Chapter 13: Temple of the Swamp
The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Majora's Mask
By Ganondorf8
October 30, 2015
Chapter 13: Temple of the Swamp.
Thinking quickly, I noticed that this would-be-assassin had left her legs completely vulnerable, so using my own, I tripped her where she landed on her side, and I was able to get to safety before drawing my sword and shield before she managed to get back up. There was something odd about her movements, especially when she performed a backflip as though she were some kind of gymnast, but I'm not about to start praising someone who had a sword up against my throat a few moments ago.
The assassin then dashed forward, her sword aloft in an awkward position, yet by raising my shield, I deflected the blow before swinging back at her to discover that she parried me with her own sword. Our two blades clashed against one another; a battle of steel versus steel, and so far she was superior given how I was being pushed back to the wall, but then I noticed a proverbial chink in her armour, for again she had left her legs wide open like she didn't care about that, so I used my legs to trip her again where she landed on her back this time.
I suppose I could have just run away, but this assassin probably would have quickly caught up given how resourceful she was, and when she got back onto her feet, she proceeded to dash towards me yet again as though it was her only strategy. This time, I was prepared for her, and merely stepped aside while she collided with the wall, and slumped to the ground where she suddenly found my sword protruding up against her neck.
The tables have now turned in favour of me, but why would someone choose to attack me like this, and how did they know my actual name? As far as I was aware, no one in this world knows who I am except for Twilight, so was it possible that this assassin retained her memories of the human world?
" Sunset..." began Twilight.
" What is it?" I asked.
" I'm sensing a powerful dark magic surrounding this person, and it isn't Equestrian in nature," replied Twilight. I began trying to sense the same magic myself all while making sure my sword was still up against the assassin's neck, yet my worst fear had been realized. I actually assumed that this was Starlight Glimmer's doing, but the darkness was too strong, too potent... too filled with hatred and malice which lead me to the one and only conclusion... Ganondorf.
" This is Ganondorf's doing," I concluded.
" It must be for the magic coming from her is unlike anything I've ever felt before," said Twilight.
" She knew my name without second-guessing herself, and Starlight isn't aware of that, so this has to be his work. I guess it's his way of trying to see if I will live up to his expectations given what he said he would do if I fail," I said.
" Judging from the clothes this assassin is wearing, she is definitely from Termina, but I'm not sure from where exactly. I just need a few moments to tap into Tatl's memories as I'm sure she has probably seen her somewhere before," said Twilight. Before she could concentrate, the assassin was able to backflip over, and behind me where she landed, but slipped ever so slightly which caused the cowl she had been wearing to fall off exposing her face, and my jaw dropped for I knew who we were dealing with.
" Sour Sweet!?!?" I exclaimed.
" Just because you figured out my identity... doesn't mean I'm going to take it easy on you!" shouted Sour Sweet. This was completely unexpected as I haven't seen her since the Friendship Games ended two weeks ago, yet now that I think for a second, she and the rest of the students and staff from Crystal Prep were there at Rainbow Dash's party, but I guess I never took notice given that I had my own problems to deal with.
" Who is this?" asked Twilight.
" Right... she is someone you've never met before. Sour Sweet was one of the Shadowbolts, the high-school team from Crystal Prep who competed against me and the rest of the Wondercolts in the Friendship Games which we talked to you about when you came through the portal. She suffers from what can be described as bi-polar disorder, for while she speaks in a nice tone, she will suddenly speak in a nasty tone before switching back, and sometimes this is thrown into reverse which makes it even more confusing," I replied.
I remember how Sour Sweet gave the human version of Twilight a really hard time during the games, and I would have easily throttled her as a result because all she did was make the situation even worse.
But, deep down I knew that she wasn't to blame, and the same goes for the other Shadowbolts along with all of Crystal Prep. No, the one who was to blame for what happened to the other Twilight was Principal Cinch, for in her mind, she would do anything in order to win the Friendship Games, and that even includes unleashing powerful magic which could have destroyed the human world completely.
Cinch did leave after everything was all over with her dignity intact, but whether or not she will change her ways remains to be seen. As for the Crystal Prep students, they can finally begin to heal the wounds which Cinch caused because of having a strong obsession over reputation, but right now they can't do anything like that until things have been changed back.
" I know where she is from," began Twilight.
" Oh?" I asked.
" According to Tatl's memories, she and Starlight along with Spike paid a visit to where Sour Sweet resides in this world, and that is a place called the Swordsman School, a place that's dedicated in all things related to the sword. She is the instructor there who has trained many of the soldiers of Clock Town as well as others who desired to learn the ways of using a blade, but while she can be viewed as a harsh taskmaster, her training is well known throughout Termina," replied Twilight.
" While I do appreciate the nice compliments about my training regimen, it doesn't change the fact that I am here to cut her down, and I will do the same thing to you!" shouted Sour Sweet.
" Ganondorf must have used his dark power to place her under his control as a means of testing my resolve, and considering that she's been relentless when it comes to trying to kill me, he wants me to end her life before she does that to me," I said. I must admit that Ganondorf's plan was twisted in its execution, and since I actually fought back against her, I was falling right into his trap, and I know that killing an innocent person would be the ultimate act of betrayal of who I am as a person. There was only one course of action for me to take, and that was put my weapons away.
" Twilight, I know what I need to do," I said.
" What do you have in mind?" asked Twilight.
" I'm not going to fight her," I replied.
" You refuse!?!?" said Sour Sweet, her mouth dropping down in utter shock. " I have come all this way to deal with you Sunset Shimmer, and you shame me by choosing to act like a coward, and not fight against me in an honourable duel?"
" Are you sure about this?" asked Twilight.
" I know what Ganondorf is trying to make me do, and I refuse to allow him the pleasure of forcing me into acting the way he wants me to. He wants me to kill Sour Sweet which would bring me one step closer towards fulfilling his expectations, so I must do what my heart says even if it means placing the fate of both worlds on the line.
Besides, it's not like this is a new thing I'm doing, for I've been in this spot before many times... before and after becoming a raging she-demon," I replied. Sour Sweet shrugged her shoulders which was her way of saying that I was being a coward, but I refuse to cut her down even if she does desire to do the same to me. Once my sword and shield were put away, I merely stood there completely unarmed, and with nothing in my hands.
