Chapter 50: The Ancient Graveyard
The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Majora's Mask
By Ganondorf8
March 27, 2017
Chapter 50: The Ancient Graveyard.
As I continued watching the Gorman Sisters--Sour Sweet and Lemon Zest--conversing amongst themselves, whilst looking over at me from time to time, over whether or not they would agree to having a horse race against me, I looked over at their stable out of curiosity--also the smell of horses got my attention--and inside were several horses that looked incredibly powerful though their lack of expression felt disheartening to me. I could that these horses had been properly trained which proved the sisters told the truth with regards to being excellent breeders, yet I noticed something else that I immediately recognized.
Inside were the masks that they wore when they attacked Applejack's wagon, proof that I couldn't trust them even if they were to agree to my challenge, but again I couldn't exactly expose them otherwise I'd be kicked out on account of being a problem to them. I felt sorry for the poor horses who were forced into acting out in such a horrible manner, but then given their expressions I noted moments ago, they probably enjoyed the experience more than anything else. Speaking of the horses, I decided to take the time to compare them with Epona to see how she stacked up against them.
The prospects weren't good and I knew that straight away. While she was younger than they were and also smaller, Epona didn't have long legs that could give her powerful strides across any kind of terrain. Also, her small size meant those other horses could easily knock her around resulting in me being knocked off and sustaining heavy injuries. Also, I wouldn't be surprised if those two resorted to underhanded tactics to achieve victory. Granted, it's not like they were going to lose their land or anything but perhaps the thought of being beaten by a child was embarrassing.
Looking at Epona, who neighed happily, I was reminded of what happened during my previous journey. I could only remember a few things from what happened with the most prominent one being that she and I had to be as one in order to defeat our opponent. That guy... Ingo, I believe his name was, or rather Big Macintosh--he portrayed this Ingo character as I recall--wanted to race against me twice all because he couldn't stand losing, but what if Sour Sweet and Lemon Zest choose to act in a similar manner? What if they accepted my challenge and throw in a stipulation that involved having to race against them more than once and winning each time?
Of course, that race was a small track around a corral while this racetrack was much larger in scope, a truly daunting task given that I hadn't used Epona all that much during this journey and she might not have been fully raised when I somehow obtained her. The Gorman Sisters were also experts of this course--it was their racetrack--and they knew it by heart which gave them an advantage. All I could really hope for was that Epona would be able to hold her own against two full grown stallions and beat them. Not only did she need to hold her own, I had to do the same thing as my own skills were going to be put to the test.
Speaking of the Gorman Sisters, a part of me wanted to know more about how they felt towards their brother. While it wasn't really my place to know since it was obviously a private family matter, I couldn't help but wonder what their lives have been like since he left. Then again, they might not be willing to talk about such things given their angry expressions told me that talking to them about most anything would be difficult. I supposed I could ask before or after the race but perhaps doing so before would be a better idea in case losing leaves them fuming and unwilling to talk.
After what felt like an eternity--it had been about ten minutes--the two Gorman Sisters finally finished conversing before walking back over to me. I couldn't tell what they had decided since their expressions weren't giving anything away, but then Sour Sweet decided to break the silence. " My little sister and I have been pondering your request, kid, and while we have no doubts that this is a huge waste of our time, we're going to give you a chance."
My heart relaxed upon hearing that. " So you accept my challenge?"
Sour Sweet nodded slowly. " That horse of yours, if y'all can really call it one, is mighty strong for a runt, and I know better than to doubt my sister's eyes when she said it had been raised well." I looked over at Lemon Zest who was pointing two of her fingers at each of her eyes so as to confirm Sour Sweet's point. " If you want, you could sell us that horse and walk away with wealth beyond your wildest dreams."
" What!?"
" Hear me out." Sour Sweet said as she waved her hands. " If you sell your horse to us, we'll give you 1,000 rupees in return. Sure, it would put us into slight debt but then you would be richer and we would have the best horse in these here parts that would bring those nags over at Romani Ranch to shame."
" Are you being serious?"
" Quite so."
" Why would I sell my horse to you?"
" Because you're a kid who looks like she needs some money."
" I didn't ask to wear this tunic you know."
Sour Sweet ignored my last statement and continued on. " A rich kid would make all them other kids real jealous and most likely try and rob you whenever you next go into town assuming it will still be there by the time that thing above us has done whatever it's supposed to do. So what do you say, kid? Will you sell us that horse and live a life of luxury or will you keep that runt and give up on a good thing?"
I couldn't believe they were thinking I should sell Epona. Not only would that be disrespectful to those who gave her to me in the first place, it would also be a betrayal of the trust given unto me by Epona herself. Almost no one had ever been able to tame her aside from her original owner before I came along and did just that, and so I doubted that these two would be able to achieve the same thing even if they were excellent horse trainers. I could also tell that they wanted Epona because of what Lemon Zest described when she got a closer look at my beloved companion. Money was nothing without my friend by my side.
I shook my head repeatedly. " No! I'm not going to sell my horse!"
" Figured you say that, right big sister?" Lemon Zest asked.
" Can't blame you for refusing, kid." Sour Sweet answered. " Though, I attribute it to you being young and uneducated since you obviously can't see the huge profit you would have made, am I right, little sister?"
" Kids these days know so little."
" Well, we might as well address your challenge."
" Big sister and I will take you on at the same time." Lemon Zest said as she pointed at the race track. " We're going to race you using our finest horses and complete one lap around the track though that shouldn't be a problem with your horse. By the way, I don't believe we mentioned about the small fee that comes with racing us?" I shook my head though I should have realized it and Lemon Zest chuckled at my expense. " Guess it plain slipped my mind. Anyway, if you want to race us, you need to pay us 50 rupees. Think of it as a small little wager just to give us some entertainment."
" It's ten rupees, little sister!"
" What? I thought we agreed it would be 50."
" As much as I would love to charge this kid 50 rupees, I don't she even has enough for that."
" I see your point, big sister."
" No wonder you have trouble remembering the simplest of things." Sour Sweet said. " I thought you knew better than that! You're just like our middle brother sometimes though he wasn't as prone."
My first thought was that they were trying to rob me of my money by saying I needed to pay them 50 rupees. I was glad that Sour Sweet quickly addressed that though I could tell she really wanted me to pay given her sudden shift in tone. I also took offence when she said that I was poor just because they viewed me as a child. In reality, I was much older than both of them given I regressed in age when I came through the portal during my self-imposed exile--even now my mind hadn't grasped why that had happened--though to prevent any confusion, I chose to play along.
That's when I realized Sour Sweet mentioned their "middle brother", an obvious reference to Gorman himself. I now had the chance to inquire about their feelings towards him not to mention how they felt about him choosing a different life. Subtlety was needed here otherwise they might think I was trying to learn more about them for something nefarious. Between the two sisters, Lemon Zest was much more approachable, and it was because of Sour Sweet's attitude shifting between angry and really creepy. I would have thought nice but they were anything but that.
Turning towards Lemon Zest, I inquired without making it sounding obvious. " You have a brother?"
Lemon Zest was a little surprised at my sudden question but she quickly regained her composure. " Yeah, my big sister and I have a brother though we call him middle brother since he's older than me and younger than big sister. We don't talk about him as much as we should since he is our brother but when he hasn't been around here for years, you start to think of him as a forgotten relic of the past."
" Don't say it like that!" Sour Sweet shouted.
" You know it's true!"
" Middle brother made his choice!"
" I wish he hadn't."
" Enough, little sister!"
Lemon Zest then turned towards me. " I was about to say this is your fault for bringing it up, kid, but I can forgive you since you're just a kid and all. Middle bro was always the most ambitious among the three of us, always thinking that he could one day leave this place and make it big out in the world. Big sister and I kept on telling him to face reality and accept being a horse breeder, yet he wouldn't have any of it and wanted to prove his point."
" He never was any good at raising horses."
" Middle bro never had the knack, big sister."
" One day, he upped and left the racetrack to fulfill his dream of being an entertainer."
Lemon Zest then looked up at the sky. " To think that if we never went to the carnival that one year, he would still be here working with us instead of living the dream and entertaining the masses with his troupe of performers he hired." I looked at her face and it seemed like she was shedding some tears but I kept quiet just in case she thought I was calling her out or something. " Remember when we all went to the Milk Bar in town, big sister? Middle bro wanted to see that Zora band perform so badly and insisted on bringing us along. What did they call themselves again?"
" The Indigo-Go's or some such nonsense."
" Oh yeah!" Lemon Zest exclaimed. " That lead singer completely mesmerized middle bro so much that he wanted to become an entertainer instead of raising horses. Neither of us felt that way when we heard her sing those notes but then it doesn't help that we're tone deaf."
