One rainy day lightning boomed over the vast land of equestria, a cold wind blew past making the ponies in a small village called ponyville shiver. On a hill overlooking the little town was a young imp with dirty orange clothes, its face is entirely black with glowing orange eyes and large lips. It had in its left hand a flute like object, in his right hand he had a mask of some sort.
“Soon they'll all pay, for forgetting me.” It said as it walked back into the dark woods, vanishing as it placed the mask on its face.
Princess Luna gasped as she shot up in her throne, having fallen asleep next to her sister. "H-he's… alive…" she whispered to herself.
Celestia turned her head to Luna. “Did you say something Luna?”
"N-no dear sister." Luna said with a smile. "Um, Tia… What did thou say happened to Skully?"
Celestia’s smile faded. “He was destroyed after he corrupted you.”
Luna teared up as she looked away. "But he didn't corrupt me!"
Celestia wrapped a wing around Luna. “Of course he did, his curse spread to you, thankfully the elements saved you.”
Luna moved away from her. "Tia, his curse didn't do that to me! You destroyed him for nothing!"
Celestia frowned softly. “I saw what he did, Luna, he was playing his magic flute while you were transformed.”
Luna teared up and looked at her. "I had already transformed! He had been trying to convince me that my jealousy of you wasn't needed… I asked him to heal my pain Tia!"
“That…that can't be, he was cursed and was dangerous.” She said stubbornly.
Luna frowned and stood up, walking away with tears in her eyes. "Tia… I loved him. And you destroyed him, for something he didn't even do…"
“What?! I knew you were getting too close to him.” She said as she stood up.
Luna glared at her sister. "Why was that a bad thing!? You-" Luna paused and sighed, lowering her head before walking away. "We shall see you tonight sister. We cannot be near thee right now."
“Luna stop, please listen to me, he was dangerous and he was probably planning on using us.” Celestia said as she followed Luna.
Luna turned to her and glared angrily at Celestia. "What ever caused you to think that!? He was nothing but kind to us both!"
Celestia flinched and took a step back. “He had wild magic, was cursed, and was taking you away from me.”
Luna stared at her and shook her head. "Sister… I won't forgive you." She said teleporting away.
Celestia frowned and rubbed her chin. “Perhaps his magic is still affecting her…”
Celestia turned to the throne room doors as six ponies and a dragon walked, having sent for them. After her conversation with Luna and her sister's actions, she couldn't leave it be. "Hello my faithful student." She said with a soft smile.
“Princess, what do you need?” Twilight asked as she ran up to Celestia and the two nuzzled.
Celestia frowned and sighed. "We may need to use the elements of harmony on Luna again, I think the dark magic may still be affecting her."
“What!?” The group shouted.
“How can that be? We blasted her with them before.” Rainbow said as she flew around the room.
Celestia sighed and lit her horn, as a projection of a creature with orange clothes and wood-like skin. "The skull kid, I believe he is the one that corrupted my sister and turned her into nightmare moon."
“Where is he? We will go kick his butt!” Rainbow said as she flew through the projection.
Celestia shook her head. "I used the elements of harmony on him and his mask was turned to stone, but he vanished."
“I promise we will stop this villain princess.” Twilight said as she puffed out her chist.
Celestia smiled softly at her. "Thank you Twilight, but be careful. He's a master of deception… me and Luna met him as children and Luna had fallen in love with him."
“Oh my.” Fluttershy said softly.
“How could she fall in love with something so…gasly?” Rarity asked.
"As I said, he is a master of deception, and more than once used his extremely powerful magic to save us to gain our trust." Celestia said with a frown. "He pretended to be Luna's friend, and as princesses it is hard to make true friends so Luna grew close to him."
“That is horrible, nothing worse than a liar.” Applejack said.
Celestia nodded but frowned, turning her head a she heard a small cough as she saw Sweetie belle. A young white filly unicorn whoes normally bright vibrant pink an purple mane and tail where duller than usual. "Oh I'm terribly sorry your majesty, Sweetie belle has been in the hospital for a few weeks and only just got out." Rarity said, bowing her head.
“Hello pri-” Sweetie Belle started before she coughed. “Princess, I’m sorry for interrupting.”
"Not at all Sweetie bell. I do hope you'll be alright." Celestia said with a soft smile.
"The doctors said *cough* I-i wasn't going to make it, but then an angel saved me one night." She said with a smile.
Rarity smiled and rubbed Sweetie’s back. “Sweetie, we don’t have to tell the princess this story.”
"An angel?" Celestia asked with a slight smile as Sweetie belle coughed but nodded.
“Yeah! He came into my room and played music, then I started feeling better.” Sweetie Belle said before she looked up and gasped with a smile. “That's him!”
All the ponies looked at the projection of the skull kid, before Rarity gasped and looked at Sweetie belle. "You saw this monster!? Did he say anything to you?"
The little filly tilted her head in confusion. "Huh? Um… I woke up in the middle of the night…"
Two nights ago.
