The Legend of Equestria: Majora's Mask

by xombiekilla

Chapter twenty-two: Dawn of the Second Day (IV)

Dawn of the second day:
48 hours remaining

After battling Keeta, the Iron Knuckle, and learning a new song, Hero, Twilight, and their friends decided to explore the rest of the Ikana Kingdom. Taking the right path into the Ikana settlement, they were met with a vast yet barren wasteland. The warm wind scorched the land, riling up sand as it bristled past them. The village was eerily quiet, and the atmosphere was tense with an unspoken sense of danger.

As they walked, Twilight couldn't help but wonder what had happened here. "This place feels so dead as if the life of everything was stolen from it," Twilight said as the buildings were all dilapidated and abandoned, and there was no sign of life anywhere, "What happened here?" Every breath they took felt like a struggle, and the dryness of the air made it hard to breathe. They were all on edge, and the slightest sound made them jump.

At the center of the canyon, there was a small house with a giant set of gramophone horns attached to the top of the roof. The house was oddly in a decent state of repair, and the water wheel on the left side had ceased moving. "This house here, these designs, they definitely came from Starlight."

There was no water for the wheel to slice through to generate power, and everything was dried up as if the place had no water. They all felt the cold dread of death and the desire to prey on the innocent, that primal instinct that had abandoned all notion of rationality: "Oh, Starlight, where are you?" Twilight asked as she was worried for her dear friend.

Twilight wanted to explore the house, but there was one terrifying problem: three bandaged Gibdos surrounded it. The Gibdos were moaning in a drawn-out and agonizing pitch, and they circled the house as if expecting something or someone to come out. "G-Gibdos... why did it have to be them?" Twilight whispered, her voice barely audible.

The team carefully approached the Gibdos, not wanting to get too close. "There's gotta be a way to clear them out, Twilight. That water wheel was powering something and was built there for a reason. We gotta get that wheel operating again," said Applejack.

Applejack pointed over to the top of the canyon with her hoof. "Look, Twilight, that looks like a place where water came from. Being a farmer, I can tell where water is at its ripest."

"Then we need to find a way up there to that higher rocky plateau to reach that cave. I trust Applejack that she knows what she's doing here," said Twilight, her voice resolute as he protected his friends.

They found a smooth hill to ascend to the higher ground to the mouth of the cave entrance, which got Applejack's attention as they entered it. The cave was dark and damp, and they could hear the sound of dripping water echoing throughout. The air was cooler and refreshing, a welcome relief from the oppressive heat outside. As they ventured deeper into the cave, they could see a faint light in the distance, and they hurried towards it, eager to see what lay ahead.

---

It was a desolate spring room with dilapidated and gloomy interiors. Age had caught up with this place. "It's so gloomy here, Twilight. We should leave here as soon as we can," Fluttershy told the group before they felt an angry and evil influence throughout the cave.

Suddenly, a ghost appeared who looked very similar to Flat but was wearing red robes instead of blue. "What's this? Life forms in here? How peculiar. Beings full of life such as yourselves have no business here in the Ikana Kingdom," the ghost of Composer Sharp said.

"Could you all have arrived here knowing this in advance? That is fine. Then I, Composer Sharp, shall gently drift you all to sleep into the sweet synapses of darkness with my Symphony of Silence. Rest peacefully and then join the ranks of the undead."

He played his song, and the music began slowly draining the group's life force. Their life magic was seeping from their bodies into the cave's center.

"H-Hero... we have to do something about him. He's going to kill us at this rate," Twilight said, remembering what Flat had told them. "Use that song he taught us."

Hero then pulled out his ocarina to play the Song of Storms, and the swirling silvery-white magic surrounded his body. Then, it rushed towards Sharp as clouds manifested in the caves, with rain falling in the interiors. The cascading drops splashed onto the rocky ground as thunder cracked, and the death song stopped.

Sharp was clutching his face with his transparent hooves as he convulsed in place. "T-That song... what have you played? Not this song... Aaaughhh?!?" Sharp's face was agape as if in immense pain as the rain and the soothing song purified his wicked soul as his body faded.

He reappeared as a more calm and gentle soul as he spoke to them. "I-I am so very sorry. I intended to reignite the Ikana Kingdom. I was so engrossed in the dark powers of one who wore a strange mask that I became his puppet. I had no choice but to turn others undead. What have I done?! Please forgive your foolish brother, Flat. I know this came from you: your love, mercy, and forgiveness. I am grateful for that."

"Once I leave here, the spring will open up, and the water will flow through the canyon again. It is my last gift for this place and my way to make things right. I saw a mare in that house after she explored the Ikana well, which leads to the Royal Castle Courtyard. She was hit with my song that rends life from others. Give her my condolences for me, won't you?" Sharp ascended into the afterlife to join his brother, "Here I come, Flat, we shall be reunited again." Sharp then vanished as Twilight had a horrified look on her face.

---

"S-Starlight?! Oh no, we have to hurry, guys," Twilight says as they quickly leave the cave as the water flows through the canyon. The waterwheel was harnessing the current and generating power while music played from the gramophone horns mounted on its roof.

The music that echoed through the area had an eerie quality. It sounded like a merry-go-round song, but with a chipper tone that made it equal parts happier and unsettling. As the tune played on, the surroundings were filled with the sounds of groaning Gibdos. These undead creatures were writhing in agony, their gaunt hooves clutching at their faces as they reached out before eventually sinking into the ground.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of waiting, the house powered up. With a soft click, the locks on the front door snapped into place, indicating that the door could now be opened. "That's definitely Starlight's handiwork," remarked Twilight, a note of concern in her voice. "She must be inside. We need to be careful."