Sour Sweet then looked up at the sky. " Middle bro hasn't written to us or been back here for years and that makes it hard for us to think about him from time to time. He makes me mad sometimes because of that!" Her face turned red in anger but she quickly calmed down before lowering her head again. " Despite that, we still miss middle bro and often wonder if the world had been fair to him and not cruel like it does to others."
" What about that mask of his, big sister?"
" That thing!?"
" Yeah."
" Don't ever mention that accursed thing ever again!" Sour Sweet shouted. " You know what that mask does to the two of us whenever we used to see middle bro wearing it to get his point across over his dreams? Every time we criticized him for wanting to leave the racetrack, he would put that thing on and we'd completely fall apart. I don't know how a simple mask could reduce us to tears despite it actually being capable of doing so. Great! Now I can't get that thought out of my mind no thanks to you!"
" Sorry, big sister."
Sour Sweet then turned towards me, anger clearly on her face thanks to Lemon Zest. " Enough thinking about the past! We're going to race you right now, kid, and you will pay us ten rupees right now! No exceptions!" While the two of them were bickering a moment ago, I slipped my hand into my pocket and took out ten rupees just as a safety precaution given my lack of trusting either of them. " I see you've got ten rupees in your hand so give them to me right now!" I walked over to where she was standing and dropped them into her palm where she pocketed them in her pocket before smiling. " I expect more coming our way soon enough."
" What do you mean?" I asked.
" We're horse breeders and trainers so we're professionals."
" I don't see that as an advantage."
" You've got a lot of spunk, kid." Sour Sweet said. " You know what? I'm going to make this a lot more interesting. If you manage to beat both of us then I'll give you something really good in return, and this is a promise I shall keep but only if we're beaten--like that will ever happen. Okay! Bring that runt of a horse over there to the starting line and we'll get this race started once we bring over our horses."
As Sour Sweet and Lemon Zest walked over towards their stable to get their horses, I walked back over to Epona and patted her on the head before quietly whinnying at her to which she responded in kind. Since I had no reins, saddle, or anything else with her--she had none of these when I first came to this world--I had no other choice but to ride her as is so hopefully my butt wouldn't get chafed or anything like that in the process. Fortunately, the bond we shared with each other was still as strong as ever as she trotted by my side, yet it needed to be more than that were we to prevail in this race.
While walking over to the starting line--it was nothing more than a line scrawled into the dirt--I began to think about what the Gorman Sisters said about their brother. It seemed they had issues with him all because he chose to leave this place out of wanting something better in life. Sour Sweet took it more personally than Lemon Zest did given the disdain she showed, and she especially had an issue with the mask Big Macintosh had according to what she said about him. I didn't recall him having one on hand during my previous encounters with him at the mayor's residence or the Milk Bar but perhaps I could get it from him somehow.
No doubt that this mask Big Macintosh had was one of the ones I needed to acquire the ultimate mask but the question was how was I supposed to get it from him? As I reached the starting line and climbed up onto Epona, I began thinking about what else the sisters said about their brother. They mentioned seeing a performance by the Indigo-Go's years ago that convinced him to want to become an entertainer.
Could Rarity and the other band members have performed for them? No... That didn't sound right. Judging from their choice of clothes not to mention how they talked about it as having taken place long ago, a different version of the Indigo-Go's must have performed during the carnival at the time. A shame I never spoke with Miss Pommel about it since she was their manager and all but perhaps I could get an opportunity once I was finished here. Whatever happened back then didn't seem all that significant upon first glance yet I intended on finding out as it could both enlighten my experiences and net me another mask.
The sounds of neighing suddenly came from behind me so I turned my head and saw Sour Sweet and Lemon Zest coming my way riding their horses. Both stallions were the same ones they used when they attacked Applejack's wagon though they weren't wearing any masks over their faces--I recognized the spotted pattern on the flanks of each horse--so it was to be assumed that these were their preferred horses for this kind of thing. Both horses then stood either side of Epona and she whinnied in response due to intimidation, but I patted her muzzle to calm her fears.
" See how great our horses are?" Lemon Zest asked.
" They look okay to me."
" What!? These are the finest horses we've ever bred."
" That's fine and all yet I prefer my horse."
" Just because that little runt was raised well doesn't make it the best thing out there."
" You might be right."
" What!? Are you making fun of me or something?"
" No."
" You need to calm down, little sister." Sour Sweet said. " You're letting your emotions get the better of you again, just like what happened with middle brother. Just keep calm and focus on beating this kid!"
" Yes, big sister."
Sour Sweet then looked at me, a serious look appearing on her face. " Are you ready for the race, kid? When I say the word go, our horses will start a runnin' down the racetrack and will keep going until we get back here again. By the way, there are some fence littered about but I'm certain that runt of a horse could jump over them if it had enough speed. Knowing the little thing, it'll probably trip on its hind hooves and slam both of you into the ground."
" And why didn't you mention it before?" I asked.
" It slipped my mind."
Once again, I felt annoyed because these two constantly lied or mislead me with their words but I needed to now focus on beating them in this race. While I could easily afford to take them on about a dozen times given how much money I had in my wallet, I preferred to get this over on my first attempt, and that meant Epona and I acting as one rather than merely being a horse and her rider.. My only concern was that Sour Sweet could potentially say go almost immediately, giving both of them an unfair head start, yet while it didn't seem like she would resort to such a measure, I wasn't going to ignore the possibility.
Almost thirty seconds later and Sour Sweet shouted out go, prompting both her and Sour Sweet to crack the reins on their horses, causing them to start galloping off down the track leaving Epona and me in their dust for a few moments--I knew they were going to take this challenge seriously but I wasn't expecting that. When the dust settled and I saw that they were well ahead, I gently slapped Epona's flank, and she began to gallop forward herself officially beginning the race. Unlike the Gorman Sisters, all I could do was whip my horse in the flank while they could just use their reins.
It soon became apparent though that I needed to whip her at a steady pace just so that I could keep up with the sisters. I knew Epona had a disadvantage given her small size but already things were going bad as the sisters continued pulling away from us. I also knew Epona would run out of steam were she to be whipped too many times and that would doom any chances of victory. Fortunately, I was given a subtle hint in the form of using those fences Sour Sweet mentioned. Epons was more than capable of jumping over those provided her speed was fast enough and moving in a straight line--it wouldn't work if either condition wasn't met.
The track was also littered with mud patches, something else I wasn't told about, and I could tell right away that going through these would slow a horse down. Epona avoided each patch with finesse and my whipping her flank every ten seconds allowed us to slowly catch up to the Gorman Sisters. So far, they weren't paying attention to what I was doing and probably thought I was so far behind that I had already given up or something. But, when Lemon Zest looked behind to see me coming up from behind, she alerted Sour Sweet before reining her horse to go to the right as a means of blocking me.
Despite how cheap of a tactic that was, they were doing a good job of keeping me in the back by blocking my every attempt to get in front. As we all turned the first corner, signalling the quarter way mark, I veered to the right and Epona acknowledged my desire by moving that way due to seeing a possible break, but Sour Sweet noticed my plan and immediately had her horse block my way, forcing me back to where I was before. While I was whipping Epona at a steady yet reasonable pace, the two sisters kept on cracking the reins on their horses without taking a break. They treated their horses like slaves in that fashion and my heart felt saddened in return.
Epona whinnied at me, saying that we would win this race no matter the cost, though I whinnied back at her in return telling her not to overexert herself, but the moment I spoke to her using the language of horses--I was a pony myself after all--I looked forward to see if the Gorman Sisters had heard me whinnying like a horse. To my pleasure, neither of them had heard me though if they did, they were most likely focused on winning the race. Given how both of them were riding neck and neck, I thought about whether I could use that to my advantage and have them compete with each other and ignore me.
" What are you thinking about?" Twilight asked.
" Do you think I could get them to compete with each other?"
Princess Twilight looked ahead at the sisters though she almost flew out of my pocket given how fast we were moving. " I don't know, Sunset. They both seem to be in perfect synch with each other and are determined to make sure you don't get past them. No matter how close you get to them, they will move out in front and block any attempts at overtaking them, and you can only whip Epona so often before upsetting her."
" It was worth a shot."
" You could try to overtake them when we get to the next corner."
" That's right before the finish line!"
" How do you figure that?"