Moonlight shone through an open window onto a bed inside of the emergency care unit in ponyville emergency. A small filly with gray sickly fur and a pink and purple mane coughed violently as she woke up, tears in her eyes as she thought back to the doctors telling her she only had about a day left. Her family, and friends had come that morning to say goodbye while her sister slept in a chair next to her. She stared at the ceiling as she quietly sobbed.
"Hello young one." A soft voice said, when a gust of wind blew through the open window revealing a short creature in orange clothes. He took a single step in her room as his hand glowed green, a similar glow forming around Sweetie Belle and the creature before a scythe materialized in his hand. The scythe was made of two twisting roots with a single white handle down the center, with a black curved blade shaped like a dragon's fang. "Do you know why I'm here?"
She whimpered a bit and pulled her sheets up to her face. “T-To take my soul a-away?”
She felt a hand gently rub her head. "I am sorry little one, everyone has a time to go. And sadly yours is now, what is your name?" He asked softly and gently.
“S-S-Sweetie Belle…i don’t want to go.” She whimpered,
The creature knelt down, gently pulling the blanket from her face. "It's alright sweetie belle, where you'll be going is a safe and fun place. My name is Zack, and it's my job to get you there safely. Is there anything you'd like me to do for you before we go?"
She sniffled and looked over at Rarity before asking. “C-can I hear some music?”
Zack smiled softly before he pulled out a small blue ocarina. "That request… is a very good thing. I will see you again when your time truly comes." He said as the wind began to funnel into the ocarina, while his fingers moved over the holes to play the notes. "Day to night, dark to light. Fall the sands of time, let the years like the gears of a clock unwind. In your mind, walk through time, back to better days. Memories. Like a dream, wash tears away." He sang as Sweetie Belle looked at him, he smiled softly as she sat her head on her pillow, the world beginning to swirl around her. "Like a star in the sky, darkness can't reach you-"
Present day.
"I closed my eyes as he sang thinking I would be taken away. But when I woke up I felt a lot better, I don't know how but that angel saved my life and cured me!" Sweetie belle said with a wide smile.
Rarity looked at Sweetie Belle with worry. “Why didn’t you tell me the full story Sweetie?”
Sweetie belle hung her head. "I tried to, but you kept interrupting me."
Rarity blushed and giggled nervously. “What? n-noooo.”
Sweetie Belle smiled and looked up. "It's ok, but I'm grateful to him. He saved my life."
Celestia looked at Sweetie Belle with a slight frown as she looked away. “Did I do something wrong?” Sweetie asked.
Rarity frowned a bit but shook her head. "Not at all Sweetie belle, we were just talking about something else."
“Ok, do you think I could take a nap? I’m really tired.” Sweetie said before she yawned.
Celestia smiled softly and nodded, turning to a guard. "Of course, take her to a guest room and make sure she's ok."
"Yes ma'am." The guard said, leading sweetie belle away.
“I’m sorry princess, I should have listened to her when she told me about her angel.” Rarity said with a frown.
"It's ok Rarity, no harm done." Celestia said with a small smile.
Rarity gasped softly. “You don’t think he did something to her do you?”
Celestia rubbed her chin in thought. "I do not believe so, I did sense any alterations to her other than her diese getting cured."
"But why would he save her?" Twilight asked with a confused look.
Celestia frowned a bit and looked away. “He may target children, he said himself that he is a skull kid, a being made from a child that got lost in a magic forest.”
"What?! So he's a child?!" Flutteryshy asked in horror.
“If he is still around he has been alive almost as long if not longer than I.” Celestia said with a small frown.
"What!? But princess, how is that possible!? Is he immortal like you, Luna and Discord?" Twilight asked in shock.
“I do not know, he kept to himself a lot as we got older.” Celestia said with a sigh. “I just know he was slightly older than us when we met him and he never aged.”
"Do you know where he could be now?" Twilight asked with a slight frown.
“My only guess would be our old home.” Celestia said before looking out a window that overlooked Canterlot.
"Pardon me yer majesty, but would y'all be talking about the castle of the two sisters?" Applejack asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Yes, he used to live with us a long time ago before the forest became wild.” Celestia said before looking back at the group. “Please, I am worried he is up to something.”
The group looked at each other for a moment before smiling at Celestia. "We won't let you down princess!" Twilight said with a bow.
“I know you won’t, thank you my little ponies.” Celestia said with a smile.
"Let's go y'all, we got us a varmint ta stop!" Applejack said with a wide smile.
“You will need the elements to face him.” Celestia said as she started to walk.
Fluttershy looked down at the ground as the group walked, lost in thought. "Bit fer yer troubles Fluttershy?" Applejack asked.
Fluttershy looked up at Celestia before she looked at Applejack and whispered. “I just don’t know what to think about this…skull kid. He saved Sweetie’s life AJ…he can't be evil if he saved a filly’s life.”
