: "Woe to those who enter here with impure hearts. Those burdened by such vices shall never ascend into truth. Shed such impurities to reach the heavens." 

Rainbow was feeling irritated and asked, "What does that even mean? We have to get rid of all our impurities before we can enter. So now, what are we going to do? I hate riddles."

"It's not a riddle, Rainbow. It's a request for an offering. But what could we offer them?" Twilight stated, while Hero looked at his other three transformative masks and then back at Twilight, "Yeah, I think I understand what they want now."

"It's just like what Igos had told us," Hero sighed as he braced himself, steeling his nerves as he held the changeling mask in his hooves. We'll be right here with you, Hero. I promise," Twilight said reassuringly.

Hero felt a sense of dread as he put on the wooden mask, which clamped down on his face. The changeling noble's emotions flooded into him, causing him to transform into a changeling once more. The transformation was painful, and Hero screamed in agony. In a flash, he was a changeling again.

Looking around, Hero saw his friends staring at him with worry. "Hero... are you feeling okay?" Twilight asked, and he nodded as he pulled out his hive horns. Then, he began playing the Elegy of Emptiness, and a yellow aura surrounded him, creating a stone effigy of the changeling that looked identical to him but without his distinguishing features.

As they examined the effigy, they noticed that its face matched the one on the mask perfectly. The changeling appeared to be trying to escape from something before it died, with a look of pure terror on its face. It was a distressing sight to behold.

The first torch lit with blue flames as if satisfied with this offering. Hero then removed his changeling mask, feeling the anger and sadness of the noble drone being pulled from his body. In a flash, he transformed back into a unicorn. He then grabbed his yak mask.

As he put on the yak mask, his body twisted and transformed into the shape of a yak. The wooden mask locked onto his face, causing him to scream in agony as his transformation reached completion.

In an instant, he had become a yak, towering over his friends with a determined look in his eyes. Hero took out his ceremonial yak drums and began to play the Elegy of Emptiness.

As yellow magic swirled around his body, it formed a yak effigy that looked exactly like Darmani. The statue emanated powerful strength and protective compassion, with Darmani's cloven hooves and forearms held upright in a dominant stance. His face appeared fierce yet determined, with eyes that were whited out. From his tribal tattoos to the rest of his appearance, the statue exuded an invigorating and commanding presence.

As Hero made two offerings, another blue flame was lit. He then removed the yak mask and felt the sadness and regret of Darmani being pulled from his body before returning to his normal form. 

Next, he transformed into a hippogriff, holding the hippogriff mask in his hooves. After putting it on, he felt the mask clamping down on his face like the previous two. The transformation was painful, and he screamed out in agony as his body became a hippogriff again.

Despite his friends' sadness, Hero knew this was a necessary step to move forward. He then played the Elegy of Emptiness using his seashell guitar, and yellow magic started swirling around his body. As a result, a stone effigy of a hippogriff appeared on the third weighted switch, resembling Mikau.

In the effigy, Mikau's body stood upright like the others, holding his seashell guitar in his claws. His head was tilted down, partially closing his whited-out eyes, and tears welled up in them. The melancholy in the effigy was evident, reflecting his inability to save his children and help his beloved.

As Twilight and her friends examined the three statues, they couldn't help but feel a powerful connection to the emotions they represented. Anger, sadness, regret, determination, and love were all emotions that they had felt in their own lives, just like those whose fates were represented by the statues. However, they weren't prepared for the impact that these emotions would have on Hero.

As he healed the three spirits, his friends noticed that something was happening to him. They were worried that the burden of these powerful emotions might be too much for him to bear, "Hero, are you sure you're going to be okay? I can't explain it, but something is happening to you, and it's not good," Twilight said as Hero did his best to reassure them that he was okay, but there was a hint of uncertainty in his voice.

With the third torch lit, all that was left was the fourth and final one. Hero removed his hippogriff mask and allowed himself to feel the full weight of Mikau's sorrow and anguish lifted from him as he transformed back to normal. He played the Elegy of Emptiness one last time. The music was hauntingly beautiful, and it created a physical representation of his pure sorrow and inner child.