Before I could answer Princess Twilight, I attempted to get past Lemon Zest once we were past the corner but again she blocked me and Epona almost went into some mud though she just managed to avoid it in time. This next part of the racetrack was a long straightaway with trees serving as an additional obstacle alongside the mud patches. I could also see fences off in the distance of varying heights, perfect for us to utilize provided neither sister could use them or prevent us from using them. Sour Sweet then swerved to the left to once again block me before veering back the other way while Lemon Zest swerved right to block me as well before veering back.
I whipped Epona's flank a little quicker than usual in hopes of maybe slipping in-between them but Sour Sweet quickly had her horse block--it looked like the thing was going to kick my steed in the face given how close it got--and I had to move back once again. When I finally had a free moment, I responded to Princess Twilight. " Once we reach the end of this straightaway, it's just one more corner to go until we reach the finish line."
" What kind of racetrack is this?"
" A straightway kind."
Princess Twilight looked confused. " Is this some kind of fancy term you learned during your time in the world you call home?"
Her response surprised me a little though it was expected. " Don't we have those kinds of things back home in Equestria?"
Princess Twilight shook her head. " We normally don't have races against one another aside from special occasions."
" Wow... And I thought things had changed on that front." I said. " Anyway, a straightaway course consists of two lengthy straight runs like this one and two half-circle corners, the perfect course for beginners yet it does make sense why the Gorman Sisters would have this kind of track."
" I understand now. Fascinating."
I rolled my eyes. " In any case, we need to get past them before we reach the finish, and I figure that if the remaining corner doesn't work, we can jump over those fences that are coming up and get ahead of them that way. Before you say anything, Twilight, Epona can jump over those fences without any trouble provided she has enough speed and is going in a straight direction."
" I trust your judgment, Sunset."
Patting Epona on the head, she whinnied out loud that caught the attention of Sour Sweet and Lemon Zest, who looked behind to see that I was still behind them. In their eyes, they were shocked that I was still behind them and began arguing about something I couldn't hear other than three words: "kid", "luck", and "serious". In any case, I realized now that any attempt at pulling myself ahead was pointless so it boiled down to waiting for the perfect opportunity. I then responded to Epona by whinnying and this time the sisters looked at me with weird expressions though I chose to ignore them and kept on whinnying.
More mud patches were ahead of us and while Epona dodged them all, the Gorman Sisters' horses merely plowed through them without any problems. I was shocked at how their horses did that, also annoyed that some of the mud splattered on both of us--Princess Twilight hid inside my pocket and avoided the mud--yet their horses had large hooves, capable of smashing through mud like it was nothing.
Their horses continued plowing through the mud and I weaved left and right to avoid getting hit by speckles of mud as it kicked off of the horses' hooves and now I was really getting infuriated over how they were doing everything they could to stop from crossing the finish line first. Epona whinnied her disappointment over our predicament so she began falling back allowing Sour Sweet and Lemon Zest to pull ahead of us. Now things were looking bad and we were past the halfway point of the race so things needed to change before the sisters would get too far ahead of us.
I whipped Epona's flank to maintain our speed pace but she kept on slowing down sooner than expected because of the mud being flung at us. The fences at that point were now almost upon us and unless the sisters didn't use them, they were essentially my only chance of overtaking them. Judging from those same hooves I noticed on their horses, they looked to be rather heavy so perhaps it was impossible for their steeds to make the jump.
The fences came up and the sisters weaved in-between them--their horses couldn't jump over them--so now I had a chance to catch up and perhaps get out in front. Whipping Epona's flank and whinnying at her with encouragement, she increased her speed and began jumping the fences, each leap more majestic than the last. Each time she leapt over a fence, I had to maintain her speed otherwise she would stall and that meant having to go around, so I had to continued whipping her flank despite how uncomfortable it was.
Upon Epona jumping the tallest fence, she landed right in front of the sisters, who were surprised that we suddenly appeared out of nowhere, yet I could hear them yelling from behind me.
Now I had to ensure Epona kept our slim lead--Sour Sweet and Lemon Zest would no doubt apply the pressure--and that involved increasing my own whipping pace. My steed whinnied her displeasure but accepted it knowing it was necessary to succeed. The sisters began cracking their horses' reins even faster than ever as we approached the other corner of the track and that gave them a chance to overtake us again. All I could do was prevent one of them from getting past yet the other would succeed since the race was already lopsided--it had been since the start.
Lemon Zest began making a move by whipping the reins of her horse with greater intensity than before and pulled up beside me. " How the heck have you managed to keep up with us so far, girl? I know I said your horse had been trained well but I said that just to give you a sense of accomplishment. Big sister and I thought you'd be somewhere back at the start of the track and not all the way up here so perhaps it's time we stopped playing games."
" Maybe I'm a better rider than you thought?"
Lemon Zest gritted her teeth. " You're just full of spunk aren't you?"
" I plan on winning this race."
" We'll see about that."
" What are you doing?"
" Like I said, big sister and I aren't playing games now." Lemon Zest answered. She whipped the reins again, her horse clearly upset with her actions, but she yelled at it to shut it up before whipping even faster until her horse had pulled out in front of me. " Sorry, kid, but my sister and me have our reputation to maintain as the best horse breeders around." Her horse then plowed through some mud patches, the mud kicking off its hooves and hitting Epona causing her to fall back a little. " See you at the finish line!" She then whipped the reins though slower now and her horse galloped off leaving Epona and me to ponder our next move.
Sour Sweet then came up on my right. " My little sister had the right idea by taking this seriously. I will admit, kid, that your horse riding skills are definitely something, but don't think this means I like you or anything. I personally can't stand kids!"
" I won't let you get past me." I said.
" Let's see if you can back up those words."
I whipped Epona's flank and she galloped forward pushing us away from Sour Sweet but then the sound of her horse whinnying from behind echoed around us, and her horse stampeded past us using its size to knock us aside though Epona didn't fall over from the impact. I whipped Epona's flank and she attempted to get in front of Sour Sweet again though she was prepared and veered her horse left, blocking our path before veering right, then back before stampeding past a second time, her horse colliding with Epona, knocking her back and again she didn't fall over.
" Hey!" I called out. " No need to be aggressive!"
" Bigger horses love it!"
" That's not what your horse is saying."
Sour Sweet then looked at me with a weird look. " Huh? Are you telling me that you can understand what my horse is saying? Come to think of it, my little sister and I did hear you whinnying to your runt earlier though we thought you were pretending to be a horse or something." She whipped the reins of her horse and began pulling ahead before turning her head back and sticking out her tongue. " Looks like we Gorman Sisters win once again! No one can beat us! Oh, and that whole whinnying thing of yours... stop it! It really creeps us out so stop it. Period!"
With the Gorman Sisters now clearly in front of me as we approached the other corner, I tried overtaking them by veering off to the right in hopes that the inside part of the corner would make for a perfect opportunity, yet Lemon Zest managed to block me. I then veered left since Lemon Zest gave me a wide open space but this was blocked by Sour Sweet who got in front of me and forced Epona to move back. No matter what I tried doing, both sisters were blocking my every effort, their synchronization skills were perfect. My only chance now involved overtaking them during the final stretch.
As we came out of the corner and down the straightaway, patches of mud were everywhere including trees scattered about--the final obstacles--yet my eyes were focused on the fences that were coming up. Epona whinnied at me to let me know that the fences would be our means of victory since the Gorman Sisters were likely to ignore them, and I whinnied back at her along with an additional whinny to let her know I needed to whip her flank more than ever before. A soft whinny in response from Epona indicated that she was fine with the idea and so I whipped her flank so that she could keep up with the sisters.
Once we were in range of the fences, Sour Sweet and Lemon Zest began to swerve around them like before, and that was my chance to make the final move. I whipped Epona's flank as quickly as I could, pausing for about five seconds each time, and she jumped over each fence in succession--including the tall one--until we were once again in front of the sisters, surprising them once again, yet we knew we had to continue with the speed otherwise they would overtake us. I continued whipping her flank, pushing her to the limit, and while it seemed like she wasn't liking it given her whinnying, Epona knew it was necessary to achieve victory.
The finish line was right in front of us and the Gorman Sisters were thundering up behind, their horses whinnying like crazy over being forced to push themselves to the limit, and while their anguish angered me, I had to keep going. I continued whipping Epona--her whinnying made me upset--until we crossed the finish but just barely as Sour Sweet was mere inches from overtaking us and stealing the glory. Epona then came to a sudden stop while both sisters continued on down the track for a fair distance until they came to a stop before heading back over to the corral.
Patting Epona on the head and whinnying to show both my happiness and sadness over what we went through, Sour Sweet and Lemon Zest at first said nothing as their horses trotted over to the stable and both sister came back out a few moments later after putting their steeds away. I climbed down off of Epona before walking up to them and again they refused to speak--had my surprise victory left them both in complete silence? It turned out that wasn't the case as they were merely coming to grips with what had just happened. Finally, one of them broke their silence by freaking out.