Applejack frowned a bit and looked down at the ground and whispered. "I'd be inclined to agree… but the princess said he turned Luna into nightmare moon."
“Maybe he changed?” Fluttershy suggested in a whisper.
"Maybe, but how can we know fer sure?" Applejack asked with a whisper.
“We could talk to him.” Fluttershy said with a smile.
Applejack tapped her chin and nodded slowly as the group arrived where the elements of harmony were being held. "Be cautious of the skull kid." Celestia said with a nod to Twilight. "He is very patient and very good at deceiving others."
“We will be careful princess.” Twilight said with a smile.
"Um… princess, what if the skull kid… changed?" Rarity asked cautiously.
“I don’t believe he has Rarity, he saved me and my sister when we first met him, but it was a trick.” Celestia said before she used her magic to unlock the door holding the elements.
Rarity frowned and looked away in thought. "I… see…"
Celestia levitated the box that held the elements of harmony over to Twilight and her friends. “Good luck my little ponies, I have faith you can do this.”
Twilight nodded with a smile as she used her magic to pass the elements over to each of her friends. "I would like to take Sweetie belle home first though…" Rarity said.
“Of course, I hope she makes a full recovery.” Celestia said with a smile.
Rarity bowed to her. "Thank you, your majesty."
“Go, be safe and watch yourselves. The skull kid is full of tricks.” Celestia said with a small frown.
"Yes princess." Everyone said, before they ran out of the castle.
The seven ponies, and one dragon sat on the train heading back to ponyville as Sweetie Belle rested her head on Rarity's lap. Spike stared at the filly with a slight frown, before he looked at Twilight. "Twilight, do you really think this skull kid guy is bad?"
“Of course he is, the princess said so.” Twilight said with a confident nod.
Spike frowned a bit and raised an eyebrow. "Like how she said the prophecy for nightmare moon's return was fake?"
“That was just a test.” Twilight said while waving it off.
Spike sighed and shook his head a little, as Rarity coughed a bit. "Twilight… I… wish to speak to the skull kid before anything."
“Are you sure, Rarity? The princess said he is a trickster.” Twilight said.
Rarity frowned a bit but looked at Sweetie belle. "I know darling. But he… saved sweetie belle's life. If it wasn't for him, whatever the reasons, she wouldn't be here. I just wish to know why."
“Well…ok, but be careful, we don’t want him to turn you against us just like Discord.” Twilight said with a small sigh.
Rarity looked down a bit as Applejack and Fluttershy looked at each other. “Don’t worry, after facing Discord our friendship is stronger than ever, nopony can mess with us!” Rainbow said with a grin.
Applejack and Fluttershy nodded a little, the train shaking Sweetie Belle awake as it pulled into ponyville station. "A-are we home?" She asked coughing a little.
“Yes sweetie, we are taking you home where mom and dad can watch over you while we go look for your angel.” Rarity said as she got up and moved Sweetie onto her back.
"Y-you are? Please I want to go, I need to thank him!" Sweetie belle said, coughing a little again. "If it wasn't for him, I'd be gone."
“Sweetie dear, you still need rest, please.” Rarity said softly.
Sweetie belle frowned and looked down, "B-but I want to see him again…"
“M-maybe after we find him…” Rarity said, though the others looked sadly at her.
"Alright, tell him thank you for me please." Sweetie belle said with a small smile.
“O-of course Sweetie.” Rarity said with a smile and nuzzled her.
Sweetie belle smiled and laid down, humming a tune to herself. "Day to night, dark to light…"
“Let’s get her to your parents so we can get going.” Rainbow siad and clopped her hooves together.
Rarity nodded a bit as they began walking to her house. "Applejack, maybe Applebloom would like to stay with sweetie belle?" She asked with a soft smile.
“That's a good idea Rares, Ah’ll go get her.” Applejack trotted off.
Sweetie belle whimpered a bit as she shook a little, as Rainbow took off to the air. "I'll go get Scoots as well." She said flying off.
"R-rarity…" Sweetie belle said softly. "I-i'm cold."
“Hold on Sweetie, we will be home soon.” Rarity said as she hurried.
"M-maybe the angel will help me again…" Sweetie belle said softly, shaking as she snuggled into Rarity's fur.
“Maybe…” Rarity said with a small frown.
Pinkie pie looked at Sweetie belle with a sad smile. "Don't worry Sweetie, when you're better I'll throw you a big party for being ok."
Sweetie smiled weakly. “I’d like that.”
Fluttershy whimpered sadly as Sweetie belle coughed and whimpered. "R-rarity… I'm scared."
“M-maybe we should take her to the hospital instead.” Rarity said while biting her lip.
"N-no…" Sweetie belle whimpered, tearing up. "I-i can't go back, please I just want to go home…"
“But you aren’t fully recovered.” Rarity said as they stopped.
"T-the angel will save me again, please… I was so scared in the hospital. I can't go back." Sweetie belle whimpered as Twilight sighed.
