Chapter 65: In the Dream
The Legend of Sunset Shimmer: Majora's Mask
By Ganondorf8
July 24, 2017
Chapter 65: In the Dream.
Princess Twilight said that the Giant's Mask contained the strength and might of a giant so I assumed that wearing it would give me a boost of strength that would allow me to take care of the red Twinmold who had since summoned small insect-like creatures to aid it. Instead, the mask had caused me to transform but not in the normal sense. Rather than becoming a new form, I had essentially become a giant, one who towered above all others, who didn't have to hold back for anything. And yet, I was absolutely terrified because not only had I gotten bigger, my body had been altered in places.
My sword and shield were gone and my limbs had become more muscular than before. It was as though I had forsaken the tools that had brought me this far and was now being forced to rely on brute force to overcome the remaining Twinmold. The small insects didn't wait for me to figure out what transpired and began charging but then my body suddenly acted of its own accord where I began punching them using my fists and nothing more. Each one got knocked back where it burned away to nothing upon hitting the sand and I was in complete awe over how cool it was. It felt like nothing could stop me now.
The red Twinmold then disappeared by diving back under the sand allowing me a few moments to come to terms with the transformation. For one thing, my perspective was much greater than before in that I could see further than ever and confirm that the area I was in had size limitations. Even in my current height, walking off the edge would mean death as I would have no means of getting back up here. I then noticed several large boulders scattered about that weren't there before but then I couldn't see much when I was smaller given my depth perception was pretty poor.
" Sunset?" Twilight called out from below. " Are you alright?"
I checked my body to ensure that I was and gave her a thumbs up. " It took me a moment to come to grips with what happened but I think I'm starting to get the hang of having ridiculously sized muscles. I mean, did you see me pound those small insects into oblivion? Granted, I do prefer using an actual weapon as opposed to my fists but I'll make do with using brute force when dealing with that red Twinmold."
" Good thing it disappeared otherwise I wouldn't have been able to tell you more about the Giant's Mask."
" What else do you know?"
Princess Twilight floated up and landed next to my ear. " You might think that you can remain as a giant forever, Sunset, but you would be wrong about that. The Giant's Mask consumes Magic Power at an alarming rate. In fact, it consumes one point of magic every second. You need to end this battle quickly before the magic runs out and you're forced to shrink back down to normal."
" Can't I use that Green Potion of mine?"
" Yes but not when you're a giant."
" What!?"
" In your current state, all items and equipment have been disabled." Twilight said. " You will have to take off the mask momentarily to use the potion to restore your magic. Luckily, your Magic Meter was doubled when you restored Adagio back in Woodfall so you can go for quite some time before having to go back to being regular sized."
" For that, I am thankful."
" One other thing."
" What's that?"
" The Giant's Mask can only be used in this area of the temple." Twilight answered. " According to Tatl's memories, the power of this mask is so great that it was confined to this one place so that it wouldn't be abused by any who sought to use it to conquer all that they surveyed. Once we leave here, it will sadly be next to useless. In other words, enjoy the experience while you can."
I felt slightly dejected when Her Highness mentioned that but I could understand why it had to be that way. A mask that could allow its wearer to become a giant was truly a powerful item in and of itself yet temptation was a force most couldn't resist. If the mask could be used anywhere throughout Termina, one would have unlimited power and be utterly unstoppable with the sole exception of the Four Giants being able to defeat someone who had been corrupted. Unless that person had a will that was strong, they would become consumed with power and become nothing but destruction.
The power of the mask had made me feel powerful when I destroyed those insects by simply punching them yet I couldn't allow myself to become enthralled by the notion that I had once again become more powerful than ever before. It was a grim reminder of what happened when I put on Princess Twilight's crown during the Fall Formal. When I wore it and changed into Sunset Demon, I was no longer human or pony but rather a monster, a monster born of my own selfish desires. Never again could I end up like that as it would serve as a middle finger to the sacrifice she made. So long as I wore the mask, I had to use it responsibly.
At that moment, the red Twinmold emerged from the ground and began shooting fireballs at me but this time I raised my arms in front of my face like they were a shield and the fireball bounced off harmlessly though I did feel a slight twinge. It then began flying about though it did so much faster than before and I chased after it in hopes that I could catch it. I reached out with my hands in hopes of grabbing its body and succeeded only to feel a burning sensation and I let go immediately. Despite now being a giant, the red Twinmold was still too hot to touch so now I needed another tactic.
It turned out and shot several fireballs as more of its insect followers came up from the ground and charged towards me before digging their mandibles into my legs. Already, I could tell that they were going to be annoying and would continue to re-spawn no matter what serving as a distraction. I began slapping my legs and managed to get them off followed by punching each one into the ground where they burned to nothing leaving just the red Twinmold who knocked me onto my butt when it collided with me. Picking myself back up, I was about to chase after it again and realized doing so was pointless as I couldn't keep up with it.
When it disappeared into the ground, I felt flummoxed over not being able to catch it. " This isn't going very well."
" Your new size makes you stronger but it doesn't make you faster."
" So I have no chance of catching it?"
Princess Twilight shook her head. " I'm afraid not."
I felt saddened. " Then how do I go about defeating it? All of this power means nothing if I can't use it properly."
" Actually you can." Twilight said. " When your hands got burned when you touched the red Twinmold earlier, it revealed to me that its head was the only part of its body aside from that crystal tipped tail that wouldn't inflict any fire related damage. By punching its head or perhaps using something else as a weapon, you can easily knock it down and find its weak point before it gets away again."
" A weapon you say?"
" Do you have something in mind?"
I nodded. " I think I do and it looks like it will be a lot of fun."
" Remember that you need to be weary of your Magic Power running out due to being a giant for too long."
Walking over to a nearby boulder, I reached out with my hands, grabbed it and picked it up like it were nothing more than a paperweight. While I could do the same thing while in my Goron body, this was something else entirely. This was a reason why the power of the Giant's Mask was restricted to this one place. Having this kind of power at all times would prove detrimental to my overall cause of saving Termina, the world I now called home, and Equestria. I had to keep it from falling into the wrong hands to prevent its misuse and upon finishing this journey, perhaps I should consider burying it somewhere in hopes no one would ever find it.
The red Twinmold then emerged from the sand and fired more fireballs in my direction but because I was holding a boulder above my head, I couldn't avoid getting hit and so I had to take each shot. It then flew forward and brushed up against my body causing me to catch fire but again I had to endure until I throw the boulder. When it turned around and flew back the other way, I considered tossing the boulder at it yet it was too close and would have most likely missed but instead chose a more simplistic approach, namely slam it down on top of its head and hope that would prove effective.
As it was about to knock me down again, I slammed the boulder down on its head--more like its face--and it immediately crashed to the ground though the weak point--the giant eyeball all of these boss monsters possessed--didn't appear leaving me to believe that there was something else that needed to be done. I then noticed its crystal tipped tail and something in my head prompted me to walk over and grab it since it was a safe spot. Grabbing the red Twinmold by the tail, I began swinging it around numerous times hoping for it to expose its weak point--it didn't appear indicating a sense of stubbornness--so I kept on going.
Eventually, I got tired of swinging it around and slammed it to the ground where I noticed its weak point sticking out of its maw. Slamming it down had caused the eyeball to appear and damage it at the same time. I felt so much enthusiasm and adrenaline over what just happened that I began shouting at the top of my lungs. Already, I knew that I was starting to succumb to the power contained within the Giant's Mask so I quickly calmed down so as to not go too far and become completely lost. The red Twinmold disappeared by diving into the sand and began moving about below in hopes of catching me by surprise.
Since it was all by itself, I had no trouble of keeping up with its location yet my reaction time was a lot slower due to my size. It emerged from the sand and immediately knocked me down onto my butt before turning around and flinging a fireball that struck me in the butt. I didn't feel much pain though it was annoying that it hit me using a cheap tactic. It then went back into the sand leaving me alone momentarily to get back up onto my feet. My slow speed in this state was already proving to be messing up with my timing and the fact that I was losing magic at a rapid meant I would soon shrink back down.
Turning around, the red Twinmold emerged and began shooting fireballs at me via rapid fire and I raised my arms in front of my face to take each shot. While the damage was minimal, it was still building up and that meant I could potentially be given a fatal blow without even realizing it. It then dove back down and its minions appeared leaving me to punch them several times using some combination moves to destroy them. When the last one burned away, the red Twinmold appeared and attacked me from behind by shooting more fireballs only to dive back down into the sand again.