" Shoooooooot!!!!" Lemon Zest shouted. " How the heck could we have lost!?"
" I can't believe you beat us, kid!" Sour Sweet shouted. " Our best horses couldn't beat the likes of your runt!"
" We should have jumped over those fences, big sister."
" Our horses were never trained to do that."
" Maybe we ought to change that."
Sour Sweet was about to lose her cool when she slowly calmed down before turning her attention towards me. " As much as I hate to admit it, you beat us, kid, and I will live up to my promise of giving you something in return for winning."
" But, big sister! Are you sure we can give that to this girl?"
" You have a point, little sister, but I have to keep my word."
" Just give her some rupees and be done with it."
Sour Sweet shook her head. " No, I have to give her something more than rupees. Besides, she's just a kid. What could she possibly do with it? It's just a mask after all that we happened to acquire when we went to that haunted place some years back. It should be fine to give it to her." She then walked off into the stable, rummaged around in there for a few minutes, and came back outside holding a strange looking mask. She seemed hesitant overall as she handed the mask over to me but she knew that she made a promise and knew she had to keep it as a means of saving face. " If you promise not to tell anyone where you got this from, you can have it for beating us."
" What is it?" I asked.
" This is known as the Garo's Mask." Sour Sweet answered. " Legends say that the leader of the ninja assassins who lived in the haunted region wore this mask as a symbol of authority, and his followers would respond to that mask without question as it meant their lives. Of course, it's just a legend so there isn't any real truth to it. Now, if you don't mind, girl, we'd like to focus on our work so could you please go away. In other words... get lost!"
While I wanted to scold them for how they treated their horses during the race, I knew better than to push them even further. Besides, the most important thing was getting the mask they used in their attempt at attacking Applejack's wagon--this was also a vindication for her even though she would never know about it. My anger towards the Gorman Sisters needed to be ignored so I climbed onto Epona, held the mask firmly in my hand, and she trotted forward--I had to whip her flank first to get her moving--until we left their racetrack and returned to the previous area, Milk Road.
It felt like we spent almost the entire day racing against Sour Sweet and Lemon Zest but in truth it had only been about an hour. While I could go to the final region now since I had the required mask according to what Adagio said, I still felt unprepared for what was awaiting me there. I now needed to come up with my next course of action so as to not waste anymore time in this cycle--I knew I had infinite time but wasting it wasn't my kind of thing.
As Epona galloped forward and back into Termina Field, I held up the mask that I had just won to take a closer look at it. The hollow eyes were creepy in that they gave off the impression of an unfeeling presence whose sole purpose was to inflict fear upon whoever saw this. The beak-like nose didn't really look right and the diamond-shaped head also didn't add to the overall feel of what the mask represented. The purple fabric at the bottom was perhaps its best feature though that wasn't really saying much, but to think that this mask belonged to an assassin who commanded others to kill any who got in their way.
" That was a real gruelling race." Twilight said.
" Even though it pained me to push Epona to the limit, it was necessary to acquire this mask."
Princess Twilight nodded. " She knew that you needed to make her go fast enough to keep up with the Gorman Sister in addition to winning the race, Sunset. I know Epona isn't mad at you for doing that to her. In fact, I believe she is happy she was able to live up to your expectations."
" You think so?"
Princess Twilight laughed. " Does her whinnying answer your question?" I went quiet and listened as Epona whinnied her excitement over beating two adult stallions and I couldn't help but whinny with her though Princess Twilight didn't join in as she was more serious about what I had acquired. " Now we can go to the final region as that mask was required to gain access yet I suspect you're not ready for that yet, are you?"
I shook my head. " I want to get a couple more things down before we go over there."
" What did you have in mind?"
" Well, the three big problems are now taken care of so all that remains are small issues."
" I have a suggestion."
" What's that?"
" Since you now have all three transformation masks, we can finally help out Miss Pommel with that sound check she mentioned the last time we were at the Milk Bar, but we would have to speed through time in order to do so." Twilight answered. " The Milk Bar doesn't open until 10:00pm and that means we'll have to play the Song of Double to skip through to that precise point otherwise we'd be doing nothing until then. I know you don't like wasting time, Sunset, but I don't really see any other options."
" Can we at least ride back to Clock Town?"
" It shouldn't take us that long so I say yes."
" I could spend some time picking up rupees."
" About that..."
" You think it's a bad idea?"
Princess Twilight shook her head. " You don't need to get off of Epona to cut through the grass. She should be able to trample through the grass and you can pick up any items that appear when the grass gets cut. I know it sounds silly and I am basing this off of Tatl's memories but it's something you should consider."
I decided to take Her Highness' advice and veered Epona to the left where she immediately plowed through a large section of grass resulting in rupees, magic jars, arrows and recovery hearts appearing that I had her walk over so that they would be consider as having been picked up. Since I did have some spare time, I spent roughly ten minutes or so having my trusty steed continue plowing through grass and picking up any rewards that dropped though there was only so much that could be obtained--the grass would only reappear upon entering another area or leaving one.
Once I had decided that I had acquired enough items through this method--I acquired about thirty rupees along with the other stuff--I had Epona make her way over to the eastern entrance of Clock Town as this was where I needed to be to get to the Milk Bar. Going inside, I looked up at the bar and thought about how to handle things. Technically, I could go inside though it was pointless since Miss Pommel and Big Macintosh weren't likely there, and they were who I had to see about getting the mask that I now knew Big Macintosh had on his person according to the Gorman Sisters.
Taking out the Ocarina of Time from the pouch on my belt, I had to first recall how the Song of Double Time worked before playing it. In an instant, time began flowing by very quickly and it was actually pretty entertaining seeing so many people moving about at such intense speed, yet from their perspective, everything was going at a regular pace while I was seeing things sped up. It soon wore off and I was back to seeing time flow normally though it was now night-time, and upon looking up at a clock hanging on the wall, the time had just gone past 10:00pm though I was surprised since it should have technically stopped at 6:00pm.
Night of the Second Day - 32 Hours Remain.
Walking up to the door, I reached out for the knob and turned it only to find that the door was locked. That was strange since the Milk Bar was supposed to open at 10:00pm but then a voice coming from inside--it belonged to Granny Smith--said that members needed to show their proof of membership. I slapped my forehead upon realizing that I forgot that to get inside required wearing Romani's Mask, the mask given to me by Applejack when I helped protect her delivery from the Gorman Sisters. To forget such an important mask made me feel bad given what I had to go through to get it.
Taking out Romani's Mask, I put it on my head--it did look weird wearing it now that I thought about it--and reached for the door knob again, Granny Smith's voice from inside saying she recognized me as a member and allowed me to come inside. Since I needed to switch to my other forms in order to help out Miss Pommel, I had to switch out Romani's Mask almost immediately and find somewhere to hide so that I could change bodies without causing a panic. While it ultimately didn't matter since my actions would be erased when I would eventually reset time, I didn't want the patrons inside freaking out or anything.
As I suspected, Miss Pommel was inside, standing over by the stage with Big Macintosh sitting at the counter, and Granny Smith behind the counter serving drinks and cleaning up any glasses that patrons left behind before leaving. Since I never really had a chance to talk to her other than listen in on her conversation with Applejack, I decided to speak with Granny Smith first before dealing with Miss Pommel and Big Macintosh. She didn't react in any way as I approached her but she did hold out her hand as a means of welcoming me and bade me to sit down yet I politely refused.
" Despite being so young, that mask really does look good on you, madam." Granny Smith said.
" Thank you."
" Please refrain from removing your mask while inside, madam."
" What about the others here?"
" I have told them to keep their masks on but they seem to be ignoring me." Granny Smith answered. " If you do end up removing your mask, I'll just ask you to put it back on since there are rules here that must be followed in order to stay. Anyway, may I get you a drink, madam? I was expecting a delivery of Romani Ranch's famous Chateau Romani the other night but it looks like it won't happen since I haven't heard a thing from the ranch owner. If you desire that particular milk, I will have to charge you more than the usual amount since I have a short supply and other patrons may want some."
Since I already knew what happened, I decided to let Granny Smith know. " A boulder blocks the entrance to Romani Ranch."
Granny Smith lowered her head slightly. " That's a real shame but then it does explain why my delivery never came. I suppose there's no need to worry about it now since the bar hasn't had many customers lately what with these dangerous times we're in."
I then noticed Big Macintosh and chose to inquire. " What's wrong with him?"