"Sweetie belle the angel is-" She started to say before Rarity interrupted her.
“In a very dangerous place…if we find him we will tell him about you, ok?” Rarity said.
Sweetie belle nodded as she shook, while Rarity quickly went into her house and laid Sweetie belle on her bed.
“Please stay in bed, your friends will be here soon to watch over you.” Rarity said softly.
Sweetie Belle smiled softly and nuzzled Rarity's cheek. "Love you sis…" she mumbled, before falling asleep.
“I love you too Sweetie.” Rarity said softly before she turned to leave.
Fluttershy and Pinkie pie stared at Rarity sadly while Twilight frowned. "Why didn't you tell her, her angel is going to be turned to stone? You're just going to make her sad when he doesn't arrive."
“Because she doesn’t need to know…she believes he saved her…” She said softly.
"Is sweetie belle ok!?" Two young voices called out in worry. Applejack and Rainbow dash trotted up to the small group with two young fillies, one looking like Applejack with a red mane and a pink bow in her mane, while the other was a small orange pegasus with a purple mane.
“She is still sick but far better than yesterday.” Rarity told them before she smiled at them. “Could you two watch over her for me?”
The two nodded. "Of course! Ah hope she doesn't have a relapse." The filly that looked liked Applejack said.
"Come on Applebloom, you heard what sweetie belle said earlier. An angel saved her, you really think she'd have a relapse?" The other filly, Scootaloo, said as the two walked into their friends room.
“Please do be careful and call for help if she gets worse.” Rarity told them.
"Okay!" The two called out as the group left, as Flutteryshy looked at Rarity worriedly.
"Do you know what's causing Sweetie Belle to be so sick?" She asked her.
“No, I don’t know. The doctors don’t know either.” Rarity said softly as they left the house.
"An unknown sickness…" Applejack said with a sad frown. "That poor filly."
"Is there anything we can do?" Pinkie pie asked, her mane falling slightly.
“Sadly no…perhaps we can find out how the skull kid healed her and do it ourselves.” Rarity said softly.
Twilight frowned and looked at her. "Rarity, we cannot trust this skull kid. The princess said he was a trickster, besides for all we know this skull kid could have given Sweetie belle the disease to play the hero."
Rarity’s ears folded back. “I know that, but it couldn’t hurt…”
"Yeah, Twilight. This ain't a normal situation and this is Sweetie belle's life we're talking about. We need to try." Applejack said before lowering her head. "Ah know I'd do anything for Applebloom."
"I'd team up with Discord for Scootaloo!" Rainbow dash said seriously.
Twilight looked unsure before she sighed. “Fine, we shall try to find out how he did it.”
Rarity smiled softly, as the group entered the evergreen forest. "Why are you in my forest?" A gentle voice called out as the group grew closer to the castle of the two sisters.
The group looked around. “Who's there!?” Rainbow shouted.
"I am the guardian of the forest, and this forest is dangerous. You need to leave before one of you gets hurt." The voice said again, as a gust of wind whipped around them.
“We have been here many times.” Twilight said before she frowned. “And we have to find a dangerous monster.”
"Ah, yes. I know who each of you are. Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and finally Rarity Belle. So Tia sent you here to entrap me in stone again huh? Figures." The voice said, as a figure watched them from a tree branch hidden in the shadows.
Twilight gasped as her horn lit with magic. “So you are the skill kid!”
“You are the one that saved my sister…why did you do it, and how?” Rarity asked as she walked forward.
"Firstly, I am one skull kid. It is my species name. Secondly, does one need a reason to save a child's life?" The voice asked, the skull kid jumped down in front of them. "And lastly, I used a special song that heals all sorrows and pain. Is she ok?"
“She…she is still sick but doing better than before..please tell us the song?" Rarity asked.
The skull kid's hand reached up to its face, before pulling off the mask it was wearing to reveal a set of bright yellow eyes that looked at her confused. "Well… I can try. I've tried teaching the song to ponies before, but Tia and Lulu couldn't get it."
Twilight frowned and stepped forward. “And who are Tia and Lulu? Some ponies you have tricked into staying here?”
The skull kid raised an eyebrow as he looked at Twilight. "Aren't you supposed to be smart? Celes-tia. Lu-na. They're nicknames that the princesses and I use for each other, just like how they used to call me 'Skully'."
Twilight blushed before she glared at him. “That is so disrespectful! They are princesses!”
Zack looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "And I should care why? The three of us were best friends for years…" he said before glaring at them with an angry snarl. "Until Celestia betrayed me!"
“Until she betrayed you!? You are the one that betrayed them!” Rainbow shouted.
Zack barked out a bitter laugh. "Ha! Is that what she told you?! Bullshit." He growled as his body began shaking violently. "Celestia used the elements of harmony on me and sealed my body away into this mask for a thousand years, leaving me a disembodied spirit! I had to watch as everyone I cared about grew old and died." He shouted, wind picking up around him as he glared at them more. "All because she was jealous of how close I was with…with…"
The group noticed his sad expression as he looked down, causing Fluttershy, Applejack, and Rarity to look at him worriedly. "W-with who darling?"