" This is getting annoying now."
" Unlike the blue Twinmold that was content to just fly about, the red Twinmold is using strategy in its attacks."
" I just can't keep up with it."
Princess Twilight sadly nodded. " Your muscular arms and legs are your weakness, Sunset, but you have to compensate to make up for it. The red Twinmold may be a lot faster and uses cheap shots to inflict damage but I doubt it can take much of a beating before being brought down."
" How many punches will I need?"
" I'm not sure but what I do know is that you have to punch it within the cycle."
" What do you mean?"
" When you start punching it, you need to maintain this pace before it goes back into the sand." Twilight said. " If this happens, when it next emerges from the sand, it will be as though you never hit it. So I suggest not stopping when you begin the assault. Be sure to only attack its head and tail otherwise you'll only cause your hands to get burned. Oh, and be careful of those small insects as they can and will get underfoot."
The red Twinmold emerged again nearby and immediately made a beeline towards me and I responded by punching it repeatedly in the head. Each blow caused blue liquid to seep forth from its body--I assumed that this was the colour of its blood--in addition to it screaming in pain yet I maintained my assault only for it to knock me to the ground using its tail like a club before flying away. Getting back onto my feet, I felt pain coming from below and looked down to see the small insects biting my legs so I quickly shook them off. There were now five of them as opposed to three so I had more to deal with than before.
Each of them then attacked me from different directions, jumping and latching onto my legs like before, yet I shook them off by rolling forward slowly--my speed really was horrible due to my size--followed by punching each of them until they burned away leaving only the red Twinmold. It had since flown around in a circle and attacked me from behind by shooting fireballs from its gaping maw. I wasn't able to react and got blasted by each shot, knocking me down, and making me land on my face. Shaking my head to get the cobwebs of confusion out, I got back up only to get knocked down again when it flew past.
A few more fireballs came flying at me and I rolled to the side to avoid them making sure not to go too far or else plunge off the side into the abyss below. I then got back up when the firestorm died down only to see the red Twinmold dive down into the sand and that meant all those punches I inflicted on it did nothing. Now I had to go through the process all over again much to my displeasure. As it emerged moments later to my right, its insect minions also appeared and they began moving towards me in hopes of distracting me long enough so that their master could take advantage of the situation.
Instead, I chose to focus on attacking the red Twinmold as it was the main problem. I then punched its head though it quickly slipped by but I managed to get in a few more punches by attacking its tail. Unfortunately, my plan backfired when I got knocked down by the small insects when they jumped onto my back and began biting it. Again, I rolled to shake them off before getting back up and proceeding to punch them using regular punches and slamming attacks, and yet I had completely ignored the red Twinmold who knocked me down by flying into me leaving me to become more frustrated than before.
It then turned back around and shot fireballs that I blocked using my arms before punching it again in hopes that would be enough to bring it down. Sadly, it continued flying about, shooting one more fireball before it dove back down into the sand. Following it along, I began feeling strange as though my Magic Power was about to run out yet I continued following it anything knowing I had to end this before things could get out of hand. When the red Twinmold emerged, I punched it in the face several times while it pushed me along in an effort to slip by and resume with its attacks but I wasn't about to let it escape this time.
Eventually, after a few more punches, it managed to slip by though I was able to punch it in the tail, and this proved to be enough as it crashed into the ground and slid along before coming to a stop. I then walked over to the tail, grabbed it, and began spinning it around repeatedly until finally slamming it down to the ground. It's eyeball dropped out of its maw in the process before taking a massive blow when it crashed prompting me to shout out in a burst of delight. Again, the power of the Giant's Mask was getting to me so I quickly stopped as it slowly disappeared into the sand.
" That took a lot longer than it should have."
Princess Twilight nodded. " Punching the red Twinmold is an effective strategy yet unless you can repeatedly hit it at a consistent pace, it will dive back down into the sand forcing you to go through the process all over again. I also noticed that you tried ignoring those small insects and instead focus on the big one. While that was a good idea in theory, it ultimately didn't work as you ignored the red Twinmold."
" I should stick with using those boulders."
" Yes but remember that you only have a couple of them available."
I looked around to see if I could still spot any and I did before pointing at it. " There's one over there but it looks like it's the only one left. Does that mean if I miss hitting it after tossing the boulder, I would be forced to rely on my punches to knock it down to the ground?"
" It would mean going through that long process again."
I shook my head repeatedly. " I don't want to go through that again!"
" Then make this shot count, Sunset."
Nodding, I was about to make my way over to the boulder when I suddenly began shrinking. In a matter of moments, I was back down to my normal size and the Giant's Mask fell off my face and landed on the platform. " What just happened?" Picking up the mask, I placed it back on my face only for nothing to happen. I tried it again only for it to fall harmlessly to the ground where I picked it up. " Uh, Twilight? I think I've run out of magic!" It came at the absolute worst time as a tremor knocked me down and the red Twinmold emerged from the sand, its massive size making me look really small in comparison.
" You need to use that Green Potion now!"
Unfortunately, I wasn't in a good position to do so as the red Twinmold began shooting fireballs at me. They were now much larger in size than before--depth perception had finally backfired against me--with each one being enough to effectively kill me instantly. I began running away in the opposite direction, my body being blasted forward as each fireball slammed into the ground, and I kept on running until I ended up crashing into some ruins nearby. Before I even had a chance to come up with a plan, the insect creatures emerged and they too were bigger now due to me being regular sized.
They charged at me like thunder--it felt that way as their movement caused numerous small tremors--and all I could do was take out my sword and shield in hopes that I could defeat them this way instead of using my fists as I did before. I swung my sword at the eye of the first one that approached only for it to feel nothing. I then repeated the process in hopes it would feel something eventually but again it merely shrugged off the attack leaving me with no choice but to run for it. The sand slowed down my speed tremendously preventing me from getting away from the insects and they began swarming over me.
Slashing with my sword continued to do nothing as they kept on knocking me about but I continued swinging anyway as I was stubborn and refused to believe that they were immune to being struck in the eye with a blade. After what seemed like forever, I struck one of the insects in the eye causing it to burn away resulting in the others turning around and running away themselves leaving me to pick myself up again. In my current size, it took numerous blows against their weak points before they could be defeated whereas it would take just one blow as a giant.
My body had taken some serious damage from the insects forcing me to use a Red Potion in addition to the green one. Before I could take either one, the red Twinmold flew past whilst shooting fireballs down at me so I immediately began jumping about in hopes of dodging each one. Again, I was limited by the sand slowing me down so while I easily dodged the first shots, I couldn't keep up and began getting caught by the brunt of them until the last one struck me in the chest, sending me flying and landing back on the platform. Somehow, I had survived the blast considering I got struck at point-blank range, but I wasn't about to complain about it.
The red Twinmold dove back down under the sand giving me enough time to take out the Red Potion from behind my back. I uncorked it and began guzzling it down and while doing so, my mind began to wonder how I managed to survive being hit by such a huge fireball. I wasn't wearing a fire resistant tunic as they didn't make them in my size--this world didn't have them either--and I wasn't in my Goron form as fire meant little to them. It then dawned on me as to what it was. Because my natural magic had a strong association with fire, I had a natural resistance to fire magic. How could I have forgotten that especially when I kept bringing it up during my previous journey.
My wounds instantly healed thanks to my potion so I corked the bottle, put it away, and switched over to the Green Potion. Uncorking it, I began guzzling this one and it immediately tasted a lot different than the other one was. Did they use different ingredients during the mixing process? If so then they should consider not giving the potion such a strong kickback to it as it made it taste funky unless you happened to have gotten used to it. With my Magic Power restored to its maximum, I corked the bottle, put it away behind my back, and placed the Giant's Mask on my face.
Convulsing for a moment before letting out a loud scream that grew deeper, my body increased in size until I had become a giant once again. " Now I should have more than enough time to destroy the red Twinmold using that boulder we noticed earlier."
" Just be careful of those small insects getting in the way."
As if on cue, they appeared from the ground and began charging towards me. " This will be a lot easier now that I have these muscular fists. I am disappointed though in that my sword didn't do much to them until they had taken an awful beating."
" Given their size, I'm not surprised your sword didn't do as much damage as expected."