" Gorman?" Granny Smith asked. " He's been wallowing away here for the second night in a row all because his performance for the Carnival of Time was cancelled. He tried to explain things to his troupe but just couldn't muster up the courage so now he sits there drinking his sorrows away with milk."
" He looks a little drunk."
" More like tipsy."
" Maybe he's had enough?"
" I tried to warn him about it but he refuses to listen."
" It must be hard dealing with customers like him sometime."
" True, madam, but then it's what I enjoy in this line of work."
I then turned my attention to Miss Pommel. " And what about her?"
" Mrs. Toto?" Granny Smith asked. " She was hoping her Zora band, the Indigo-Go's would be performing here tomorrow night but they were forced to cancel for the same reason that affected Gorman and his troupe. Despite not getting what she wanted, Mrs. Toto has been wanting some help with a sound check. While I have no problem with her wanting to do that since no one is currently using the stage, I don't think anyone will be able to help her out. Most musicians didn't bother coming to town when news spread of the carnival being cancelled all of a sudden."
" Actually, I came here to help her out."
" If that's true then by all means assist her."
" What about my mask?"
" Please keep it on."
Unlike the Equestrian version of Granny Smith who was always full of energy and didn't feel bogged down by her age, this version of her was pretty bland in her delivery and acted like everything didn't really matter at all. Still, she had given me some useful information regarding how Big Macintosh was feeling given I did see him lose his cool when he found out his troupe's performance got cancelled, yet drinking away his problems would do nothing--at least it wasn't alcohol otherwise that would have been worse. I hadn't figured out how to get my hands on his mask but perhaps what the Gorman Sisters said about that song would work.
Miss Pommel was the manager of the Indigo-Go's and so she would have knowledge of all of their songs along with information on current and former band members. I wasn't sure how she would react to seeing Mikau when it came time for me to change into a Zora, but that would be a bridge I would cross when I eventually got to it--it was coming up within the next ten minutes. I walked over from the counter to where Miss Pommel was standing yet she didn't notice me approach until she saw my shadow and turned around causing both of us to get startled in the process.
" Are the fins damp lately?" Miss Pommel asked waving her hand in an unusual manner."
" What!?"
" It's a greeting used by my people, the Zora."
" I don't know that one."
" That's unfortunate but then you aren't exactly a Zora now are you?"
" No, I guess not."
" My name is Mrs. Toto, the manager of the hottest band in Great Bay, the Indigo-Go's." Miss Pommel said. " They were scheduled to perform here on this very stage tomorrow night during the carnival but it seems that it got cancelled because of what's been happening around here. A shame really though at the same it proved essential since a problem occurred back home with one of our performers. I'd rather not go into details since that would take some time."
I already knew what was going but chose not to say anything. " What are you doing?"
" I wanted to see if I could perform a sound check."
" Can I help?"
" You?"
I nodded my head. " Yes."
" Well, the thing is that I need specific instruments in order to perform the kind of sound check I want." Miss Pommel said. " While it might not be the same as what could have been had my band been able to perform but it's better than doing what Gorman is doing over there. Ever since he found out that his troupe wouldn't be performing, he threw a temper tantrum and if not for Monsieur Aroma getting him to calm down, he would have ripped the mayor's residence apart in anger. Unable to do much of anything else, Gorman drinks the night away until the manager kicks him out."
" And you?"
" I don't drink milk." Miss Pommel answered. She then looked closely at me before reacting in surprise. " I saw you at the mayor's residence the other day. You were hired to look for the missing son of Monsieur Aroma and Mayor Detour though I'm not sure if you can succeed. That boy of theirs, Kafei, has been missing for a month now and no one has any idea as to what happened to him. No wonder you humans have so many problems. But, I shouldn't be saying something like that since we Zoras have our own issues."
" So... Do you need any help?"
Miss Pommel nodded. " Well, you do have an ocarina so I suppose you can. I need you stand under the center spotlight and then play these notes for me. Also, if you happen to know of anyone else who can play pipes, drums, and a guitar, tell them to come here and help me with my sound check."
How convenient that the other instruments she needed were ones that I had as my other three forms, yet I would need to come up with a convincing measure with which to change bodies without freaking anyone out. Perhaps I could distract them long enough while I change or maybe there was a rest room or something to that effect I could use--though I would have to explain how I appeared in the Milk Bar all of a sudden without entering via the main entrance. In any case, I walked up onto the stage, stood under the spotlight she wanted me under and showed me a piece of card with some notes on it.
I actually thought she was going to play her own instrument, not have me read off some card and play the notes shown on it, but I supposed this was meant to be a sound check and not some kind of musical competition--I've had more than my fair share of those. I looked over the notes on her card and played them accordingly though I didn't understand their significance though something strange could be felt about them. I then felt compelled to play what she asked of me in the form of a ballad yet it appeared nothing came of that either. Upon finishing, it was clear Miss Pommel appreciated my efforts.
" That was pretty good."
" I do have some friends who have those other instruments but I need to get them here."
" By all means do ask them to help."
Big Macintosh, who had been out of it, had paid attention to my little performance and commented on it. " Bah! What kind of musical drivel was that!? If I didn't know any better, it sounded like a rank amateur was trying to perform."
" I didn't think you were paying attention." Miss Pommel said. " I thought you were wallowing in pity."
" That wasn't music I heard but just a senseless racket."
" Why do you have to ridicule my assistant, Gorman?"
" I'm just being honest."
Miss Pommel sighed and turned towards me. " I must apologize for Gorman lashing out at you like that. When he starts drinking heavily, there's no point in trying to reason with him, so you might as well just ignore him as best as you can though it isn't easy. Anyway, I'll still be standing here waiting for those friends of yours to come here and help me out. I'm not sure what I can do for you as a reward but I'll come up with something."
" I don't need a reward from you."
" Nonsense!" Miss Pommel exclaimed. " No one does anything for free you know. That's something I've learned the hard way over my many years of being a manager. You have to live up to your own bargains even when you didn't make any to begin with otherwise no one will ever want to help you. In this kind of world, everyone wants something whether they mean it or not, and that's just a fact of life."
Luckily, I found a distraction in the form of Granny Smith walking over to check on Big Macintosh, who apparently began acting a little too rowdy for her tastes though he insisted nothing was wrong with him. I walked over to the far corner of the room behind some plants, took out the Deku Mask, and placed it on my face before I started convulsing. I had made certain to grab the plant by its trunk as a means of having something to hold me down in case things went wrong but luckily my convulsions passed and my body parts shimmered and changed from human to Deku Scrub.
Upon finishing my transformation, I walked back over to Miss Pommel, who seemed surprised at seeing a Deku. " Oh? A Deku Scrub! I guess you must be one of those friends that girl mention would be coming here to help me with my sound check."
I nodded my head. " I had to slip inside secretly since they don't like Deku Scrubs."
" How very unfortunate for you."
" You need me to play something?"
Miss Pommel nodded. " Indeed, but first, are you able to play the pipes?" I took out the Ocarina of Time and it changed into the Deku Pipes causing Miss Pommel to react with sheer excitement. " Okay! I need you to stand under the bottom left spotlight and play these notes I have right here."
I walked up onto the stage until I was under the spotlight and played what Miss Pommel had written down on her card. Just like before, I was compelled to play a ballad though I heard someone else play alongside me. Looking to my left, I saw an image of myself playing the ocarina and I was caught by surprise. Was I dreaming? Was this an unusual power brought on by the power contained within the music? Or was there something else at play? Either way, Miss Pommel thanked me again while Big Macintosh said my music sounded terrible to him, yet I ignored his words and snuck past Granny Smith until I was hiding behind those plants again.
She had to once again refrain Big Macintosh after his latest outburst and I needed to change into my next form though switching back to a human followed by my next form would prove very taxing, but a bop on the head from Princess Twilight reminded me of how it was possible to shift between bodies by putting on another transformation mask whilst already wearing one. Sure it felt weird eliminating my human form in such a manner but Granny Smith could only be occupied for so long--I was amazed that she never noticed a Deku Scrub performing one stage let alone the music coming from the pipes I had.
Taking out the Goron Mask and placing it on my face, I held onto the plant's trunk to prevent me from stumbling about, and I watched as my Deku body shimmered and shifted into my Goron body--along with a sudden increase in height--and upon finishing this transformation--and quickly recovering from being slightly woozy--I walked over to Miss Pommel who was surprised at seeing me standing next to her.
" A Goron this time?"
" I was told by my friend that you needed me?"
Miss Pommel nodded. " I must admit that the girl certainly knows her way with people since so far her two friends have been a Deku Scrub and a Goron. I wouldn't be surprised if her next friend would be one of my own people. You know, a Zora. Anyway, am I to assume that you know how to play the drums?"