"With Luna." He said softly. "The three of us lived together in the castle with the king and Queen, Celestia never trusted me because of my curse. But Luna was always kind to me and we grew close, Celestia became jealous and started saying I was stealing her sister from her. Then when Luna became nightmare moon I tried healing her pain the same way I did for Sweetie Belle, and Celestia used the elements of harmony on me!"
Twilight frowned and shook her head. “You can’t trick us with your lies, the princess already told us you used your magic to turn Luna into Nightmare Moon and Celestia stopped you before it was permanent.”
Zack growled angrily as his eyes bagan glowing red. "That bitch is going to pay for what she did to me."
Twilight used her magic to light her element. “Come on girls, we have to protect Equestria!”
Zack blinked at her and raised an eyebrow. "The fuck? Who said anything about me fucking up Equestria?"
“Duh, you are a monster that attacked princess Luna, you probably want your freaky forest to cover all of Equestria or something.” Rainbow said.
Zack's eyes shrunk to pinpricks in anger. "I never attacked Luna! I'd never hurt her! She's my best friend!"
“Yeah right.” Rainbow said but Applejack frowned.
“He…he aint lyin.” She said out loud.
"What!?" Twilight and Rainbow dash asked in shock.
"H-he hasn't said a lie at all this entire time." Applejack said with a frown.
Zack sighed and turned away from them. "Leave now, I'm done talking about -"
"Wait please!" Rarity said in desperation. "Sweetie Belle is still sick and she's getting worse again! I need you to teach me that song!"
Zack stopped and slowly turned his head, just enough to see her. “Is she really still sick? This isn’t some kind of trick?”
Rarity shook her head quickly. "Please, she's been coughing more and more since she got out of the hospital! I'm at my wits end…"
Zack slowly turned back around completely as he looked at her, before his eyes turned to Applejack. "Is that true?"
Applejack nodded her head. “We don’t know what she has…but she seems ta be gettin worse.”
Zack frowned and crossed his arms. "That's strange, that's never happened before. Normally the song fully heals the one that hears it…"
“Please, help her again…I don’t want to lose my sister.” Rarity pleaded with him.
“Rarity! We can’t trust him!” Twilight said as she tried to use the elements but they weren’t activating.
Rarity teared up as she sobbed. "I don't care! Sweetie Belle is too important to me!"
Zack stared at Rarity for a moment before he sighed and smiled a bit. "Calm down, I was going to help either way."
“Thank you!” She cried as Twilight and Rainbow argued against letting him near Sweetie.
"You can't let him near her!" Rainbow dash yelled. "He might be trying to hurt her."
Zack rolled his eyes and shook his head, as he walked over to the group. "Oh, shut up. A filly's life is more important than Celestia's petty grudge against me." He said, the wind whipping around them all wildly before they appeared in Sweetie Belle's room.
"What in tarnation?!" Applejack and Applebloom yelled together.
“How did we get here!?” Twilight shouted. “You didn’t use a teleport spell! I would have felt it!”
"Seriously? Celestia sent you to turn me to stone, without explaining my magic? I have nature magic." Zack raised an eyebrow at her, as her eyes widened in shock and wonder.
“N…Nature magic! That is wild and uncontrollable!” She shouted.
“Hey! Don’t yell, Sweetie is asleep.” Scootaloo said to her.
Sweetie belle coughed and shook as she opened her eyes slowly. "R-rarity?"
"I'm here Sweetie." Rarity said, sitting next to Sweetie Belle and nuzzling her.
"D-did you find… the angel?" She asked softly.
“Yes Sweetie, and he is here to help you.” Rarity said softly before she looked over at Zack.
Zack walked over with a raised eyebrow. "Angel?" He asked confusedly as Sweetie belle smiled at him weakly. "I'm not a bunny."
Fluttershy giggled before the others looked at her, making her blush and hide behind her mane. “Sorry.”
Zack chuckled a bit. "Nothing to be sorry about, I made a joke to get someone to laugh." He said, smiling at Sweetie belle. "You're still feeling bad huh? I'm sorry I couldn't heal you completely the other night."
Sweetie smiled weakly. “You did help me, I’m sorry I am still sick though…”
Zack frowned a little as he looked at her. "What do you mean? It isn't your fault, if anything it's the hospital's for letting you leave so soon. Even if you were feeling better, with how sick you were, letting you leave the next day when you say you feel better is just stupid." He said putting a unicorn mask, that vaguely resembles Sweetie belle onto her chest.
Sweetie looked at the mask. “What's this?”
"A mask, you remember the song I sang?" Zack asked her with a soft smile, getting a soft nod from the filly. "It's a special song that heals all the pain of the soul and body, it purges those things and seals them away in masks. This mask is what was made the other night when I sang it, but my magic was… weaker then. So now that I have more of it. I'm hoping it'll cure you completely and seal the rest of the pain and illness you're feeling into this mask."
