I've forgotten what it feels like when a part of your soul is torn from you, and all that's left is an empty, black void. I wish it was just me, but now Judith's suffering too... Hell, I've caught Luna tearing up as well.
I shouldn't have left the castle. I should have realized sooner that Majora knew where we were and would send someone to kill us. I could have stopped this, but instead I dug my friend's grave, literally... The grave isn't pretty, but it's done. I buried him next to the river, with his sword as a grave marker.
After that, I had some thinking to do. Since Lea's not around anymore and Luna has that weird ring around her horn, I can't leave Judith at the castle anymore. I can't take her with me out into the world, it's hard enough looking out for myself. So, that leaves the question:
What now?
I sat in the commons room staring into the open fire in the fireplace. My mind wandered the different possibilities of where I could hide Judith safely. However, the best place I could come up with was risky as hell: Lea's girlfriend's house, but after what just happened I threw it from my mind like the others. I hung my head and sighed in defeat. Not only did I let my friend die, but now I was failing his last wish.
The sound of the door opening brought me back to reality. I looked up to see Luna, who had recently removed her bandages, walk in to the room and close the door behind her. I sat up, "How is she?" Judith had spent all morning mourning her brother's death.
"Asleep." I sighed in relief as she continued, "Hath thou thought of our next actions?"
I shook my head, "No, nothing I think of seems to be safe enough for all of us..." I slumped back over and rested my head on one of my hands.
Luna sat on the couch close to me and draped her wing across my shoulders. "Perhaps Judith could seek protection in Canterlot?" The alicorn suggested.
I hummed in thought, "Hmm... Possibly. You also seem to have healed fully, so it might be in our best interests that we move both you and Judith tomorrow," I said, turning my head to look up into her sapphire eyes.
However, my head sunk back down to it's original position. "Is something the matter?" Luna asked with a hint of concern.
I bit my lip, "...I can't help but feel responsible," I admitted. "If I had just waited instead of hurrying to get the masks, I... I could have..." I started choking up and tears started to well up in my eyes. "And now, b-because of me, Judith is s-s-suffering," I lamented.
Luna used her wing to pull me close, than she wrapped her forelegs around my neck and hugged me tight. "We all hath to bear our share of burdens," She comforted, "We all wish to go back and change our errors. Some more than others..."
I stood up suddenly, startling Luna. "I... I know. It's not the fact that I can't change this mistake that makes me upset... It's the fact that I let it happen in the first place," I explained. "Lea trusted me with not only his life, but Judith's and his father's as well... and I let him die! I betrayed him!" I said while clenching my fists.
"Thou art scolding thyself for actions thou could not take! It was impossible for thou to save him! When will thou realize that?!" asked the blue mare.
I stood there for a moment before leaving the room. She may be right, but Lea's dead and I was the only person here with the power to save him. That's a fact, I thought as I walked.
Pushing a door open, I walked out into the courtyard where the sun was beginning to set. Don't lose your way, human. Letting your anger and pain control your actions will surely get you killed, Nox warned. I ascended the castle wall and on the edge, staring out into the orange and red horizon.
I sighed, "It's not that I'm angry. It's just... they're putting their trust in me and I don't know why. I couldn't save Lea... so how can I save a kingdom?! I'm not a hero! I'm not even that brave! I'm just some guy! I— !" I stopped when the realization hit me, "I'm just some guy who ended up here for some reason..."
Something was caught in my throat as I continued, "I'm not like you, Nox. I-I can't be confident about doing something that I consider a death trap!" I put my head in my hands as I quietly cried, "I just want to go home!"
Nox didn't speak as I sat there and cried. Finally, after about five minutes she spoke to me in a cold and calculating tone. Then leave. Run away and don't look back.
"W-what?" I asked, confused.
This situation calls for someone who can believe in the impossible and doesn't care only about themselves. Run. Run and smell the world burn behind you.
"...I can't just abandon Judith."
Then stop complaining and do what you must, she finished.
There wasn't a single thing in the Everfree that made me unnerved. The sounds of nature were far quieter than they should have been. There was no rustle in the trees from the wind, and the scamper of predator and prey alike were gone. The only sound for miles were our steps as Luna, Judith, and I ventured to Ponyville in promise of sanctuary. With my bow at the ready and the Keaton mask hiding my face, I walked behind the two as we followed the path.
"Are we there yet?" Judith asked while holding herself tightly. "This forest is giving me the creeps."
"We're almost there," I confirmed. "I think you'll like Ponyville. There's a dragon there that's only a little younger than you, and the town's folk seem to be nice enough."