I knew what Princess Twilight was going to say next so I decided to say it before she could. " I should have upgraded my sword to the strongest version before coming here and not rely on its weakest form like I've been doing since this journey started. Does that sum up what you were going to say, Twilight?"
Princess Twilight nodded. " I've been saying it so often now that you've taken it up as your own initiative. Still, I strongly suggest going to the Mountain Smithy during the next cycle of time to get your sword strengthened to its most powerful state before we go and confront Starlight Glimmer. Having a weak sword will do you no good against someone who possesses dark magic. Besides, you could with a longer reaching weapon anyway."
" First, I should probably take care of this right?"
" That would be a good idea yes."
I punched the small insects into oblivion before I made my way over to where the other boulder was. The red Twinmold then emerged from the sand at that moment and began shooting fireballs at me that I dodged by rolling slowly to the side--one thing I definitely wouldn't miss about being a giant was how slow my speed was--but then it turned around before continuing its assault by flinging more fireballs my way and again, I dodged them by rolling to the side. It then continued flying about before diving back down into the sand allowing me to grab the boulder and pick it up with relative ease.
The red Twinmold emerged from the ground, shot a quick fireball that fizzled out against the rock, but then it quickly dove back down before moving across underneath the surface, popped up again, and repeated the process. It shot out another quick fireball before diving again and I could tell that it was trying to coerce me into tossing the boulder and end up missing completely. Normally, I would have done so to put an end to things yet I decided to let the red Twinmold continue popping up and shooting fireballs until it got tired of it. In my mind, it was a battle of endurance to see who would crack first.
Every time it shot out a fireball, I either blocked it with the boulder or took the shot directly--my current size meant I would take small amounts of damage rather than a massive one--before it dove back down, moved about below the sand, and popped back up to go through the same thing again. Princess Twilight kept on telling me to toss the boulder but I told her that I knew what I was doing even if it didn't seem that way. Again, it was all about endurance. After a couple of minutes and getting absolutely nowhere other than becoming more annoyed, the red Twinmold went back under the sand and popped up moments later before it began flying about shooting fireballs.
Now was the right time to strike. I waited until it was exactly within range--I could have dropped the boulder onto it like I did the first time but I wanted to see if I could toss it successfully since I wouldn't get another chance--before tossing it at the red Twinmold causing it to crash to the ground where it laid stunned. I quickly walked up before it had a chance to recover, grabbed its tail, lifted it up, and began spinning it around in circles. I kept this going for about a minute before slamming the red Twinmold down, its eyeball dropping out from its maw and connecting with the ground upon impact.
As I shouted out my excitement, it slinked down under the sand before it emerged a little ways away along with more small insects. It launched a barrage of fireballs that I dodged by slowly rolling forward only to bowl over the insects like they weren't even there. Each one got sent flying and burned away upon hitting the ground but then more rose up from the sand and charged at me leaving me to use a flurry of punches to take them out. Unfortunately, I once again ignored the red Twinmold who shot a second barrage of fireballs, striking me in the chest knocking me down onto my butt while it went back down again.
" I was sure that would have finished it off."
" It looks like this Twinmold is more resilient than the other one was."
" If I run out of magic now, I'll never be able to defeat it and we'd be forced to restart from the very beginning."
Princess Twilight told me to do some quick breathing exercises to calm me down and I did a couple of them before she continued speaking. " Relax, Sunset. You still have plenty of magic left so you don't need to worry about running out but I do suggest ending this now before it drags on any longer than necessary. Unfortunately, there aren't anymore boulders so that means punches to either its head or tail will be your go to strategy here. Remember that you have to continue attacking until it crashed to the ground. If you allow it to disappear back under the sand, all of those attacks will have meant nothing and you'll be forced to start over again."
I was nervous. " Right... No pressure or anything."
" Just wait for the opportunity to come up before attacking."
" And when will that be?"
The red Twinmold than emerged and began shooting another barrage of fireballs. " I'd say now would be a good time to attack. You can easily take those fireballs as simple blows so long as they don't disrupt you." Twilight said. " Normally, I'm not the sort to suggest being reckless, but in this case it's the only option I can think of. If those small insects appear, just ignore them as all they do is distract you from the red Twinmold. But, if you must attack them, take them all down in one shot."
I was surprised. " Wow... I never expected you to suggest I be reckless."
" I want you to end this."
" I think you've adopted some of my mannerisms again."
Princess Twilight chuckled. " Guess you've been both a good and bad influence on me not that the bad part was bad but rather it was good." She then coughed upon realizing her own words just now made absolutely no sense and left me confused. " Just go and attack the red Twinmold, okay? Oh and be sure to hit either the head or the tail as the rest of its body will only burn your hands."
The red Twinmold had since ducked back down under the sand before popping back up in the exact same location, but before it could launch another fireball barrage, I walked up and began punching it in the head. It retaliated by blasting me with fireballs and because they were at point-blank range, I couldn't avoid them and ended up taking each one in the chest until the barrage ended. Luckily for me, I didn't get knocked down onto my butt yet the damage I was taking began to build up. The red Twinmold then went back down under the sand after being punched enough times before emerging moments later and began flying around.
Knowing it was about to attack me again, I raised my arms and waited for it to turn around and sure enough, it did and began shooting fireballs at me. At the same time, the small insects appeared and began charging towards me in a bid to attach themselves onto my legs. I rolled forward knocking the insects off though when I stood back up, I was blasted by the fireballs and fell down onto my butt. I got back up and resumed punching the red Twinmold in its head before it crashed down into the sand allowing me to grab its tail once again. I picked it up, swung it around in circles, and slammed it to the ground where it remained dazed yet still kicking.
I thought that would be enough but it appeared I had to try something different. I walked around to the front of the red Twinmold, wrapped my arms around its neck, and began squeezing it by the neck. While this did seem a little excessive on my part, this battle had been dragged on long enough. As I continued to apply pressure, the eyeball dropped out from its gaping maw and inflated upon further squeezing. For a moment, it looked like it was going to survive this unusual tactic and escape but eventually, I slammed it down to the ground and the eyeball suddenly burst indicating that it had finally been defeated.
Letting out a loud scream, the red Twinmold took to the sky and flew straight up, its body twitching in the process, and when its tail suddenly exploded, the rest of its body did the same thing leaving only its head remaining. It fell down and crashed into the sand but didn't explode. Instead, it just remained there, smoldering, but dead, and that meant I could finally breathe a sigh of relief after going through such a lengthy battle. Grabbing my face, I pulled off the Giant's Mask and shrank back down to my regular size before walking over to the platform and dropping to my knees.
" That... Was brutal."
" But you succeeded in destroying both Twinmolds."
I nodded slowly. " I never would have imagined that becoming a giant would change my perspective on things."
" What was it like being a giant?"
" Well, it was definitely unexpected as I thought the mask would make me stronger." I answered. " I honestly wasn't expecting to transform into an actual giant and the muscle mass my arms and legs received was completely ridiculous. To be honest, Twilight, I was afraid the entire time because of what happened in the past. I feared that the temptation of having so much power would enter my heart and corrupt me like what happened at the Fall Formal."
" Is that way you refrained from going all out?"
I sadly nodded. " I didn't want to end up going back to that part of my life."
" And you won't."
I held the Giant's Mask firmly in my hands before placing it behind my back. " I'm glad it can only be used in this one location otherwise I would have feared carrying it around with me because someone else could have used it and become corrupted the power contained within. I mean, the mask proved essential yet it requires someone with a willpower strong enough to not be tempted by it. I was lucky I managed to maintain control despite showcasing some moments where I generally loved the experience."
" Sunset..."
I then turned towards the smoking remains of the red Twinmold. " Do you think it's truly dead?"
Princess Twilight nodded. " You don't have to worry about it moving any time soon."
I breathed a sigh of relief. " I would have been scared out of my wits if its head suddenly pulled itself out of the sand and began attacking me again. Still, I'm actually glad that it's over as it means we have finally freed the fourth Giant."
" First, you should pick up that Heart Container that materialized when the red Twinmold's head crashed."
The instant Her Highness said that, I looked over towards the center of the platform and sure enough, the Heart Container was situated right in front of a circle of light that housed what remained of both Twinmolds. Walking up to the Heart Container and picking it up, I felt the familiar warmth that came from these and this one felt particularly warm since it came as a result of me having overcome two monsters much like how I overcame those two witches during my previous journey. My health was soon restored, giving me some much needed momentum and I stepped into the circle of light where I picked up a mask in the shape of Twinmold.