“Wow, you are so co-” Sweetie started to say before she coughed violently.
Rarity and all the ponies quickly got up and looked at her as Zack frowned and pulled out his ocarina. "Please, help her!" Rarity yelled, tearing up as Sweetie Belle whimpered.
Zack took a deep breath and began to play the ocarina, a light beginning to glow from both the ocarina and the mask as he pulled away and let wind and air swirl through the ocarina to continue the music. "Day to night, dark to light. Fall the sands of time, let the years like the gears of a clock unwind. In your mind, walk through time, back to better days. Memories. Like a dream, wash tears away. Like a star in the sky, darkness can't reach you. Light the night, joy is light. Till the new dawn."
As Zack sang, the mask on Sweetie's chest began glowing brighter along with the ocarina and Zack himself, along with Sweetie belle. Twilight watched Zack closely, prepared to attack him as specks of darkness and a sickly energy began to glow from Sweetie Belle and into the mask.
"Cast away your old face, let go your spite. With this mask I'll ask to borrow your light. Once the years still your fears, time will seal your fate. Let this curse be reversed before it's too late. Ash to dust, left to rust. All time fades away, all your pain still remains. Cast it away." Rarity looked at Zack in awe as the magic surged through the area, as her sister's breathing became calmer.
"You must take on the light, let it help guide you. Follow the path ahead, forge one anew. Darkness is fading now, it's not too late. Three days is all you have to change your fate." He said, before playing the ocarina himself for a while as the magic light began to slowly fade.
Zack and all the ponies looked at Sweetie belle once he was finished, everyone waiting with baited breath as he took the mask from Sweetie belle's body. Sweetie Belle sat up slowly and held her chest as she breathed in and out. “I…I feel ok, I don’t hurt anymore!”
Zack smiled and began to walk away, before he was talked against the wall by a sobbing Sweetie belle. "Whoa! You still need to rest."
“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” She said while hugging him tightly.
Zack paused for a moment before slowly hugging her back with a look of unsure shock on his face. "N-no problem, now get some more rest."
The other two fillies hugged him. “Thank you for saving our friend!”
Zack blushed slightly as Fluttershy couldn't help but giggle. "Girls give him some space, and Sweetie Belle still needs to rest."
“Aww.” The three families said but backed away as Sweetie Belle got back in bed.
Zack smiled a bit at the three. "Don't worry, once Sweetie belle is all better. Maybe you three can show me around?"
“Really?!” They said before Twilight stomped a hoof.
“Absolutely not!” She shouted while glaring.
The three fillies looked at Twilight with sad frowns, while Zack rolled his eyes at her. "But why?" Sweetie belle asked with a pout.
"Don't worry about that." Zack said a smile at them. "When you're feeling better I'll come back here so you can show me around."
"Ok mister Angel!" The three said with wide smiles as he chuckled, walking out of the room while Twilight gritted her teeth and followed him with her friends. As soon as the door closed they were all wrapped around by wind again, before appearing back in the forest.
“What the buck!?” Twilight looked around. “You teleported us again!”
"Of course I did, you honestly think I'm gonna let you chew me out and everything in the room right next to those kids!?" Zack asked her with a glare. "Do you not know how do be delicate with kids!? Seriously snapping like that in front of them, what's the matter with you!"
“I was protecting them from you!” Twilight said as she aimed her horn at him.
Zack rubbed his eyes, not afraid of her threatening horn. "Holy crap you're an idiot! I just helped Sweetie belle and they were all thankful, I told them that so they wouldn't feel sad about me leaving. I knew the whole time none of you would let them near me again!"
"Twilight darling, I must… agree with Zack." Rarity said, rubbing the back of her leg.
Twilight frowned at Rarity. “We have to turn him to stone before he can start his evil plan.”
"And what evil plan would that be?" Zack asked her with a slight glare.
Twilight glared at him. “I don’t know and don’t care, I just know you're evil and we are gonna stop you."
Zack blinked at her and shook his head with a sigh. "Miss Rarity, don't let Sweetie belle do anything too strenuous. She could still relapse, I've never used that song to heal a disease before."
“I…I will make sure to keep her safe.” Rarity said before looking down. “I am sorry we have to turn you to stone.”
"Oh don't worry, you're not." Zack laughed a bit before he vanished in a gust of wind. "Later." His voice said.
“Get back here!” Twilight shouted.
"Or what?" His voice asked.
Twilight growled as she glared into the woods. “By order of princess Celestia you are to be turned to stone!”
Twilight's friends looked at each other as they heard Zack's voice. "You realize I don't give a crap right? And I'm not stupid enough to be turned to stone, and there's no way in Tartarus I'm going to be a disembodied spirit again. Now go home."
Twilight yelled in frustration before she turned to leave. “Come on girls, we need to inform the princess…”
"Here, I can teleport you straight there." Zack's voice said, sending them all to the castle before Twilight could protest.