Judith looked to the ground sadly. "I don't want to meet another dragon... I want to see my brother."
I cringed at her painful words and looked away from her. Silence rained over our group for quite a while before Luna spoke." We see the edge of the forest ahead," she announced.
A wave of melancholy washed over me. This would be the last time I would get to see Luna and Judith. However, they both would be safe in Canterlot from Majora and his minions. I was happy that they would be safe, but they were still my only source of contact. Without them, I would be alone.
As we reached the edge of the forest and Ponyville came into sight, I stopped as my two friends continued. Judith noticed and turned to me. "Are you coming or what?" she asked.
I shook my head and she stopped in her tracks. "You and Luna are going into Ponyville alone. I'm not coming with you," I said.
Tears started to well up in Judith's eyes as she pointed to the ground angrily. "Get over here, now."
My eyes started to do the same as I shook my head for a second time. "No. Go with Luna, you'll be safer with her."
Judith bolted over to me with tears running down her cheeks. "No! You're coming with us too!" she yelled as she started to pull on my arm.
"I can't," I stated.
"Why not!?" Judith cried.
I grabbed her arm and pulled her towards me after kneeling. "Judith, look at me!" She looked at me with her teary eyes as I held her shoulders. "I couldn't save Lea!" I cried with her. "But I can still save you! Please don't make this any harder! Go with Luna and live!"
Judith wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me close. "Please, don't die! Please, don't die! Please, don't die!" she repeated over and over again. I began to push her off and as I did she begged, "No! No! Promise me I'll see you again! Please!"
I pushed her off of me and looked her in the eye. "Okay. I... I promise."
A blue wing hugged Judith and pulled her away from me, allowing me to stand. Judith hugged Luna's foreleg as the princess looked to me. "Good luck," the mare said.
"Thanks. You too." With that I turned and walked back into the forest. I couldn't bear to watch them leave, so I left first. However, I turned back to the two after a few paces despite the pain. When I did though, they were already gone.
*ring ring*
My head shot up from the table in front of me. I was back at the castle and I was more paranoid than when I first arrived in this world. When I got back here, I berated myself for being an idiot. I had forgotten to look for the forth mask while I still had help.
*ring ring*
And now, I thought I was going insane. There was a phone going off somewhere in the castle, and I was positive that there weren't any phones in this castle or world.
*ring ring*
Yet, there it was. Begging for anyone to answer it. Probably me.
*ring ring*
With my hands shaking, I got up and found my bow which I had put on a nearby shelf. I made my way out of the room and out into the hall.
*ring ring*
It was coming from the centre of the castle; probably from the throne room. Why would there be a phone in the throne room? I made my way down the hall.
*ring ring*
The large double doors were in front of me now and I couldn't help but shake. I drew my bow and loaded an arrow. I then slowly pushed on of the doors open and walked inside.
*ring ring*
There it was. It was on the throne itself. The phone seemed to be modern. I got up close to inspect it further.
*ring ring*
It was my phone. There was no caller identification. There was only two options: answer or ignore.
*ring ring*
Absent mindedly, I dropped my bow and picked up the phone.
*ring ring*
I pressed the button and brought the phone to my ear. "...Hello?"
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"You forgot to close the door."
The door slammed behind me, making me jump and turn around. There was no one there. The lights suddenly went out and the curtains closed on their own, making it pitch black. I ran to the door, but it was blocked from the outside.
"What's the matter? I thought you liked the dark."
I turned and put my back to the wall.
"LET ME OUT OF HERE!!!"
"Now why would I do that? Are you scared?"
"YES!!!"
"Then tell me who I am. If you guess wrong, well..."
His voice sounded so familiar. Almost as if I knew him since birth.
"MAJORA!!!"
"...hehe— hehehehehehehe—HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH—"
The phone suddenly died right there, and I was left alone in the dark.
That is, until I heard footsteps.
"No. I'm something much worse." It was as if the room itself was talking to me.
I closed my eyes, covered my ears, and sank to the floor.
NOX! NOX, HELP! I'M GOING TO DIE!
There was no response.
Something touched my foot.
I started crying in fear.
I felt something wet drink my tears.
Someone started to caress my body.
Was this insanity? Was I insane?
When I opened my eyes, I got my answer.
The room was lit. On the throne sat I, but also at the door. There I was, sitting smugly as I cowered in fear. At the same time, however, he was not me. His eyes were red blood with yellow irises.
"Why are we here? You don't seem to care at all," I said sadly.
"I don't know... Leave me alone!"
"I can't just leave myself alone."
"Then find a way! I'm going to die soon," I told myself.