" You really are serious aren't you?" asked Sour Sweet.
" I refuse to kill a friend," I replied.
" Friend? All I know is that you must die because you've not been challenged hard enough!" shouted Sour Sweet.
" Then come, and end my life," I said, refusing to move an inch. Sour Sweet then dashed towards me one more time, her eyes filled with blood lust, for she was dead serious about doing this, but then she suddenly came to a stop before collapsing on the ground, dropping her sword in the process.
" The darkness surrounding her... it's gone," said Twilight.
" Thought so," I said.
" What did you figure out?" asked Twilight.
" If I had killed her in cold blood without mercy, I would have proven myself worthy of Ganondorf's expectations, for he wants me to become his servant. I guess he's aware of my troubled past where darkness covered my heart, and that my magical prowess has exceeded even what I originally believed. His aim is forcing me into being subjugated to various amounts of torment so that the evil that used to be me comes back to the forefront," I replied.
" Sunset..." said Twilight.
" What happened here is just the beginning Twilight, and there will be times where I'm going to be tested in ways I won't be prepared for, so consider this a heads-up from me in case you're wondering why I suddenly experience a sudden change in perspective," I said. While it sounds like me simply repeating what I've said before, it feels as though this time it was more important given what almost happened.
As I looked down at Sour Sweet, she looked completely different now that the darkness surrounding her had vanished, and to think at one point she along with the rest of Crystal Prep were our rivals during the Friendship Games. While I could just leave her here, I decided to wait until she regained consciousness for I wanted to make sure that she would be okay.
" Huh? Where am I?" asked Sour Sweet as she woke up twenty minutes later.
" You collapsed all of a sudden, and I've been waiting here with you to ensure that nothing happened," I replied, making sure not to tell her what really happened otherwise she could view me as either someone who is crazy, or may assume that I was the one who left her in such a condition.
" Me? collapse? Ridiculous! I would never do such a thing, for that would mean I was being lax in my training," said Sour Sweet.
" What kind of training?" I asked.
" Normally, I wouldn't respond to that question unless whoever I was speaking to happened to be in possession of a sword, but I see that you have one sheathed in its scabbard, and I'm sensing that it's been used quite a bit, so for that you'll receive an answer. I am the sensei of the Swordsmanship School, a place where any can come to learn the ways of the sword.
For over twenty years now, I have trained many who desired to learn, and while there were failures, others succeeded and used my knowledge by teaching others who then taught others, and so on," replied Sour Sweet. Did she just say over twenty years? She definitely didn't look that old, but I made sure not to bring this up, for she isn't aware that she is in fact a high-school student.
" Sounds to me that you enjoy your work," I said.
" It takes sheer dedication to master the ways of the sword, and should one succeed in mastering my techniques, they will become better for it. Let me see your sword for a second, for I want to take a closer inspection just to make sure that my senses were indeed accurate," said Sour Sweet. Even though I knew that I could trust her given who she is, I hesitated in complying with her request, but then I drew the Kokiri Sword from its scabbard, and handed it over to her where she began inspecting it.
It was as though she knew exactly where to look in terms of knowing how often it had been used, and at one point she even ran her finger across, yet not a single drop of blood dripped from her finger which showed that she was definitely what she claims herself to be. Upon finishing with her inspection, Sour Sweet handed my sword back to me, and said nothing for a few moments before uttering a single word, " Impressive..."
" What do you mean?" I asked.
" Your sword's edge remains sharp which means it has been used, yet it could be even sharper were you to have the necessary skills. If you were to come to my school located in West Clock Town, I can teach you techniques which can really you stronger than you currently are," replied Sour Sweet.
" Aren't you busy with other students?" I asked.
" Right now, business has been rather poor what with the panic that has been going on, so there are fewer people in town than normal for this time of the year, and for that I have not had many students pay me a visit... it gets really frustrating!" replied Sour Sweet, her bi-polar disorder coming to the light, for she constantly switched between being nice, and being spiteful. " Just know that my school isn't open 24 hours a day, or something like as even a master swordsman like myself needs to have her precious sleep, so if you were to come between 6am to 6pm, I'll be able to teach you my techniques."
" That's quite the window of opportunity," I said.
" It pays to be flexible. Speaking of which, that's something I need to do before heading back, as my back seems to be out of whack for some reason. Even though you told me that you found me unconscious from collapsing, I feel as though something else happened, but I don't know what as though my mind were drawing a complete blank. Personally, I prefer the hustle and bustle of Clock Town rather than this accursed swamp, yet I'll make it back to the school before this day is done," said Sour Sweet.
" I could help you back if you want," I suggested.
" While that would be nice, I simply cannot accept that no matter what! You appear to be on some kind of important mission as no one would ever come to this place unless they were either crazy, or were looking for an adventure, and you clearly fit the other description perfectly. I'm not so harmless that I can't take of myself, so you get out of here and do whatever it is you're supposed to be doing," said Sour Sweet. Her choice of words were cruel in design because of her changes in personality, but she did make a good point about me needing to resume my journey as this situation had proven itself to be quite the time stealer.
I then thought about what would happen to her upon resetting time... would she be back where she belongs, or would she be trying to kill me again like she attempted just a short while ago? Either way, there was nothing more I could do, so I began making my way back to town in order to deposit these rupees as I really need a much larger wallet.
" What's wrong?" asked Twilight.
" Sour Sweet was used against her will by Ganondorf, and while I was able to snap her out of his influence, what will happen to her when we reset time? Will I have to deal with her again, or be located where she's supposed to be... the Swordsman School?" I asked.
" I don't know as Ganondorf's power is one that I'm not familiar with," replied Twilight.
" And wouldn't you know it, I happen to be somewhat of an expert on it given my previous experiences," I moaned.
" My only suggestion is simply find out for yourself when we go back to the beginning. I know it's not the best answer, but I'm working with all I know which isn't all that much seeing as Termina as well as this whole game universe doesn't make much sense," said Twilight. This would prove to be problematic as Twilight's words were true in that she didn't understand this video game world like I did.
