> The Legend of Twilight: Majora's Mask > by The-DerpSide > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > The Dawn of Adventure > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The new "Castle of Friendship" stood out from Ponyville, shining in the sun, the crystal-like copy of the destroyed Ponyville library reflecting the sun's rays. The "Main Six" as the six friends were called, sat upon their thrones, a seventh throne remained empty as a dragon standing on two legs slightly taller than the newly crowned "Princess of Friendship"-Twilight Sparkle-stood in the center. It had been a startling experience for the dragon-Spike-having awakened to Twilight Sparkle standing over him demanding where his hoard was. However, that accusation stopped when she saw the utter confusion on his face. It had simply been time for him to grow up. "What did you say?!" Twilight Sparkle-bearer of the Element of Magic-said, as her friends remained wide eyed. "I said that I need to leave." Spike said in a deeper-yet youth-filled voice, crossing his arms. "Face it, you've become more independent. I'm just getting in everypony's way." "No you're not!" The bearer of the Element of Loyalty-Rainbow Dash said, wings unfurling, "Name one time!" "Cleaning the Castle of the Two Sisters." Spike said, and everypony shut up. They all easily recalled being sucked into an enchanted comic. "Ever since I could truly walk, I've been an assistant. That's what Princess Celestia raised me to be. But now the pony I've been assisting has become independent. It's time for me to find who I truly am!" Spike said, as a frown marred the faces of the six friends. Letting out a deep sigh, Twilight hung her head. "Alright....but not until the day after tomorrow...we have to prepare things for your trip." It was a delay tactic and Spike knew it....BUT....it would be nice to have some rations and equipment for the trip. "Fine." He said, letting out a heavy sigh. "Thank you." He said before walking out of the main room of the Castle. As soon as he was out of the room, Rarity-the bearer of the Element of Generosity-looked at the others. "We're all following him....right?" She asked. "Oh yes." Twilight said, gazing at where Spike had exited. Nopony knew that Spike was around the corner listening to them. ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// The next day couldn't come fast enough for Spike, with each pony having a wrapped package. It almost felt like his birthday. On second thought, he really hoped it wasn't like THAT day. Pinkie Pie-the bearer of the Element of Laughter-had bounced up to him first before tearing the wrapping of the package herself. "Surprise!" She shouted as he held up the two four pouches. "Pinkie...I'm sure he needs more than...four...pouches to carry everything....if you don't mind." Fluttershy said quietly. "Well DUH! That's why I made them myself! They can carry up to 24 objects each! Regardless of size!" She said. "How does that?...What?!" Twilight said, "You know what...never-mind. I'm giving myself a headache trying to figure it out." "Well its ah good thing Pinkie gave you four of those pouches." Applejack-the bearer of the Element of Honesty-said as she placed down about twenty apples. "Ah reckon that this should last you ah while 'till you find more food." "Thanks you two" Spike said, gaining an ecstatic grin from Pinkie Pie and a bashful one from Applejack. Rainbow Dash just handed him the object that was unwrapped, which ended up being a double-edged sword and sheath. It was short-barley longer than a large dagger. "Sorry it wasn't bigger. It was hard enough finding a sword at all!" She said, puffing up in pride at her object. Fluttershy-the bearer of the Element of Kindness-had her package meticulously wrapped. Spike was careful not to rip any of the paper (too much), which she seemed to appreciate. Hers was a metal shield that was blue and had the red image of a bird. "I thought this would be useful to protect yourself from harm." She said quietly. Spike smiled and hefted the shield, admiring it. At first he went to grab the sword and shield in his right and left hand-respectively. However, as he swung them, a frown marred his face. "This....doesn't feel...right..." He said, before swapping which hand held the shield and sword. "This feels more comfortable." Spike said, swinging the sword much easier in his left hand-much to Twilight's amazement. "Spike...I think you're left-hooved!" Twilight said, gaining wide eyes from the others. "But I write with my right all the time!" He said. "Yes, but anypony-if they teach themselves how-can easily write and eat with either