" I do."
" Good so that means we can forego seeing any proof."
" What do you need me to do?"
" Please stand under the top left spotlight and play the notes on this piece of card."
I walked up onto the stage, stood under the required spotlight, took out the ocarina where it changed into drums, and proceeded to play the notes on the card. Unlike the previous two attempts, the notes here were numerous--eight compared to five respectively--but I played them anyway since it's what she wanted. Once again, I felt compelled to perform ballad and like before, images of my other forms appeared and all three of us played, and it was at that moment when I realized the true significance behind the sound check. They were all part of one song and now only one part remained.
Like before, Big Macintosh complained about my playing being a racket and Granny Smith once again had to reprimand him. No doubt she was getting tired of his constant heckling yet he was entitled to his opinion even though it was clearly wrong. I took advantage of the confusion by slipping over to the corner--how Granny Smith couldn't see a giant Goron walking by proved baffling--took out the Zora Mask, and placed it on my face, my body shimmered from Goron to Zora though this transformation was a little unfortunate in that I would be speaking to Miss Pommel as someone she knew really well.
Walking back to her as Mikau this time, Miss Pommel was shocked upon seeing me. " What!? Mikau!? Is that you!? What are you doing here? I thought you would be back home attending to Lulu given what happened." She then took a closer look at me before shaking her head. " No... It seems that I was mistaken. Strange as you do look exactly like him. I apologize for confusing you with someone else but please pay me no mind."
I was about to say that I was Mikau but I kept quiet as she didn't know that he was in fact dead. " My friend asked me to come here to help you out."
" Like I said to your Goron friend, I wasn't surprised at seeing you being here."
" Are you sure that I don't remind you of that person you mentioned?"
Miss Pommel shook her head. " While you bear a striking resemblance to him, I am convinced that you are a different person. Anyway, I assume that you are able to play the guitar, yes? I know it sounds strange given that we Zora can play various instruments but it's the guitar I need for my sound check." I nodded my head and took out the ocarina where it changed into the fish-bone guitar causing Miss Pommel to be shocked at seeing it. " Where did you get that instrument? I only know of one person who has a guitar shaped in that fashion. Could you really be him after all? Unless of course, it's just a replica given to a random fan."
" What did you say?"
" I apologize again." Miss Pommel answered. " I was just thinking out loud about something. Anyway, could you stand under the bottom right spotlight and play the notes on this piece of card? If my assumption is correct, your contribution will bring everything together."
Despite wanting to tell her the truth, I refrained and walked onto the stage before standing below the spotlight in question. In my heart, I could tell that Miss Pommel would be beside herself with grief if she found out what happened to Mikau, so for his own well-being and my own peace of mind, I kept quiet and focused on what she wanted of me. I played the notes she presented and again I felt compelled to performing a ballad. Like before, my other forms appeared beside me as images--it still felt creepy knowing this was happening--and we started playing the entire sequence along with additional notes I never knew about.
All four of my forms played together as one cohesive unit bringing the patrons of the Milk Bar--all three of them--to attention as my forms continued playing. Now I understood why those specific instruments were needed. They represented different tones that could only be carried out by their specific pitch of music and Miss Pommel wanted to see this happen given that the Indigo-Go's were unable to perform here instead. The band didn't have anyone who could play pipes but I supposed that Party Favour was like an alternative where he had a different styled guitar compared with what I had.
When we were finished, my other forms disappeared leaving me standing there and Miss Pommel clapping. " Bravo! That was the best! You must tell your other friends that they each contributed marvelously to this little project of mine. While I may not have been able to have the Indigo-Go's perform here given unfortunate circumstances, I am glad things still turned out the way they did."
" That song!" Big Macintosh said all of a sudden.
" What about it?"
" I... I know that song."
Miss Pommel smiled. " Most people know of it though not its origins."
Big Macintosh looked up at the ceiling. " It brings back so many memories."
" It's the one song that made the previous generation of the Indigo-Go's famous, 'The Ballad of the Wind Fish.' I should know because I managed them back in the day when they were struggling to find their place yet it launched their careers and they became idols amongst my people." Miss Pommel said. " The current members have been wanting to perform that song before a large gathering for a long time now and the carnival would have been the perfect opportunity to do so. They also wanted to show they could hold their own by playing original material in addition to what their predecessors invented."
" That song changed my life."
" Did it now?"
Big Macintosh nodded. " When I was younger, my life involved around raising horses, but I was never any good at it. My older sister could handle horses way better than me while my younger sister took care of them better than I could. I felt completely useless knowing my sisters were experts compared to me. But, when we came to the carnival one year and heard that song, I knew I was destined for something much bigger than what I was doing. I entered show business because of that song and I believed one day I would be able to meet the singers who played that song through my own performances with my troupe."
" The one you heard singing at that time must have been the original Lulu, mother of the current singer of the band who is also named Lulu out of circumstance." Miss Pommel said. " The original Lulu is sadly no longer with us due to passing away as a result of a terrible disease she contracted when she was around her thirties. It is most unfortunate that it happened and everyone in Zora Hall were devastated yet the current Lulu pledged to continue on where her mother left off."
" So her daughter is singing now?"
" Correct."
" Is that so?" Big Macintosh asked. " You know, I'd really like to see that. I might not be able to get the chance right now given the carnival has been cancelled but perhaps I'll get an opportunity sometime in the future provided things work out." He then turned around in his seat, looked at me, and beckoned me to come over. I couldn't sense any malice coming from him so I put my guitar away and jumped down from the stage before walking over to him. " I'm sorry that I booed at you. You were only trying to please Mrs. Toto and I was acting like a complete jerk just because I was upset with my troupe being unable to perform. Here... I want you to have this."
He reached over the counter prompting Granny Smith to ask what he was doing and he responded by saying that he needed to pick up something he dropped off when he was at the bar the other night. She nodded and went back to work while Big Macintosh fumbled about for a few seconds before pulling back and holding a mask in his hands. It looked like someone else's face rather than his own though it was crying authentic tears that made me wonder why it could do that. It then occurred to me that the face was that of the real Gorman, much like how Kafei's Mask resembled the real character.
" What is it?" I asked.
" This is the Troupe Leader's Mask." Big Macintosh answered. " It represents my personal struggles in life and how I had to endure so much pain to get to where I am. My sisters never did like my mask as it always had a strange effect on them. Sure, they aren't the nicest people out there but they are my sisters and I do love them to pieces. I suppose if you were to wear it in their presence, you might be able to learn about their true feelings though I wouldn't take advantage of them."
" Thanks for the mask."
" And thank you for reminding me of why I went into this business." Big Macintosh said. He then noticed the Bomb Bag attached to my belt and chuckled causing me to frown at him where he immediately waved his hands in return. " No need to give me that look though you were right to do so since I did laugh. It's just that it's weird seeing a Zora carrying around something that's favoured by humans. By the way, there is a rumour that someone up in Snowhead sells a bag like that but a much larger size. Why anyone would sell anything up there in that frigid landscape is beyond me but I suppose everyone needs rupees."
While that was oddly specific in that Big Macintosh would know about Bomb Bags--maybe his troupe used bombs for special effects--he had given me an idea as to what I was going to do next before heading to the final region. In fact, it was going to be my last detour before heading off over there as I felt that I had delayed long enough. While I didn't do everything that I wanted because of conflicts relating to time, I felt satisfied with what I had accomplished. Besides, Adagio mentioned something about going to Snowhead and that meant becoming Darmani once again since the snow would slow down my other forms save for her.
Thanking Big Macintosh and Miss Pommel who in turn thanked me, I left the Milk Bar making sure Granny Smith didn't notice me--how I managed to avoid her gaze the entire time while she never once noticed my different forms surprised me--and put on the Goron Mask, switching back over to Darmani before leaving Clock Town via the eastern gate--I made sure to change when the guard standing by the gate didn't notice though he was more concerned with looking at something else.
" Well that was a waste of time!" Starlight moaned.
" It wasn't that kind of research after all, huh Skull Kid?" Spike asked.
" I hoped to be able to play with some of that guy's equipment but it was just so boring." Starlight said. " Who in their right mind would be dedicated to researching the undead rather something more fun like ingredient used in potions?"
" That guy seemed obsessed with those Gibdo creatures more than anything else."
" Ugh! It was so boring!"
" Not everything is going to be exciting, Skull Kid."