She is really good however, at catching onto different things, and combined with her articulate knowledge, I know she will guide me in the trials that are to come... such as what awaits in Woodfall Temple. Even though my heart wants me to enter the temple now, I feel as though there are certain things that need doing before I go in otherwise I could be in over my head before truly getting started.
It didn't take long for us to get back to Clock Town as the distance wasn't as bad as I thought it was, and the monsters generally avoided me although a couple of them did try to attack me which prompted a response in the form of my sword slashing them to pieces. Checking my wallet again, I had accumulated 99 rupees, my maximum, so I began to count off in my head how many I deposited back when I first entered Clock Town.
I think it was somewhere around 20 rupees which isn't all that much, and combined with the 99 in my wallet, that gives me a total of only 119 rupees... 81 shy of the 200 needed to acquire something good from the bank. There just had to be other places I could go in order to get the remaining rupees, so I decided to see if Twilight had any suggestions.
" Know a place where we can score some rupees?" I asked.
" You really do want those rewards from the bank don't you?" asked Twilight.
" I think they will be immensely helpful," I replied.
" Well, I heard that there are powerful creatures located in the northern reaches of Termina Field that drop rupees worth 50 upon defeating them, but they are very powerful not to mention rather large in size, and given what you currently have for items, it may be too risky to fight them," said Twilight. I guess she said that to me because of wanting to tell me about where I can rupee-grind, yet the harshness of reality had kicked in, and the challenge could be too much for me. Then again, there could be other locations where rupees are hidden as surely there are hidden holes all over Termina.
" Maybe we should check out the monsters," I suggested, walking into Clock Town via the southern entrance, and heading my way to the bank.
" Okay, but if it proves to be too dangerous, head back here, and we'll think of another plan," said Twilight. I wasn't sure if she was losing confidence in me, or worried about me getting myself killed by these monsters, but I really need more wallet capacity as items were starting to become expensive. That's when I had a thought race through my mind, but I needed to test my theory, and surely Fleur Dis Lee can help me with it. She was still in the same place as she was before, so there's some consistency right there, yet would she even remember me as it has been a while since I saw her last.
" Huh? What's this? You need something?" asked Fleur Dis Lee as I approached her.
" I need to deposit some rupees," I replied.
" First, before I allow you to do that, let me take a closer look at you," said Fleur Dis Lee. She then began to scan me over like someone fawning over an object, and I felt really uncomfortable with her eyes watching my every moment. Just when I was about to tell her to stop doing what she was doing, she began clapping in excitement which left me feeling more than confused. " I see that you have the stamp which lets me remember certain customers who have come to the bank, so that would make you Sunset Shimmer if I recall correctly." My jaw dropped in shock, for how did she remember me like that?
" You know me?" I asked.
" Of course otherwise I'd be questioning as to where you got that stamp on the back of your right hand from. Now, you say that you want to deposit some rupees? You deposited 20 rupees last time you were here, and believe me when I say that wasn't a very good deposit compared to everyone else around here. Hopefully, this time you'll give me more other than just a paltry sum," replied Fleur Dis Lee.
" How does 99 rupees sound?" I asked.
" What!?!?" replied Fleur Dis Lee, causing her jaw to drop down pretty far. " You're seriously giving me that many rupees? Wow... you're a much richer girl than I previously thought, but then I take it you're still interested in getting those prizes the bank is currently offering?" I nodded my head in approval, and she nodded in turn with a smug look on her face. " Uh-huh, thought as much as I figured it would be appealing to an adventurous person like yourself.
Well, let me take these rupees, and deposit them like so which will give you a total of 119 rupees which isn't bad at all." Fleur then emptied out my wallet upon me presenting it to her, and she was very surprised in that I had told her the truth. She then took them to the back of the bank where she deposited them in some kind of archaic safe which must mean they don't have much in the way of crime in this part of town.
" Is that where everyone's rupees are?" I asked.
" It's quite an effective system I'll have you know, and I should know because I made it," replied Fleur Dis Lee.
" Now that I've deposited my money, I was thinking that maybe you could answer a couple of questions," I said.
" Since I have a lot of free time right now seeing as this is the slowest part of the day, ask away provided that it's something I even know," said Fleur Dis Lee.
" My friend here told me about powerful creatures that drop valuable rupees upon being defeated which live in the northern part of Termina Field, so I was wondering if you knew anything more about it," I said.
" You really must be desperate to get those prizes if you're taking that idea into consideration. I'm aware of the Dodongos which live in that part of the field, and while they are known for their treasure hordes, someone of your stature is bound to be killed as those creatures have thick hides in addition to being able to breathe fire. In fact, I'd say you'd need to be a Goron, for they can survive against Dodongos given they've had to deal with them for generations," said Fleur Dis Lee.
When she mentioned the word "Dodongo", I slightly slumped downwards because I remember what happened in Hyrule regarding those things. I almost got killed by several of them, but I was saved courtesy of Pinkie when she was portraying Darunia as opposed to Tingle which she does now. If those monsters are lurking around in the northern field, fighting them would be tantamount to suicide.
" Do you think I could engage them in battle?" I asked.
" Ha! Quite the moxie you've got there Sunset Shimmer, but that isn't going to cut it against those Dodongo, and judging from the size of that sword on your back, you'd need to get right up close in order to strike their tails. No, I suggest not going that way unless you desire to go to Snowhead which wouldn't be a good idea anyway what with that chunk of ice blocking the path, and that harsh winter condition which has plagued the region. On the other hand, if you were to ignore my warnings, and fight those Dodongo, hope that you know how to dodge otherwise they'll be making you their next meal," replied Fleur Dis Lee.
" Is there no other strategy?" I asked.
" Like I said, you'd need to be a Goron if you were to fight them on a more even playing field," replied Fleur Dis Lee. Hearing her say this broke my heart a little, and that meant needing to find another way of earning enough rupees, but I suppose I could still ask her my other question as that should still be within the realm of certainty.
" My other question is rather unusual given I'm looking for something really specific, but do you know of any locations in town that have a scarecrow?" I asked.
" You weren't kidding when you said it was an unusual question, yet I know what you're talking about as I've seen a scarecrow around here. If you go to the Trading Post located in West Clock Town, and look to the left upon going inside, you'll find the scarecrow in question. I don't know why they have such a ragged looking thing in such an establishment, yet the owner says it's good luck for him, and some say it will talk to you if you were to interact with it. Personally, I think that last bit is just a load of hogwash, but I suppose it's worth checking out seeing as you did ask," replied Fleur Dis Lee.