I smiled honestly. "I care to much about us to leave. Besides, where would I go? I only have you."
"Majora is going to kill me..." My head sunk lower.
"Are you afraid to die? I thought you didn't care."
"No, I'm not," I admitted. "I'm more afraid of pain."
"Pain is what teaches us. Don't fear it."
"But, I don't want to hurt anymore..."
"Then fight."
I looked up angrily. "With what!? I don't have power! I don't have skill! I don't have anything!"
"Moron, you have power. Nox will abandon you and leave you for dead when all's said and done."
"..." Would she? I thought.
I sighed sadly and shook my head. "Well then, get going to Vulkan."
I looked up at myself. "Why?"
"Because you can't do anything here."
The streets were busy behind me as I stared at the door. She was the only person I could think of who would lead me in the right direction. I knocked on the stone door with the scaly arm of the dragon mask and I waited for it to open. The dragoness that I was expecting opened the door. She was pink with red eyes. I guess I never noticed before... maybe because I had just had a coffee table smashed over my head. "Oh! It's you!" she said with a smile. "How's Lea and Judith?"
"...Can I come inside?" She looked worried as I said this. The dragoness moved and let me into her home, and I felt a little bad that I was about to crush her heart. I sat on the farthest of the couches and sighed.
"Can I get you anything?" she offered.
I looked her in the eyes. "No. Please sit." She did so without a word and I closed my eyes, trying to find a way to break the news to her gently. "...Lea's dead." Needless to say, I didn't find one.
Her claws slowly made their way up her face and over her eyes as her lips tightened into a frown. The dragoness sniffed as her tears leaked through her claws and and down her arms. "...Damn it, Lea. You promised you would be careful..." she sobbed. I didn't know what else to say or do. After a few minutes, she calmed down enough to speak again. "Is... Judith gone too?" the dragoness asked quietly.
"No," I confirmed. "She's being sheltered by a powerful friend of mine in Canterlot. She'll be safe there."
"That's good," she sniffed. "At least she can grow up."
After a few more moments, I built up the courage to tell her the real reason I was there. "I know this isn't the greatest of times, but I need to know if you've heard of something called a mask of soul."
She sniffed a few more times. "One of the nobles is an antique collector and he holds parties every month to display his collection. There was gossip that he had a special mask that he had recently acquired. He might be displaying it at the party," she explained.
"When is this party?" I asked gently.
The dragoness looked me in the eye. "Right now. He usually holds it in his mansion, which is near the castle."
I stood and started to make my way to the door. "Thank you, and... I'm sorry."
"What for?"
My eyes were locked on the handle of the door as I spoke. I don't think I could have looked her straight in the eye. "I was the only one who had the power to save Lea, and I put myself in a position where I couldn't protect him. I'm the reason he's dead." I turned the handle and walked out the door, quickly closing it behind me.
Merging with the crowd on the street, I made my way towards the castle. As I got closer, I noticed that a larger and more elegantly dressed part of the crowd was going towards a large mansion that wasn't too far away from the castle. I cursed my luck under my breath. If It was near the castle, it's safe to assume that Majora knows about it, especially since it holds the last mask.
A dark green and rather curvy dragoness who was wearing a beautiful black and red dress bumped into me from behind and shoved me out of the way. "Move it," she growled. I opened my mouth to angrily respond, but her face was contorted into one of pure rage. Whatever she was about to do, it was going to be violent.
Ignoring her, I moved closer to the mansion and eventually got in front of the building where several nobles were chatting or making their way inside. The guards at the door were letting anybody go in it seemed, so I managed to sneak past by looking like I belonged. It worked, amazingly, and I got inside without a problem. Now to find that mask...
Several glass cases lined the walls of the home and each one held at least one piece of history. Searching the ground floor while simultaneously weaving through the crowd, I happened upon a relatively empty corridor with a single glass case. I looked into the case to find a black dog with long, pointy ears and aqua-coloured eyes staring back at me.
Great, I thought, now what? If I break the case, I'll be found out immediately. I guess I could fight my way out... but then Majora would know I'm looking for the masks. Hmm... I pondered my options, and I came up with nothing. However, luck was on my side.
"Quite an eye you have there, good sir," came a voice from beside me. Startled, I quickly turned and backed away from the dragon. He was around the same height as me, but his build was skinnier. He was also a similar shade of blue to me, had dark, yellow eyes, and a suit on. "Nobody seems to find human artifacts interesting anymore... it's quite ironic, wouldn't you agree?"
"Uhh..." I absent-minded said, "yes, it is."