"Oh… that was nice of him…" Fluttershy said, looking around with a soft smile.
“Don’t move girls…this could be a trick.” Twilight said as she lit her horn to scan for magic.
"Twilight?" Celestia asked in confusion as she walked over to them. "What are you doing back?"
Twilight backed away and stared at Celestia, her horn still lit while looking for any trace of magic. “I won’t be tricked.”
Celestia raised an eyebrow in confusion at Twilight's actions before she sighed. "You ran into the skull kid didn't you?"
“Yes, he took us back to my home and healed Sweetie…then sent us here after returning to the forest.” Rarity said.
Celestia sighed softly as she shook her head. "Same old tricks, he used to help foals all the time to gain trust."
Twilight’s horn stopped glowing and she sighed. “This isn’t an illusion, we are really here.”
Fluttershy looked down at the ground in thought for a moment, as Applejack and Rarity glanced at each other. "Y-you're majesty. Um… Zack, he said you three lived together in the old castle…"
Celestia sighed and nodded her head. “That is true, he saved me and my sister from timberwolves when we were fillies, then our parents took him in. it was no doubt a trick.”
Rarity and Fluttershy looked at Applejack who gulped. "U-um yer majesty, h-he didn't lie at all while we were talking with him."
“That is how he tricks you, he tells the truth but makes you do things you wouldn’t normally do.” Celestia said as she started to pace. “He got my sister to stay up all night and skip school just to watch the night sky or play in the forest, they would start food fights in the guard’s mess hall, they would play pranks on mother and father!”
Rarity, and Applejack looked confused at her statement. "Um… forgive me your majesty, but… that's what most children do." Rarity said slowly.
“That is not what royalty does!” Celestia shouted as her mane started to split, much like how Twilight’s does when she is stressed. “We were princesses, we had to study and be prepared to rule, instead he distracted her and pushed her to ignore her responsibilities until eventually he used his magic on her to bring out the worst treats in her.”
Rainbow dash frowned a bit as she crossed her hooves. "I wish I had beat his face when I had the chance."
"What should we do now princess?" Twilight asked Celestia with a frown.
“We have to trap him…I have been working on a spell just in case he returned.” Celestia gave Twilight a scroll.
"What does it do?" Twilight asked her, looking at the scroll.
“It will force him to stay in one place for one minute, he can’t teleport away…hopefully. I couldn’t test it because of the way he teleports being so different.” Celestia told her with a sigh.
"He said he uses Nature magic. But how can that be, it's so uncontrollable!" Twilight said, shaking her head, as Luna listened closely from behind a pillar.
“It is because of what he is, or at least that is my theory. He is a skull kid, from what he said, they were children that get lost in a magic forest that changes them into more skull kids." Celestia told her.
Luna's mouth dropped open, realizing they were talking about Zack. "So he's a being of nature? That makes no sense!" Twilight said, rubbing her forehead.
“Yes, I personally think Discord made him long ago before Discord showed his face.” Celestia said with a frown.
Luna frowned and growled softly as Celestia badmouthed Zack. "B-but Zack saved Sweetie belle… would a creation of Discord's do that?" Rarity asked, getting Luna's attention.
“I don’t know, perhaps she is sick because of Zack.” Celestia said while shaking her head.
"Tia!" Luna yelled angrily, getting everyone's attention as they jumped. "You know Zack wouldn't do that! Stop accusing him of doing all these things, and you lied to me! You told me he was destroyed!"
Celestia frowned at her. “I lied to keep you safe, if you see him again he could finish what he started and turn you into Nightmare Moon again.”
Luna's mane began to float in anger. "I didn't become Nightmare moon because of Zack! I became Nightmare moon because of you!"
The other mares slowly backed away from the two alicorns. “That is a lie! I loved you! I protected you! And did my best to make sure you were a happy princess!” Celestia shouted back as her mane was going wild.
"Exactly!" Luna said angrily. "Except all I ever wanted was to be treated like any other pony! As my sister you should have done that! But even when we were alone! Every moment of everything day and night, no matter what I had to be a princess!" Luna yelled, tearing up. "But Zack treated me with respect and acted like I was just like anyone else, and it's thanks to him I had anything resembling a normal childhood!"
Celestia shook her head. “We are princesses! We didn’t have time to be children! He was turning you into a…a…”
The mares glanced at each other worriedly, before Luna shook her head. "Into what sister!?"
“Into an uncultured brat!” Celestia shouted.
Luna and the other mares stared at her in shock, as Luna glared and growled at her. "So you'd rather I be miserable!?"
“No! I would rather you be a princess! And make mother and father proud!” Celestia shouted.
"Don't you dare talk about making mother and father proud!" Luna screamed in the Canterlot voice. "When you've disappointed them so many times!"
Celestia’s eyes widened before she growled and the two sisters clashed horns. “You dare say that!?”