" So this is the fourth and final of these weird masks?"
Princess Twilight nodded. " Yes, but something has been bothering me about them."
" What's that?"
" Not once have we been told what they are supposed to do."
I realized that Her Highness was right. " Other than being proof that I defeated the boss monsters, these four masks have done nothing other than collect dust in that void where all of my items go when I'm currently not using them." I then had a thought pop into my head. " Do you suppose the final version of Adagio will give us some answers? I mean, she needs to tell us what we're supposed to do now unless the final Giant has some wisdom of their own she wishes to share?"
" Perhaps both the Giant and Adagio will have something to say."
" Guess all we can do is go to each of them and find out."
The mask of Twinmold then floated upwards before disappearing and everything went white as I blacked out. When I opened my eyes moments later, I was back in the familiar place where I would meet with the Giant that I had rescued. This time, there was a yellow tint in the background though it was difficult to notice especially with so many bubbles floating about blinding my vision. My eyes noticed someone off in the distance yet something was different about them compared with the other Giants. While they were majestic in addition to being huge, this Giant didn't feel as majestic despite being just as big.
I didn't mean to insult her or anything but I just couldn't help but feel that this Giant seemed out of place with the others. When she--the other Giants were female so I assumed this one was the same--noticed me standing on the platform, she got up and began walking towards me and that's when I noticed something was definitely different. She had the body proportions of a young child and not an adult in addition to having much shorter hair though this one wasn't as strong of an indication. The Giant came forth from behind the waterfall and my dropped upon seeing who it was.
" Um... Who is this?" I asked. " I've never seen her before."
Princess Twilight exclaimed. " Flurry Heart!?"
" Isn't that the name of your niece?"
Princess Twilight nodded. " Yes, but what is she doing here?"
I couldn't believe it. The fourth and final Giant was Flurry Heart, the daughter of the Equestrian versions of Shining Armour and Dean Cadance, according to what Her Highness told me about the events that surrounded her birth. She informed me about what happened several days before we had that celebration after the Friendship Games and I was surprised at how she nearly destroyed an entire empire just by crying, yet what was truly surprising was how this Flurry Heart was a full-fledged alicorn. I never would have expected a fifth alicorn princess yet there she was as the final Giant.
Like the others, Flurry Heart had symbols across her arms and face and was wearing a shiny swimsuit, yet she was also wearing an inner tube that struck me as not making much sense but then nothing in this world ever did. Unlike the others, how was I supposed to communicate with her? Being a baby meant that she either couldn't talk or could but had a much limited vocabulary yet it also meant not knowing what I wanted to know. As she stood before me and began utterly incomprehensible words, someone else appeared from behind the waterfall until they stood right in front of me. This person was someone whom I immediately recognized yet wondered why they were even here."
" Sugarcoat!?"
Princess Twilight was confused. " Who is that?"
" She is one of the Shadowbolts, the counterpart of the Wondercolts, who took part in the Friendship Games by representing Crystal Prep." I answered. " I'm surprised it took me this long before finally running into her in this world but what is she even doing in a place like this?"
" You must be the one who has awakened the other Giants, correct?" Sugarcoat asked as she combed over a notepad she was holding. " While it took you a lot longer than expected to awaken them all, you have succeeded in your endeavours so at least you can be satisfied about that."
" Who are you supposed to be?"
Sugarcoat looked at me with an emotionless expression though she did raise her eye slightly. " I act as a representative of the Giant who watches over Ikana. Despite being one of the four who chose to protect this world, she is still merely an infant compared with the other three and so she is unable to communicate properly. I was assigned the job of translating what she says so that you or anyone else doesn't try to figure out what she was talking about. Now then, I suppose you're confused by why you need to talk to me but I assure you that I will answer any and all questions."
" Since I've now rescued all four of them, will they be able to help me deal with Starlight Glimmer?"
" I have no idea who that is."
" The Skull Kid."
Sugarcoat blinked. " Well why didn't you say so in the first place? Anyway, you are correct in that all four Giants will now be able to do something. However, you must still call them to the designated location and play the melody that will call them forth to perform their sacred duty."
" Can they save Termina?"
Sugarcoat shrugged. " Logically speaking, they should be able to succeed. I have never heard of the Giants failing to save Termina from destruction. In any case, you now have everything you need to bring this madness to an end."
Flurry Heart then spoke. " Gagoo! Agu! Gaga! Hehe!" I was surprised that she had been paying attention all this time given she was a baby and all. Babies usually preferred doing their own thing and often ignored everything else yet she proved to be an exception. At the same time, she occasionally placed her hand into her mouth as a means of sucking on it perhaps as a soothing sensation or because she was bored.
" The Giant says that you must confront the one who has caused all this trouble on top of the Clock Tower." Sugarcoat said. " She also says that you shouldn't allow your anger to cloud your judgment and instead try to reason with this child."
" You understood what the Giant said?" I asked.
Sugarcoat nodded. " You were expecting otherwise?"
" It's just that all she did was utter some random gibberish."
" If I wasn't able to understand the language spoken by the Giant, I would not be serving as a representative and would have been assigned somewhere else." Sugarcoat said. " Perhaps it is you who doesn't understand what the guardian of this land is saying hence why what you hear is nothing but incoherent babble. In any case, you can rest assure that she will join the others when they are summoned to perform their sacred duty."
" Agu... Agu... Gah!" Flurry Heart said.
" What did that mean?" I asked.
" You must aid the Great Fairy of Ikana." Sugarcoat answered.
" Gah! Hehe!" Flurry Heart said, giggling away.
" She will be able to guide you towards finding some masks that you appear to be fascinated by. That is what the Giant said just now in case you were curious about it." Sugarcoat said. " Personally, I don't see how anyone would want to collect a bunch of masks but pay me no mind. I was just stating my opinion so if collecting them makes you feel good then go ahead and make yourself happy."
Flurry Heart then pointed at me. " Goo-goo!"
" You must save this world from impending disaster."
" Gaga! Hehe! Gah! Goo-goo!" Flurry Heart said. She then took out what looked to be a baby rattle, shook it a few times, and placed it behind her back before adjusting her inner tube. I actually thought the inner tube was an adorable little accessory though why didn't she have any of those water wings young children would have on their upper arms? It wasn't my place to tell one of the Giants how to do things but it just made me curious. Flurry Heart then leaned forward and giggled. " Gah! Agu! Gagoo! Goo... Agu!"
" There is one last thing the Giant wishes to say with regards to the masked one." Sugarcoat said. " Despite everything they have done to this world, you must forgive them as it is the right thing to do. It will become apparent in due time."
" Hehe! Agu... Agu!"
" It's time for you to go back to the world now."
Princess Twilight then spoke up. " Your name is Sugarcoat, right?"
Sugarcoat shrugged. " I personally have no name but if you want to call me that then by all means do so. Anyway, I am sure you had something to say other than wanting to know my name so go ahead and say something but make it quick."
" Why is this Giant a toddler compared to the others?"
Sugarcoat turned to look at Flurry Heart for a moment before turning back towards me. " Size doesn't really matter here nor does age. This Giant may look much younger than the others yet she is just as old as they are so your question is largely irrelevant. If that is the only question you wanted to ask me, I must admit that I was hoping for something better coming from one of the fairy folk." She looked down at her notepad before taking out a pencil and scribbling something down on it. " Hopefully, everything will turn out well but perhaps being prepared might save you from a terrible fate later."
Princess Twilight shouted. " I have one more question!"
" Make it quick."
" Do any of the Giants know anything about a man named Ganondorf?"
Sugarcoat was silent for a moment before answering. " That name doesn't ring a bell so I cannot answer your question. You might have better luck asking the Great Fairy but she might not have an answer either. In any case, I am finished speaking with you both. You will be sent back to the world and proceed to do whatever you want until you are ready to summon the Four Giants with the sacred melody. The fate of this world now hangs precariously on your shoulders but consider this as a means of encouragement in that you will succeed or die in the process. Good-bye."
It wasn't the answer Princess Twilight was looking for but I gave her props for confronting one of the Giants about it. I was still surprised to see that Flurry Heart was the fourth and final Giant but then there was one thing they all had in common that should have been recognized much sooner. Their pony counterparts in Equestria were alicorns which made sense given how each one--excluding Flurry Heart--was a ruler whereas she was merely a baby who would one day grow up and become a ruler herself. Granted, Nightmare Moon could have portrayed the final Giant instead as she was also an alicorn--and Vice Principal Luna's pony counterpart's evil self--but it seemed a new alicorn was necessary instead.