The posh looking dragon chuckled, "To think that our great race would forget about a very valuable and powerful friend."
"It is a shame..." A question entered my mind and I turned to my new company, "Say... you wouldn't be the owner of this mask, would you?"
He turned to me with a shit-eating grin and said, "And if I was?"
"Well, let's just say I know someone who enjoys pieces of history like this, and he would be willing to trade another invaluable object for it." The castle has plenty of books that are worth a lot.
He hummed in satisfaction, "Luckily for your friend, I do own this mask and I would be willing to trade for it." Mentally, I squealed. "I want a golden egg that's called the Aurea ovi. However, it was found by a filthy bandit in the gryphon kingdom. You get me that egg, and I'll give you the dog. Deal?" The dragon stuck out his claw. I took his claw and shook it. "Deal." I then noticed a metallic gleam from behind my business partner.
It was the dragoness from before, her anger in full view. With a dagger raised above her victim's head, she began to bring it down. Time slowed as I stepped forwards towards the host— who was giving me quite the confused look —and caught the dragoness' arm. Her eyes widened in shock and soon after anger, but I had already begun to push her arm around her back. She must have realized what I was trying to do because halfway she began to pull the arm in the same direction. A moment later, and I heard the familiar sound of a sword slipping into a sheath.
"There you are, Honey," she said in a rather sultry voice. She took advantage of my arm being around her back and put her one around mine, creating our getaway. Her eyes then changed from ones of hate to threatening ones. I knew what she wanted me to do, and that she had leverage over me by taking the host "hostage."
"Yes," I managed to sputter, still in shock from the attack. Clearing my throat, I continued. "I was just making arrangements with our host here."
"Is that so?" she asked, shooting me a dangerous look. "Do tell."
"Well I can tell you at home, Darling," I said through gritted teeth. "If we linger any longer, we might not get home for dinner!" Making sure I had a good hold on the dragoness, I looked over to my business partner who seemed to be enjoying himself watching our little spat. "If you'll excuse us."
He bowed and bid us farewell as I forcibly guided the attacker out of the mansion and into the streets, where she broke free of my grasp and walked ahead of me. I tried to catch up to her, but she manage to round a corner into an alleyway and catch me off guard. The dragoness quickly pinned me against the wall of the building by punching me in the gut, throwing me into the wall, and then pushing her arm against my throat. I began to reach for the arm, but her other claw caught my wrist, allowing only one hand to reach the arm.
"Who the hell are you!?" my assailant spat. "What business do you have with Cain!?"
Seeing not other option to get out of the situation, my claw dashed to my face. I ripped the mask from my face and shrunk down to my human size, freeing me from the hold. In the dragoness' shock, I rolled through her legs and grabbed her dagger from her back, throwing it down the alley as soon as it was free. Quickly becoming a dragon again, I now pinned the dragoness to the wall the same way she pinned me.
She looked at me with anger and more noticeably, fear. "W... what are you?"
"For whatever reason you have to kill this Cain person, it can wait," I stated, completely ignoring her question. "I need that mask and I can't be found out."
The dragoness let out a small laugh of disbelief. "You think I can wait to kill that fucker? No, he dies tonight."
"Then everyone dies in a few weeks!" I warned. "If I don't get that mask, your king will lay waste to this world!"
There were a few moments of silence before either of us spoke. "He killed my daughter," the dragoness admitted in a quiet, pained voice. "Do you honestly think I can let him live after that?"
"I'm not asking you to let him live," I stated, "I just want you to postpone his death for a few weeks." I slowly loosened her from the wall and stood back.
After retrieving her blade, the dragoness looked at me sternly for a moment before sticking out her claw. "Call me Liz."
"I'm D—" I stopped suddenly. It was like my voice suddenly gave out as soon as I thought of my own name. "...Keaton, the fox."
Elizabeth, or Liz, is now staying at the castle with me. I have to keep a close eye on her now that she knows that I'm human. Besides, she's wanted for a rather high bounty in Vulkan. She's very proficient with a pole arm and can kick my ass from here all the way to the other side of the world.
This is mainly because Nox hasn't spoken to me since my... incident in the throne room. I'm also not sleeping at night anymore. There's this feeling I get every time I sleep that something is encroaching into my mind. I know it sounds far fetched, but I can't shake the feeling. I've also noticed that I don't feel sleep deprived either, like I've been doing this for my entire life.
I'm not sure what I'm going to do anymore... My mind and body are changing in ways that I can't describe. It must be the magic in this world, slowly seeping into my body and mutating me into... something else.
What's happening to me? What am I? Why can't I say my own name?