" I was told that a scarecrow was in the observatory," I said.
" You mean the place old Shikashi calls home? He's collected all sorts of baubles and knick-knacks over the years, and there was a scarecrow among them which looks identical to what I just told you about. A coincidence perhaps? Maybe, but then I don't bother to look into such things as I have my own things to take care of," said Fleur Dis Lee, slamming her hands down onto the counter as though she were frustrated. " Sorry about that... I needed to fix my hands due to them getting numb for some reason, and slamming them really does work wonders for me."
So I now have another reason to revisit West Clock Town because the secret of manipulating time was in the hands of a scarecrow located over there... even just thinking about such a notion made little sense, but I suppose it's better than not saying anything about it. Of all those shops located in the west part of town, the only one I never looked at on that thin strip before the clearing was the shop to the right of the Bomb Shop. Thanking her for everything, I turned around, and was about to leave when she mentioned this to me, " Thanks for using our banking system, and we hop you'll come back to deposit some rupees once you've collected some."
" What do you think of that?" I asked.
" The scarecrow we need to find is in a place where people do their shopping?" asked Twilight.
" Stranger things have happened," I replied.
" We could reset time now, and use the Song of Soaring to warp back to Woodfall, and finally enter the temple," suggested Twilight.
" That will be our next course of action once we learn the secret behind manipulating time," I said. Whatever this secret was, it had to be beneficial in some way otherwise why even have it in the first place? Not only that, why have a random scarecrow be the one who knows such a thing?
Once again, I experienced the issue of trying to make sense of this world, and all I'm getting out of it is just more confusion. Sighing, I walked over to West Clock Town by taking the entrance that was located by the bank, and immediately I was reminded about how claustrophobic the area was what with the narrow section, yet now that I was taking a closer look at everything here, I was confused by the remaining shops even though I needed to find just one.
" So where do we start?" I asked.
" To the right of us are the Post Office, and the Swordsman School," replied Twilight.
" Guess Sour Sweet was being honest about that," I said.
" The Postman, or Aria Blaze in this case, is usually out and about making her deliveries, so the chances of entering the Post Office are slim, for it depends on when she gets finished with her run, and how long she chooses to remain inside until she has to go out again. Right now, she's most likely on a delivery run, so we'll have to visit another time when she is available. The Swordsman School is next door, yet right now no one is there because Sour Sweet unintentionally attacked us in the swamp because of being under the power of Ganondorf, so there's no reason to visit there either," said Twilight.
" What about this shop here?" I asked, looking in the direction of a building to my left.
" That place is where they have a lottery which gets held every night hence why it's called the Lottery Shop. At the beginning of a given day, you pay them ten rupees, and in return they will ask you to select a number between 0 and 99 which becomes your number. At night when they give out their results, if your number matches the number they announce, you'll win 50 rupees which could be a way of rupee grinding," replied Twilight.
I've heard about a custom in the human world where people play a similar kind of game which they call Bingo, but I never really considered it because of it being a game suited for older people. Plus, there was a gambling aspect to some versions of it, and I'm too young to play a game like that. According to what Twilight said, the chances that I would match my number with that of the Lottery Shop was slim, but perhaps there was some way of manipulating it to my advantage?
" Here's a theory... what if I were to try to win the prize at the Lottery Shop, and end up failing only to remember what numbers they announce, and then when I reset time, I go back and select the numbers they end up using anyway?" I asked.
" Umm... you'd win," replied Twilight.
" Interesting to know," I said.
" Are you thinking of resorting to cheating?" asked Twilight.
" It's not really cheating because resetting time allows me to apply new knowledge that I learned previously," I replied. Twilight shrugged her shoulders upon realizing my words made a great deal of sense, but right now I had no time to actually implement this theory, for I needed to pay a visit to the Trading Post which had to be the one shop which we didn't talk about.
The Trading Post itself looked like an ordinary shop although it did have a fancy sign out front which was probably their way of attracting potential customers, so upon walking inside via opening the door, it resembled what I've experienced in Hyrule which was a shop with goods stacked on shelves behind the counter, and someone was standing behind the counter ready to serve someone. Of course, I came here to speak to a scarecrow, and turning to my left which is what Fleur Dis Lee suggested for me to do, I found the scarecrow... who looked exactly like the one I encountered in Lake Hylia during my previous adventure.
" Yo! Hey, baby! I'm a stylin' scarecrow wandering in search of pleasant music."
" Excuse me!?!? I said with utter surprise in my voice.
" While I'm a scarecrow, I'm not the kind who gets placed into a corn field in order to scare away any birds. No, I have a desire to listen to all kinds of music, and through the use of my special powers, I can warp from one place to another instantly if I hear the sounds that I long for. Time will pass in the blink of an eye if you dance with me. If you like, baby, we can forget the time and dance until night! Or, if you want, we can dance until morning because I've got a hankering for dancing an all-nighter!"
" Uh, no thanks as I'm not the type of person who dances," I said.
" Really, baby? That's too bad. In that case, come back anytime if you do decide you want to dance." It sounded like the scarecrow was about to leave, and if he does then who knows if I'll have another chance of learning the secret that he possesses.
" Wait!" I shouted.
" Changed your mind, baby?"
" No, I still don't want to because I'm not a dancer, but I heard that you know something about manipulating time," I replied.
" Then you heard correctly, baby, for I do know of a mysterious song that allows you to manipulate the flow of time... however, I can't just reveal it to anyone because if I did, you can imagine the kind of trouble that could arise. Manipulating time is something only a chosen few are allowed to know, for if the vast majority had such a power, reality itself would tear itself apart! I tell you, baby, I'm not about to allow that to happen, so unless you've got something that can allow you to manipulate time, I'm afraid you should just move along right now, and forget all about such nonsense."
" Well, I do happen to have this ocarina," I said, reaching into my pouch, and taking out the Ocarina of Time before presenting it to the scarecrow. Upon seeing it with his own eyes, the scarecrow reacted in a way that could be described as downright bizarre, but I think this means he will give me the information I need.