As they stepped inside the music house, they were greeted by an unusual sight. The room resembled a laboratory with machines and magical studies scattered about. It was evident that Starlight had been working here. They took a moment to look around and examine the intricate details of the room before they heard thumping noises coming from the basement. Their curiosity piqued, they made their way down the stairs, and as they reached the bottom, they noticed a gilded wardrobe standing upright, shaking violently as if something was trapped inside, trying to escape.

Twilight, being the bravest of the group, slowly approached the wardrobe, her heart pounding in her chest. She could hear muffled screams and groans coming from inside, and her fear began to mount. With trembling hands, she reached for the wardrobe doors, and with a deep breath, she opened them. What she saw inside was beyond her worst nightmares. Starlight was trapped within.

Her body was slowly necrotizing as it was wrapped up in blood-stained and withered bandages, and the left eye that was exposed looked dead and yellow. She was slack-jawed and groaning in a low agonizing moan as it looked like she had lost her mind while slowly turning into a Gibdo. "S-Starlight... No. Hero, please do something for her before it's too late. She's our friend," Twilight pleads for there to be a way to help her, seeing Starlight in such a hapless circumstance.

Twilight desperately shakes Hero's body, tears streaming down her face. Hero nods and takes out his ocarina to play the Song of Healing. A pink aura of healing energy envelops Hero and then spreads to Starlight's body. She clutches her face with her bandaged hooves and convulses as if possessed, groaning in pain. The curse is resisting the healing song.

As Hero stood there, a sudden burst of blinding light enveloped them. Hero felt himself being transported into a dream-like state, and before his eyes, he saw a vision of a young Starlight. It was as if he was watching a diorama of her entire life. Every memory rushed back into her mind as if being projected onto film reels. Hero saw her childhood, the moments of joy and wonder, the struggles and hardships, and everything in between.

Starlight grew and matured as Hero watched, learning everything she used to know before she was cursed. She relived her experiences, transgressions, moments of redemption, and greatest achievements. She saw her most incredible friends and companions and was filled with a sense of gratitude for their presence in her life. She knew she had been given a chance to relive her life and rediscover the person she had once been.

The bandages on her body fell off as time reversed, restoring what was once lost from the curse. Her life energy was restored, and she could see again as the darkness cleared. As the vision ended, her curse manifested into a mask of a Gibdo and fell onto the tiled basement floor with a clatter.

Starlight was able to breathe again, and her vitality flowed back into her as she looked at her hooves with a shocked expression. She saw Twilight and immediately ran to her for a hug, crying into her chest. Twilight hugged her back tenderly, soothing her.

"Thank you for coming back for me. I was so scared after I left that well and saw that spirit. I locked myself in here, and I felt my mind gradually slipping away until I fell into what felt like an eternal sleep, but also not at the same time. It was horrible."

"It's okay, Starlight. You should know that we will never leave you behind. You're going to be fine now." Twilight consoled her sobbing friend and wrapped her up with her wings to comfort her. "Take your time, Starlight. We have all the time in the world to help you relax. Friends never leave friends behind."

"Thank you, guys. I love you so much, and you're the greatest friends I've ever had. You saved my life from what felt like eternal death." As Starlight hugged Twilight, Hero was on the floor clutching his sides, trying to manage his emotional pain. Starlight noticed and gasped in concern, "Hero? Are you okay?" Hero nodded and stood up.

"I'm impressed, Starlight. You're pretty resourceful," Rainbow declared as everyone cheered. "Hero is a tough cookie. He'll pull through, Star. It's great to see us all reunited."

"Yeehaw! I agree with that, Sugarcube," Applejack exclaimed as they all looked back at Starlight.

"When I was transported away, I ended up here. This mechanical house was broken down, so I took one day to work on it. I discovered that the place was filled with undead monsters, and I knew I needed refuge. I researched and came up with a song that wards away Gibdos. I called it the Farewell to Gibdos song."

"I see Starlight. But how did you get cursed?" Twilight asked.

"I was investigating the well at the edge of Ikana to get valuable research for my survival. I went down too deep and met a spirit who said he would bring back the glory of the ancient kingdom of Ikana by raising a dead army. He played that awful song that cursed me, and I felt my life force slipping away. It was so horrible, Twilight."

"I know, Starlight. But we dealt with him and healed him from his bonds with wickedness. He's not going to be a problem anymore."

"That's reassuring. This place is awful, but also so interesting. So, that mask that separated us and possessed Luna, what even is it?"

"The source of all the evil around here; the Majora's Mask. We are all together again, so let's finish this up and free that last giant, then confront Majora to finish this for good."

"Are you sure you're okay, Starlight? It wasn't very good to see you like that. I'm so sorry," Fluttershy said.

"I'll be fine now, Fluttershy. As long as my friends are here, I'll always be okay," Starlight replied, relieved not to be one of the undead. She showed Twilight all her alphabetically organized notes.

"So, you were trying my advice for your notes, huh? I can see you found success with that. Nice job, Starlight," Twilight said.

"Thanks, Twilight. I've had a good teacher, you know." The day soon became the second day's night, and the team felt ready to embark on that well, finding it suspicious and seeing it as their only way forward.