Sugarcoat then turned around and walked back through the waterfall before Flurry Heart turned and followed after her. Now that all four Giants had been rescued, the time had finally come for me to put an end to this chaos by defeating Starlight Glimmer. A part of me was looking forward to the notion while another part felt she deserved some kind of leniency as much of what she had done was a result of lashing out against those she believed had wronged her in the past. Revenge was never the answer as all it did was make things much worse and leaving you to be forever alone with your lot in life.
As everything went white and I blacked out, I could hear the cooing sound of Flurry Heart echoing around me. I had no idea what she was saying but I was certain that she was wishing me luck and hoped I would forgive Starlight for what she had done. When I awoke moments later, I was back in the village though there were no signs of the undead. With the doors to the Stone Tower having been closed upon defeating both of the Twinmolds, were the dead finally resting again as they had done so for centuries? Only time would tell if they had resumed their eternal slumber and Ikana could find peace once again.
" That was certainly something."
" I can't believe that my own niece ended up being one of the Four Giants."
" Surprised by that, Twilight?" I asked with a smirk.
" No doubt about it, Sunset."
" So why are you grinning from ear to ear?"
" Best. Aunt. Ever!"
I waved my hand at Princess Twilight to grab her attention yet she was off in her own little world. " I can understand you being happy about your niece being given such a distinction but you have to remember that she isn't your niece in that sense." Again, I was ignored by Her Highness so I decided to change my tactics a little. " I still can't believe that you of all ponies are an aunt and at your age no less."
" Are you saying I'm old?"
I winked. " Maybe?"
Princess Twilight smirked. " Well, you're older than I am since I was only a filly when you were under Princess Celestia's wing as her student."
" You've got me there."
" Still, I'm just so proud that Baby Flurry Heart will help us save this world from its impending destruction." Twilight said. " That Sugarcoat on the other hand was certainly a unique character in that she was straight to the point and didn't mince her words. It was like she was telling the honest truth without feeling any guilt over what she said."
" Sugarcoat is very blunt."
Princess Twilight was surprised. " How did you and the others put up with her?"
I sighed. " While her words were particularly hurtful, especially towards Twilight Sparkle, she wasn't afraid to speak her mind. I suppose now that Crystal Prep and Canterlot High are going to attempt to start getting along without being overly competitive, we should try to understand her and the rest of the Crystal Prep students. There will still be occasional friction between our respective schools because of how Principal Cinch viewed reputation as being essential but I believe things will be okay from now on."
" I just thought she was strange."
I nodded. " Anyway, what do you suppose will happen to this region now?"
" Look up!"
" Why?"
" We're about to get our answer."
I looked up and noticed swirls of energy began forming in the sky and I assumed that it was something bad but when the swirls spun around in circles, I was shocked to see that they were pulling the dark clouds up into their vortex effectively removing them from existence. After watching this for a few moments, everything suddenly flashed and the energy swirls disappeared leaving me looking at the night sky. There was no longer any reason for me to remain in the area other than to return the Stray Fairies to their fountain, restore Adagio back to normal, earn her reward, and learning where I could find the remaining masks I needed.
I quickly looked around to see where the fountain was and when I found it again, I took a single step forward only to suddenly feel something hit me from behind in my neck. I reached back behind there with my hand thinking that someone had hit me with a dart but there was nothing there. My eyes began getting heavy and I struggled to stay awake let alone stand on my own two feet. I began stumbling about in hopes of reaching the fountain only to drop to my knees right before the entrance before falling flat on my face and entering into a deep sleep. Princess Twilight tried helping me only to end up falling asleep as well from being hit by the same thing I had received.
" Are you sure about this, Misty Fly?" Principal Cinch asked.
Misty Fly slowly nodded, her mind in deep thought as she pondered over what needed to be done. " I am certain of this, mother. I know Anju will not like the idea of leaving town in the morning and fleeing to Romani Ranch, but you have seen how close the moon has gotten lately haven't you?"
Principal Cinch nodded. " I cannot deny what you say is true."
" Everyone in town has been talking about it with some choosing to remain while others intend on fleeing."
" And are you surprised at those who are staying?"
" Are you trying to imply something, mother?"
Principal Cinch nodded. " I know you've been furious over Kafei's parents regarding how they haven't shown much of an interest towards finding their son, but you must realize by now that they both have obligations that prevented them from doing anything. Mayor Dotour has been stuck in that meeting between the carnival committee and the town militia and has to deal with them in the morning. She is at her wits end and wishes they would finally agree to disagree yet their stubbornness continues blinding them. Monsieur Aroma hasn't fared much better either being forced to cancel so much of the carnival not to mention dealing with that postwoman."
" What does that have to do with fleeing?"
" Everything." Principal Cinch answered. " Mayor Dotour cannot flee town as she is the mayor and must remain to keep watch over those who also choose to stay behind. I know it sounds like a pathetic excuse yet her hands are tied what with the arguing and the danger that lurks both above us and outside the town walls. While Monsieur Armoma doesn't have the same kind of commitments as his wife and could easily flee, I doubt he would be willing to leave her behind so he is sure to remain here as well until it all ends. If not for their duties, they would have dedicated their efforts towards finding Kafei yet things just didn't work out."
Misty Fly was completely silent upon hearing what Principal Cinch had said and she began thinking about how she had viewed Kafei's parents. Deep down, she always knew that they were honest people despite having a penchant for wanting to showcase a little flair, but they too were struggling to deal with a situation that had ballooned beyond their control and threatened to destroy everything. Her heart was conflicted now despite still blaming them for not doing enough and even accused them of convincing Kafei to abandon Scootaloo in favour of someone like Applejack yet now she had heard a side of them that she never knew.
She also knew that her daughter loved Kafei and was willing to defend him even if the evidence suggested that he had left her for someone else. For Misty Fly, she felt like scum for always saying Kafei was no good for Scootaloo because of how he had disappeared out of thin air and couldn't be found. And yet, she continued to stand by her convictions despite knowing they were driving a wedge between her and her child. Given the current circumstances, Misty Fly didn't want to shatter the bonds of love and trust she had with Scootaloo yet a part of her wanted to see that happen, a thought that terrified her immensely.
With the moon getting closer to Clock Town with every passing hour, many in town had held a meeting to determine what they were to do next. Despite the insistence of the carnival committee that everyone should remain and enjoy the festivities, most agreed that fleeing to Romani Ranch was their best bet at survival even if it meant abandoning everything but the absolute essentials. Unfortunately, they knew it was a fool's gambit. They feared a ripple effect from the moon crashing into Clock Town would destroy all of Termina in the process meaning that their efforts amounted to nothing.
Despite that, Misty Fly was dead-set on having Scootaloo and Principal Cinch flee in the morning when most of the townsfolk would do the same. She had thought long and hard over the decision the entire night--her lack of sleep made her quite irritable--hence why she was packing the essentials as her mother watched yet she wasn't about to change her mind and instead choose to stay behind. While Scootaloo would never forgive her for leaving, Misty Fly thought only to protect those she cared about. In her heart, she hoped Scootaloo would understand someday that hard decisions were a part of life.
" Am I making the right decision, mother?"
" Only you can determine that."
Misty Fly sighed. " I bet Mayor Dotour is wishing she could flee like the rest of us."
" She wants to more than anything else.
" What!?" Misty Fly exclaimed. " Why would she even think that?"
Principal Cinch sighed as she opened up her book. " You see, Misty Fly, Mayor Dotour never wanted to be mayor in the first place. In fact, she had her mind set on a different occupation but her father was the previous mayor and he had every intention of making sure his daughter would carry on his legacy. Truth be told, Mayor Dotour never threw her hat in during the nomination process. Instead, her father took care of it and she ended up winning as no one else considered opposing her since he was regarded as one of the greatest mayors this town had ever seen."
Misty Fly was surprised. " Who told you this, mother?"
" Her father told me as did Mayor Dotour herself."
" And Monsieur Aroma?"
" He started out as the postman and enjoyed it for a few years but was promoted to the position of postmaster when the previous incumbent retired. Since then, a new postwoman has taken the job though if you want my opinion, she is quite the stickler when it comes to being on schedule."