" WHOA! Why didn't you tell me you had such a cool instrument, baby, and while it would be nice if you were to play a song for me using that, I suspect you're more interested in knowing those secrets right?" If I recall my previous experience in Hyrule which involved dealing with the scarecrow from Lake Hylia, he asked me to play him a song during my childhood, and then repeat the same notes as an adult which gave me a special song that would allow me to summon him although I rarely used such an ability.
If this scarecrow wants to me to do that, playing him something could be useful, but then the problem is if I reset time, this conversation will not happen, so that means having to teach him a new series of notes every time.
" I would like to know the secret," I replied.
" Fair enough, baby, now listen up. If you play that strange song backward, you can slow the flow of time down to one third of what it normally is, so if for some reason you're feeling pressured by not having enough time, this will give you more even though time will still tick away as playing the song in this fashion doesn't stop time... nothing can ever really stop time no matter how hard we try.
If you play each note twice in a row, you can move forward through time where you can choose the hour you wish to go to. You can only move forward in this manner up to half a day's length, so playing this variation again will allow you to move further through the flow. How's that? Pretty interesting, isn't it? But I'm sure I'd like any song written by you better, baby!"
" Maybe I'll play a tune the next time I see you," I suggested.
" Why not now, baby?"
" I'm kind of busy with an important journey," I replied.
" Say no more on the subject, for I know that such a thing must be taken care of first, baby, before you can indulge in any kind of fun activity. Very well, I'll take you up on your word, so I hope to see you again real soon, baby!" The scarecrow began spinning around at a rapid pace which caught me by surprise, and then he began to sink into the ground which sounded like water for some reason, and soon he was gone leaving me with the secret behind manipulating time. Upon exiting the Trading Post, I took a closer look at the ocarina again, and immediately figured out that the Song of Time is what needs to be played differently in order to make those changes.
" So playing the Song of Time backwards allows you to slow things down... that is probably the more useful secret Sunset as it means having more time to complete one of those temples, or completing a challenge that has a harsh time limit," said Twilight.
" Makes sense for I'm merely slowing everything around me down, and the two of us will be completely unaffected," I said.
" Not everything will be affected Sunset, for those two creatures who possessed Equestrian magic might have some kind of immunity, but we won't know for sure until we encounter them, or they encounter us which is a possibility. Ganondorf is immune period as he clearly shows an ability to manipulate time seeing as he comes from the distant future according to what he has said," said Twilight.
I wasn't surprised when she said that because I didn't think he would be affected, so when I have to eventually face him in battle, slowing down time won't make any kind of difference. " As for this other variation... the one where you can skip forward through time, its usefulness is less limited, but it can be helpful if you're going through a cycle just to fulfill specific requirements before resetting time again."
" Even if we do have an infinite number of times to reset everything, we shouldn't take advantage of it because it would make me feel pretty bad about myself, for you more than anyone else knows about how I don't like the idea of taking advantage," I said.
" I know," said Twilight.
" What now?" I asked.
" Unless you have something else you need to take care of, my only suggestion would be to reset time, slow it down, and finally enter the first temple of the region as we do have to progress through this game if we're to solve this mystery, and change everything back to normal," replied Twilight. Even though I still had about roughly 40 hours to go before the moon crashes, I decided that resetting time would be a good idea, as a new cycle would probably be just as promising as this one especially because it would mean finally getting some answers. Raising the ocarina to my mouth, and playing the Song of Time, I immediately fell down through a time stream just like the previous times, and all I lost during the transition were my Deku Sticks which was slightly annoying.
Dawn of the First Day - 72 Hours Remain
" Sunset... Sunset Shimmer..."
" Huh?" I asked.
" We're back at the beginning of the 72 hours again," replied Twilight.
" I still can't get used to doing that," I moaned.
" Play the Song of Time in reverse so that we can have more time," suggested Twilight. Since the notes to the Song of Time were simple to remember thanks to my skills of playing a guitar and having musical talent, playing the notes in reverse should be just as simple if not slightly weird in terms of sound. Raising the ocarina to my mouth again, I played the song backwards where everything started to slow down instantly, and I along with Twilight remained unaffected.
" Wow... it feels so weird," I commented.
" To everyone else, things are still normal, but for us they have been reduced in speed," said Twilight. Looking around at the people of Clock Town, they were moving slower now than they were before, and the sounds of construction had also slowed down making it feel rather eerie even though they don't know what has happened. Since time has now been reduced to one third of its actual speed, I now have more time in a given cycle even though it technically still is 72 hours.
I next played the Song of Soaring, and asked the wind to take me to the altar located in the heart of Woodfall... yet once again I would find myself struggling with my stomach because of not wanting to throw up due to spinning around too many times for my liking, and eventually the wind dropped us off in Woodfall where we discovered something that we should have expected.
" Where is the temple?" I asked.
" It's still buried below the swamp because when we reset time, we reversed all of that progress," replied Twilight.
" Good thing we activated this Owl Statue otherwise we'd currently be going through the Southern Swamp, the Woods of Mystery, and the Deku Palace all over again which would be nothing more than a waste of time. I'm also glad that Flash Sentry taught me that song which allows us to fly from place to place using the wind, for this is going to make traversing this world much easier although there are certain places we can't reach with it, so going on foot or on horse will be needed," I said, cupping my hands over my mouth upon saying "horse", and I turned to Twilight out of fear that she would have a reaction.
" I'm okay with the whole Epona thing," said Twilight.
" I didn't mean to bring it up," I said.
" What happened back then was my own doing for not trying to stop Starlight Glimmer, but now I'm making up for my mistake by helping you to stop her, and also because this is me we're talking about here. Like I would allow a problem of this magnitude to continue any longer than it already has!" shouted Twilight.
I never knew how passionate she can be towards solving problems, but she did become an alicorn back in Equestria because of solving problems which most ponies couldn't have figured out on their own, and for fulfilling several other requirements such as understanding friendship, finishing an unfinished spell, and being a good leader. Sometimes I wish that I could have had those qualities, yet instead I abandoned my studies because of succumbing to temptation.
" Guess it's time for me to become a Deku Scrub again," I moaned.