hoof. However, more strenuous tasks will make them use their dominant hoof more." Twilight explained. Nodding to herself, Rarity handed him a bundle and told him to "go change." When he left the room (taking the other objects after putting the apples into one of the pouches) the others looked at her like she was crazy. "An outfit....really?" Rainbow asked. "An adventurer's outfit! Why it will help him carry the objects you all gave him!" She said, defending her choice. "I made it myself too!" When Spike came down, he was wearing a forest-green tunic with a long cap on his head. The sword and shield were strapped to his back by belts over his shoulder and chest. The sword was angled so the handle was over his left shoulder, and a belt along his waist held the four pouches above his tail. "A dress?! PFFFT!!!!" At this, Rainbow Dash broke down laughing. "IT'S A TUNIC! LIKE THE ONES WORN BY ANCIENT KNIGHTS!" Rarity shouted. Twilight, with a sad smile on her face revealed the last object. A blue, metal ocarina. "I was looking through the Castle of the Two Sisters one day and found this Ocarina and there was a song written down. Whenever you feel lost or lonely, just think of us and play this song." With that, she used her magic to hold up the ocarina and cover some of the holes as she played a beautiful, yet haunting melody before Spike made an attempt and perfectly copied it-using his fingers instead of magic. "All that was written on the music were the words Song of Time....and the words Ocarina of Time. " Tucking the Ocarina of Time-as it was apparently called-safely into a pouch, he thanked everypony and headed up to his room. If he could fall asleep early...then his plan would work. The last thing going through his mind as he fell asleep were the echoes of the Song of Time. ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Waking up to a dark, starry sky, Spike couldn't help but grin. He heard the soft snores of Twilight from another room as she slept. Pulling on his tunic and cap he strapped on his weapons and pouches and wrote something down on a parchment-writing with his left hand-before placing the parchment on his bed and tip-toeing out of the room. Once he was outside, he quickly ran from the castle and headed to Fluttershy's Cottage, slowing down to make sure he didn't step on an animal (or something loud enough to wake up one of her animals). Once he made sure that the coast was clear, he sprinted off into the Everfree Forest. The Next Morning "Okay Spike. We'll let you go on that journey like we promised, so wake up!" Twilight called out, getting no response. "Spike?" She asked, opening the door to his room-which was empty. Walking into the room with wide eyes, she spotted the parchment and read out loud. Dear Twilight, I heard you and the others planning on following me, so I woke up at night and headed out. This is something I must do on my own. I will try to send you letters, but I cannot promise that they will be sent constantly-no parchment. I will return home when my journey's done. Sincerely, Spike The parchment dropped to the ground as Twilight Sparkle just stared out in the distance. "Spike." ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// A few days into his journey through the woods, he had received a parchment from Twilight, both scolding him for leaving and wishing him luck. Writing something down with some nearby mud and drying it his fire (carefully as not to burn the parchment) before sending it to Twilight with his special fire breath. He let out a loud sigh before he spotted a strange...being... It was pony shaped, but its mane and tail were made of vines with autumn-colored leaves and its body looked like it was carved from wood. It had a griffin-like beak without the sharp teeth as well and glowing yellow-orange eyes. It wore a tunic made of straw and leaves and wore a wide straw hat. (In case you don't know. It's a pony version of This) "Well hello there stranger!" The being said, waving a hoof at him. Two glowing orbs with dragonfly-like wings, one white with a yellow glow and one purple with a red glow, hovered near him. "Um hello." Spike said, waving back. Before anypony could say anything, the being's stomach growled. "Sorry. I haven't eaten anything in a while." And the being turned it's beak in the air and sniffed. "Hey! Something in your pouch smells good!" Spike pulled out an apple and handed it to the being. As it took a bite of the apple, it's beak curved upwards in a small smile. "Sorry. I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Skull kid! And...well, I'm a being they call a skull kid." It said, holding out a hoof. Spike