" So that's why Mayor Dotour always seems so miserable."
Principal Cinch nodded. " If you think she has problems, you should imagine how Kafei must have felt when he learned that one day he would become mayor himself. I doubt his reason for disappearing had anything to do with that yet he secretly wanted to do something else and not take up the family business. Now with him having vanished without a trace and no leads as to where he is, Mayor Dotour is struggling not to lose complete control of her sanity. Monsieur Aroma is grieving in his own way but also wishes for his son to return. It's strange though that Kafei disappeared somewhere around the local Great Fairy Fountain."
" And who told you that?"
" A few of the local children of that Bombers Gang."
" You can't possibly expect yourself to believe them."
" Children know more than adults do from time to time so one should never dismiss their word." Principal Cinch said. " Now, you know things about the mayor and her husband that you never knew before until tonight, Misty Fly. I know you still can't forgive them nor their own son but know that they are suffering in their own manner. Perhaps in another time, you might have learned to better appreciate what they have done but I doubt that will happen now." She closed up her book and sighed heavily. " Even if we do flee town, it won't matter in the least as Termina is doomed."
Misty Fly was silent at first but continued to pack up all of the belongings she wanted to take with her. Once she had finished, she turned towards Principal Cinch and sighed before walking over to the window and staring up at the moon. " I know our chances of survival are bleak at this point but I'd like to think that we still may yet survive. It would probably take a miracle yet I do believe this isn't the end of us."
" You want Cremia to talk to Anju, don't you?"
" What!? Misty Fly exclaimed. " Where did that come from?"
" A mother always knows these things."
Misty Fly sighed. " They are best friends and both pinned for Kafei before he chose Anju to take as his bride. Maybe she can talk some sense into Anju given that everything I've tried has ended up failing in a spectacular manner. Besides, it might give me some closure as I still think he disappeared so that he could marry her instead."
Principal Cinch sighed. " You still have much to learn it seems, daughter."
It took me a while before I finally woke up and when my eyes opened, I immediately got up only to drop down to my knees. Whatever caused me to suddenly collapse and fall asleep had caused my body to need to recalibrate itself before I could move again. My entire body felt so heavy and stiff that it felt like the gravity was pushing down on me. As I waited for my body to get itself back in order, my mind began thinking about what happened when I got hit in the back of my neck. Why would anyone want to do that? It's not like the undead could have done it as they were now resting in peace and Princess Twilight would have warned me of something.
Speaking of Her Highness, she was sleeping next to me so I gently tapped her small body with my finger to arouse her from her slumber. Whoever hit me made sure to hit her too so as not have me experience this on my own. Princess Twilight mumbled some incoherent words before her eyes opened and she yawned before starting to flap her wings repeatedly before taking to the air. My own body eventually finished recalibrating in that I could get back up and when I did, my eyes opened wide with shock and my entire body turned cold upon seeing what now stood before me.
I was now back in Termina Field even though I was just in Ikana Village before I was knocked out yet that wasn't my concern now. No, my concern was seeing my current surroundings and how they comprised of a destroyed Clock Town with the moon itself having smashed into it leaving nothing but utter devastation beyond all reckoning. I then looked around to see that everything around me had been reduced to a desolate wasteland. Trees had burned to ashes, the grass had been charred, the sky looked like an eternal sunset, and fire burned all around with no signs of stopping.
What in the world had happened? Was this a dream or was it a reality? I knew that Termina would be destroyed if I wasn't able to prevent the moon from crashing yet there it was having crashed into Clock Town and decimating everything. I then pinched my arm thinking this was a dream only for me to squeal slightly from inflicting pain on it. I then stood still as lightning dropped down from above, crashing into a nearby dead tree, and setting it on fire. Another bolt of lightning dropped and did the same thing to another tree nearby leaving me to consider looking around for shelter so as to not get electrocuted.
" Sunset!" Twilight exclaimed. " Are you alright?"
I nodded. " I'm alright but what in the world happened here?"
" Everything has been completely destroyed."
" No..."
Princess Twilight lowered her head slightly. " The moon crashed into Clock Town, destroying it and everything else in its wake. I doubt anything could have survived such destruction which means you and I are the only ones still alive."
I dropped to my knees. " Then... We've failed. Termina has been destroyed with Starlight Glimmer having committed genocide on an apocalyptic level. Everyone we knew and held dear to our hearts are dead." I was about to cry when something occurred to me about the current situation. " Something doesn't seem right here. If Termina has been destroyed along with everyone who lived in it, why are we still alive? Shouldn't we have died as well?"
Princess Twilight nodded. " Yes, we should have. Also, the fires that are burning all around us should have made you feel really uncomfortable. I am immune to them because of being a fairy yet you should theoretically be sweating buckets right now. Something tells me that there is more to this than appearances suggest. Perhaps we should take a closer look at the remains of Clock Town."
" Why would we want to do that?"
" Because I can sense a great power coming from that direction."
Knowing there wasn't anywhere else to go other than Clock Town, I decided to walk towards it and find some answers. Fortunately, Princess Twilight and I woke up close to town so we didn't have far to go before reaching it. As I walked across Termina Field, everything grew more depressing with every passing moment. Even the water itself from the ocean had been affected by the destruction in that it was now the colour of blood as opposed to a clear blue. Also, the closer we got to town, the stronger the power Her Highness felt grew indicating that someone was close by--or something for that matter.
Upon reaching the ruins of the town, I was stopped by a wall of flame that prevented me from going any further. Not even my resistance to fire magic would have enabled me to make it past and see what happened with my own eyes. The moon itself cast a shadow over the entire area that made everything feel even more ethereal than it already was. I looked up and stuck out my tongue a little upon realizing that I was looking up at the moon's nose yet I wondered how a huge chunk of rock could have a face to begin with. It's not like it was a special moon or anything yet it left me curious and wanting to know more.
A familiar laugh then came from the flames and I immediately recognized who it was. A silhouette then formed in the flames before it stepped forward revealing Ganondorf himself, his heavy black armour gleaning as a result of the intense colours. " We meet again, child."
" You..." I said softly. " What are you doing here?"
" Do you remember the words I left to you when last we met?"
I nodded. " How could I forget them? They've been on my mind this entire time."
Ganondorf laughed. " I would face you again in another contest upon you awakening the final Giant of this world, and now, that time has finally come whether you wish to admit it or not." He clenched his hand into a fist and I could hear the sound of leather squeaking which made me feel really uncomfortable. " You have been dreading this encounter for quite some time now, child. I can see it in your eyes that deep down you have long feared seeing he who would become your master should the darkness within your heart become something you would embrace with open arms."
" I'll never become your servant."
" Hmph! We shall see soon enough."
" Did you do all of this?"
Ganondorf shook his head. " If I had been responsible, there would be nothing left of this place but a white void devoid of nothing. What you see here is a possible future where you failed to save this world from the destruction that loomed above turning it into a desolate wasteland." He bent down, scooped up some charred grass, and blew it away with his mouth before laughing. " Your mind created this place out of fear that you would fail in your mission to save it from disaster. The thing about dreams is that they can take on a life of their own should you possess a weak enough spirit and succumb to despair."
" What did you say?"
" Dreams can easily metamorphosize into nightmares should you prove unwilling to face them."
" This place... It's a dream?"
Ganondorf nodded. " I am surprised that it took you this long to figure it out, child. Ironically, the little fairy princess sensed something was amiss when she noticed that the flames weren't making things unbearable for you." He looked down at Princess Twilight who immediately hid underneath my hat. " There is no need to hide, Princess Twilight. You shall also suffer in this place because of the connection that exists between you and the child."
" So I'm still asleep?"
" My magic forced you into a slumber from which you cannot awaken from until I choose otherwise."
Now things were starting to make sense though at the same time they continued to make less sense. Ganondorf had never personally gotten himself or his power involved throughout my journey as I assumed he could only do so in those alternate dimensions of his, but now that he revealed it was his magic that knocked me and Princess Twilight out, was his power even greater than ever? Had his power always been great yet I never noticed? Or was Ganondorf far beyond my own understanding? No matter what the answer was, once again I was at his mercy though maybe not given where he said this was.