" Yes, as only a Deku can summon the Woodfall Temple by playing the appropriate song. By the way, we could check out the Fairy Fountain to see if Adagio is okay before going inside," suggested Twilight.
" She has been shattered to pieces by Starlight Glimmer which the previous Adagio mentioned, so going there would merely be a waste of time. No, we need to collect the missing pieces of her body in the form of the Stray Fairies, and return all of them to the fountain when we're finished," I said. Twilight nodded to signify her agreement, and said that was the best course to take given that I was sure to be rewarded by helping her out by fixing the damage caused by Starlight.
Putting the ocarina down on the ground, I reached into my pocket, and pulled out the Deku Mask, and upon placing it onto my face, my body began experiencing those familiar convulsions which I still haven't gotten used to. After a few seconds as the magic locked within the mask activated, I let out a scream before completing my transformation, and becoming a Deku again. " That is starting to get a little less painful in terms of those convulsions, but it still feels weird to me."
" Better get used to switching back and forth between forms as that could be a thing," suggested Twilight.
" Just what I needed," I moaned sarcastically, reaching down and picking up the ocarina where it changed into the Deku Pipes. From there, I stood on top of the raised groove of the altar, and played the Sonata of Awakening which caused everything to vibrate like an earthquake like before, and a few moments later, Woodfall Temple appeared from the swampy depths.
Upon taking a much closer look at the entrance which was located at the top of the structure, it could only be reached by a Deku Scrub by using a Deku Flower to fly across to the entrance, but the way was blocked by two Dragonflies, and neither were willing to come over and attack. " I can't lure them over to me as they're too far away, so I have no other choice apart from flying across, and hope that I don't get hit."
" Time your flight carefully so as to avoid them at the best possible time," suggested Twilight. After putting the Deku Pipes away, I walked over to the flower, and dove into it before waiting for the right moment to fly across which took about a minute for these Dragonflies had erratic movement.
Once they were at a reasonable distance away from my flight path, I launched myself, and immediately produced the flowers needed to fly, and flew across the sky, but the Dragonflies suddenly turned around, and started to come towards me with the intent of knocking me out of the sky, and into all of that poisonous swamp water below. Luckily, I managed to make it to the entrance of the temple... just barely, and immediately entered before anything else could go wrong.
" So this is it," I said.
" I've never experienced one of these "dungeons" before, so you'll have to guide me through it as well," said Twilight.
" There a number of puzzles which need to be solved in order to reach the end of the temple where the "boss" is located, and along the way, powerful monsters must be overcome with several being required to defeat as they form part of the overall puzzle. Somewhere in here, various treasures are hidden where I can pick up a map, a compass, small keys, a Boss Key, and a treasure which will be immensely helpful," I said.
" How do you keep tabs on all of that?" asked Twilight.
" Believe me, it isn't easy," I replied. The first room of Woodfall Temple was fairly large, and already I could see Deku Flowers situated on top of high ledges which went across the room, so remaining as a Deku Scrub was essential at least for the early going. Several Skulltulas were hanging from the ceiling, and will come down to attack me the moment I get close enough to them, but then I noticed a large assortment of black coloured spheres with eyes moving about below. " What are those things?"
" Those are Black Boes, and while there are a lot down there, they are generally harmless as all they can do is attempt to jump at you, causing minimal damage. What can make them a threat is the fact that because of their colour, they can blend in really well in dark places, so you never know whether they are there or not," replied Twilight.
Since the floor below was quite deep in comparison to the ledges, I doubt these Black Boes will be able to make their way up here... aside from the steps located to both my left and right, so I decided not to try and answer that question. That's when something else struck my interest, and it was a raised groove right in front of me which upon a closer inspection had an image in the form of Majora's Mask.
" What do you suppose this is for?" I asked.
" I'm not sure, but what I can tell you is that I'm sensing a very faint magic coming from it. I don't think there's anything you can do about it right now, but maybe coming back here another time will provide an answer," replied Twilight. Hearing her say that did deflate my overall excitement as I was curious about this groove, yet I suppose I can live with her answer seeing as I would just be wasting my time trying to figure out something which can't be solved just yet. Not even stepping onto it, and jumping up and down... which is what I did... proved ineffective, so I ignored it, and focused on where I need to go next.
" There's a treasure chest on that first platform," I said.
" Do you suppose the map is in there?" asked Twilight.
" It's possible, but I have a feeling that isn't going to be the case," I replied. Diving into the Deku Flower behind the raised groove, I launched myself into the air before flying to, and landing on the platform in question. You know, I never knew these treasure chests could be so big, but then I'm currently a Deku Scrub, so I'm seeing things in a much different perspective. Walking up to the chest, I realized that opening it using my hands wasn't going to happen as the lid was too high, so I did the next best thing, and that was kick it open.
" Is that?" asked Twilight upon my kicking the chest open.
" A Stray Fairy... just like the one we found in Clock Town, but this one is green in colour as opposed to orange," I replied.
" Please hear my plea kind young one! Please find the fairies trapped inside Woodfall Temple who match our color. Please bring us back to the Fairy Fountain which is located outside in the swamp.There are fifteen of us altogether hidden throughout the temple, and since you have found the first one of us, there should still be fourteen fairies trapped in the remaining chambers. Please save us so we can be returned to our former shape!"
" Guess we should have gone to the fountain after all," I said.
" Is that the Great Fairy mask in your possession kind young one? You must have gotten that from the Great Fairy of Magic in Clock Town, so this will make your task of finding all of us a much easier task. Whenever the hair starts to shimmer, that means you're in a room where one or more of us can be found, and when the hair stops shimmering, you have no more fairies to find in that room.
You will find us in all sorts of locations, so be sure to look at your surroundings very closely. As long as we're free, we will draw ourselves to you so long as you wear the mask of the Great Fairy." With that, the Stray Fairy disappeared by entering my body, and even though I had Adagio describe the Great Fairy's Mask in great detail before, it was nice to hear that description again as I did actually forget about it.
" Fifteen Stray Fairies?" I asked.
" I know it seems like an awful lot, Sunset, but then this is nothing compared to what you've done before. If you can get your hands on a map, I should be able to write down which rooms contained Stray Fairies, so that way, you know which ones you've found already, and which still need to be found," replied Twilight. She certainly had a lot of confidence in me especially since what she said is true about me having done similar things before, yet it has been a while so I'd consider myself rusty, or out of shape when it comes to this sort of thing.