shook it and introduced himself. "I'm Spike. I'm a dragon." With that one of the orbs-the white one spoke with a girlish voice. "A dragon?! Are not dragons supposed to be sleeping in caves and hoarding treasure?" "I'm far from ordinary. I was raised by ponies." Spike said with pride before he frowned. "I was an assistant...but the pony I was helping has become more independent. I'm on a journey to find out who I am supposed to be." With that, he stood up. "I'm sorry I can't stay any longer, but I must be going. Farewell, Skull kid!" With that, he slowly walked off into the vegetation. The skull kid frowned. "They always leave....huh?" He glanced down and spotted three apples left behind. "What a strange dragon...." ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// A grinning, cream colored pony with a short but well groomed brown mane and tail and a grin plastered on his muzzle walked through the forest with a huge backpack covered and filled with masks. Unbeknownst to him, a pair of yellow-orange eyes were locked onto his bag..... > "You've met with a terrible fate, haven't you?" > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Spike continued in his journey through the Everfree Forest, as a thick fog filled his vision. If he hadn't known better, he would have thought that he was in Foggy Bottom Bog! Still, the mist was obscuring his vision and making it hard to proceed. Two glowing objects emitting a chime-like sound whizzed past him, making him turn in the direction the flew in. Everything went dark right when something hard slammed into the back of his head and he collapsed on the ground right as the Skull Kid he met appeared as if from thin air with a major difference. He was wearing a mask. The mask was heart-shaped and predominately purple with two yellow spikes protruding from the top and four yellow spikes on each side tipped with red, blue, and green on three of them. There were red designs on it and two large eyes, with the outer portion of the eyes being red with a yellow inner portion leading to green irises and small black pupils. The Skull Kid gave an echo-y laugh and lifted the mask as the two glowing objects; both with dragonfly-like wings, flew down and revealed themselves as the fairies traveling with the Skull Kid. "Great job you two!" The Skull kid said in a...different...voice, "Now to see if he has anything good on him." That's when his eyes landed on Spike. "This guy..." For a second, he voice returned to normal, but it changed back quickly after. "Well that shouldn't be a problem!" He finished, pulling the mask back down over his face. He sifted through Spike's pouches before he pulled out the Ocarina of Time. "Oh! Oh! What a pretty Ocarina!" The purple fairy with the red glow said in a young colt's voice. "Hey, Skull Kid, lemme touch it! I wanna see!" The fairy with the yellow glow flew in front of the other one. "You can't Tael! What would we do if you dropped it and broke it? No way, you can't touch it!!!" "...Aw, but sis...W.Why can't I try it out, too?" Spike groaned as he sat up and shook his head to clear the fog from his mind. As he stood up, he spotted the Skull Kid and the two fairies let out bell-like sounds in shock. Skull kid slowly turned around and let out a cry of shock as he saw that Spike was awake, quickly hiding the Ocarina behind a foreleg. "Give that back..." Spike said slowly, before he saw the Skull Kid tensing. Jumping forward, he grabbed one of Skull Kid's rear legs just as he-much to Spike's shock-started actually flying off without wings! Spike was dragged along the ground for a good distance before the Skull Kid spotted a stump. Swinging at it, Spike was slammed against it, the impact forcing him to let go. The Skull Kid's laugh echoed as he vanished into a tunnel made by a fallen, hollowed out tree. Standing up, Spike ran after him climbing up to and leaping across stumps leading up to a carved doorway in a tree. Above the doorway was a carving oddly similar to the mask on the Skull Kid. Without thinking about anything except retrieving his Ocarina, Spike ran through it and into a glowing hole that seemed to swirl with all the colors of the rainbow. ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// As soon as the colors faded and Spike was able to see again, he was sitting on a large, strange, pink flower. Another light came into view and momentarily blinded Spike. As soon as he was able to see (once again), he saw two yellow lights shining down on the floating form of the masked Skull Kid with the two fairies flying by him. "Well well, isn't this a surprise. You actually followed me here!" Skull Kid said casually. Spotting Spike's look he starting mocking him. "Aw boo-hoo why the sad face? I just thought I'd have a little fun with you..." "Listen. All I want is my Ocarina. Just give it back and I won't be forced to use violence." Spike said, inching his left hand up to his sword. "Oh come now, you really think you can beat me as I am now? Fool!" With that, the Skull kid started shaking his head to each side, rattling the mask as a dark aura appeared around it. The rattling seemed to echo through Spike's mind, and he found himself surrounded by strange, wooden creatures with yellow eyes and a protruding snout topped with autumn colored leaves. The rattling continued to echo as Spike started running and a gigantic version of the creature lunged at him and everything went black. When vision returned to Spike, he glanced down at the water, and his reflection startled him. He still had the bottom-half of the tunic and the cap, but his entire body was made from wood and he had sorrowful yellow yes with green "bangs" protruding from under his cap in front of him. A snout stuck out from his face and he had boots upon his feet. Finally, he was the same size he used to be as a "baby dragon". Spike version of Deku Link Letting out a loud cry, even his voice had changed as it reverberated through his snout. The Skull Kid threw back his head and laughed. "Hee Hee! Now, That's a good look for you! You'll stay here looking that way forever!" The Skull Kid and Tael flew back as a door opened behind them and Spike ran at them. The other fairy-the female with the yellow glow-however, threw herself towards him and repeatedly hit him until he fell backwards. That fairy turned around just as the other two made it through the door. "S-s...Sis!!!" Tael shouted just as the door closed. This got the other fairy's attention as it flew to the door. "Whoa! Whoa! Skull Kid, wait for me! I'm still here!!! Tael! You can't leave without me!" Spike stood up and watched in morbid satisfaction as the fairy repeatedly slammed against the door. 'Serves you right'. He thought to himself. As if sensing his though, the fairy flew back and fluttered in front of his face. "You! If I wasn't dealing with you I wouldn't have been separated from my brother!" Spike just glared at her. "Well don't just sit there, Deku boy, do something!!!" Spike's glare just intensified. "...Why are you looking at me like that? What, is there something stuck on my face? Will you just stop staring at me and open that door for me?!? Please! A helpless little girl is asking you...so hurry up!" Spike sighed and glanced at the door. He did need to go through it to get his stolen Ocarina back. The fairy sighed and glanced at the door as well. "Ohhhh, Tael...I wonder if that child will be all right on his own?" Moving over to the door, Spike opened it and walked through the log serving as a tunnel until he came to a platform with that strange flower on it. There was a gap where the ground dropped off slightly and a platform on the other side of the room with the door on it. "Hey! Wait for me! Don't leave me behind!" The familiar voice of the fairy cried out as she flew in front of Spike. "So, um...that stuff back there....I apologize so take me with you!" The fairy said before flying closer, millimeters from Spike's face. "You wanna know about that Skull Kid who just ran off right? Well, I just so happen to have an idea of where he might be going! Take me with you and I'll help you out. Deal?...Please?" Spike thought about it for a few seconds. "Well, an idea of a lead is better than nothing. Very well." "Good! So then it's settled! Now then, I'll be your partner...or at least until we catch that Skull Kid...My name is Tatl. So, uh, nice to meet you or whatever. Now can we stop messing around and get moving?" "My name is Spike." He said as he stepped forward onto the flower, gazing at the distance and wondering how he'd get across. "I can tell you're not very used to your Deku Scrub body yet." Tatl said, "Alright, listen up. Deku Scrubs can burrow into these Deku Flowers to launch themselves upwards and fly short distances, so try it out." Spike gave a twirl and all but his snout seemed to burrow into the center of the flower. After a short time, Spike was launched upwards in a burst of pollen, holding a pair of gigantic pink flowers that were spinning, easily carrying him across the distance between the two platforms. ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// The next room caused Spike to gulp loudly. There were multiple platforms scattered across a cliff so deep that shadows obscured the view of the bottom. He knew that if he fell, than he would die. He let out a huge sigh as he spotted a Deku Flower. Repeatedly using his ability to "fly" to move from platform to platform, Spotting a treasure chest on the platform he was on, he opened it and gathered ten strange nuts. Tucking them into the pouch, he pulled out a note. Dear Spike, My Pinkie Sense is telling me that I'll mess up my explanation about these pouches, so I wrote this note and tucked it into one. These pouches can hold twenty-four types of objects-the total number depends on how much of that item you can carry. How else could I carry so many party supplies? Love, Pinkie Pie PS: Please dispose of this note so it doesn't fill an item slot. Shrugging at the message, Spike tossed it and watched it slowly drift into the blackness below. Continuing moving from platform to platform, Spike landed on the last one with a hollowed out hole and a strange tree. Tatl noticed the tree as well. "It's strange, but the way you look right now kind of looks like this tree....It looks all dark and gloomy....just as if it could start crying now at any second. How sad." The hallway of the next room seemed to twist around, and yet gravity never once caused Spike to fall. Entering a mossy room where a paddle spin-powered by a river flowing under it, a metal doorway closed behind Spike and Tatl, locking shut. Spike tried to pry it open, but nothing worked. The mossy room-unlike the other rooms he had been in-was made of stone and not wood. There was also a ramp, and the paddle was powering a spinning pole and the ramp ended in a square room filled with shadows. Spotting three stairs leading to a doorway with ornate designs painted on them in red, Spike went over to open the door when a voice stopped him. "You've met with a terrible fate, haven't you?" Turning around as Tatl hid behind him, Spike spotted a cream-colored pony with a well-groomed brown mane and tail. The pony's eyes were closed and he had a huge grin as a backpack filled and covered with masks sat upon his back. There was a mask of a "human" (something Lyra was obsessed over) with a red cap with the letter "M" on it. Another looked like a human with pointed ears and had a hat similar to his. Another mask looked like the Spirit of Chaos-Discord. Others were shaped like ponys he knew-Applejack, Rarity, Twilight, Celestia, Luna, Shining Armor, Cadence, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Dr. Whooves, Zecora, and even Mayor Mare. Other masks resembled animals. Rabbits, Lions, bears, birds. Yet others looked like monsters naive to the Everfree Forest. Walking over to the pony, Spike stood in front of him as he continued to talk. "I own the Happy Mask Shop. I travel far and wide in search of masks...and I must welcome you to the land of Termina!" "Termina?!" Spike asked. "Termina. A land within a dimension parallel to Equestria. Very few ever encounter the passageway between the two, however." "I see." Spike said. He certainly didn't feel very lucky! "During my travels, a very important mask was stolen from me by an imp in the woods." The pony said, "So here I am at a loss...and now I've found you." Spike gulped loudly at this. The pony gave a cheerful chuckle. "Now don't think me rude, but I have been following you..." 'Well THAT sounds just creepy' Spike thought to himself. "...For I know of a way to return you to your former self." "WHAT?!" Spike shouted. The kind of magic to change a life-form into another was something even Twilight Sparkle was hesitant in doing! "If you can get back that precious item that was stolen from you, I will return you to normal. In exchange...all I ask is that you also get back my precious mask that the imp stole from me." The pony explained. "That seems hard to do." Spike said, glancing at his transformed body. "What? Is it not a simple task?" The pony asked, "Why, to someone like you-the Hero of the Crystal Empire-it should by no means be a difficult task...except...the one thing is...I'm a very busy pony...and I must leave this place in three days. How grateful I would be if you could bring it back to me before my time here is up...But be warned, the time here moves faster in Termina than in Equestria." Spike grimaced at the time limit. Retrieving the mask alone was daunting enough! "But yes...you'll be fine." The pony said, gazing down at him as if he was examining him. "I can see you are young and have tremendous courage. I'm sure you'll find it right away. Well then...I am counting on you..." Giving one last glance to the pony-his only chance at returning to normal-Spike walked up the stairs and opened the doors, revealing the early morning light.