The effigy that Hero created was a reflection of someone who had overcome many challenges in life but was still uncertain about their destiny. The last torch was lit in a brilliant blue flame, and the stone gate slowly slid down to the ground, revealing the way forward.

Despite the uncertainty and the weight of the emotions that they had all felt, Twilight and her friends were ready to face whatever lay ahead. They knew that they had each other to rely on and that they would find a way to overcome any obstacle that came their way.




As they passed through the entry gate and entered the temple, they were awed by the sight of its hollow interiors. The layers of square holes leading into the sky were a sight to behold. The moon, with its angry scowl, seemed to be peering down on the earth from above.

The platforms connecting the walls and the moving platforms related to those along the walls looked like they were leading to a different world. "This place is honestly so cool... Woah." Rainbow was in complete awe of this place, as everyone took in the sights of the Stone Tower Interiors. The group carefully jumped from one platform to the next, each step like a leap of faith.

They finally made it into a corridor that led them into an empty room with chiseled markings. The markings looked like they were telling a story, with intricate designs and patterns etched into the walls. "Look at that drawing. That looks like Majora a bit. And that creature that's opposite to him looks a bit like... Celestia?" Starlight observed as she examined the room with Twilight. The room was filled with a sense of mystery and wonder, making it impossible for anyone to look away.

"Hey, Twilight. I remember Flam mentioning this Sol guy fighting against Majora thousands of years ago. That must have been a serious rivalry they had," Rainbow said as they saw more of the chiseled walls revealing more of the story. Majora looked like a bipedal figure, almost chimeric in design. 

In the next drawing, Sol is shown dividing Majora's body into pieces as he is reduced in size and transformed into a mask, which is how Majora's Mask came into existence. However, the clues in the drawing are still somewhat unclear. Four tall figures are present on either side of the drawing, and they are identified as The Four Giants. Lastly, in the farthest panel, a figure resembling Celestia is seen placing Majora's Mask on a pedestal.

"This doesn't make any sense. So Sol fought Majora for eons, which alone is long but vague. But what led to those fights? What happened to make Sol want to do this to him? And why did Majora turn out the way he did?" Twilight studied the wall as they felt a looming spiritual dread; the presence was almost suffocating.

"You're not the only one; I can sense it, Twilight. It feels like there is a thirst for blood in the air," said Starlight, shivering slightly as Hero donned the golden mask with the purple hood. Suddenly, a brown-robed Abyssian figure emerged from the ground.

"Master? Did you summon me?" The figure drew his blades from his sleeves. "Hmph?! You are not my master?!" he exclaimed, rushing towards Hero, who leaped over him. The figure attacked again, but Hero blocked his attack with his mirror shield, causing his blades to fall out and leaving him vulnerable. Hero then struck him with his razor sword several times.

During their confrontation, the Abyssian ninja attempted to use the same tactic again, but Hero was quick on his feet and managed to dodge and block his attack. Hero then struck the ninja a few more times, leaving the creature groaning in defeat as he became too weak to move.

The ninja spoke to Hero, its voice wracked with mortal pain, "A-Although you were not my master, you were a spectacular foe. I take my bow by offering you my knowledge: Our Master of the Garo resides in this temple of worship."

He continued, "T-To see things from a different perspective, one must be willing to shed some light on them. Believe what you will believe in; that is up to you, but to die without a trace, that is the way of us Garo."

As Hero and his team listened intently, the ninja dropped a bomb next to his body and blew himself up, disappearing from their sight. Despite the sudden and violent end to their encounter, Hero could not help but wonder about the ninja's words and the Garo's way of life.

"What could he mean by 'seeing things from a different perspective' and 'shedding some light on them'?" wondered Twilight. "We'll have to continue our journey to find out." The team entered the central temple atrium, which had a gigantic chiseled Majora's Mask serving as the entrance to a significant and ornate door of sculpted carbon steel. There were two other entryways to either side of the masked one, and the team chose the left passageway as it was unlocked.

They entered a room with platforms leading up to a chest at the top. "Time to do some climbing, Hero. You know the drill by now," said Rainbow, watching as Hero climbed up the platforms and jumped from one to another. He reached the chest and obtained a temple key. "Awesome! We're making progress!" exclaimed Rainbow, and the team continued to explore the temple, which quickly became nighttime for Termina.