" Now where do you suppose the other ones are?" I asked.
" There's one over there hovering above a dead tree," replied Twilight. I looked in the direction she was pointing at, and there was indeed a dead tree which served as a support beam which keeps this room, and quite possibly this part of the temple from collapsing entirely. In the middle of the two thick trunks which split off from the main one, I could catch the glimpse of the Stray Fairy floating back and forth as though it were just waiting for me to come up, and interact with it. " Guess this is where you'll need to learn how to quickly switch between your two forms effortlessly in order to maintain a steady flow."
" In other words?" I asked.
" Think of it as quick transformations," replied Twilight. I wasn't liking the sound of it, but I did understand what she meant, so I grabbed my Deku face, and took the mask off changing back to a human before taking out the Great Fairy Mask, and putting on my face. The hair of the mask immediately started to shimmer, and I'll admit that it looked really cool, and it certainly proved to be what I needed for this situation as the Stray Fairy suddenly came towards me without any kind of fear on its face. It disappeared into my body upon making contact with it, so now there are only thirteen more left to find.
" The hair isn't shimmering anymore," I said.
" That means there aren't anymore Stray Fairies in this room, so you can switch back to being a Deku Scrub, and proceed over to the door over there at the far end of the room, but make sure not to get knocked down to the floor below by those Skulltulas," said Twilight. The Skulltulas in question were situated right where I had to go, so that meant having to squeeze in-between them without getting close as that would be unpleasant, and that also meant being accurate with my flying.
Taking off the Great Fairy Mask, and switching over to the Deku Mask, I placed it on my face where once again I began experiencing convulsions as my body began changing again, and once I screamed out at the top of my lungs, I finished my transformation where I needed a few moments to catch my breath.
" Doing that quickly doesn't make me feel good," I said.
" You'll need to get used to it especially when in the heat of battle," said Twilight.
" I guess so, but believe me when I say that it's very painful when my body changes, as I don't think the human anatomy is supposed to twist and contort in such a manner, yet the change back is just painless," I said. While in reality I'm a pony, I've been a teenage girl for a few years now, and upon thinking back on it, when I first came into the human world after leaving Equestria, it took me some time to get used to having a human body since the only form I ever knew was that of a pony, or more specifically a unicorn.
So I know what's it like having my anatomy change through some kind of transformation, and this only gets weirder for me due to having become that she-demon as well as an angelic form of myself.
There was another Deku Flower on this platform where the treasure chest was located, and I could see the next platform on the other side of the dead tree, so I'll have to fly in-between the two trunks to be able to continue to the end of this room. Diving down into the flower making sure to aim carefully, I launched myself where I flew across the room while looking down, and seeing the Black Boes which must be attracted to me given how they were now hovering around the bottom of the platform I was heading towards. Upon landing there where I spotted yet another flower, I looked down at the monsters, and I felt bad about what they were doing.
" Those things are ramming themselves into the platform," I said sadly.
" They really want to attack you Sunset, but because they can't make it all the way up here, they are only doing what is natural to them. I must admit that seeing them just ramming into the column makes me feel sorry that they are essentially inflicting self-injury onto themselves," said Twilight.
" I feel that way about it too," I sighed.
" There's no point in even considering falling down to that lower level, and just destroying them to put them out of their misery, for that would just be a waste of time, and quite possibly make you nothing more than a sadistic person who enjoys doing that sort of thing. Still, I am curious why such monsters even exist to begin with. I mean, they can be a problem when they attack you in the darkness, and using a group mentality, yet on their own they don't do much of anything," said Twilight.
" Different monsters have different strengths," I said.
" What do you mean?" asked Twilight.
" Most monsters in this video game world may look strong, but in truth they are relatively weak especially when you know how to deal with them. However, there are some who definitely live up to their reputation when it comes to being powerful, and we're going to be encountering some soon enough," I replied.
" What makes you say that?" asked Twilight.
" Powerful monsters in these dungeons are always guarding a valuable treasure," I replied. While Twilight gave me another skeptical look, she will soon come to realize that my words are very accurate, and since this game is a sequel to the one where I traversed throughout Hyrule in order to defeat Ganondorf, I've got some powerful monsters guarding important weapons which I need to progress.
I remember what I experienced before during my last adventure, and such thoughts sent shivers down my spine because I was almost killed by the likes of the Stalfos, the Iron Knuckle... and of course on several occasions by Sunset Demon. Speaking of the she-demon, I wonder if that was her who had been giving off that Equestrian magic? Hopefully, I'm completely wrong about this, but then again when I want to be wrong, I end up being right about something.
Sunset Demon, next to Ganondorf, is perhaps my truest enemy as she is essentially me... well... to be more precise, the old me who used to be a bully to everyone who attended Canterlot High, and whose sole aim was to ruin all friendships in a bid to maintain my power and influence over everyone. She represents everything I hate about myself, and is determined to assume my life by killing me, and taking it for herself so that she can become the true Sunset Shimmer according to her.
I guess I have some sympathy towards her as after all, she only exists because of how I messed up my life, yet I'd say her sense of morals are even more twisted than what they were back when the she-demon was me. If she has somehow survived her apparent death... why is she here now? Also, why not attack me? Considering how I don't have the same weapons as before, Sunset Demon can easily overpower me without any problems, so maybe there's another factor in play I'm not aware of?
" Thinking about something again?" asked Twilight.
" Just the she-demon," I replied.
" You mean that horrifying wicked monster you became when you stole my crown?" asked Twilight.
" No, I'm talking about Sunset Demon... my former mean self who exists as her own entity," I replied.
" Yes, you told me this in one of your friendship reports, and while I was at first skeptical on the whole thing, I quickly realized you were telling the truth seeing as your attention to detail about what happened was beyond anything I've ever read before," said Twilight.
" The Equestrian magic we sensed back at the Deku Palace... I think it may have been her," I said.