I was familiar with the Dream World. Another one of the lessons Princess Celestia taught me that I paid attention to was the one about how the Dream World was a place where ponies could do anything they wanted so long as their dreams were pleasant. Originally, it was under the watchful eye of Princess Luna yet Celestia took over for a thousand years due to banishing her sister when she became Nightmare Moon. Luna had since returned to her duties when Her Highness and the pony versions of my friends changed her back to normal and helps those who need it the most when their dreams became nightmares.
" So are we going to fight or what?"
" Not this time." Ganondorf answered. " I can see the conviction in your eyes, child. You do not enjoy the thought of killing creatures through bloodshed though you will choose to do so if it means being able to progress or if you believe it to be a threat. Such thoughts will only serve to confuse you and leave you weak in the field of battle."
" Maybe so but I will stand by my choices."
" How amusing."
" Then what is the nature of this contest?"
Ganondorf laughed. " In this place, physical power holds no meaning as nothing is real but instead is a result of the subconscious. The Dream World is where one's mental power is on full display and the stronger that power, the greater influence they can have over all they survey here. I am aware that you have grown stronger physically since our previous encounter, child, but now I shall see how strong you are mentally. You have no limit to what you can do here so attack me with everything you possess. You shall have just the one attempt to prove your worth and to fulfill my expectations."
I was a little surprised and decided to inquire. " Just the one attempt? That doesn't sound all that fair."
" One attempt is all I need to determine my answers."
I gulped. " Well, I'll be sure to give you everything I have."
Ganondorf then pointed at Princess Twilight who looked out from under my hat. " Before you have the pleasure of showing me your mental power, child, the princess shall be the first to test her mental prowess against me."
Princess Twilight flew out from under my hat and floated in front of me. " What!? Why do you want me to fight against you using my mental abilities? I thought this whole conflict was between you and Sunset? I'm merely here to act as her guidance while she struggles to overcome your devious attempts to make her suffer. To be perfectly honest, I actually have been wanting to get a piece of you because of what you've done to Sunset. I know that doesn't sound like something I would given how I prefer solving problems by relying on friendship but I'll gladly make an exception."
" Then you shall face me."
" That's not going to be easy since I am just a fairy and all."
" In the Dream World, you can do anything you want." I said.
Princess Twilight exactly what to do when I said that. She closed her eyes and began to concentrate as hard as she could until her body started glowing. In an instant, her body increased in height until she was the size I had come to know though instead of wearing a tunic like me, she opted to go with a beautiful blue and purple dress that featured her cutie mark in a pretty pattern that complimented her hair colour. Was this what Her Highness dreamed of when it came to protecting me and become a heroine in her own right? While this probably wasn't what she dreamed of back in Equestria, I still appreciated it all the same.
" How do I look?"
I winked. " Didn't think you had it in you."
Princess Twilight smiled. " I've seen you get hurt so many times and be on death's doorstep more times than I can count. All I could do was watch you endure so much pain and suffering until I began thinking about what it would be like to fight alongside you like we did against the Dazzlings. Now it's my time to finally take matters into my own hands even if this is only just a dream." She stepped forward and raised her hands. " I'm going to give this everything I can muster and while the thought of this dream ending saddens me, I'm going to enjoy the moment for what it is."
Ganondorf laughed. " So... the fairy has become a true princess in her own right?
" You want to see my mental prowess so I'll give it to you."
" Yes... I can sense the power that dwells within you." Ganondorf said. " Your magical prowess is far greater than most of your kind yet it's fallible compared to mine. I have been watching your progress as well, princess, and I am satisfied with how you have used wisdom to guide the child along on her mission. Knowledge is a power only a chosen few are capable of mastering as most could never fathom the complexities behind it. Perhaps destiny has something in mind for you?"
" Don't try to use your charm to distract me."
" My words always have a ring of truth to them."
" Doubtful considering how you've been trying to manipulate Sunset from the beginning."
Ganondorf laughed. " The princess possesses a strong sense of righteousness... How amusing... And yet, it is something that I knew of already." He continued laughing and that was when the back of his hand glowed and the symbol of the Triforce appeared. " This shall prove most entertaining assuming you possess wisdom that goes far beyond conventional means otherwise you shall betray my expectations. Can you prove that you possess a warrior's spirit or are you simply a princess who has others do her work for her? I wonder what you shall do to demonstrate what a strong mentality is capable of."
I stood back to give Princess Twilight as much space as she needed though something about this reminded me of the mark that I had on the back of my hand. It didn't glow in response to the one Ganondorf had--I was relieved about that--yet it was a reminder that I was connected to him through it. My true concern was that Her Highness might still possess the piece she received during my previous journey. She had been displaying incredible wisdom--hence why it was called the Triforce of Wisdom--since we started this journey yet I feat that if a mark appeared on her hand, she would be condemned to torment much like I was.
Above all else, I didn't want that to happen to her. She deserved a much better fate than being forced to endure a perpetual torment all because of being given something of great importance especially when she didn't even know about it and still didn't. If the mark didn't appear on the back of her hand, she would be fine but it meant Ganondorf would seek out someone else who would represent the Triforce of Wisdom. Much of this continued to make no sense as he kept key information close to his chest that could shed some light on why I had to be chosen out of countless others who lived in Equestria and the world I called home.
Closing her eyes, Princess Twilight concentrated and a bright light suddenly began glowing behind me. Turning around to see what it was, my jaw dropped upon seeing a beautiful castle rising up from the ground that looked like the stuff of legends. It looked like a purple castle built on top of and meshed together with a crystal tree with gold tipped towers and balconies, and the cutie mark of Her Highness could clearly be seen here and there. Was this what her castle looked like? I had only ever been told stories of its majestic splendor so it was truly something to see, but then a large tree appeared on top which clearly looked out of place or so I thought.
Her Highness explained that the tree was her original home in Ponyville, the Golden Oak Library, that was destroyed by Lord Tirek at the time. Even now, she held strong memories towards it and couldn't find herself to ever want to forget about it. Both buildings represented her love of books, her love of Ponyville, her bonds with the pony versions of my friends, and her title as Princess of Friendship. Books then appeared from the castle and library, swirled about and began to form several formation all aimed at Ganondorf who merely stood there waiting for something to happen.
In an instant, books went flying at him and attacked using themselves as weapons, various forms of magic, and even bizarre things though there was a sense of planning and formation involved rather than simply going with a random assault in hopes of succeeding. Princess Twilight was relying on wisdom in that she was choosing when to strike alongside her love of books and of course, her vast magical prowess being on full display. I was actually both impressed and in complete awe over what I had just seen though I quickly ducked when what appeared to be a giant version of Spike's true form emerged from the castle and scorched Ganondorf.
" What did you think of that, Sunset?"
I just stood there in shock. " Remind me not to get on your bad side."
" I think I've proven my point."
" No wonder so many refer to you as a nerd."
Princess Twilight chuckled. " I can't help being a lover of books and research."
Ganondorf then laughed and while I wasn't surprised that Princess Twilight's display had little effect on him, she was completely shocked and stood there with her jaw dropped and her eyes opened wide. I should have known he would do something like this as it was one of his more annoying charms given my previous experiences. " Are you surprised that your power proved useless against me? Heh... Such an expression continues to be amusing to me. However, I am satisfied that you relied on wisdom and magic in a way that displayed characteristics known only to the likes of you."
" Um... Thank you?" Twilight said with a confused look.
" And now you... child." Ganondorf said, pointing to me whilst staring coldly.
I gulped and stepped forward. " Before I go and do this, I want to ask you a question."
" Is it because you are afraid of what you will do that you choose to avoid it?"
" Your words don't scare me in the least."
Ganondorf laughed. " And yet, I can sense the fear that surrounds you, child. You may not perish in the Dream World but your psyche can be damaged beyond recovery should I will it to be so and punish you accordingly for not accepting my challenge."
" One question!" I shouted. " That's all I want to ask."
" Very well."
" Did you know about the return of Sunset Demon and Midnight Sparkle?"
Ganondorf nodded before snickering under his breath. " Those two pathetic creatures? Yes... Yes, I was aware that they were trapesing about this world in an effort to fulfill their own agenda though I knew they would fail. I didn't need to kill them as they were destined to die as fate had long ago decreed it so there was no point in using my power on those deemed unimportant to the grand scheme, and yet they served me well even when they never knew that this was the case. You were to suffer and they indirectly carried out my wish so in the end, they proved useful as pawns while being worthless as anything else."