Starlight's eyes on her mask glowed brightly and an aura surrounded her. " I have every inclination to completely obliterate this house and its occupants for wasting my time and robbing me of fun, but I suppose I can let them live since I still need to pull off my latest prank since that's more important." She then looked over at Lightning Dust, who seemed very uncomfortable given she had been tied down with some kind of magical rope. " Our guide didn't run away after all though there was no chance of that happening since I made sure to trap her so she wouldn't escape."
Spike frowned. " I'm sure she wouldn't have given you can be very persuasive."
" Hee hee! You've got that right!"
" Do you think this place is haunted by the dead?"
Starlight looked at Spike, tilted her head, and shrugged her shoulders. " Why would you care about something like that, Tael? It's not like they're going to be coming back or anything and besides, if they did then my power would be more than enough to destroy them."
" That guy really sounded convincing."
Starlight blew a raspberry. " Pfft! That guy was boring though something about his daughter reminded me of something. She seemed a little too precautious for her own good given she kept on telling me what to do."
" I feel like I know her from somewhere."
" Does that even matter?"
Spike shook his head. " No, I guess not."
Starlight walked over to Lightning Dust and removed the rope that had been holding her down. " I should kill you for making me waste my time but you know this place better than I do so I'll give you the benefit of the doubt." She turned towards Spike, lifted up Majora's Mask exposing her real face, winked, and put it back down before tapping her foot on the ground in an impatient manner. " Well? Take me to where I can pull off my prank."
" You're the one who wanted to check out the Music Box House." Lightning Dust said.
" Maybe you shouldn't have brought it up."
" Kind of hard not to since it stands out among everything else here."
Starlight's eyes glowed again. " Are you saying this is my fault?"
Lightning Dust cowered back at first before lurching forward. " Yes! I am saying this is your fault! You wanted to go to the temple in this region right? Despite your behaviour along with your threats, I'm willing to show you where it is since it wouldn't affect me whether or not the undead are disturbed from their eternal slumber. But, without me to act as your guide, there is no way you'll find the temple since simple navigation isn't your strongest suit. While you may be powerful because of wearing that strange mask--it still is a nice mask even though you won't let me touch it--you're just a kid who is clueless."
Starlight said nothing at first in response to Lightning Dust but her hand started glowing in a dark aura before her entire body followed suit. Spike quickly hid behind a small boulder nearby as he was afraid of what Starlight would do since she had just been insulted, but surprisingly the only thing she was take out her anger on the wall of the ancient castle by creating a hole in it by blowing up part of it. Her dark aura disappeared and Lightning Dust stood there defiantly yet Starlight walked up until she was in her face and her eyes began glowing black as opposed to yellow from before.
" Consider that your only warning."
" And if I were to do it again?"
Starlight smirked. " No one will be able to pick up the pieces."
Lightning Dust took a few steps back before beckoning her companions. " We have a ways to go before we reach our destination and I hope you're ready to climb because it's all up-hill from here."
Once I was outside in Termina Field, Epona whinnied at me before coming over and I whinnied in response, patting her head gently, and telling her that I would be back upon finishing a couple of errands. While I could have had her trample over the grass, I needed a faster method and that involved rolling around as a Goron. Curling up into a ball, I began to roll along, my speed picking up gradually, and spikes protruded from my body upon reaching top speed. For about the next several hours, I would roll over any grass that came along, collected the rupees that appeared, went back into Clock Town, and repeated the process several times over.
By the time I had finally collected enough rupees--four hours of grinding gave me about 230 rupees--it was well past midnight and my body started feeling slightly tired, but I could keep on going for a while until I really needed sleep. I then took out the Ocarina of Time, changing into the drums, and played the Song of Soaring, my intended destination being the Mountain Village as it was the closest to the Goron Village. Wings protruded from my back, wrapped themselves around me, my body spun around, and seconds later I appeared near where Fancy Pants and Tirek had their smithing business.
From there, I curled back into a ball, rolled forward until my spikes appeared, and continued rolling along through the twin islands area until I entered the village, coming to a stop by crashing into the wall of the Goron Shrine--I still needed to figure out how to stop. When I regained my composure, I began looking around to see if there was anyone who could sell me that big Bomb Bag since it was supposedly here, but because it was cold outside, I doubted there was anyone outside given they would have to be insane to be out here. Yet, my eyes noticed a yellow Deku Flower and a Business Scrub hiding inside.
I walked over to him and he was surprised to see me. " I didn't think you would be walking around out in the cold."
" That makes two of us."
" I don't follow."
" You're out here selling your goods when it would make sense to do so indoors."
The Business Scrub sighed. " You have no idea how much I want to be selling my wares anywhere but here, but since what I have is for Gorons only, I have no choice but to stay here until my wares are sold out or the proper channel comes through. Now, you seem like an interesting Goron so perhaps you would be interested in a little something?"
" Depends on what it is."
" I can't help but notice that Bomb Bag on your belt." The Business Scrub said. " It just so happens that I am selling this much larger sized one right here. Normally, my asking price for my bag would be about 1,000 rupees, but I can make you a special offer if you're willing to go for it."
My jaw dropped. " 1,000!?"
The Business Scrub cowered a little in response. " Before you freak out on me, please hear me out. If you hand over that Bomb Bag you have on your belt and 200 rupees, I will
give you my bigger Bomb Bag, and if you need further convincing, this one can hold forty bombs as opposed to the one you have which can hold thirty."
I wished he had brought that up straight away as it would have prevented me from embarrassing myself, but the deal was one that I could easily get behind. It was fortunate that I managed to collect 200 rupees by grinding--I was also lucky--so I handed over that exact amount including my Bomb Bag, and the Business Scrub in turn handed over his Bomb Bag though he ended up getting the worst of the deal since he now had a smaller one. I made sure to thank him for the upgrade though told him not to drop such a surprise next time.
With that objective accomplished, I had nothing else left to do so it was now time to go to the final region. While I could have reset time and give myself a clean slate, I figured going there now would give me a heads up of what was awaiting me and then reset later. Taking out my drums--I preferred playing a guitar or the ocarina over these though no disrespect to professional drummers especially Pinkie Pie--I played the Song of Soaring, my destination being Clock Town, wings once again protruded from my body, wrapped themselves around me, and soon I was back in front of the Clock Tower where I proceeded to take off the Goron Mask.
The first thing I did upon changing back into a human was breathe a sigh of relief since I had to constantly switch between forms. While it was something I didn't particularly enjoy doing, I knew it would be necessary in the final region as all of my transformations would be needed--I also flipped my hair back again out of a sense of wanting to be consistent since it was something I kept doing every time I became my true self. Once I was ready, I ran over to and through East Clock Town, through the gate and back outside in the field, and climbed onto Epona since my legs were getting tired.
Gently kicking her in the ribs and directing her towards the east, Epona galloped forward and soon the beautiful tranquility of the open grass was replaced with a canyon setting devoid of any vegetation--or colours for that matter other than brown--and the sky grew dim as though a permanent cloud was hanging above us. It quickly became apparent that bringing along Epona proved essential as there were fences up ahead only she could jump over. Even if I were to try and jump over those fences as a Zora, I just wouldn't be tall enough to make the attempt making my trusty steed the only option.
" This place feels gloomy, Twilight."
Princess Twilight nodded. " From what we have heard so far, this region is rampant with ghosts though it's difficult to say if their words were true. Yes, I am also including Rarity here since she was one of the first to mention this area."
" You sound like you don't believe in them."
" I don't see the logic behind it."
" Believe me, Twilight. I've seen ghosts with my own eyes in this kind of fantasy setting." I said. " Most of them are very aggressive and attack anyone out of the desire for wanting to cause misery to the living, but there are some who are friendly and can provide assistance when necessary."
" What are they called?"
" Poes."
" Doesn't sound like a threatening name."
I nodded my head. " And they aren't difficult to defeat so long as they don't disappear on you. I have a feeling that Poes will be the least of our worries when we actually arrive in the region since all manner of undead are supposedly there." Epona then whinnied her displeasure over something so I looked ahead and saw many Blue Bubbles flying about ahead of us and proving themselves to be an obstacle yet none had noticed us. " Look at all those Blue Bubbles, Twilight. They are undead monsters much like Poes are but again I feel there is even worse things waiting for us."
" In case you have forgotten, Sunset, they can disable your sword for a while if they hit you."
" I remember."
" The curse will only last for a short while unless you were to use a fairy to remove it."
" Not you?"
" Not me."
I patted Epona on the head to calm her down and she whinnied in response to my kind gesture. " Okay, Epona, you need to get over those fences so we can get to our destination but there's no telling if those Blue Bubbles will attack you or not." Epona lowered her head out of being nervous so I whinnied at her as a means of encouragement. " I know it's dangerous to go forward from here but we need to otherwise this world will be destroyed. All you need to do is get past those monsters and nothing more. I'm not planning on sticking around and attempting to fight them or anything."