" That bodes ill will for us Sunset as from what you mentioned, the she-demon has no qualms about killing you, and assuming your life all because she feels that she was robbed of being the Sunset Shimmer you once were. If she is alive, there's no doubt in my mind that you two are destined to fight even though such a thing sounds horrible, but there were two Equestrian magical auras, so there was someone else who possessed the magic of Equestria," said Twilight. It quickly dawned on me that I did sense another aura, so who could that have belonged to?
" Guess we'll find out eventually," I sighed, diving into the Deku Flower before launching myself over to where the door to the next room was located. The Skulltulas had obviously taken notice of my presence, for both of them dropped down from the ceiling in order to attack me, so I carefully weaved in-between which is what I needed to do, and entered the next room without trying to attack either one. I mean, I could have attacked them, but then what would be the point? I'd most likely get myself hurt seeing as they have a new barrier like maneuver which makes them more potent.
" Ugh! That stench! This place smells just like that poison swamp," said Twilight.
" Did we even smell anything?" I asked.
" It might not have affected you because of being a Deku Scrub, but I definitely smelt a putrid stench, yet kept it to myself so as to not make a scene," replied Twilight.
" Why didn't you bring it up? I would have been willing to help in some way," I said.
" Guess I was more concerned with us getting to the temple that I just decided to not say anything," said Twilight. That response prompted me to chuckle as it was just like her to allow herself to be distracted by important things, and not sharing her feelings on any particular subject. I made sure to explain why I was laughing in case she may think of me as being insensitive.
Upon explaining myself, Twilight began to chuckle as well, and for a few moments, we laughed at ourselves, and how some of our quirks were kooky before we got back on track, and looked around this room. In the center of the poison-ridden water was some kind of structure in the shape of a closed flower, yet it was down below slightly above the poison, yet it was still a platform regardless. There was what appeared to be a torch in the centre, and surrounding this structure were a number of flowers which looked really ghastly as though the poison had warped them beyond recognition.
" Where do we even begin?" I asked.
" I can see a locked door on the lower level to our left, and you can reach it by going down this ramp also to our left, but without a key in our possession, we're not going that way any time soon," replied Twilight.
" What do you make of this flower-like structure?" I asked.
" It does look important Sunset, but I don't think we can do anything with it right now. Judging from the fact that there is a walkway on the other side of this room along with another door, and what could be a passageway which goes up to another floor, we need to somehow get over there by using that passageway. That means finding that small key is imperative if we want to go any further," replied Twilight.
" What about the door down there to the right?" I asked. Twilight looked down at what I was looking at, and sure enough there was a door which we could easily access as there wasn't anything preventing us from using it, but then she took notice of the five pots sitting on a platform in the corner of the room, and said that it was suspicious as though something could be hiding there. " Those pots do look out of place, but should I jump down there like this, or as a human?"
" I'd jump down as a Deku as you'll still get those five hops even when falling from a great height," replied Twilight. Deciding to go with her advice, I jumped off the ledge and dropped until I landed on the poisonous water where I immediately jumped on the spot before using my next jump to reach the platform.
I remember back in Hyrule that smashing these can yield rewards sometimes, so I performed a spin attack, shattering them all to pieces, and producing a Stray Fairy which must have been trapped inside one of them. That now gives me three of them with only twelve more to find, and when it entered my body, I jumped over to the next section where the door was situated.
" That was worth it," I said.
" All you got were a magic jar, a Deku Stick, ten rupees, and the Stray Fairy... yeah, I agree with you," said Twilight. Opening the door, and entering the next room, I came to a stop because there was nothing in here apart from a ledge to my left which featured a treasure chest, and a Deku Flower in the middle of all that poisonous water which is probably what I have to use to reach that chest.
There was another door located on the opposite side of the room, so I should also check that out in case I can find something useful in there. " Remember that this poison is the same as what we've seen outside in Woodfall, yet this is more potent given how we're traversing through the source of the poison that plagues this region."
" One slip up could cost me my life," I said nerously.
" Maybe you should ignore that treasure chest," suggested Twilight.
" It might contain the small key," I said.
" Then going for it may not be a bad idea, and at least there are no monsters lurking around, so you can take your time," said Twilight. In order to reach the flower, I had to hope across the poisonous water, so I did exactly that without any trouble although those warped flowers were also in here. They look as though they could be stepped on, but their hideous forms made me think otherwise.
Jumping across the water and reaching the platform to my left, I kicked open the chest, and jumped inside where I picked up the small key needed for the locked door in the previous room, but I want to see what lurks behind that other door. You might say that my curiosity compelled me to see what there was, and I've never been known for resisting such temptations. Jumping back across the water before jumping forward towards the other door, I opened it, and entered the next room where it closed right behind me with something I haven't seen for a very long time.
" Figures that would happen," I moaned.
" We're locked inside!" shouted Twilight.
" Relax..." I began.
" How when we're locked inside of this room with no means of escaping?" asked Twilight.
" We can only leave when the puzzle in here has been solved which usually involves defeating monsters, activating a switch, or doing something specific. In this case, we need to defeat monsters in order for those iron bars to rise, and in case you were wondering how I know this... well... take a look in front of you," I replied. Twilight looked out in front of her where she saw three Snappers walking around where they suddenly noticed us, and ducked into their shells before charging at us. Given how there isn't much room to make some kind of maneuver, things are about to get difficult...
To Be Continued.
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It's ironic that I just started playing Twilight Princess when this updated.
As for the story, I've found that the best way to grind for rupees is the chest behind the archery range, I think it is, in East Clock Town, and the one in the sewer that leads to the observatory. Both contain a silver rupee, and both respawn when you reset time. And Sunset, I'm pretty sure I told you questioning video game logic is the same as questioning Pinkie logic.
6643348
Sunset really should look into those places at some point especially the one which needs the wall to be blown up because that would give her the money she needs, and it would give me an excuse to have her using the Blast Mask. So far, she's not had a reason for using it, but I can think of a pretty good place where it would be useful.
On another note, I'm glad the story is finally on the first dungeon as it felt like forever, but this is going to be the norm because there's only four of them that exist in this game.
I'm guessing Sci-Twi is the Treasure chest shop girl. You don't meet her until after the second dungeon Is done.
There are only two possible who is sci-twi.
1 is the treasure chest shop girl or the one that is becoming a Gimpo. And I'm leaning towards the turning into a monster one because of midnight sparkle.