"Yes! You have no idea how disappointed they were whenever you refused to play with me and Zack, or to talk to ponies, or even try to make new friends!" Luna yelled, pushing her sister back a little.
“I was doing my duty unlike you! I was the one that studied, I was the one that went to the meetings, I was the one that had to starve herself to fit into the dresses! I did everything they wanted and needed me to do!”
“U-um princesses?” Twilight tried to interject but was too quiet.
"They never wanted us to do any of that! You did it all yourself!" Luna yelled as the two princesses' magic began flowing around their horns.
"This is getting out of hoof." Applejack said with a frown.
“Oh for the love of…both of you know it off!” A familiar voice said before a strong wind pushed the two sisters away from each other. Celestia and Luna's eyes widened, one in shock and one in anger as Zack appeared between the two of them. His arms were crossed over his chest as he shook his head at their actions. "You're acting like fillies! Jeez you were both so much more mature as kids!"
“Zack! You really are alive!” Luna said, as tears started to fill her eyes.
“Zack…so you've come here to do what, corrupt us both?” Celestia asked as her horn stayed lit with magic.
Zack sighed annoyed and glared at Celestia. "I followed these six here and stayed invisible so I could hear what other lies you were telling about me. But I honestly didn't expect you two to start horn dueling and using magic on each other! Queen Costellia, and King Cosmosis would be ashamed of you both!"
The elements of harmony's eyes widened at the mention of the ancient king and queen, while they all backed away from the three ancient beings. “They would not! They loved us and wanted us to be the best rulers we could be!” Celestia yelled.
“He is right, they would be ashamed of us, but mostly you!” Luna said to Celestia.
Zack face palmed and looked between the two ponies. "If you two don't stop right now I'll turn you both into fillies!"
Luna looked over to him. “You…can do that?”
“You wouldn’t dare!” Celestia said with a growl.
Zack looked at Luna for a moment as the two just stared at each other, before he looked away a bit. "Yes I can, I figured out about five hundred years ago that I can manipulate the natural aging of living beings and reverse or accelerate it."
“That…that is incredible…but dangerous.” Luna said softly.
Zack shrugged with a slight nod. "Yeah, but I can also reverse it whenever I want to. Plus it's not like I'd do it just willy nilly. Now will the two of you please stop acting like children and talk it out like adults?"
“I am not acting like a child!” Celestia shouted before something wooden fell from above and bonked Zack’s head.
"A token? Now?" Zack rubbed his head and held the wooden object in his hand, noticing how it looked like a wooden game controller.
Zack then heard the message of the token. "I am Deltorix the gamer. If you seek a friend, ally, or simply wish to trade skills simply say 'Send Invite' and I may come. What you want to do with the skills I teach will determine what skills I will teach you."
"A new token? We have not seen one since Torel's." Luna said in awe, looking at the token.
“Don’t change the subject! I won’t let you ruin my family again!” Celestia said.
Zack sighed and frowned at Celestia. "You know what Tia? Think whatever you want. I tried to be your friend, I really did. But no matter what I did or said, you never trusted me. So… I'm done trying. Just leave me alone."
“Then leave my family alone, monster!” Celestia shouted but Luna walked over to Zack.
“Forget her, who is the new displaced?” Luna asked him.
Zack raised his eyebrow at her, before tossing the token into the air slightly. "Deltorix." He said catching it. "Apparently he's a displaced called the gamer."
“The gamer? That is an odd title.” Luna said as Celestia was fuming behind them.
Zack shrugged a little bit as he looked at Luna for a moment, making her blush slightly at the attention. "Yeah… anyway I should get going." He said putting the token in his pocket and walking away slightly.
“Wait…” Luna said before she looked at her sister then the element bearers, before looking back at him. “Take me with you.”
"What!?" All the ponies in the room shouted in shock, and Celestia in anger.
Zack paused and turned his head slightly to look at her for a moment before turning away again. "No."
“What!?” Luna asked in shock. “Why not!?” She tried to get in front of him.
Zack created a vortex of wind around him, pushing Luna back a bit while hiding his face from her giving Applejack and Fluttershy a clear view of the pained expression he had. "Because Celestia was right about one thing. I am dangerous."
“No you’re not!” Luna said as she tried to push her way to him.
Zack gritty his teeth as his eyes became brighter and his pupils turned blue, before a wave of wind forced everyone back even farther. "Yes I am! Don't you remember anything about my curse?!"
“I don’t care! You are my friend!” Luna called out as she was pushed back but still tried to get closer. “Please…please don’t leave me again!”
"Sorry Luna, but you'll be too busy stopping the moon." He said, as the entire castle shook.
“What!?” everyone shouted.
Zack lowered his head as the shadows around them spun and wrapped around his face, forming Majora's mask. "You have three days before the moon falls into Equestria."
“No! Please, I know you are better than this.” Luna said as she reached for him.
Zack slowly turned to face the group as the eyes of the mask began glowing brighter. "And I thought the same thing about Celestia."