Epona reared back a few steps before galloping forward, my whipping her in the flank maintained her speed, and she began jumping over the fences. The Blue Bubbles took notice and proceeded to trail us but she was too fast for them to keep up and eventually flew back to where they were before. Already I could feel a darkness ebbing all around us and it made me feel really uneasy given that I once embraced the darkness when I became the she-demon.
After a few more jumps, Epona came to a stop upon reaching what appeared to be a dead-end. In front of us was a large cliff-face with no signs of being able to climb up to the top and proceed further into the region, and on our right was a group of stones in a circle formation that looked suspicious though I chose to ignore it. On our left was a pathway that lead further into canyon yet Blue Bubbles were swarming about. I thought about having Epona gallop past them only to find a single step prevented her from proceeding that way--yes, a singular step was stopping my horse from progressing.
I had Epona trot over to the circle of stones where she would be safe and climbed down off of her when we got here. I whinnied at her to let her know that I would be gone for a while and she whinnied back at me wishing me luck. Gulping, I walked forward making sure not to take my eyes off of the Blue Bubbles, my shield raised to deflect them before they could disable my sword, and climbed up the step onto the pathway that lead up into the canyon. I had no idea what was waiting for me at the end of the path but I couldn't allow these monsters to prevent me from reaching it.
The instant they spotted me and began to fly over towards me, I made a run for it with my shield still raised. One of them came within mere inches of hitting me in the leg but I managed to outrun it along with the others before the pathway opened up into a large area that was filled with stone slabs strewn about. Something about what I was seeing felt familiar and a nearby sign revealed my suspicions were correct.
" It says 'Ikana Graveyard'... Typical."
" Why do you say it like that, Sunset?"
" Because I had problems with the last one I went to."
Princess Twilight floated ahead to get a closer look at our surroundings and immediately floated back. " I see what you mean as there are Stalchildren everywhere!" I looked ahead and saw at least a dozen of them hanging out around the gravestones, performing different things such as walking around the gravestones, sitting by a campfire, and even one swinging on a tree branch. " Strange how they are behaving, Sunset." Twilight continued. " It's as though they were waiting around for something or someone."
" Who do you think it could be?"
" I don't know."
" Maybe we should avoid attacking them if at all possible."
Princess Twilight nodded. " Yes. I suspect they won't bother us and continue doing what they're doing if we just leave them alone. Still, I am curious as to what purpose this graveyard serves. So many questions needing to be answered. Who was buried here? When did it happen? Why are they here? Who is in charge of this place? I could go with other such questions but you get the idea."
I frowned. " You're loving this, aren't you?"
Princess Twilight giggled. " I can't help it when I get fascinated by new things."
I rolled my eyes. " This is one place where fascination can cause you to wind up being buried alongside the dead. Granted, I am curious as to who could be buried here, but I'm not as obsessed over it as you are. Still, I suppose we should ask the local grave keeper."
" Is there one around here?"
" I'm assuming there is one as who would leave monsters free to roam around here?"
" It's still night-time you know."
" I have a feeling that when it becomes daylight, it's not going to get much better."
Princess Twilight nodded. " I agree, Sunset, given the current atmosphere we're surrounded by." She then bopped me on the head to inform me of a pathway leading past the graveyard in front of us. It looked suspicious in nature though I was certain it was nothing compared to what else was around here. " We may be able to find the grave keeper if we go down that path but we'll need to avoid the Stalchildren."
I nodded and began walking forward slowly to prevent the Stalchildren from spotting me. While they weren't exactly a threat to me, I didn't want to get bombarded by all of them at once. When one of them suddenly looked in my direction, I immediately jumped behind a large gravestone and hid there until it turned away to focus on what it was doing prior. Sweat dripped down my brow as I tilted my head out to see whether they were looking at me or not. To my relief, they were ignoring me and so I snuck by using additional gravestones as cover.
As I made my way through the graveyard, I tried to see if I could understand what the Stalchildren were saying as most of them were moving their mouths. Unfortunately, their gibberish couldn't be comprehended so I chose to ignore them and focus on finding the grave keeper. Maybe there was a way I could communicate with the Stalchildren--a scary thought given what they were and all--so I could understand their purpose for being here. In any case, I managed to get to the other side of the graveyard and began walking along the path where it got narrow for a while before opening up to a small clearing.
This area contained a ramshackle house built on top of a bridge and I could barely see a fire burning on top of the left side of the bridge above the house. I had no idea what was burning there but I sensed some kind of presence nearby prompting me to look around for it. My eyes then noticed what looked to be a giant skull stuck underneath the bridge but a second look revealed a pair of skeletal hands indicating it was a skeleton, a really big one. It wasn't moving so at least I was safe yet the presence I felt seemed to be coming from it. There was also a sign to the left of it and apart from that, everything appeared normal.
" What do you make of the skeleton, Twilight?"
" I've never seen such a giant creature like that before."
" It's not moving so we don't have to worry about it attacking us."
" What do you suppose its story is?"
I shook my head. " No idea but I was hoping to speak with the grave keeper."
" Maybe we missed them on the way in?"
I shrugged my shoulders. " I honestly don't know but we really need to find them so that we can figure out what we're supposed to do next. Dawn will be coming up in a few hours so maybe this would be a good time to take a short rest given what we've been doing during this cycle."
" Rest in a graveyard?"
" Do you have any other options?"
Princess Twilight shook her head. " Not really apart from asking if the grave keeper might let us stay in their house until the sun comes up. I'm going to assume that the reason we never saw them is because they are inside their house and are either asleep or doing something late at night."
" I guess we could knock."
Princess Twilight nodded. " Better than your alternative."
While I wanted to protest against what Her Highness said about my idea, in truth she was correct in that resting outside in a graveyard wasn't the smartest idea. Given how morbid looking the place looked, the chances of being attacked by the undead was rather high as they enjoyed this kind of atmosphere. I was curious though as to might have happened in this region in addition to who had been buried here in the graveyard. Unlike the other regions, this place lacked life itself. It reminded me of a desert wasteland only this was much worse since the undead were roaming around.
Deciding that Princess Twilight's idea was solid, I walked to the door and knocked on it. At first no one answered so I tried again only to not receive a response, but when I knocked for the third time, the sound of someone shuffling about could be hear on the other side, indicating that someone was inside. Whoever they were struggled to walk about as they kept on walking into fixtures given how they yelled every time, yet there was something familiar about the voice. I couldn't put my finger on it at first but it sounded like I knew who it was, and this suspicion grew stronger when the voice inside called out.
" Who would disturb me at this hour? It does nothing except make me dour!"
The rhyming scheme reminded me of someone specific but it could have just been a coincidence.
" Is that the time!? I should have gotten up an hour ago! I need to get myself ready to watch over the graveyard! My apologies for shouting at you just now and instead I have to go and say wow. If not for you knocking on my door, I wouldn't have woken up and watched this place some more."
" Are you the grave keeper?" I asked as I took a step back.
" Yes, I am the one who watches over this place." The voice answered. " Sure it's not the best job out there given what others do. But, I'll take this over what the people in town have to go through."
" May I rest in your house until the sun comes up?"
The voice went silent before they answered my question. " I suppose there's no harm in it since you did wake me up and all. Just one second and I'll open up my door. It will swing open real quick so watch out or it will hit you and you'll be on the floor."
Again, that voice sounded very familiar and even the accent was starting to sound like something I heard once before. I looked at Princess Twilight and her expression was one of happiness as though she knew who it was. Maybe I should ask her before the grave keeper opens their door? Before I had the chance to do just that, the grave keeper began unlocking the door--several clicking noises could be heard along with tumbling sounds--and opened it revealing who they were, and my jaw dropped upon seeing who it was.
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Zecora/Dampe Returns. Is Sunset either gonna succeed or fail on the first try with Captain Keeta's test?
Two Masks Down, Now how many are left?
Sunset forgot about the larger Quiver...
Also, after Sunset mentioned the fairy, it make me think about Sunset asking what happen to the fairy after being used.
8055724
Captain Keeta isn't that much of a challenge anyway so it will be a simple enough task. Of course, Sunset made one mistake already and that is coming to the graveyard on the wrong day. The final day is approaching and she needs to be on the first in order to acquire something important. Oh well. I suppose she'll just have to help Zecora with some grave-digging underground.
As for masks... there should be seven of them left now.
8056167
The one in the swamp. She'll have to find the time and go and get it. I think she will have such time soon enough when she realizes that she came to the graveyard on the wrong day.