I was taken aback by this sudden revelation. I honestly thought Ganondorf had some part to play with regards to the two demons but now that he had mentioned he had nothing at all to do with them, I knew he wasn't lying and that they had acted of their own volition. Still, I was annoyed at how he used them in his bid to make me suffer all in his desire to make me his devoted servant, yet in truth they did it to themselves without him having to do anything other than watch everything play out. If only Midnight Sparkle had accepted my proposal and not choose to go through with her desire, she would still be alive and I wouldn't be feeling tremendous guilt over it.
" And now both of them are dead."
" I was not the cause of their deaths and neither were you." Ganondorf said. " No, they were killed by their own hands thinking they could achieve their dreams. Heh... Demons as pathetic as they were cannot have dreams as they are nothing but pawns to be used by those superior to them. Had I chosen to view them as having a purpose, I would have manipulated them into doing my bidding without question and killed them once they were of no further use. And yet, both creatures were useless so why not let them run around and do as they wished until they destroyed themselves. Perhaps, their fates could have been changed yet it is too late for that now."
" You're still as heartless as ever."
" Ganondorf laughed. " The strong take advantage of the weak, child. It has been that way since the very beginning and will continue to be commonplace for all eternity." He then folded his arms and looked at me with a sharp gaze, his eyes glowing with a burning passion, striking fear right into my very soul. " Do not allow your heart to hold you back as I know you wish to unleash great power through means of venting out a rage that dwells within. In the Dream World, there are no restrictions so you can go to extremes that are impossible in the veil that is reality. Child... Show me not only your mental prowess but pure power that can only be achieved by you."
" I... I..." Was all I could say.
" Do not betray my expectations.
Had I truly been furious at what he said, I would have exploded into a murderous rage and Princess Twilight would have looked away in sheer disgust, but instead, I was simply mad and needed to vent out my frustration by doing exactly what he wanted. Closing my eyes, I concentrated and immediately became Daydream Shimmer yet this was just the start as I intended on taking things to a much higher level. Holding out my hands, the Triforce--all three pieces--appeared before me where I grabbed hold of it and felt a surge of power that could be best described as godly since its creators were goddesses.
The immense power caused me to further evolve in that I became an enhanced version of Daydream Shimmer--something along the lines of Daydream Goddess--though I struggled to maintain control as the temptation began rearing its ugly head ahead. I had to refrain from allowing myself to become consumed with power as that was what he wanted yet my head kept on saying for me to go as far as possible while my heart wanted me to remain true. It may have just been a dream yet it felt real and that was the scariest thing of all. The veil between dreams and reality was weakening and I needed to act quickly.
For some reason, my body increased in size--without the Giant's Mask--until I was a giant and then I unleashed everything I had against Ganondorf, who just stood there with his arms folded and sporting a cruel smile on his face. The resulting blast destroyed the moon and what remained of Clock Town leaving nothing but a massive crater along with various parts of Termina Field due to excess power scattering about that I couldn't control. In that one moment, it felt like my true self had been cast aside and my old persona had returned, a bully who wanted power and was willing to do anything to get my hands on it. I felt like I had lost all sense of self.
Princess Twilight then called out to me and it was enough to get me to focus on what was really important. The power that exuded from me died down, my body shrank to its original size, and the Triforce disappeared though I remained as Daydream Shimmer. I had no doubt that Ganondorf survived as like he said, you couldn't be killed in the Dream World but you could suffer psychological damage instead. When the smoke cleared, he still stood as before yet I could sense that he had been weakened though it was difficult to say. I had given it everything I had so hopefully it was enough to get him to leave us alone.
" Sunset... Are you okay?" Twilight asked.
I nodded slowly. " If it wasn't for your voice, I would have kept on going."
" You refrained from being a lot worse considering what you did."
" Had Ganondorf pushed me far enough..." I began. " I would have been beyond redemption."
" Then you understand friendship better than I thought."
" I've got you to thank for that."
Ganondorf then laughed and we both turned towards him. " As I suspected... You allowed your anger to empower you to greater heights yet you allowed your heart and the princess to hold you back thus ruining your potential. It seems you still resistant the urge to unleash the power that lies within. In due time, you will come to understand that power is a necessity that all creatures strive for yet only the strongest can use it with no hesitation in their minds."
" Looks like I've finally defeated you for once." I said. " And with Princess Twilight's help."
" You have not defeated me."
I folded my arms. " I think I did."
Ganondorf laughed. " You pathetic child. Did you honestly think this would be a battle to the death? Here? In the Dream World? My words were that you and the princess would unleash your mental power and be given one attempt to do so. Each of you have had such an attempt and while I had expected far greater, I am still satisfied as it shows that progress has been made. It shall become clear in due time and only when I choose to reveal it." He lowered his head down and right away I knew he was building up his power but for what reason? He had seen what he needed to so there was nothing more he could do other than leave us in peace. " Now it's my turn..."
" What!?"
" I was not going to depart without showing you what true mental power is."
" Brace yourself, Twilight."
Ganondorf lifted his head up and a cruel smile appeared on his face again. Suddenly everything around began disappearing and in a matter of moments, we were standing in a white void devoid of nothing, the entire landscape of the ruined Termina was completely gone. While Princess Twilight and I had to concentrate before we could display our mental power, he did it without exerting any kind of pressure in addition to doing it in mere moments where as it took us both roughly a couple of minutes. I knew he was powerful since he was centuries old according to his own words but I wasn't expecting anything like this.
" What just happened, Sunset?" Twilight asked.
I looked around and shrugged. " I don't know!" I then turned to look at Ganondorf. " What have you done?"
" I have destroyed the Dream World."
" Impossible!" I shouted. " No one has the power to do that!"
Ganondorf laughed. " And yet I do for nothing is beyond my reach. Child... We shall meet once more before this journey of yours reaches its conclusion. Will it be another contest or will I choose to spare you such torment? Only I know for certain so allow fear to take hold of your heart and wallow in the purity of evil. Let my words burn into your memory as well as that of the princess. Never forget that I am always watching so do not think you are free from my power. For now, you can focus on trying to save multiple words but perhaps it will prove too much for you and all shall be destroyed? Time will soon reveal everything. Do not betray my expectations... Now begone!"
As he continued laughing, Ganondorf disappeared only for everything he had seemingly destroyed be restored to the way it was before he had done it. Not only could he wipe out the Dream World with a mere thought, he could also bring it back just like that without any effort. Either he was getting stronger with every encounter or he was already powerful and was merely showing portions of it to us at a time. Before I could further elaborate on it, Princess Twilight and I blacked out again after being hit by the same thing that caused us to drop down and fall asleep in the first place.
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So I guess you could say Sunset has one hot ass
All joking aside, I'm really looking forward to when Sunset is able to go all out and put an end to Ganon once and for all. Maybe with a little help from the hero himself. After all, a sword holds no Power, unless the hand wielding it has Courage.
Have you seen the new Voltron series on Netflix? There are some scenes in there that remind me of these encounters with Ganondorf.
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She will see him one more time before this story reaches its conclusion. Will it be another fight? Or will it be a warning? No one knows except for me but I'll never tell... until later.
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Assuming she can considering his power far dwarfs her own.
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True, but Ganon is making her stronger with each encounter. Given enough time, she'll catch up to him. I wouldn't be surprised if by the end, she is able to tap into Harmony itself like Twilight and the others. And plus, after this she'll have help from the hero himself.
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Except she "is" the hero.
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I was talking about the Hero's Shade in Twilight Princess. He is the Hero of Time that Sunset is currently portraying. And I still stand by my comment way back in her first adventure, that it would be neat if it really was Link teaching her the hidden skills, and he knew that she had taken his place as the Hero of Time. But I'm getting way ahead.
Heh... if I had been in Sunset's shoes I probably would have summoned various armies from various franchises, maybe the Death Star, Darth Vader, Godzilla, Kong, Gypsy Danger, Optimus Prime...
In short... don't give a gamer the keys to unleash the multiverse.
Anyways...
Good chapter. Was nice to see Twi kickin' some butt, and I have to agree with Sunset. Don't want to get on her bad side.
And if only Sunset had the words of Kyle Katarn from Jedi Academy to help her.
"A power isn't inherently good or evil. Its how you use it that matters."
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Since the conflict at the end was in the Dream World, I was able to get away with something fantastical in scope which would have been completely out of place in Termina itself. Guess it's time Sunset tackled the longest side-quest in the game.